2016 Award Winners FAMILY FRIENDLY RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR 2016

StoneCutters Kitchen, Doolin, Co Clare

Family-friendliness is increasingly important in Irish hospitality and our Family Friendly award is more highly valued each year, as times change and people assume the whole family goes pretty much everywhere. We look for the places that cater especially well for families by providing the range of services and activities for varying ages and interests that make for a stress-free meal out or break. While a surprising number of promising ‘family friendly hotels’ fail to come up to the mark (we send real families to assess our shortlisted establishments) the best family-friendly hotels are a very good option indeed - and, like the best family-friendly restaurants, inspire a loyal following.

Space travel can sound like a synch to many parents, in comparison with taking holidays with young families, which brings a whole rake of demands including good planning, patience, frequent breaks for exercise and generally letting off steam, and careful timing of meal breaks - which should of course be somewhere that’s not only child-friendly but also serves wholesome, good value food that children will enjoy.

The consolation is that a restaurant that does everything well for children will also be appealing to adults and this is certainly the case with Karen Courtney and Myles Duffy’s cheerful little cottage restaurant

StoneCutters Kitchen. Located between Doolin and the Cliffs of Moher, StoneCutters offers a welcome retreat from this well worn tourist route for any hungry visitors, whether with families in tow or not - and provides an excellent family run alternative to the predictable facilities nearby, with great staff who always go the extra mile to make sure everyone’s happy.