2025 Award Winners SPECIALITY HOSPITALITY & SUSTAINABILITY AWARDS 2025

SPECIALITY HOSPITALITY & SUSTAINABILITY AWARDS 2025

VISITOR ATTRACTION 2025: Ballycroy Visitor Centre and Ginger & Wild Café, Co Mayo

Famed for its rewilding project, dark skies and vast area of blanket bog among many other wonderful things, the Wild Nephin National Park is also home to this outstanding modern visitor centre, where the excellent facilities include an educational programme, interpretive exhibition, information on the Mayo Dark Sky Park and much besides - and, helped along by staff who are clearly proud of it and take pleasure in introducing the area to visitors, it's a place you could grow very fond of. Upstairs the lovely Ginger & Wild café is always well worth a visit for its stunning views - across to Achill Island, the Nephin Beg Mountains, the wild Atlantic coast - and delicious food. On the first floor and accessible by lift, it's a light and airy modern space with floor to ceiling windows and a large terrace (where dogs are allowed) to soak up the views. The setting is simply gorgeous and, while the low key decor does nothing to distract from the wonders of nature, it’s a perfect background for a constantly changing exhibition of work by Irish artists and carefully curated craftwork. So it will be no surprise to find that the food and service provided by Nicola Stronach and chef Jean-Pierre Maire is equally simple and confidently considered. Everything is homemade using natural, locally sourced ingredients (the famous Mulroy Bay mussels for example, and Noone's free range chicken from Inishowen in nearby Donegal), although many regulars will pop in just for a cuppa from the tea & coffee menu and the freshly baked treats - with apple tart, tangerine cake, scones, and vegan cake among the homemade temptations on display. All round, like Mayo itself, this is a fascinating place, so it's well worth allowing time to enjoy it.

INNOVATION AWARD 2025: Kish Fish, Howth, Co Dublin

Named after a nearby lighthouse, Kish Fish dates back to 1966 when Tadgh O’Meara - father of the current owners, Tadgh and Damian - had a stand at the old Dublin Fish Market. Nearly six decades on it’s a thriving business employing 150, and – in addition to their core wholesale trade - they have four fish shops (Howth, Coolock, Bow Street, and Avoca Dunboyne), a Production Kitchen (ready-to-cook meals and sauces), a Smokehouse, their Kish Café in Howth, and the Baily Bites food truck… Innovation and sustainability are at the heart of the business, with seafood sourced only from certified sustainable fisheries, an environmentally friendly smokehouse that uses timber from PEFC-certified sustainable forests and continuously reviewed environmental targets among many ongoing innovative practices. An interesting new development in 2025 was the introduction of a unique and seriously delicious new product, Guinness Smoked Salmon By Kish Fish, which was in development for two and a half years and is proving to be well worth the wait. The shared values of the family-owned fish business and the massive enterprise that is Guinness – notably respect for heritage, consistent quality and sustainability - are proudly acknowledged as the raison d’etre of the new product, and the idea actually originated in The Guinness Storehouse (one of Kish Fish’s largest customers) where executive chef, Sean Hunter, had started curing salmon in Guinness and smoking it himself in small quantities for tourists to enjoy as part of the visitor experience at St. James's Gate. Recognition of the product’s potential and mass appeal led to the partnership with Kish Fish – and the deliciously innovative product that is now included in the company's food service range and available in the Kish Fish shops.

SUSTAINABILITY AWARD 2025: Killruddery Estate & The Grain Store, Bray, Co Wicklow

Just outside Bray, Killruddery House and Gardens is a remarkable example of how heritage and sustainability can thrive together. Under the stewardship of Anthony and Fionnuala Brabazon (Lord and Lady Ardee), the estate has evolved into a vibrant working farm and destination, where eco-conscious food and green hospitality take centre stage. The 800-acre estate yields free-range pork, lamb, orchard eggs, and a wealth of vegetables from its kitchen gardens – all showcased through a “garden-to-plate” ethos. Leading the culinary vision is Executive Chef Niall O’Sullivan, a thoughtful advocate of local and foraged ingredients. He ensures that seasonal estate produce forms the backbone of the dining experience – from daily dishes in The Grain Store restaurant to supper clubs and catered events that bring the land’s bounty to the table in gratifying ways. Built in a repurposed grain store, the restaurant itself reflects the estate’s sustainable commitment. Its high ceilings, wide windows, heritage stone, and warming wood stove create an inviting backdrop for menus that celebrate homegrown and locally sourced ingredients – all in seriously delicious and simply seasonal dishes, made with provenance at the forefront. Killruddery’s offerings extend beyond dining to its on-site farm shop, garden visits, and supper experiences. Together, they embody a model of hospitality grounded in sustainability, making Killruddery one of Ireland’s most exciting must-visit destinations.

