Dublin restaurant Luna, which has been open for less than a year, has been recognised as the best eatery in Ireland.
The Drury Street business opened in June 2015 and is based on the concept of a New York Italian restaurant.
It won the all-Ireland best restaurant award and best Dublin restaurant at the Restaurants Association of Ireland awards. Luna also won best customer service in Dublin and Declan Maxwell won for best restaurant manager.
The awards were presented on Monday night and some 70,000 online nominations were received in the various categories.
Luna community manager Leo Molloy said they were "over the moon" at the win which they attributed to hard work. "We are only open a year but we have a century of experience behind us," he said. The owner John Farrell, head chef Karl Whelan, sous chef Hugh Higgins and Mr Maxwell are long time veterans of the scene. The decor is meant to convey the sense of a 1950s style New York restaurant with leather modular seats and red velvet curtains. The food is modern Italian.
Irish Times restaurant critic Catherine Cleary gave it 8 out of 10 when she visited in December. She concluded it was "spendy but fun. Dinner for three with a bottle of wine came to €178".
She also described it as “shameless, from its gold leaf and caviar down to a menu postscript telling you the staff were ‘tailored by Louis Copeland’. It’s been a dambuster of a meal in which the first plates have outshone the heftier ones that followed. The food is good. For this kind of cash you could eat better elsewhere but I’m not sure you can have as much fun.”
The best chef in Ireland went to Michelin star winner Enda McEvoy of Loam restaurant in Fairgreen, Galway city. Co Cavan-born Mr McEvoy set up Loam in 2013 with his wife Sinead. He previously won a Michelin star at the Aniar restaurant in Lower Dominick Street, Galway.
The best hotel restaurant went to The Dining Room at Gregan's Castle Hotel in Ballyvaughan, Co Clare, the best casual dining went to ETTO in Dublin and the best gastropub in Ireland went to the Oarsman in Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim which is owned by the Maher brothers, Ronan and Conor.
The best customer service went to the Kai Café and restaurant in Galway and best café went to Café Rua in Castlebar, Co Mayo.
The full list of regional and all-Ireland winners is as follows;
Best restaurant
All -Ireland -Luna, Dublin
Dublin - Luna, Dublin
Connacht - Loam, Galway
Leinster - The Pigeon House, Wicklow
Munster - 1826 Adare, Limerick
Ulster - Browns Restaurant & Champagne Lounge, Derry
Best chef
All-Ireland - Enda McEvoy of Loam, Galway
Dublin - John Wyer of Forest Avenue, Dublin
Connacht - Enda McEvoy of Loam, Galway
Leinster - Rob Krawczyk of Brabazon at Tankardstown House, Meath
Munster - David Hurley of The Dining Room at Gregan's Castle Hotel, Clare
Ulster - David Gillmore of James Street South, Antrim
Best restaurant manager
All-Ireland - Alain Kerloc’h of OX, Antrim
Dublin - Declan Maxwell of Luna, Dublin
Best hotel restaurant
All-Ireland - The Dining Room at Gregan’s Castle Hotel, Clare
Dublin - The Brasserie at The Marker, Dublin
Connacht - The Library Restaurant at Belleek Castle, Mayo
Leinster - The Lady Helen at Mount Juliet, Kilkenny
Munster - The Dining Room at Gregan’s Castle Hotel, Clare
Ulster - Harvey‘s Restaurant at Harvey‘s Point, Donegal
Best casual dining
All-Ireland - ETTO, Dublin
Dublin - ETTO, Dublin
Connacht - The Pantry and Corkscrew, Mayo
Leinster - Foodworks, Kilkenny
Munster - Elbow Lane Brew & Smokehouse, Cork
Ulster - The Ginger Bistro, Antrim
Best Gastro Pub
All-Ireland - The Oarsman, Leitrim
Dublin - Mulligan Grocer, Dublin
Connacht - The Oarsman, Leitrim
Leinster - Left Bank, Kilkenny
Munster - Merry’s Gastro Pub, Waterford
Ulster - Sweet Afton Bar & Kitchen, Antrim
Best café
All-Ireland - Rua, Mayo
Dublin - The Pepper Pot, Dublin
Connacht - Rua, Mayo
Leinster - Blackberry Café, Kilkenny
Munster - The Granary Café, Waterford
Ulster - Aroma Café, Donegal
Best world cuisine
All-Ireland - Chakra by Jaipur, Wicklow
Dublin - Boqueria, Dublin
Connacht -Miso Sushi, Sligo
Leinster - Chakra by Jaipur, Wicklow
Munster - Iyer’s, Cork
Ulster - DinaDina, Antrim
Best emerging Irish cuisine
All-Ireland - Locks 1 Windsor Terrace, Dublin
Dublin - Locks 1 Windsor Terrace, Dublin
Best customer service
All-Ireland - Kai Café & Restaurant, Galway
Dublin - Luna, Dublin
Connacht - Kai Café & Restaurant, Galway
Leinster - Chakra by Jaipur, Wicklow
Munster - Inch House Country House & Restaurant, Tipperary
Ulster - The Great Room Restaurant at The Merchant Hotel, Antrim
Best wine experience
All-Ireland - George V Dining Room at Ashford Castle, Mayo
Dublin - ETTO, Dublin
Connacht - George V Dining Room at Ashford Castle, Mayo
Leinster - Ristorante Rinuccini, Kilkenny
Munster - La Bohème Restaurant & Winebar, Waterford
Ulster - OX Cave, Antrim
Local food hero
All-Ireland - JP McMahon of Aniar, Galway
Dublin - Pádraic Óg Gallagher of Gallagher‘s Boxty House, Dublin
Best kids size menu
All-Ireland - Momo Restaurant, Waterford
Dublin - Jamie’s Italian, Dublin
Best newcomer
All-Ireland - The Bay Tree Bistro, Waterford
Dublin - Craft, Dublin
Connacht - The Idle Wall, Mayo
Leinster - The Lighthouse Seafood Restaurant, Wicklow
Munster - The Bay Tree Bistro, Waterford
Ulster - The Muddler‘s Club, Antrim
Best cocktail experience
All-Ireland - The Exchequer, Dublin
Best seafood experience
All-Ireland - O’Grady’s on the Pier, Galway
Best cookery school
All-Ireland - Tannery Cookery School, Waterford
Best digital marketing
All-Ireland - Coqbull, Cork
Best private dining & club restaurant
All-Ireland - Restaurant FortyOne at Residence, Dublin
