I didn't research The Barbary prior to my arrival. I had heard third hand that the food was a must try. I was surprised to see only bar seating situated around the kitchen. If you don't like the smell of meat grilling and it getting into your clothes and hair, this isn't the place from you. Everyone here is very helpful and the vibe of the restaurant and staff is lively and upbeat. Everything here is served tapas style, so feel free to share or not. The food is pretty great and worth a visit or two, because I didn't have enough stomach room to try every single dish. We ordered naan, labneh, za'aluk, artichoke, oyster mushroom, cauliflower, and finally lamb. You can watch and smell everything that's being made and it's all tasty. The dishes are so flavorful and fresh - I know these are generalizations, but dining here is worth it. read more

Food was amazing, and really wanted to give this place a better rating. Naan was superb, dips we're tasty, lamb chops were cooked perfectly as well. Three issues though: - the octopus was overcooked and quite chewy. Flavor was great though - my wife found a hair in the dessert. Really big flag - dinner for two was 160+ pounds. Very expensive, and didn't give us the dessert free after basically eating their staffs hair read more

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Very cool dining experience, counter around the kitchen, to see all the action and excitement. The flavors taste very authentic, I love the dips, the seasonings, grilled meats...very good. Harissa, babganoush was tasty, and the pita was excellently and freshly made. There's a guy who does it and he was great at it! Also got some of these long fried sticks, kinda look like spring rolls. Those were also tasty. Everything is definitely on the saltier side, but it's a restaurant so indulge when you can. read more

The Barbary goes against everything you have heard about London food being horrible and bland. We had a fantastic meal here for dinner. The place is small on the inside and the 4 of us were seated around the bar. Our orders were taken and it did take some time for our food to be prepared, but it was nice watching food being cooked up right in front of us at the grill and it smelled wonderful. I had spinach borani dip and hummus tatbila to eat with naan. The present was appealing and the portion size was more than enough. Both dips were rich, savory, creamy, and well seasoned. I also had the artichoke that was given to us on the house. It was good and crunchy with an acidic base, but not the best out of everything I had. Brother n law spoke on the coffee rub chicken and how wonderful it was. I could only imagine. I am not a beer drinker but I did order an Alhambra Especial lager and found it to be very light, smooth, filled with fine bubbles, and pleasant tasting. Excellent food here and none of us had any complaints whatsoever. read more

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A reservation for the restaurant is a must. I believe they open it up a month before and should you have the calendar reminder, then do checkbook. The space is small, counter seating of about z22 people. The service. Is wonderful and food above average. All are small plates to share so if you come hungry, maybe 3 plates per person is filling. While the music was 80's, it was full blast loud. If you want to carry out a conversation with companion, this is not the place for it. read more

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The greatest pork dish of my life. What is going on here?! Doesn't even taste like pork, infused with a date sauce and, I don't know, angel's breath? Heavenly. The Jerusalem bread and spreads are delicious, too. Kind and generous chef and cooks. Intimate and sexy atmosphere. Recommending this spot to everyone and cannot wait to come back. 5 stars!!! read more

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I stumbled into this place wondering around London and was pleasantly surprised on what I found. The server was very engaging and attentive. The food selection was creative, and had a great range of both vegetarian and meat based dishes. They have a full bar and my drinks were very well done. It was loud and bustling, and very cozy. I definitely recommend it. It fills up fast, so reservations are recommended. read more

The Barbary - Lamb ribs - Middle Eastern Near Me - London, XGL

Our favorite meal in London was situated in the iconic Neal's Yard in Covent Garden. The dishes are inspired from the Barbary Coast, identified by 16th century Europeans as the area settled by the Berbers in the Atlas Mountains. The menu focuses on the culture + heritage of countries from the Atlantic Coast through to the Mediterranean Sea leading to the Middle East. Fire is at the center of everything they do. *| what we ordered Spinach Borani Ikra Whipped Feta Naan e Barbari Beetroot Tzatziki Octopus Pata Negra Hashcake - pistachio tart read more

