Main pointsTwo new one stars for Ireland with The Pullman in Galway and Forest Avenue in Dublin 4A third star for Irish restaurants remains elusive All two-stars and one-star Irish restaurants have retained their starsThe service award went to Barbara Nealon of St Francis Provisions in Kinsale, Co CorkKey reads
And that brings us to the end of our Michelin coverage for this evening – time for that digestif. Huge congratulations to all the restaurants and chefs involved; all deserve enormous credit for the commitment, talent, vision and sheer hard work that brought them to this stage. We know conditions have been particularly tough in this sector in recent times, but it is also true that it is home to an endless spring of creative optimism. Long may that continue.
Thanks for reading, and do stay with irishtimes.com for Corinna Hardgrave’s reflections on tonight’s event and Conor Pope’s insights into the ceremony, both due shortly. And we’ll have further Michelin coverage tomorrow.
No Irish downgrades
A perusal of the guide brings the happy news that no Irish restaurants have lost a star this evening. Thus, our updated list of Michelin-starred restaurants runs as follows.
Two starsRestaurant Patrick Guilbaud, DublinLiath, Blackrock, Co DublinChapter One by Mickael Viljanen, DublinDede, Baltimore, Co CorkTerre, Castlemartyr, Co CorkOne starNEW: Forest Avenue, DublinNEW: The Pullman, GalwayAniar, GalwayBallyfin, Co LaoisBastible, DublinBastion, Kinsale, Co CorkChestnut, Ballydehob, Co CorkCampagne, KilkennyD’Olier Street, DublinGlovers Alley, DublinHomestead Cottage, Doolin, Co ClareHouse, Cliff House, Ardmore, Co WaterfordLady Helen, Mount Juliet, Co KilkennyLignum, Bullaun, Co GalwayThe Bishop’s Buttery, Cashel Palace, Co TipperaryThe Oak Room, Adare Manor, Co LimerickThe Morrison Room, Carton House, Co KildareThe Muddlers Club, BelfastOx, BelfastVariety Jones, DublinOur new one-star restaurants
So what can we tell you about The Pullman and Forest Avenue? When she ate at The Pullman in May, Corinna Hardgrave found “sharp, confident cooking on track for its Michelin goal”.
This is what Michelin had to say: “A pair of lovingly restored Orient Express carriages dating back nearly 100 years are the impossibly elegant setting for chef Angelo Vagiotis’s exquisite cooking. Settled on the Glenlo Abbey Estate, the views over the golf course and Lough Corrib cement this as a memory-making experience. Playing just as important a role is the food, showcasing the best Irish produce in beautifully balanced dishes like wild turbot with Oscietra caviar and a champagne and vanilla sauce. The service is equally delightful, as unstuffy as it is attentive. For an intimate celebration, book the individual ‘Agatha Christie’ compartment.”
In Forest Avenue, inspectors found “an airy, glass-fronted restaurant” run by husband-and-wife team John and Sandy Wyer.
Forest Avenue in Dublin 4
“There’s a minimalist, casual elegance to the place, with the cosiest tables those in front of the open kitchen. Go for the full tasting menu to experience as much of John’s mature, controlled cooking as possible. Dishes are free of overcomplication and put the emphasis firmly on the superb ingredients, such as glisteningly fresh cod with an original celeriac beurre blanc. The efficient service comes from a friendly team,” Michelin said.
Angelo Vagiotis of The Pullman (left) and John Wyer of Forest Avenue trying out their new one-star jackets for size. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill Terre retains two stars
As we await Michelin confirmation of tonight’s accolades, we’ve received word that Terre at Castlemartyr, where Lewis Barker quite recently took over from Vincent Crepel, has retained its two-star status.
Lewis Barker of Terre. Photograph: Daragh Mc Sweeney/Provision
“I am deeply honoured to retain two Michelin Stars alongside such a dedicated and talented team. This recognition reflects the passion, discipline, and collaboration of everyone at Terre, and I am proud of what we continue to build together,” Barker said. Read our interview with him here, and learn of his childhood love of weekend cookery shows.
