The Barbary | Stellar North African Restaurant By The Palomar Team
The Barbary coast has inspired two great things:
1) A 16th Century pirate called Ali Bitchin who, true to his name, rose from being an enslaved person to commanding an entire armada.
2) The second restaurant from the guys at The Palomar.
…And only one of them serves goat goulash.
Welcome to The Barbary.
Carol Sachs
You’ll find it tucked away in gorgeous, colourful Covent Garden nook Neal’s Yard. All dining all takes place along the weathered zinc bar that wraps around the open kitchen, which itself is surrounded by pitted plaster walls, left as they were found when the previous tenants’ wall coverings were stripped.
That open kitchen is serving up Barbary-inspired (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya) goodness like lamb shish fistuk (lamb kebabs sprinkled with pistachio crumb); black salmon dukkah; or pata negra neck (marbled neck fillet of Iberico pork, served with a date syrup and confit garlic). The recommended move is to get a flatbread like their Barbary naan, or a Jerusalem bagel, then use it to soak up the various dips, sauces, and juices.
Carol Sachs
For dessert, baklawa (layered filo pastry, stuffed full of chopped nuts and syrup); Malabi (Israeli rice pudding); and a good old fashioned hashcake …which contains pistachio, not hash.
They’re still pretty bitchin’, though.
NOTE: The Barbary is open daily for lunch and dinner. They take walk-ins, but to avoid disappointment you can book a seat here. They also have a sister restaurant next door. It’s called The Barbary Next Door.
The Barbary | 16 Neal’s Yard, WC2H 9DP
Already been to The Barbary? Then our list of the best restaurants in Covent Garden might come in handy.