The Barbary is situated in the iconic Neal’s Yard in Covent Garden. The restaurant takes inspiration from the Barbary Coast, Identified by 16th century Europeans as the area settled by the Berbers in the Atlas Mountains (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya), the Barbary Coast was infamous for pirates and (until the beginning of the 20th century) the Barbary Lion. It tells a story of trade, travel and culture – people voyaging along the coast, collecting and sharing ingredients and recipes, gathering influences from areas visited and thus enriching their own culture and heritage. The Barbary menu reflects the countries from the Atlantic Coast through to the Mediterranean Sea leading to Israel. All these countries have rich culinary traditions, exotic products, flavoursome spices and cooking techniques passed down through generations. This culinary heritage is about seasonality – food available at that moment from that piece of land, cooked in the most pure way, with fire, whether it was grilling on coals or baking in ancient clay ovens in the middle of the village. That is the basis of the Barbary: some history, a little bit of romance and a Kitchen Bar.
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