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The Barbary is in located Covent Garden and the food is absolutely delicious. It serves flavorful and fresh tapas right in front of your eyes with the open kitchen concept. The vibe is casual. There is limited seating so make a reservation! The menu is divided into land, sea, earth, and heaven (dessert). I tried the prawns, mushroom, naan (two servings), pork, and 3 dips. Almost every dish (I kid you not) gave me a wow factor. My only gripe is the pork was a tad too salty at times. (I didn't choose this dish). I would totally recommend this restaurant to anyone. It served us well the first night. Loved watching my food being made. Excellent experience. read more

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Amazing food. Wasn't sure what to expect from North African cuisine, but it was all delicious and truly unique. Service was excellent. All counter seating around the open kitchen. read more

This spot is a stunner! Wow! The food is incredible! Secure a reservation for sure. We saddled up at the bar seating with direct views of the bustling kitchen. We asked our server to completely take the wheel on food decisions and she gave us a perfect star showing of the restaurants treats. Everything was booming with flavor. I highly recommend the pork neck. It's legendary. You won't be disappointed! Absolutely incredible restaurant making a mark! read more

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Visited 16 Neal's Yard, lunchtime, 27th April. It was our first visit to The Barbary. Charles, the manager, was extremely accommodating and helped us navigate the menu as my wife doesn't like her food quite as spicy as I do. Staff are friendly and the place had a warm, friendly vibe; you can see everyone works well as a team and this made our visit that much more enjoyable. The food was absolutely fantastic, sublime, a culinary adventure and we'll definitely be back. Couldn't fault anything, exceptional! Scott & Sandra read more

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Fun atmosphere, incredible food and flavors, impeccable service! North African / Mediterranean influenced food delivered to perfection! Must-try! I found Barbary on the Michelin app as a recommended Bib Gourmand, and it fits! I loved EVERYTHING! This is the perfect stop pre-theatre / before a musical or theater performance. I came between Harry Potter showings of the cursed child and could not be happier -- fun atmosphere, singing and juggling to the music, delicious food, well balanced drinks, friendly staff. I totally was satiated while I sat and ate despite no reservations. This is a small round restaurant where the chefs and bartender are in the center stage to show you their magic. Highly recommend this unbelievably fantastic restaurant. I loved the cauliflower Jaffa Style and Pata Negra (star of my meal - tender with charred crunchy edges and sweet savory garlic sauce). The Naan was excellent and fried violet artichoke were served on a bed of delicious dip. read more

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Phenomenal restaurant in Neal's yard. The concept is cool, you sit on the bar and the chefs cook in front of you. Make sure to have a reservation and I recommend only going with one other person since it's bar seating I tried the labneh, naan, octopus, lamb, cauliflower and pistachio hash cake. Everything was out of this world, especially the dessert. Service was great and the vibe was awesome. Would recommend this iconic restaurant to anybody in London read more

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Every single time I come here it's always the best. The staff are so friendly and I love the overall environment. I take absolutely everyone here and they always end up having the best time - it's a crowd pleaser. This time I took my friend here for her birthday and we just had the absolute best time! read more

The Barbary - Middle Eastern Near Me - London, XGL

This was definitely our favorite restaurant during our latest London trip! Couldn't recommend enough I had a few friends rave about this place, so I was on top of making a reservation as soon as it came out. The restaurant is fairly small, pretty much with only bar seating around the kitchen, so make your reservations early. I love the open kitchen concept, where everyone can get a view of the kitchen since you're in a very large semicircle. We came with a veteran Barbary friend who knew exactly what to order. They fire grill everything to PERFECTION! Highly recommend getting the jerusalem bagel with a few mezzes to dip I don't think you can go wrong with any of the dishes, but our favorites were probably the cauliflower, chicken, and octopus. But just get everything! read more

I was lucky to get a seat without a wait on a Friday night. Unfortunately it wasn't at the main bar where you can watch the chefs cook. It's a tiny place, with about 20 seats. I got the naan, spinach borani dip, cauliflower, and pata negra. The naan was fluffy and well cooked but had way too much salt on it, which kind of ruined everything. The dip was ok. The cauliflower had a slight kick to it and was served with some sort of hummus which was nice. If I could do it again I'd ask for no salt on the naan and skip the dip. The pata negra was definitely the star. Nicely cooked to a medium rare, well seasoned, and the sauce that comes with it helps balance out the fatty-ness. I only wish there was more sauce! Overall, a fun intimate place in a cute little corner of Neal's Yard with good food. I'd go again to try more dishes. read more