From inside the Convention Centre, Niamh Browne tells us there was a slight air of “was that it?” as the end of the ceremony came very suddenly.
“Overall, there was a sense that it was over all too soon,” she writes, adding that the lobster rolls and other treats now on offer to guests are welcome.
Two new one stars for Ireland
Still no three-star Irish restaurants: the soufflé collapsed just a bit at the last moment. Perhaps a tiny disappointment for Irish supporters in the room and beyond, but one mixed in with important successes, notably for St Francis Provisions in Cork and for our two new one-star restaurants: The Pullman and Forest Avenue. It has been a good couple of weeks for Forest Avenue, whose sister restaurant Forêt in Dublin 4 gained a Bib Gourmand in the most recent update. Read our review here.
Rebeca Recary Sanchez and Barbara Nealon of St Francis Provisions. Photograph: John Allen
The ceremony live feed has now stopped but Niamh Browne tells us the actual Michelin man has taken to the stage for photographs. This ceremony loves a good photograph – is a little like a school prize-giving in that respect.
Any three stars for Ireland?
No! A flat enough conclusion to a fast-moving ceremony, with no three-star restaurant for Ireland for at least another year. Two new one stars is a great result though, with the Wyers’ delight at their star for Forest Avenue just gorgeous to watch.
Bonheur by Matt Abé in London takes the next two-star award. And that seems to be it for the two-star segment of the evening. The 10 existing holders of three stars are now being invited on to the stage, with all retaining their status.
On to two stars
That was 20 new one-star awards, so Ireland took 10 per cent of them. We’re now moving on to two. The first winner of two stars is Row on Five in London, which also took the sommelier award earlier. It took its first star just last year.
Another new Irish star as Forest Avenue collects
Lovely video as John and Sandy Wyer of Forest Avenue in Dublin learn of winning their first star. Two new one-stars for Ireland! John says it’s all about passion. “When you love what you do, it’s easy, and we love what we do. We run a lovely authentic restaurant in Dublin 4 and we love getting up in the morning.”
John Wyer of Forest Avenue in Dublin 4
OK, we don’t feel like Marty Whelan at Eurovision anymore.
From the room, Conor Pope notes that The Pullman’s star came with very limited fanfare, despite the huge achievement involved: “The chef in the kitchen in the Pullman at Glenlo Abbey Hotel just outside Galway is Greek-born Angelo Vagiotis and while his CV includes Noma in Copenhagen and Terre in Castlemartyr, places that are no strangers to stellar success, his achievement in winning a star so quickly must surely stand apart.”
Chef Angelo Vagiotis at work in The Pullman kitchen. Photograph: Joe O’Shaughnessy
Also among those getting a new one-star white jacket is Nieves Barragán Mohacho of Legado in London, which we covered here. No other Irish winners at this stage.
An Irish star!
Angelo Vagiotis is called to the stage to take on the honour of a star for The Pullman in Galway! He has to remove his jacket to replace it with a lovely, crisp white one. He is the first one-star winner of the evening.
Gordon Ramsay time. He’s on stage discussing his Apple TV series, Knife’s Edge, which explored the pressure of winning and retaining stars. He says it was about ripping off “the band aid”. He names sommelier of the year as Roxanne Dupuy of Row on Five in London. Still no Irish awards – we’re starting to feel like Marty Whelan at the jury voting stage of Eurovision.
Irish award alert
Ramsay also presents the service award, this one going to an Irish person! Well done to Barbara Nealon of St Francis Provisions in Kinsale, Co Cork. She says the secret of good service is “liking your customers”!
Still nothing for Ireland as opening of the year goes to Shwen Shwen in Kent. Comet would presumably have been a valid contender here.
Niamh Browne shares a sense of the glamour of the event as we move on to an award for exceptional cocktails. It’s won by Sebb’s in Glasgow.
And now on to green stars. Seven restaurants have been named here but none are Irish.
And the young chef, as named by Stuart Campbell of La Rousse, is Tom Earnshaw of Bohemia in Jersey. He dropped an f-bomb as he accepted, which we can forgive!
