Two Galway restaurants were honoured at the Georgina Campbell Irish Food & Hospitality Awards over the weekend.
The 2020 winners were announced on Sunday, with Georgina Campbell warning of a lack of training among hospitality staff at higher-end hotels and a “worrying lack of hospitality in some cases”. Such was not the case out west though.
Tartare Café and Wine Bar along with Inis Meáin Restaurant and Suites were revealed as being amongst the cream of the crop in the food industry, taking home a prestigious accolade each while three other Galway businesses – Quay House in Clifden, The Ardilaun Hotel and Wa Café -were runners up for awards.
Tartare Café and Wine Bar on Lower Dominick Street won the Taste the Island Innovation award. Owned by JP McMahon, the judges rated it highly for its “brilliantly simple food and cool arty vibe”. McMahon and co-owner Drigin Gaffey were also praised highly for their cultural contributions to Galway, namely their free-entry Wine & Design evenings that offer local artists a platform to discuss their work.
Inis Meáin Restaurant and Suites on the Aran Islands bagged the coveted Outstanding Guest Experience award. Again the judges praised the establishment for its “beautifully simple food”, giving a special mention to the panoramic views of the island sea and sky as well. With an international reputation as one of Ireland’s most beautiful locations, it’d be hard to beat in fairness.
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As the longest-running independent hospitality awards in Ireland, earning a Georgina Campbell award is no mean feat. The highly coveted ‘Restaurant of the Year’ title went to Aimsir in Co. Kildare, a restaurant intent on “celebrating what can be sown and harvested, fished and foraged on the island of Ireland”.
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I’ll be adding these spots to my list of places to try pronto.
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