Want to know the best places to eat in Kildare? Here are the 10 new award winning venues

Lyrath Estate in Kilkenny was the venue for the Irish Restaurant Awards last night, and there were 10 separate Kildare winners over a range of different categories who were presented with awards at the function. There were awards in each field given to pubs and restaurants in each of the 11 Leinster counties, meaning each Kildare winner can claim to be the best in their field in the county. They will go on to compete in the All-Ireland Restaurants Awards now. The Canteen Restaurant in Celbridge was the big Kildare winner on the night, claiming the Best Emerging Irish Cuisine award in the regional awards, Kildare's only representative at that level. It was also a great night for Sallins-based chef Josef Zammit who landed the Best Chef award, while his place of work, TwoCooks Restaurant, were named as the best restaurant in Kildare. The winners from Kildare will go on to compete on a national scale, and there are two different ways in while they will be judged. A mystery guest will be sent by Customer Perceptions Ltd to each premises during March and April to judge the contestants, while the National Awards Academy - made up of representatives from each of the regional judging panels - will meet in early May to judge the County Winners. Each component will have a 50 per cent weighing in the judging.

The Kildare Winners are as follows:

Best Emerging Irish Cuisine – Sponsored by Odaios Foods (Regional Winner)  Canteen Restaurant, Celbridge, Co Kildare Best Restaurant – Sponsored by Dalcassian Wines & Spirits and Cielo  TwoCooks Restaurant Best Chef – Sponsored by Pallas Foods  Josef Zammit of TwoCooks Restaurant Best Gastro Pub – Sponsored by Coca Cola  The Dew Drop Gastro Pub Best Casual Dining – Sponsored by San Pellegrino  Bistro 53 Best Hotel Restaurant – Sponsored by Elavon  The Linden Tree at Carton House Best Customer Service – Sponsored by Peroni  Vie de Châteaux Best Wine Experience – Sponsored by CLASSICdrinks  The Byerley Turk at The K Club Best Newcomer – Sponsored by BWG Foodservice  The Green Barn at Burtown House Pub of the Year – Sponsored by Bushmills  The Salmon Leap Inn