The Barbary

The Barbary opened in Neal's Yard in 2016 as a single horseshoe counter built around an open fire, and it has held a Michelin Bib Gourmand since 2017. The menu draws on the Moorish cooking of the mountain villages of Spain and Morocco and follows the Barbary Coast from the Atlantic through to the Mediterranean, which makes it one of the more distinctive dining rooms in the Seven Dials corner of Covent Garden.

The restaurant tells a story of trade, travel and culture: people voyaging along the coast, collecting and sharing ingredients and recipes, and picking up influences from the places they passed through. That idea shapes a menu of bold, spiced dishes cooked over fire in front of the guests. A second Barbary has since opened on Westbourne Grove in Notting Hill, but the Neal's Yard original remains the small, intense version, with every seat looking into the kitchen.

Open-fire restaurant in Covent Garden built around the counter

There are only 24 seats, all at the horseshoe kitchen bar, so the theatre of the cooking is the whole experience. Reservations are taken online for parties of two to four, and solo diners are encouraged simply to turn up, as wait times for single seats are usually very short. Walk-ins are always welcome; only complete parties are seated, but you can have a drink at the bar while you wait. The whole room can also be taken for private hire, with menus adapted to the occasion.

What to expect on a visit

Expect open-fire cooking with plenty of spice, served in a tight, lively space rather than a quiet dining room, and plan for a queue at peak times if you have not booked. Lunch and dinner services run Monday to Friday, with straight-through service on Saturday and an earlier close on Sunday. Neal's Yard is a two-minute walk from Covent Garden station and the Seven Dials shops. Browse our other restaurants in Covent Garden, or for a more traditional take on North African cooking nearby see Bab Mansour on Endell Street.