Izz Café, Cush, and Sea Church among winners at Georgina Campbell food awards

Fern Allen of Ballymaloe House, Cork, with John Brennan and Georgina Campbell. Picture: Paul Sherwood
Cork and Munster magic was to the fore once more at the Georgina Campbell Irish Food & Hospitality Awards 2025.
At a gala awards lunch at the InterContinental Dublin Hotel, multiple Munster winners picked up gongs at Ireland’s oldest food and hospitality awards, which have been running since the 1990s with winners selected anonymously without their prior knowledge.
Cork’s beloved Izz Café picked up the Global Cuisines Award while East Cork celebrated a double whammy with Dan Guerin of Cush Midleton and Fred Desormeaux, of Sea Church and Salty Dog, both in Ballycotton, named as Seafood Chefs of the Year.
Elsewhere in the county, Fern Allen, of Ballymaloe House, won Host of the Year, while food producer Gloun Cross Dairy, in Dunmanway, Co Cork, picked up the Best Dairy Award.
Another serial winner at the awards, Mary Ann’s Bar & Restaurant, in Castletownshend, saw Fergus and Trish O’Mahony picking up the Long Haul Hero Award, while Cafe-Bar of the year went to Jacob’s Bar, at the Waterfront Hotel, in Baltimore, also in West Cork.
The county of Clare also celebrated with the Smart Casual Dining award going to Oar restaurant, in Doolin, the Memorable Experience Award going to Gregan’s Castle Hotel, in Ballyvaughan, Family Friendly Hotel of the Year going to Lahinch Coast Hotel & Suites, and the Food Tourism Experience award went to St Tola Farmhouse Cheese & Goat Farm, in Ennistymon.

The Kingdom’s always strong hotel and accommodation sector once again prevailed with The Park Hotel in Kenmare, now under the new ownership of Bryan and Tara Meehan, celebrating the Fine Dining Hotel Restaurant of the Year award for the hotel’s Landline restaurant, under head chef James O’Sullivan. Three-Star Hotel of the Year went to Killeen House Hotel, in Killarney, and Guesthouse of the Year went to Greenmount House, in Dingle.
Elsewhere in Munster, the prestigious Movers and Shakers Award went to Eunice Power, of … And Chips, in Dungarvan, while another Waterford win saw Grow HQ Cafe & Larder win Best Supporter of Irish Food and Drink Producers. In the very popular annual best breakfast section, The Mustard Seed, in Ballingarry, Co Limerick, won the Irish Bread Award.
Allta, in Dublin, picked up the coveted Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year, while Chef of the Year went to Conor Halpenny, of Square Restaurant, in Dundalk, and 5-Star Hotel of the Year went to Glenlo Abbey, in Co Galway.
Beginning her opening address with an appeal for government support for the food and hospitality sector in next week’s budget, Georgina Campbell acknowledged the extremely challenging climate which was making survival extremely hard for the sector, referencing the recent closure of Dublin’s Big Mike’s, the latest hospitality casualty.
However, she also hailed the sector’s innate resilience and continual quest for innovation, saying: “Ireland is rightly known especially for warm hospitality and it is a joy to visit, and to revisit, the places where standards are non-negotiable - and thank goodness there are still so many wonderful people demonstrating extraordinary resilience at a time when Ireland’s hospitality and food sector faces so many challenges.”
Full list of winners here.