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Quite possibly one of my favorite meals! They really got the perfect blend of salt, fat, acid and heat in every dish. I loved how each component complimented the others and were always present. The chef was also so friendly and chatted with us throughout the meal. Can't recommend this place enough! read more

What a great restaurant with North African inspired food. Great vibe and service. Place gets rocking as they have 2-3 seatings a night. All the appetizers, dips with the naan and bagel were amazing. Lamb grilled bites were fantastic. Chicken shawarma was super tender and the pata negra was fantastic in the sauce. Finished with knefeh dessert. read more

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Simply a must-go and one of the better meals I've had in London / Europe. I made reservations a week before as this was recommended to me through Yelp, and to be frank I've never really seen such a highly rated restaurant in the area before on this platform, so I figured I should try it at least once ... luckily we were able to snag a 5pm spot since almost every other time past the opening was taken already! Seating is quite limited at around 20-30 or so, with coat racks under the counter which was helpful. Our waiter was exceptionally helpful and attentive. He recommended bread, 2-3 dips, and one dish from each of the rest of the sections (meats, 'earth', etc.) We went with the naan and the ikra and za'aluk (I think?!) dips, the chicken shawarma, the lamb, and the salmon. The salmon and glaze was perfect, the chicken was unbelievably tender, and the lamb was amazing to finish off the meal. Too full for dessert, but I wish we did try it! A fantastic dinner even if it was earlier than we were used to .. but even more reason to check out a musical afterwards or stroll around and see the holiday decorations :) read more

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What a genuine find in the heart of London. When Time Out London recently identified the 101 best things to do in town, #53 was booking a 12 Noon reservation at this North African spot. Well, they also do bookings when they open for dinner at 5PM, so I snagged a couple of seats since we had tickets later that evening for "& Juliet" nearby in the West End. Located in funky-cool Neal's Yard in Covent Garden, the tiny space is dominated by a horseshoe-shaped counter with all the kinetic plate preparation occurring in the middle. From our stools, we had a prime view of all the appetizing culinary creations. The menu was deceptively straightforward even if it required translation from our patient server. We started with a tasty nishnushim (snack), the £11.50 Moroccan Cigars, deep-fried taquito-like rolled dough stuffed with spicy lamb sausage and accompanied by thick yogurt and harissa (photo: https://bit.ly/3zIRc9R). This was followed by the £5.00 Naan e Barbari, handmade fresh in front of us in a tandoor oven. This produced a puffed, smoked flatbread covered in olive oil (photo: https://bit.ly/3JgnrQN). Two satisfying dipping sauces accompanied the naan at our discretion. The first was the £7.00 Muhammara, a spicy, almost creamy roasted red pepper dip sitting atop olive oil (photo: https://bit.ly/3oGEgv2). The second dish was the £7.00 Chickpea Masabacha, a deconstructed hummus made especially fresh by whole chickpeas (photo: https://bit.ly/3JeJJmb). We ordered a winner in the vegetable side dish, the £12.00 Cauliflower Jaffa Style, seared and accompanied by a coriander tomato salsa (photo: https://bit.ly/3Q0DTa2). The savory high point came next, the £23.00 Hamra Octopus, a substantial octopus tentacle marinated in a pomegranate molasses and hot garlic olive oil (photo: https://bit.ly/3oDPHn2). It didn't have the usual chewiness of octopus, and the sweetness of the molasses enhanced the flavor substantially. Our other entree was the £32.00 Lamb Sabzi, a pair of succulent grilled chops that managed to be pillow-tender and was probably the only plate that came close to predictable (photo: https://bit.ly/3zl2rUD). Believe it or not, we convinced ourselves we had room for dessert after all that. We first went for the £10.00 Taal Misu, their own special take on tiramisu served in a jar (photo: https://bit.ly/3Q4wDdh), but the absolute scene stealer was the £12. 50 Knafeh, a Middle Eastern specialty of spun pastry soaked in a sugar-based syrup and layered with cheese, pistachio nuts, and dried apricots (photo: https://bit.ly/3vpLbwa). It was the perfect ending to a meal that put us in sensory overload without getting all fussy about it. FOOD - 5 stars...remarkable small plates that transcend their deceptively simple execution AMBIANCE - 5 stars..a happening place with a great view of all the action SERVICE - 5 stars...very personal service and quite responsive TOTAL - 5 stars...a culinary knockout and a convivial environment make this a complete winner RELATED - Exploring London? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/3zFACrx read more