We watched a very nice La Rousse video as we prepared to hear who had won the young chef award this year. It namechecked a number of Irish suppliers, including Brave Herders and Velvet Cloud, as well as showcasing chefs including Conor Halpenny of Square in Dundalk and Elizabeth Dunphy of Cashel Palace.
Elizabeth Dunphy of Cashel Palace
The ceremony hosts are Dubliner Lisa Hogan, known for Clarkson’s Farm, and Amanda Stretton, the English racing driver and presenter. They nodded to La Rousse, the Musgrave-owned high-end food supplier and partner for this evening’s ceremony.
We’ve also just heard from Gwendal Poullennec, the international director of the Guide, who has paid tribute to Ireland’s food culture.
The ceremony is beginning
We expect the event, after formalities, to start off with its “Green Star sequence”, the sustainability accolade it introduced in 2021. Kai in Galway was the only Irish restaurant to get one. Michelin told us this week that the green star “is neither a label nor an environmental certification” but rather an “encouragement to foster dialogue among establishments to inspire and evolve together.”
Dave Murphy and Jess Murphy of Kai in Galway. Photograph: Nathalie Marquez Courtney
We’ll think of this sequence as a palate cleanser. Stars will come at the end of the event, with other awards in areas such as service coming in between.
And now on to this evening’s main course: the ceremony is about to begin. Just before we get there though, Niamh Browne has stumbled upon a culinary superstar: Gordon Ramsay. The multiple-starred chef says “it’s about time” the guide ceremony was held in Ireland. He also promises “a hell of a night”.
How does Michelin decide which restaurants should get stars?
Joanne Cronin sheds some light on how inspectors work in this article, but secrecy and mystery really are their jam.
Even without the benefit of special knowledge on how the inspectors might be feeling, we may be able to interpret a recent steady trickle of Irish Michelin Guide additions as a sign of growing focus on the country, something some have said was lacking in the past. These guide mentions do not equate to a star or a Bib, but they do indicate that Michelin has visited and been impressed. See the latest updates here.
Our Michelin man and woman in the room (hopefully not in costume) at the Convention Centre this evening are Conor Pope and Niamh Browne, who will update us on important matters as as the event progresses.
Ironically, things are less plentiful on the food front, says Conor Pope in this dispatch: “The bells are ringing for the start of the ceremony now and men in suits are herding people into the auditorium. And not so much as a morsel of finger food to be had.”
While we wait for the exciting part of the evening to begin, those more familiar with Michelin tyres than Michelin restaurants might like to know the two are intrinsically linked. Michelin tyres date from 1889, when brothers Edouard and Andre Michelin founded their eponymous company. At this stage, cars were still a novelty and cautious French consumers needed some persuasion to take to the road. To help them along and encourage more tyre sales, the brothers came up with the idea of a free traveller guide containing maps and other practical information on where fuel or repair stops might be available and, crucially, where they might be able to take a break.
Ireland was included in 1911. Anonymous inspectors followed after the 1920s, with the first stars being awarded in 1926. The hierarchy of stars – one, two or three – did not come until 1931, while the “Great Britain and Ireland” guide as we know it today has been in place since 1974.
The Michelin Guide has a whole now rates more than 30,000 establishments across three continents and has sold more than 30 million copies.
Which restaurants might gain stars later?
Again, Corinna Hardgrave is probably the best-placed in Ireland to make predictions on what Michelin might reveal this evening, as she showed in this article at the weekend. The consensus for Irish three-star potential seems to point mostly to the aforementioned Liath and Dede, and to Chapter One, led by Mickael Viljanen. Just because they might deserve it though, does not mean it will happen.
