2018 Award Winners SEAFOOD RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR 2018

Hooked, Galway, Co Galway

Although we eat less fish at home than might be expected for an island nation, everybody – whether living in Ireland or just visiting - seems to love seafood when eating out, so it’s an increasingly vibrant sector of the restaurant business. Focusing on provenance is key to supporting the best fishermen and producers and ensuring the best consumer experience, something that BIM have been working on for some time through initiatives like the former Seafood Circle and now - jointly with Failte Ireland - the West Coast seafood trail, ‘Taste the Atlantic - a Seafood Journey’ which links a number of Wild Atlantic Way seafood restaurants and their suppliers in a visitor-friendly way.

There’s something especially pleasing about eating in a restaurant that is closely associated with the source of the food on your plate - and that is certainly part of the appeal at this delightful spot in Galway city’s Westend, an up and coming area that becomes a hotter food destination with each new opening.

This little gem is a small family run business, a combination of restaurant, café and chipper. It sits in a row of terraced houses west of the river - next to its older sister, Ali's Fish Shop, which supplies ultra fresh local fish daily.

Run by Ali's daughter, Nuisin Jalilvand, it’s a cute spot behind a traditional shopfront and its cool, urban identity is very much in tune with the Westend vibe. It has earned a reputation for serving the best fish and chips in the city - monkfish goujons are breaded and studded with lemon and pepper, served on white dinner plates smartly trimmed with blue, atop a pile of golden chips and with a tartare dip.

The menu doesn’t stop there, however, with everything from seafood tagliatelle to crab cakes and chowders to scallops on offer.

Hooked is funky and fun, serving fabulous fish - a real treat for seafood lovers with none of the fuss.