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One of my favorite meals in London! Such a cool ambience sitting at the bar watching the cooking. Great date night, and fun to be in a spot tucked away in Neal's yard. The staff was really helpful and fun. They told us to basically pick one from each section of the menu. Everything was absolutely delicious, I don't think you could go wrong. Only regret was that we didn't get to try dessert! read more

The Barbary - Middle Eastern Near Me - London, XGL

Our favorite dinner in London on this visit. Wonderful, interesting food in an energetic atmosphere. Attentive, positive service. A piece of advice...it is loud and the way the seating works, I suggest this is a place for couples and not groups, not even groups as small as four, if you want to talk...it's loud and hard for more than a couple to talk. But for a couple...especially a hip couple dressed to kill for a night on the town...The Barbary will be magical! read more

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Wow. The food was amazing. Wandered in on a Friday night by myself at the end of a long workweek. I found it hard to find and it was packed. The guy working the door was a well experienced professional and he checked everyone in efficiently. I was seated inside of five minutes on the bar off to the side. Place is loud and space is at an absolute premium. I had the Jerusalem Bagel and a spicy dipping plate. Bagel was fluffy and coated in sesame seeds. On the side they had oregano for sprinkling. Was delish. Also had halloumi fries. Now I was expecting fried potatoes with cheese on them. Nope. It was fried cheese with a nice sauce for dipping. Out of this world. Side was broccoli with tahini and miso. This was excellent. No better way to make it. Black salmon was the main, came in a sauce that had elements of sweet, salt and spice. Really complex. The whole meal made your taste buds come alive. I did also have the drink of the day. This was a chilled Italian red wine which paired nicely. I'd love to go back and try more of the menu. Four things made for a large meal and filled me up when I was super hungry. Not a place for kids or those who dislike tight spaces. read more

The Barbary - Black salmon - Middle Eastern Near Me - London, XGL

Great restaurant with amazing food, and great service. Place is a bit small, with seating just around the bar/grill area so make sure to have a reservation . Between the two of us we did the labne, cauliflower, octopus, and lamb - which was the perfect amount of food. Cauliflower and lamb were my favorites. We also did the pistachio cake for dessert, which hands down was one of the best dessert I've ever had. read more

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Don't miss going here . Best dinner I had in London's Covent Gardens district . If you know of Ottolenghi it's like going to his personal restaurant . The food the drinks and service are outrageously fantastic . We are at the Barbary counter service and the show of the kitchen dance was a major plus. Don't miss going here . read more

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Love to come here when in London but make your reservations early. Ambiance is interesting all diners are crowded around a horseshoe bar. High energy and warm is what I would say but some of that warmth is generated by the person on the stool right next to you. You go get to see the whole kitchen at work which adds to the experience. Staff is very welcoming and will walk you through the entire menu, although my advice is to order as much as you can because it is all delicious. Started out with cocktails, for which the menu is limited but all are tasty. Some nice nonalcoholic choices for those so inclined. Had the fried artichoke hearts to go with the drinks-very tasty. Then when to the must order breads. I personally prefer the naan, but the Jerusalem Bagel is also good and most people get both. All the dips are great. We had the hummus, the yogurt dip (labneh) and the tarama (the fish dip), the latter of which is my personal favorite. Had the chicken, lamb and octopus as proteins with the carrots and cauliflower as sides, all were excellent. For dessert went with the chocolate baklava. An unusual preparation as made with sesame wafers as opposed to filo, but all good. All in all, just love this place. Great take on food from the region. read more

