Shortlists across the country have been announced for the Irish Restaurant Awards 2026, with the All Ireland Finals set to take place on May 18th. This is the 17th year of the awards, hosted by the Restaurant’s Association of Ireland since 2009. These awards celebrate the hard work and passion that goes into Irish hospitality,
Nominations for the awards have been made by the public back in January of this year through the Irish Times website, with the nominated businesses notified after the closing date. This year, they received over 150,000 public nominations for restaurants and establishments across the country. Regional events have then taken place across Ulster, Munster, Leinster and Connaught across March and April. County winners were then announced at these awards, with Dublin nominees shortlisted and announced separately online.
Following the announcement of Dublin’s shortlist last week, all finalists have now been shortlisted and announced ahead of the final awards ceremony. This will take place in the Clayton Hotel on the Burlington Road in Dublin, a black-tie gala event that will feature a drinks reception, five-course Irish meal with wine pairings, the awards presentation itself and an afterparty.
The awards feature 23 different categories to represent the best in Irish hospitality, including Best Restaurant, Best Chef, Best Gastro Pub, and many more.
The Finalists/Regional Winners
Ulster
The Ulster Regional Final took place on Tuesday, 24 March at the Armagh City Hotel. See the shortlist here:
Dublin
Dublin finalists were announced online, via the Irish times. See the shortlist here:
Connaught
Connaught winners were announced at the Regional Final on Tuesday, 31 March at the Knockranny House Hotel. See the shortlist here:
Munster
County winners from across the region of Munster were announced at the Regional Final on Tuesday, 10 March at the Strand Hotel, Limerick. See the shortlist here:
Leinster
The Leinster Awards were held on Tuesday, March 3rd, at the Killashee Hotel in Kildare. See the shortlist here:
