Online public nominations for The Irish Restaurant Awards are open until 12 noon on January 28th.
The Irish Restaurant Awards officially returned on January 14th for their 17th year, with a launch event at HERA Restaurant, Dublin 1 marking the opening of public nominations for the 2026 awards.
The Irish Restaurant Awards continue to be the most popular food awards in the country. Last year saw a record breaking 165,000 public nominations submitted in support of Ireland’s best food-led hospitality businesses and the people behind them.
The Awards Process
The awards process begins with an online public vote hosted by The Irish Times, official media partner of the campaign, that can be accessed here, running from 12 noon on Wednesday 14th of January until 12 noon on Wednesday 28th of January.
This will be followed by a robust judging process involving national experts, regional judging panels and four provincial awards events where county winners will be announced. A Dublin shortlist will then be selected ahead of the All-Ireland Final, where regonal and national winners will be crowned.
Members of the public can nominate their favourites across 23 categories, including 18 Main Award categories and 5 National Award categories.
Speaking at the launch, Séan Collender, President of the Restaurants Association of Ireland, said:
“As we launch the 17th annual Irish Restaurant Awards, it has never been more important that we celebrate the people, the food and the places where communities come together to enjoy the very best of hospitality across the island of Ireland.”
Adrian Cummins, Chief Executive of the Restaurants Association of Ireland, added:
“These awards are about recognising excellence at every level of the industry, from local favourites to nationally recognised establishments. At a time when hospitality businesses continue to face significant challenges, public support through nominations has never meant more.”
Judging Process
The judging process this year consists of two stages:
Stage 1: Choosing county winners – After the online nominations are closed and independently audited by BDO, regional judging panels will review the nominees. The county winners will then be announced at the Regional Awards.
Stage 2: National Academy Judging – Selected judges from the regional panels will form the National Academy, reviewing each finalist and deciding the overall winners. Mystery guest inspections precede this stage for certain categories.
County winners will be announced at Regional Awards Events throughout March. Full details will be released following the close of nominations, along with ticketing information.
Regional Awards Events & All Ireland Awards Gala
Regional and All Ireland Winners, including in categories such as Best Restaurant and Best Chef will be revealed at the All-Ireland Awards Gala Dinner which will take place at the Clayton Hotel on Burlington Road, Dublin 4 in May. Ticket and event information will be available on irishrestaurantawards.com shortly.
Sponsors & Supporters
The Irish Restaurant Awards are proudly supported by:
American Express, BWG Food Service, Avonmore, BDO, Bibendum, Customer Perceptions, Diageo, Excel Recruitment, FBD Insurance, Frylite, Hendersons Foodservice, Illy, IMRO, The Irish Times, Monin, Musgrave Marketplace, Paynt, Peninsula, Restaurant & Hospitality Skillnet, Restaurant-Insurance.ie provided by Dolmen, Square, and Sugar Snap Agency.ing passengers.
Photos: Paul Sherwood