SEAFOOD RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR 2025: Caviston's Seafood Restaurant, Glasthule, Co Dublin

For generations Caviston’s has been synonymous with the very best of Irish seafood. Established in 1947, the Sandycove emporium has long been a mecca for food lovers, renowned for its superb fish counter, fine deli produce, and house-smoked salmon – and for the old-fashioned service that makes shopping there such a pleasure. With the opening of their destination seafood restaurant nearby, the Caviston family has translated that legacy of quality and care into one of Dublin’s most appealing dining experiences.
Housed in a beautifully restored old building, with views across Dublin Bay from the upstairs dining room, Cavistons Seafood Restaurant exudes a confident charm. Smartly fronted with a jaunty striped awning and seasonal planting, the welcome is warm from the moment you step inside. Friendly, well-trained staff are quick to set the tone, while Head Chef Gary Walker ensures that menus celebrate the best of seasonal Irish fish and shellfish, alongside carefully chosen alternatives. The offering is enticingly concise yet full of temptation: classics like black sole on the bone with caper butter, a magnificent seafood platter for sharing, and imaginative seasonal dishes such as pea and asparagus risotto or wild Wicklow venison with blackberries… Children are not forgotten either, with a proper menu featuring white fish with vegetables and free-range chicken. Supported by a compact but well-chosen wine and drinks list, Cavistons has quickly become a seafood destination of note. True to its roots yet thoroughly contemporary, it is joy to visit
 

SEAFOOD CHEFS OF THE YEAR 2025: Dan Guerin CUSH and Fred Desormeaux, Sea Church & Salty Dog, Co Cork

Dan Guerin and Frédéric “Fred” Desormeaux are two of Ireland’s most popular and exciting seafood chefs, each bringing their distinct voices to the Irish food scene, and they are both making waves in the Flynn Cush Hospitality Group’s excellent restaurants in Ballycotton and Midleton. Reflecting his roots in Ballycotton and the ethos of Euro-Toques membership, Dan Guerin, Head Chef at CUSH Restaurant (formerly in Ballycotton, now moved to Midleton), has earned admiration for menus deeply rooted in seasonality and local provenance. Using the freshest fish – much of it landed in Ballycotton harbour - wild and foraged ingredients, and produce from nearby farms, his confident flavour-driven cooking always impresses. And, back in Ballycotton, Frédéric Desormeaux is Executive Head Chef at Sea Church Restaurant and The Salty Dog, where he transforms local catches into innovative modern interpretations of the all-time favourite classic dishes that are at the heart of memorable casual dining. Expressing a deep connection to their coastal surroundings, both chefs create menus that feel local, fresh, and vibrant. Whether crafting a seafood platter, presenting a delicate fillet, or letting sustainable seafood shine as the star, their work elevates Ireland’s seafood tradition. Pearse Flynn’s Flynn Cush Hospitality Group – which also includes Ballycotton Sea Adventures - and East Cork are very lucky to have them.

GLOBAL CUISINES AWARD 2025: Izz Café, Cork

Much-loved Cork residents, the Palestinian couple Izzeddeen Alkarajeh (a computer scientist) and his wife Eman Aburabi (an interior designer) came to Ireland as asylum seekers with their four children in 2016. Following time in Direct Provision, they settled and started trading at Mahon Point Farmers' Market, where the tastes of their homeland - inmanaeesh za'atar (flatbread), hummus and moutabal - were an instant hit. Their success encouraged this wonderful pair to go further and open a café – and just a year later, in 2019, that became a reality with the opening of Izz Café on George’s Quay in Cork city. Both have a great love of food and the way that it brings communities together, and the wonderful dishes – and coffee – that they brought from their homeland found a ready market. So their delightful Izz Café overlooking the River Lee soon became a Cork staple, and a place where Palestinian cuisine, culture and hospitality could be shared with all. You’ll find the traditional Levantine pie, and their take on magloubeh - the fragrant rice and vegetable dish, served by inverting the pot at the table - which has earned wide acclaim for both taste and theatre. Freshly prepared Palestinian classics include creamy hummus and smoky baba ghanoush, pillowy manaeesh flatbreads, and traditional coffee roasted in-house … Every dish speaks of heritage and pride, but also of a couple eager to share their culture with warmth and generosity – which they have also done through the publication of their cookbook 'JIBRIN' (published by Blasta Books), which has allowed them to share many of the Izz Café favourites for fans to enjoy at home. Authentic, delicious and deeply rooted in place, Izz Café is a true Cork treasure.