The story
The Barbary, in Covent Garden's Neal's Yard, is a North African and Mediterranean kitchen at 16 Neal's Yard, London, and it holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand (2026) for good quality, good value cooking. The restaurant opened in May 2016 and has been recognised by the guide for ten consecutive years.
The kitchen takes its lead from the Barbary Coast, and most dishes pass through the wood-fired oven or the grill. Chargrilled cauliflower comes strewn with coriander seeds, and black dukkah-crusted salmon is a regular on the menu. Pata negra pork neck is rich and generous. Group Development Chef Aika Levins guides the menus across both sites, drawing on a path that runs from Japan to London's kitchens.
Breads arrive piping hot, and the naans and Jerusalem bagels are the ones to order. Pair them with muhammara, a walnut and roasted red pepper dip, or za'aluk, a creamy spiced aubergine and tomato. The room has whitewashed brick, petrol-blue woodwork and counter seats around a horseshoe bar facing the open kitchen. Finish with baklava or a tahini tiramisu. The Notting Hill sibling on Westbourne Grove opened in 2024 in a Grade II-listed building.
Recognition
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History
good quality, good value cooking
Opened in 2016, this Neal’s Yard champion, a sibling of the Palomar, continues to draw a savvy, cosmopolitan crowd who crank up the decibels. The dining room is a mix of distressed, whitewashed brick, petrol-blue woodwork and moody lighting, all dominated by a horseshoe-shaped bar surrounding an open-to-view kitchen. Sounds and wonderful aromas fill the room, but it is the cooking from North Africa's Barbary Coast that really plays to the gallery. Blended with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern influences, it comes full of interest and flavour – if you like lemon, garlic, coriander, chilli and yoghurt, you’re in the right place. Driven by unfussy execution, the wood-fired oven and grill inspire many dishes, perhaps a wonderfully rich pata negra pork neck, or wondrous chargrilled cauliflower strewn with coriander seeds, or flavour-punching black dukkah-crusted salmon. Breads, served piping hot, are not be missed (especially the naans and Jerusalem bagels): try them with one of the special dips, say muhammara (walnut and roasted red pepper) or za’aluk (creamy spiced aubergine and tomato). Finish with a syrupy baklava, or a version of tiramisu made with tahini. The multinational wine list opens at £29.
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