Ok, I have this habit of closing my eyes when I want to focus all my attention to a taste that that is spectacular to my taste buds. The pork dish is such a dish that all my senses focused on the taste. Wow! Such a cool place to have a seat around the kitchen bar and see how all the food is made. The cooking is really basic like cooking around a group of friends. The servers are terrific too. We just traveled through Egypt, Portugal, Jordan, Kenya and Tanzania and they seem to capture the food tastes of all these regions.Amazing. Run don't walk to this amazing restaurant. read more

Whoa! I was in town for some work and heard this place had great food. I decided to take a 2 mile walk across london so was starving when I arrived. I was just a party of one so was hoping i could snag a seat at the bar since it was a fairly small restaurant. As you walk in you see the central cooking area and bar area and everyone sat around the bar or along the walls. I waited about 30 minutes and was able to snag a seat on the wall. Not the greatest view, but i had no reservations. The waiter came up and asked me how hungry was I. I said i am ready to eat and told him that i trust him to deliver me a great meal. The onslaught of food started and the food was just outstanding end to end. So highly executed. The standouts for me were the Cauliflower, Lamb and Pork dish. As you can see from my pictures i got a little of everything and Everything was delicious. Highly recommended. read more

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I really lucked out on this one and walked in at 8 pm on a Thursday night without a reservation and asked if they had a seat for one. On a business trip, I had done no pre-planning as to where I wanted to eat and the line at Dishoom scared me away so I thought I'd give Barbary a shot since it was right by my hotel. I quickly made friends with both the two older gentlemen to my right (one was visiting from Los Angeles, where I lived for twenty years and worked at Netflix and the other was a local) and the three people to my left (younger professionals, former colleagues, one a local and two visiting from out of town). I describe this to give you a feel for the eclectic mix of people that you will get here, and the communal vibe as by the end of the evening we were all buying each other drinks and doing shots with the bartenders. Everyone told me that they had made their reservations weeks in advance, so if you are not planning to come solo, I suggest doing the same. The main attraction here is definitely the food. If I was not as social I easily could have opted not to talk to anyone and just focus on my food and I would have been equally happy. If you have the option to come with people I do recommend doing so as it was hard picking just a few items and definitely ended up with too much food for one, yet wasn't able to try everything that I wanted. I landed on the Naan e Barbari, Muhammara, Grilled Halloumi, and Hamra Octopus. The chefs sent me an order of the Cauliflower, probably because they knew I'd be missing out if I didn't try it. It was the highlight of the meal, followed by the octopus. But honestly, it was all phenomenal. Great staff, great crowd and vibe, and even more importantly, great food! read more

This place was recommended by a friend and boy it did not disappoint. It's a relatively small place so highly highly suggest reservations - I don't even know if it's possible to get in without a reservation. Between the two of us we shared Halloumi Fries, Naan, Zatuk, Peppers, Cauliflower, Chicken Shawarma and Salmon. My favorites were the salmon (so unexpected, but so good!!), Zatuk, peppers and the bread. We were too full to try the dessert, but it all looked amazing! read more

The Barbary - Naan, Halloumi fries, Za'luk and peppers! - Middle Eastern Near Me - London, XGL

Food was amazing! I was in London for work and a friend had recommended this restaurant so I booked a few weeks in advance. I am so glad I tried it. As a solo diner, the chef was able to make some of the dishes smaller so I could taste some extra dishes. I loved the cauliflower with the tahini and spicy kick! Octopus was prepared well and the muhammara and spinach sides were so tasty with naan. What an amazing meal and the seating was so unique. The bar seats maybe 14-16 people in a horseshoe so it's nice to chat with your neighbors on both sides. Staff were super friendly and provided some great recommendations based on what you like. Highly recommend for anyone in the area. read more

