FOUR West Cork restaurants have been recognised for their culinary excellence at the 2026 All Ireland Final of the Irish Restaurant Awards.

The awards ceremony, sometimes referred to as the ‘food Oscars’, was held in Dublin on Monday.

Over 1,000 chefs, restaurateurs, managers and staff gathered to celebrate excellence across Ireland’s hospitality sector.

West Cork’s vibrant food sector got plenty of acknowledgement during the night.

Ahmet Dede of Dede at the Customs House Baltimore received the award for Best Chef in Ireland.

Dede at the Customs House in Baltimore is one of just five Irish restaurants to hold two Michelin stars, and serves Turkish-Irish fusion dishes.

The accolade adds to the long stream of recognitions for Dede, which has received critical acclaim since its opening in July 2020.

The award for Best Hotel & Guesthouse Restaurant in Ireland went to Rare at Blue Haven.

The restaurant, which is inside the Blue Haven Hotel in Kinsale, features on the Michelin Guide.

The team at the Kinsale restaurant pride themselves on a menu featuring seasonal, locally sourced ingredients with delicate flavours influenced by chef Meeran’s Tamil Nadu heritage.

The Lifeboat Inn in Courtmacsherry won the Best Use of Social Media in Munster. The award was accepted by chef Martin Buckley and restaurant manager David O’Halloran, both of whom feature regularly of the gastropub’s popular social media pages.

Their Instagram page has over 28,000 followers, while The Lifeboat’s TikTok boasts 46,600 followers and over one million likes.

The Employee Excellence Award for Munster went to Ciara O’Shea of Casey’s Bar and Restaurant, Clonakilty.

The award recognises employees who demonstrate remarkable on-the-job excellence in terms of work quality, customer service skills, teamwork and innovation.