REVEALED: The best places to eat and drink in Louth honoured at Irish Restaurant Awards

The best hospitality businesses in Louth were crowned at the Leinster Regional Final of Irish Restaurant Awards 2022 which took place in the Knightsbrook Hotel, County Meath on Tuesday. 

Louth winners will now compete for the Regional and All Ireland Titles, which will be announced at the Irish Restaurant Awards All Ireland Final on Monday 19th September 2022 in the Convention Centre Dublin.

Over 900 restaurant and hospitality business owners and staff celebrated their hard work and achievements at the Awards Event, which saw many well-known restaurateurs of Leinster turn out to see if they had won one of the prestigious awards.

Speaking at the awards Chief Executive of the Restaurants Association of Ireland, Adrian Cummins, said; 

“Now in their 13th year, the Irish Restaurant Awards returns after the 2020 Awards were cut short. The Awards are an opportunity to celebrate the existing and up and coming talent in the sector and are a reminder that hospitality is nothing without the dedicated and passionate staff in the industry. 

“The Awards continue to showcase the incredible food that is on offer in the cafes, pubs and restaurants of Ireland. With well over 100,000 nominations received from the public this year, the standard for the judging process was higher than ever.”

Food outlets were nominated under the categories of Local Food Hero, Best Free From, Best Emerging Irish Cuisine, Best Restaurant Manager, Best Wine Experience, Best Café, Best World Cuisine, Best Newcomer, Pub of the Year, Best Casual Dining, Best Hotel & Guesthouse Restaurant, Best Customer Service, Best Gastropub, Best Chef, and Best Restaurant and finally a new award category for 2022 Best Sustainable Practices.

The Louth winners in each category were:

Local Food Hero Sponsored by The Irish Times

• Ballymakenny Farm Heritage Potatoes, Maria Flynn

Best Sustainable Practices Sponsored by Gas Networks Ireland

• Wildwood Cafe

Best Free From Sponsored by Peroni Nastro Azzurro

• The Bare Food Company Drogheda

Best Emerging Irish Cuisine Sponsored by FBD

• The Bay Tree Restaurant

Best Restaurant Manager Sponsored by AIB Merchant Services

• Fairways Hotel Dundalk, Elizabeth Duffy

Best Wine Experience Sponsored by Bibendum Ireland

• No 3 Wine Bar And Restaurant Collon

Best Café Sponsored by Illy

• Strandfield

Best World Cuisine Sponsored by San Pellegrino

• Sitar Indian Restaurant And Takeaway Dundalk

Best Newcomer Sponsored by Square

• Birch & Co Dundalk

Pub of the Year Sponsored by Jameson

• Russell’s Saloon Dundalk

Best Casual Dining Sponsored by Musgrave Marketplace

• The Spotted Dog

Best Hotel & Guesthouse Restaurant Sponsored By Frylite

• Scholars Townhouse Hotel Drogheda

Best Customer Service Sponsored Restaurant-Insurance.ie Provided by Dolmen

• Monasterboice Inn (Donegans) Drogheda

Best Gastro Pub Sponsored by Worldpay from FIS

• The Trinity Quarter Drogheda

Best Chef Sponsored by BWG Foodservice

• Square Restaurant Dundalk, Conor Halpenny

Best Restaurant Sponsored by Tindal Wine Merchants

• Square Restaurant Dundalk