Five Irish restaurants have been awarded Michelin Bib Gourmands in advance of the Michelin Guide ceremony being held in Dublin for the first time next week.
The restaurants – three in Dublin, one in Belfast and one in Co Waterford – have been recognised for “providing tremendous value for money without skimping on flavour”. A Bib Gourmand does not equate to a Michelin star but is nonetheless a notable accolade in the industry, acknowledging good value for quality cooking.
In Dublin, Michelin recognised Bigfan, Borgo and Forêt with Bibs, while in Belfast, it added Beau. Farmgate Lismore in Co Waterford gained the fifth new Bib.
Inspectors highlighted Bigfan’s Chinese and Taiwanese sharing plates and described the Aungier Street restaurant’s wu ya bao filled with tender pulled beef as “lip-smackingly delicious”.
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In Borgo in Phibsborough, Dublin 7, which opened last year and was added to the Michelin Guide in December, inspectors found a restaurant “providing all the simple, ingredient-led joys of Italian cooking”. Read our critic Corinna Hardgrave’s review here.
Forêt in Dublin 4, sister restaurant to Forest Avenue, “wouldn’t feel out of place on the streets of Montmartre”, Michelin said. Inspectors highlighted “authentic, comforting dishes like pâté de campagne and coq au vin”. Read our review here.
They said meanwhile that the “warm friendly team and comforting dishes” at Farmgate Lismore “will make you wish you lived up the road”. Notable dishes, according to Michelin, include lamb’s liver and bacon". Our review is here.
In Belfast, Beau joins its sister restaurant Edo with the award of a Bib. Michelin said it was “a buzzy, affordably priced spot”, with inspectors enjoying dishes such as langoustine scampi with sauce gribiche.
Before the additions, there were 18 Bib Gourmand restaurants in the Republic and seven in the North.
The guide ceremony, which will award Michelin stars for 2026, will take place in the Convention Centre Dublin on February 9th. There is speculation within restaurant circles that at least one Irish restaurant could emerge from the event with three stars, a first for the country.
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