Prestigious Michelin Bib award for Athlone's Thyme

Athlone's Thyme Restaurant has been awarded the prestigious Michelin Bib Gourmand award. It is the only restaurant in Westmeath, or indeed in the Midlands, to make the grade.

Thyme was among five Irish newcomers to be added to the Michelin Bib Gourmand list, which recognises restaurants offering exceptional food at moderate prices.

It joins 131 other pubs and restaurants to have made the 2020 list, which sees a total of 22 new additions and 33 deletions across Britain and Ireland.

Announcing Thyme's addition to the guide, Michelin described their offering as “full of flavour”: “Perpetually popular with the locals is new BG Thyme, where the staff are bright and the cooking full of flavour,” they said in a Tweet earlier today (Friday).

Thyme was opened in November 2007 by John Coffey and his wife Tara, with the aim of showcasing the talented local producers in the Midlands region.

The other Irish additions to the Michelin Bib Gourmand list are Land to Sea in Dingle; Circa in Terenure, Dublin; Uno Mas in Aungier Street, Dublin; and Balloo House in Killinchy, Newtownards.