FOOD and drink is now a whopping £5 billion industry for Northern Ireland and the Irish News Great Places to Eat Awards were established to reward our very best eateries.
With close to 5,000 individuals casting a separate vote, the awards really connected with our food-loving readers and food critics. Whether they choose to dine out in a Michelin-recognised eatery, a five-star hotel, a modest bistro or even a local café, readers were keen to vote for their own personal 'cream of the crop'.
Held on Tuesday in association with Food NI and Henderson Foodservice, the inaugural Irish News Great Places to Eat Awards revealed the following 12 winners:
:: Casual dining restaurant: Anzac Bistro (Ballycastle)
:: Café/coffee shop: Café Marmalade (Banbridge)
:: Fine dining restaurant: Coco (Belfast)
:: Pub/gastro pub: The Yellow Heifer (Camlough)
:: Hotel restaurant: The Catalina Restaurant (Lough Erne, Enniskillen)
:: Sunday lunch restaurant: The Foyle Hotel (Moville, Co Donegal)
:: Visitor attraction café: Hillsborough Castle Café
:: Local produce restaurant: The Café at Montalto (Ballynahinch)
:: Family friendly restaurant: La Dolce Vita (Newry)
:: ‘Free from’ restaurant: Wolf & Devour Burger Bar (Belfast)
:: Social enterprise café: An Croí (Maghera Co Derry)
:: Brunch restaurant: The Moy Larder (Moy)
Today, we are delighted to exclusively announce our overall winner – the restaurant that topped our overall poll and was voted as Greatest Place to Eat by our passionate food critics.
The winner of our Greatest Place to Eat inaugural 2019 award is The Catalina Restaurant at the five-star Lough Erne Resort in Enniskillen, under executive head chef Noel McMeel.
