The very best in food and hospitality across the Midlands was celebrated at the Irish Restaurant Awards Leinster Regional Final 2026, the first regional celebration of this year’s awards programme. The Awards were held on Tuesday, March 3rd, at the Killashee Hotel in Kildare, where county winners from throughout the province of Leinster were announced.
More than 1,100 guests attended to recognise the achievements of restaurants, cafés and hospitality businesses operating across Leinster.
Now in its 17th year, the Irish Restaurant Awards attracted over 150,000 public nominations, submitted via The Irish Times, the official media partner.
Once all regional finals conclude, both Regional and All Ireland winners will be revealed at the All-Ireland Awards Gala Dinner on Monday, May 18th at the Clayton Hotel, Burlington Road, Dublin. County winners from Leinster are now invited to secure tickets for the national ceremony.
Addressing attendees, Seán Collender, President of the Restaurants Association of Ireland, said: “As Ireland places a renewed focus on culinary tourism, nights like this take on even greater importance. Our restaurants are not only central to local communities and employment, they are a key part of the experience visitors travel here for. The Irish Restaurant Awards shine a light on the quality, creativity and standards that underpin Ireland’s growing food reputation at home and abroad.”
“These awards are about more than recognition. They reinforce the link between hospitality businesses and Ireland’s wider tourism offering. By celebrating excellence at county and regional level, we strengthen the foundations of a food culture that attracts visitors, supports producers and sustains jobs right across the country. I want to congratulate every nominee and winner whose work contributes to that story.”
Full List of the County Winners from the Midlands:
Best Restaurant
• Laois: Bramley Abbeyleix
• Longford: Midtown Kitchen & Bar
• Offaly: The Blue Apron Restaurant
• Westmeath: Thyme Restaurant
Best Chef
• Laois: Richard Picard-Edwards, Ballyfin Demesne
• Longford: Marco Fabbi, Sorrento Restaurant
• Offaly: Anthony O’Connor, Old Warehouse
• Westmeath: John Coffey, Thyme Restaurant
Best Restaurant Manager
• Laois: Carmel Boyle, Ballyfin Demesne
• Longford: Frances Nugent, Spice India Longford
• Offaly: Kristina Sapovala, S Cafe
• Westmeath: Trevor Byrne, Scanlons Pub
Best Hotel & Guesthouse Restaurant
• Laois: Ballyfin Demesne
• Longford: Longford Arms Hotel
• Offaly: Hackett’s Eatery at County Arms Birr
• Westmeath: Bloomfield House Hotel
Employee Excellence
• Laois: Orla Maher, Morrissey’s Pub Abbeyleix
• Longford: Hanna Kadet, Newcastle House
• Offaly: Klaudia Iskra, Meet&Fit
• Westmeath: Aimee Clarke, James Joyce Restaurant at Greville Arms Hotel
Best Use of Social Media
• Laois: Make and Mark
• Longford: Jolly Boys Pizza & Grill Ballymahon
• Offaly: J.J. Houghs Singing Pub
• Westmeath: Weir’s Bar & Restaurant
Best Casual Dining
• Laois: Bowe’s Foodhall & Cafe
• Longford: PV’s Longford
• Offaly: Luker’s Bar, Restaurant & Live Music Venue
• Westmeath: Poppy Fields Cafe
Best World Cuisine
• Laois: Namo
• Longford: Spice India Longford
• Offaly: Sanjay’s Kitchen
• Westmeath: Spice India Athlone
Best Gastro Pub
• Laois: O’Gormans Bar & Restaurant
• Longford: Richmond Inn
• Offaly: Hennessy’s
• Westmeath: The Villager Bar & Restaurant
Best Contemporary Irish Cuisine
• Laois: Ballyfin Demesne
• Longford: The Glenview Bar and Lounge
• Offaly: Old Warehouse
• Westmeath: Days Bazaar Mullingar
Best Newcomer
• Laois: Coffee to a Tea
• Longford: Gooseberry Cafe
• Offaly: Crun Chicken
• Westmeath: The Lough Ree Inn
Pub of the Year
• Laois: The Fisherman’s Thatched Inn
• Longford: Ronnie Nally & Sons
• Offaly: Craughwell’s Pub
• Westmeath: The Snug Bar
Best Wine Experience
• Laois: Batonis
• Longford: Vocella’s
• Offaly: The Blue Apron Restaurant
• Westmeath: The Left Bank Bistro
Best Customer Service
• Laois: Treacy’s Bar and Restaurant
• Longford: The Rustic Inn
• Offaly: Emma’s Cafe
• Westmeath: Il Colosseo
Best Café
• Laois: Mueller & O’Connell Bakery
• Longford: Fabiani
• Offaly: The Bog’s Dollops
• Westmeath: The Stables Tea Rooms
Best Sustainable Practices
• Laois: Solas Eco Garden Centre
• Longford: Fiona Egan Cloughan Farm & Cookery School
• Offaly: Biasol
• Westmeath: Bastion Kitchen
Innovator of the Year
• Laois: The Merry Mill
• Longford: John Stone Beef
• Offaly: Ballycommon Bake House
• Westmeath: Irish Craft Soda Company
Local Food Hero
• Laois: Cormac & Tracy Loonam, The Red Shed
• Longford: Pat & Fiona McCormack, The Farmhouse Bees and Trees
• Offaly: Margaret Edgill, Mount Briscoe Organic Farm
• Westmeath: The Gillivan Family, Gillivan’s Moate Meats
