Nine restaurants and takeaway venues from Northern Ireland are competing for the Uber Eats Restaurant of the Year Award 2023.

The food delivery service unveiled its regional shortlists for the UK and Ireland awards with eateries in Belfast and beyond now battling it out for the coveted number one spot – and a cash prize of £100,000.

Members of the public were asked to nominate their favorite food spots.

Only the highest-rated and most popular restaurants have made it on the Northern Ireland shortlist.

They include Belfast’s Lisburn Road’s health oriented Seed, Craigavon’s Eatao Asian Fusion and popular Belfast pizzeria Pizza Guyz Taste of India in Banbridge, Oggies (Banbridge and Lisburn) and Street Dogs Street Kitchen in Portadown are also among the finalists.

Sunny’s kebab shop in Ballymena, Belfast’s Yosi Healthy Street Food and Nu Delhi are also vying for crucial votes. A total of £200,000 has been set aside for national finalists with the Restaurant of the Year set to take home half of that amount to invest in their business.

Matthew Price, General Manager UK and Northern Europe at Uber Eats, said “The Uber Eats Restaurant of the Year Awards are about championing the innovators doing fantastic work in the restaurant industry.”

The shortlisted restaurants from Northern Ireland span a wide range of cuisines and highlight the vast selection on offer.”

The full list of finalists is made up of eateries from 10 regions in the UK and Ireland and represent over 33 different cuisine types, highlighting the diversity of the hospitality industry.

The restaurants that receive the most votes in each region will be invited to a judging day in London to cook for industry experts including returning judge Bake Off’s Prue Leith, Chef Monica Galetti and Uber Eats General Manager Matthew Price.

The national finalists will be announced in September.