2026 Award Winners CASUAL DINING AWARDS 2026

CASUAL DINING AWARDS 2026

HISTORIC DESTINATION: 28 At The Hollow Enniskillen Co Fermanagh
Few dining experiences take place in a setting as atmospheric as 28 At The Hollow. Beneath Blakes of the Hollow, one of Ireland’s great historic pubs (and our Traditional Pub of the Year for 2026), chef Glen Wheeler and his wife Zara have created a modern restaurant that feels entirely at home within a building whose hospitality story stretches back generations. Blakes has been in the same family since 1887 and its traditional frontage and celebrated Victorian front bar remain wonderfully intact after 120 years, although relatively recent changes elsewhere in this historic establishment have made it a popular food destination – and, downstairs, the impressively vaulted restaurant has a distinctly contemporary energy. Glen and Zara moved their acclaimed team here from nearby 28 Darling Street in 2021, bringing their accomplished modern cooking, relaxed dining style, thoughtful wines and knowledgeable service into this remarkable historic setting to create a unique experience. The contrast is part of the pleasure. Guests can experience an authentic traditional pub, descend a few steps to a serious restaurant and still feel that both belong to the same place. Historic destinations thrive when the past is respected but not allowed to become static - and 28 At The Hollow does exactly that, bringing fresh culinary life to a much-loved Enniskillen institution and making it our Historic Destination winner.

RESTAURANT-BAR: The Strand Inn Dunmore East Co Waterford
Right on the beach at Dunmore East, with views across the water towards Hook Lighthouse, The Strand Inn has the kind of setting that raises expectations. Happily, this historic inn - dating back to 1750 - has the food, atmosphere and hospitality to match.
Owned since 1965 by a hospitality family with strong Connemara connections, it’s currently run by third-generation hoteliers Clifden and Louise Foyle with their mother Edwina (‘with the fourth generation to be seen playing on the beach’) and The Strand is both a genuine local and a destination for visitors. Its nautical bar remains the heart of the inn, with a sunny terrace for fine days, while the restaurant makes the most of one of Ireland’s great fishing ports on the doorstep. Seafood is naturally the star. Dressed crab, chowder, mussels, hake, sole and other catches arrive with the immediacy that only a working harbour can provide, while meat and vegetarian choices ensure the menu remains broad and welcoming. The style is relaxed, generous and appropriate to a place where people may arrive from the beach, from a boat or for a special dinner. The best restaurant-bars blur the boundary between eating and socialising without compromising either. The Strand does this effortlessly, combining serious seafood, a convivial bar, sea views and a deep connection to Dunmore East. It is an eminently fitting Restaurant-Bar of the Year.

SMART-CASUAL DINING: Dundon’s Champagne Seafood Bar & Terrace Dunbrody House Hotel Arthurstown Co Wexford
At Dunbrody House on the Hook Peninsula, Catherine and Kevin Dundon have long understood that country-house hospitality works best when guests have choices. Dundon’s Champagne Seafood Bar & Terrace provides the stylish, informal counterpoint to the formality of their main Harvest Room dining room - and has become a destination in its own right. The contemporary room, with its temperature-controlled wine cellar and inviting terrace, feels polished without being precious. The menu follows the same principle: excellent ingredients, recognisable dishes and the Dundon flair for presentation, all offered in a format that allows guests to snack, share or settle in for a full meal. Seafood from the south-east is central, with dishes such as Kilmore Quay crab and Hook Head fish making perfect sense so close to the coast. Champagne is more than a name above the door, with a serious selection available, while the wider drinks list makes this equally appealing for an aperitif or an unhurried evening. This stylish and keenly priced casual food offer has introduced many new guests to the pleasures of this very lovely house, and it also makes a wonderful place to enjoy a drink before or after dinner in the Harvest Room. Smart-casual dining should feel easy while entailing considerable thought behind the scenes. Here, setting, service, produce and style are beautifully aligned, and Dundon’s Champagne Seafood Bar & Terrace proves that informality and high standards are natural partners, making it a very deserving winner.

DAYTIME DESTINATION: Grangecon Kitchen Grangecon Co Wicklow
Hidden among the tree-lined back roads of west Wicklow, Grangecon Kitchen is exactly the kind of place that turns a detour into the highlight of a day out. Laura McEvoy and Stephanie Myerscough quickly won a loyal following after opening here in 2019, combining a bakery, café and deli with a wonderfully relaxed sense of rural discovery. The delicious food is thoughtful but never overworked and the lovely staff couldn't be more helpful. House-baked sourdough, imaginative brunch dishes, excellent Irish cheeses, organic eggs, carefully sourced dairy and a counter laden with sweet and savoury baking show how much attention goes into apparently simple daytime food. The famous grilled cheese, with Corleggy Drumlin and caramelised onions plus a pot of port jelly for dipping the crusts, captures the spirit perfectly: generous, playful and rooted in great ingredients. Take-home dishes and deli treats extend the pleasure beyond the café, while the garden and atmospheric outdoor space make the most of Grangecon’s idyllic village setting. A true daytime destination needs to be worth planning around, not merely convenient when passing. Grangecon Kitchen has achieved that distinction through warmth, imagination, excellent baking and an instinct for the food people genuinely want to eat. It is a delightful and thoroughly deserving winner.

BAKERY-CAFÉ: The Fold Bakehouse Derry Co Londonderry.
Derry’s evolving Ebrington Square gained an exciting new food destination when The Fold opened shortly before Christmas 2025. Set in The Keep, part of the 1841 Star Fort structure beside the Peace Bridge, it combines an extraordinary historic setting with a formidable concentration of culinary talent. Owner-chefs Shauna and Mark Froydenlund returned to Shauna’s home city after more than a decade in leading London kitchens, including senior roles at Marcus Wareing’s acclaimed restaurant, and now operate The Exchange - established by Shauna’s father in 2001 - and this new venture just across the Foyle, where they have created a bakehouse and restaurant that is ambitious in quality while remaining accessible in spirit. Working with highly regarded local chef Derek Creagh, the counter and compact dining room offer excellent pastries, breads, bakes and light lunches, with the kind of technical precision expected from chefs of this calibre. Selected supper clubs and other events allow the team to stretch further, but the everyday appeal of dropping in for something freshly baked and seriously tempting is fundamental. The best bakery-cafés make craft visible and delicious, while becoming part of the rhythm of their neighbourhood. The Fold is doing that very well in one of Derry’s most important regenerated spaces. Fresh, confident and full of ongoing promise, it is our lovely Bakery-Café of the Year.