Michelin awards 2024: How did we do?
- New two star: Terre at Castlemartyr Hotel & Resort in Co Cork
- New one stars: D’Olier Street, Dublin 2; Homestead Cottage, Doolin, Co Clare; The Bishop’s Buttery, Cashel, Co Tipperary
*No restaurant in Ireland was demoted or lost its Michelin star in the 2024 edition of the guide
“I am pleased to announce that all eight three-star restaurants in the guide retain the award this year,” says Gwendal Poullenec. But will there be a ninth? Unfortunately, it is not Chapter One’s year and the new three star is The Ledbury in London.
Chef Simon Rogan announcing the two star awards and Terre in Castlemartyr gets a second star this time out having taken one on its debut last year, chef Vincent Crepel commended for his “powerful and sophisticated cooking”.
No luck for the Irish in the Service, Sommelier and Cocktails special awards. Our hopes are now pinned on the elevation of one or more of our restaurants to two or three star status. Fingers crossed.
And the final new one star award goes to West African restaurant Chishuru in Fitzrovia, London. A total of 18 new one stars, and a selection commended for its “geographic diversity”, by the guide’s international director.
A third new one star for Ireland goes to D’Olier Street restaurant in Dublin 2.
And another. Congratulations to Homestead Cottage in Doolin, about which the inspectors said “it is pretty remote but well worth the journey for perfectly judged cooking.”
And we are off! One star for The Bishop’s Buttery at Cashel Palace.
Straight on to the new one stars, which are being described as “an interesting and diverse” selection. They’re being called up one by one. Nail-biting time ... none from Ireland, yet.
Standing ovation in appreciation for Michel Roux, whose Le Gavroche closed last month. He describes the restaurant’s last service, on January 13th. “It was hard, it was tough, but we had a big glass of Champagne, or two, with all the team there. What will he miss most?: “My team and seeing the next generation coming through, that gives me the most pleasure.” He is given the Michelin Mentor Chef award for 2024.
Finally under way .. and first a shout out for the Bib Gourmand winners announced last week, and a welcome from Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guide, marking 50 years of the Michelin Guide UK & Ireland.
And we’re off ... the countdown to the start of the awards ceremony has commenced. Still no word on who is hosting or what format the ceremony will take, but Michelin do like to keep everyone guessing. Best of luck to all the Irish restaurants there this evening.
Just how much does a Michelin star, or stars, meal cost in Ireland? It is a pertinent question in these financially challenging times. Lunch at Campagne in Kilkenny city will set you back €48, and a three-course dinner there is €78. You will be asked to hand over €156 for the 24-serving tasting menu at Aniar in Galway city, while punchiest of the lot at one star level is Terre in Castlemartyr, Co Cork, where the evening tasting menu currently comes in at €180.
At two star level, the prices escalate. Dining in style at Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud in Dublin 2 will cost €260 a head for an eight-course tasting menu, before drinks. The three-course lunch at Chapter One is a relative bargain at €85 – which might explain why reservations are as scarce as the proverbial hen’s teeth. (* prices according to last published on websites).
As the cocktails flow and the canapes are passed at the welcome reception in Manchester, there will be a few representatives missing from the Irish contingent. The trailblazing two-star Aimsir at Cliff at Lyons, under the steering of Jordan Bailey, called it a day weeks after publication of the 2023 guide last March. The closure last month of Eipic in Belfast and the reinvention of Ichigo Ichie in Cork as a Japanese bistro and natural wine bar, has depleted the Irish tally of one stars, but Takashi Miyazaki bounced straight in with a Bib Gourmand last week for his new take on budget-friendly dining at Ichigo Ichie. There were 20 new Bibs announced, six of them in Ireland, and you can read about it here: Michelin Guide awards five new Bibs Gourmands to restaurants in Dublin, Cork and Kerry – The Irish Times
The big question that has been on everyone’s lips in the days leading up to tonight’s ceremony is: “Will this be the year we finally get a three-star restaurant in Ireland?” The popular choice of front runner this year, and last year too, is Chapter One by Mickael Viljanen. Reviewing the restaurant in 2021, Irish Times restaurant critic Corinna Hardgrave said: “This is the best restaurant in Ireland. It’s world class”. Awarding her lunch a 10/10 score, she described it as “perfection at its most exquisite”.
Before ceremony gets underway, let’s take a look what the Michelin inspectors thought of Ireland’s star studded restaurants last year. Here is the full list from the 2023 edition: Michelin-starred restaurants in Ireland, 2023: The complete guide – The Irish Times
As the cocktails and canapes circulate at the welcome reception in Manchester, there will be some new faces among the guests, with a healthy number of new one stars expected to be revealed this evening. Those chefs will have received a very welcome telephone call in recent weeks, giving them the good news and swearing them to secrecy. But, as usual, the rumour mill has been whirring, and the word on the street is that there could be three new one stars for Ireland this evening. The smart money is on D’Olier Street in Dublin, Homestead Cottage in Doolin, Co Clare and The Bishop’s Buttery at the Cashel Palace hotel in Co Tipperary. Place your bets now.
First, let’s take a look at Michelin’s 50-year history in Ireland, starting with the award of its first stars here in 1974, in this Irish Times Magazine feature: Michelin stars: The power to make or break careers, businesses – and lives – The Irish Times
Good evening and welcome to The Irish Times live story on the 2024 Michelin Guide UK & Ireland awards. The ceremony is being held in the Midland Grand hotel in Manchester and is expected to kick off at 6pm and conclude an hour later. Stick with us as we reveal the winners (and hopefully no losers) as the evening progresses.