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Absolutely solid five stars, the food at the Barbary was one of the best we had in London. Definitely make reservations, it's a tiny restaurant of less than 30 seats and I wouldn't say it's suitable for young kids as most seats are at a large central bar. Originally I was a bit skeptical of this restaurant but after two locals highly recommended it, decided to check it out. It's in the fun and atmospheric Seven Dials area which is nice to visit too. Flavors leaned towards that of Israel / Morroco with a London twist. Two of us ordered: * Naan and Tirshi: note that this is two separate dishes. The naan was light and fluffy, reminded me of the pillowy pita at Zahav in Philly but not as transcendent. However it's mainly to pick up the Tirshi, which sounds like a boring pumpkin sauce but was an explosion of flavors! This was recommended by our waitress and I can see why. 5/5 * Pata Negra: smoky meaty tender pork neck. Surprisingly tender but so full of flavor. 4/5 * Cauliflower Jaffa: cauliflower has become so trendy everywhere but the dish at the Barbary was a solid rendition with smoky char and a lovely creamy sauce. Probably would have scored higher if we didn't have an outstanding cauliflower dish two days earlier. Still very tasty. 4/5 * Hamra Octopus: again, perfect grill for super tender and smoky flavor. 4.5/5 * Hashcake: we didn't know what this was but it was recommended by the waitress so we gave it a try. It's probably closest to a pistachio pie with the perfect touch of sweetness. 4.5/5 Overall we loved our meal at the Barbary and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to others. Unfortunately they ran out of the Jerusalem Bagel that day so we have a great reason to go again! read more

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Just got back from eating here and it was amazing! We stopped by to see if they had any walk in availability, expecting to not get in but, luck have it, a reservation didn't show up and we were seated almost immediately. The staff walked us through the whole menu and identified their favorites and we went with most of the recommendations. We started with the Jerusalem bagel with the aubergine dip. The bread was so soft and chewy with an amazing crust of sesame and zatar, it paired perfectly with the spreadable eggplant that was spiced so well. Our mains were the lamb kebab, oyster mushrooms, and cauliflower. The lamb was tender and grilled just right with the simplest salt and sauce that really let the protein shine through. The mushrooms had a very understated flavor but had the right texture and became so good with the mixture of char, lemon juice and tahini that it sat in. The star though was the cauliflower. The seasoning and sauce were so well balanced and the lightly fried texture could not have been better. We finished with the pecan baklava. I prefer pecans to pistachio and this was delicious with a nice crunch from the philo. It could have been warmed up just slightly but still tasty. I can't finish the review without talking about the staff. Everyone was so nice and accommodating. I didn't get anyone's name but the staff working the night of July 30th showed how a restaurant should be run. Def a must try when you're in Soho! read more

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Stars aligned for me and I was able to snag a seat at the bar on a busy Thursday evening. The bartender took my drink order and she also gave me some food recommendations. I had a hard time resisting ordering everything on the menu--there were so many appealing dishes. I went with the the naan with whipped feta and the salmon dinner. As I was waiting for my food, I watched the chef prepare each dish with artistic precision. He had an eye for detail and it showed in his cooking, slicing and plating. This place has received a Michelin star for good reason--the level of talent is impressive. The sweet bartender (John?) stopped by to introduce himself and offered me a Turkish coffee before closing out my meal with a "welcome to London" toast that included the entire staff. It was an experience I will never forget! Cheers! read more

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We are regular patrons of The Palomar so we wanted to try one of their other restaurants and Barbary didn't disappoint. Excellent food, cocktails/wine and ambiance. Love all the small plates and dips. read more

Absolutely spectacular cuisine ! Quaint and small which makes it an experience of its own .

One word....AMAZING! Quite possibly one of the most savory meals of my life. Literally everything we ordered was soooooooooooo good! I loved the flavor profile of each dish. Such good thought went into each dish. The restaurant is small and only has approx 20 bar stools. You sit around the small kitchen and watch the chefs cook, which was cool to see. We came at 9pm and there happened to be two available seats at the bar and we only had to wait 2 min to be seated, that we were elated about because we had read that the wait times could be up to one hour. I guess it was good that we came so late in the evening. :) The Barbary will be on my first stop the next time we come to London. Better believe it! read more

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Great food, great service. Interesting food and presented beautifully!Cramped and very loud-not intended for a romantic dinner. We would recommend. read more

My favorite restaurant in all of London. Every time I come to town, I make it a point to stop here. Luca and the staff are 10 out of 10! The food is life changing, the charcoal grill is a game changer, the staff are kind and the atmosphere is incredible. Make the trip! read more