Mickael Viljanen of Chapter One. Photograph: Alan Betson
But how about new entrants to the star section of the guide? These could be brand new restaurants or spots that have, in the eyes of Michelin, upped their game since this time last year. Corinna has her eyes on The Pullman at Glenlo Abbey in Galway, and the chatter does certainly seem to be chugging down that (train) track. In fact, our review of this restaurant in two repurposed and storied Orient Express carriages may even have coincided with a Michelin inspector’s visit. A seven-course tasting menu from Greek head chef Angelo Vagiotis costs €150 per person before wine. And, for the record, the two carriages are named Leona and Linda, one of which was used in Winston Churchill’s funeral cortege in 1965,
The Pullman
Our critic is also keen on Forest Avenue and Comet, both in Dublin, and Thyme in Athlone, but the whole business is so veiled in secrecy that it’s impossible to make firm predictions.
Remember, it’s possible for a restaurant to lose a star too, either by consciously moving away from that level or because circumstances change. When this happens, it only emerges after the ceremony, rather than being announced.
Corinna Hardgrave gained a superb insight into what’s involved in winning, holding and gaining extra stars when she spoke to chefs including Damien Grey of and Ahmet Dede from Dede, both of whose restaurants hold two stars at the moment and would be viewed as viable contenders for three. Moving from one star to two was “a massive difference”, said Grey, describing it as “delivering your identity every day”. Dede had similar thoughts, describing the two-star experience as creating “a distinct cuisine that is native and original”.
Damien Grey in Liath, which holds two Michelin stars. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw
Hopefully, this time tomorrow, we’ll have insights from an Irish chef on what it’s like to move from two stars to three stars. We won’t be placing any bets, however.
There has certainly been a Michelin buzz in Dublin this weekend, albeit not one led by State agencies. Informal Chef Sessions pop-ups have been taking place across the city in recent days, featuring top chefs including Irish Times columnist Mark Moriarty, Rob Krawcyzyk from one-star Restaurant Chestnut in west Cork and Cúán Greene from hotly anticipated Ómós.
And as the city teems with culinary royalty visiting from Britain and elsewhere, chefs’ association Euro-toques has been offering tours of top Irish producers such as Garryhinch Mushrooms and Coole Farm via its Producer Sessions.
But we have not seen much in the way of State-led efforts to capitalise on this important moment for Irish food. Our restaurant critic Corinna Hardgrave late last year wrote incisively about Michelin promotional opportunities missed by officialdom – too late now?
Before we get too excited about what’s to come this evening, our first course can be a reminder of where we stand, Michelin-wise, at the moment. As of now, the guide features 115 restaurants in the Republic and 18 in the North, but only some of these hold stars (23) or bib gourmands (30, after five new Bibs were awarded last week). Just five restaurants on the island have two stars (Chapter One, Liath and Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud in Dublin and Dede and Terre in Co Cork). None have the highest accolade of three stars, something that could change over the next couple of hours, if the stars, er, align.
Michelin does not feel the need to give much away on this (or any issue), but it does tell us that one star means mean “a very good restaurant in its category”. As Corinna Hardgrave noted recently, the word “category” here is important – it does not have to be a fine-dining room as long as it’s consistent with good ingredients, sound technique and clear flavours”.
Two stars will be awarded for “excellent cooking, worth a detour”, while three will mean “exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey”.
Bib Gourmand restaurants offer “excellent value for the quality of their cooking”. This is the category least shrouded in mystery this evening, with Michelin having already named its five new Irish Bibs for 2026.
At a glance: all of Ireland’s Michelin-starred restaurantsTwo starsRestaurant Patrick Guilbaud, DublinLiath, Blackrock, Co DublinChapter One by Mickael Viljanen, DublinDede, Baltimore, Co CorkTerre, Castlemartyr, Co CorkOne starAniar, GalwayBallyfin, Co LaoisBastible, DublinBastion, Kinsale, Co CorkChestnut, Ballydehob, Co CorkCampagne, KilkennyD’Olier Street, DublinGlovers Alley, DublinHomestead Cottage, Doolin, Co ClareHouse, Cliff House, Ardmore, Co WaterfordLady Helen, Mount Juliet, Co KilkennyLignum, Bullaun, Co GalwayThe Bishop’s Buttery, Cashel Palace, Co TipperaryThe Oak Room, Adare Manor, Co LimerickThe Morrison Room, Carton House, Co KildareThe Muddlers Club, BelfastOx, BelfastVariety Jones, Dublin