FreshMex was crowned the best Pop-Up to Prime Time at Deliveroo’s Restaurant Awards on October 17, after residents from Aberdeen voted in their droves for their favourite local establishment. The restaurant - situated on Schoolhill - received the most votes amongst the British public to see off five other shortlisted restaurants.
The restaurant began life as a pop-up food stall in 2015 attending events across North-East Scotland - from farmers’ markets to beer festivals. It then gained a food residency at Adams Sports Bar before opening its own high street restaurant in Aberdeen in 2018. Its burrito was Deliveroo’s most popular dish in Scotland in 2018. In topping their award category, FreshMex will receive support from Deliveroo to help them grow their business, and will also be part of an upcoming marketing campaign worth up to £30,000 to showcase the very best of British restaurants.
The awards ceremony was a celebration of British culinary talent, with family-run independents and high street favourites being recognised for their achievements. The range of award categories, from Best Italian and Best Family Restaurant to Most Innovative Dish and Best Vegan Offering, reflected both traditional tastes and the latest cuisine on offer in the UK restaurant industry. Over 70,000 votes were cast by Brits over the course of the competition, which saw more than 400 restaurants whittled down to 19 winners.
The final award of the night - Restaurant of the Year - was won by Oowee Vegan. The panel of judges who made the decision included restaurant critic Giles Coren; celebrity chef Isaac Carew; restaurateur, TV presenter and cook Jasmine Hemsley; and Deliveroo CEO and founder Will Shu.
Robbie Moult, director of FreshMex said:
‘It’s fantastic to win this award, and means that much more as it was voted for by our customers. There were so many great restaurants up for awards, and it’s really encouraging to see such a range of talented chefs and varied cuisines on show, I’m so proud of the team at FreshMex.’
Deliveroo founder and CEO Will Shu said:
‘I’m really proud that Deliveroo works with over 20,000 of the UK’s best local restaurants, bringing amazing meals straight to people’s front doors. We understand the hard work, dedication, incredible skill and creativity that goes into making a restaurant successful and so it is an honour for us to be celebrating Britain’s best loved restaurants.’
Robbie Moult