NI restaurants retain Michelin stars despite pandemic

Three Northern Irish restaurants have held on to their Michelin stars for 2022.

The Michelin Guide, which only awards stars to restaurants deemed to be of the highest quality, today announced new stars for restaurants across the UK and Ireland.

Restaurants retaining their single star rating include the Muddler's club, Ox Belfast, and Deane's Eipic.

But Dublin is proving quite the competitive culinary capital, Mickael Viljanen's Chapter One and Damien Grey's Liath in Blackrock have both been newly awarded a two-star status in the 2022 Michelin Awards.

They are two of only five new ‘two star’ restaurants across Ireland and the UK on this year’s list. 

Though no new stars were announced north of the border, Belfast-based chef and owner of Deane's Eipic, Michael Deane told UTV it is an "incredible achievement that these restaurants have managed to keep producing Michelin-quality food when staff have had to wear masks for this last 18 months".

Deane believes that the Michelin star "has always been the international currency and helps bring in tourists from all over", and though the pandemic has taken its toll on the hospitality industry as a whole he adds: "Northern Ireland has the experience, talent and access we need to attract tourists, we just need to get going again."

In London, Clare Smyth who is originally from County Antrim has held onto her 3 Michelin stars, the highest rating possible, for CORE.

In Dublin, Mickael Viljanen's Chapter One and Damien Grey's Liath in Blackrock have both been newly awarded a two-star status in the 2022 Michelin Awards.

They are two of only five new ‘two star’ restaurants across Ireland and the UK on this year’s list.