Taking design cues from backstreet Andalusian bars to Casablancan twentieth-century design and airy Moroccan courtyards, The Barbary Next Door is a convivial neighbourhood restaurant and wine bar located in the much-loved Neal’s Yard courtyard.
Diners can enjoy a menu that nods to Moorish Spain and North African cooking, dishes such as butter bean stew and smoked paprika, lubina chermoullah, and Oxtail tagine all bursting with smoky flavours and fragrant spices. Interiors from Covent Garden studio, Gundry & Drucker, meanwhile, include a zinc bar with seating for ten backed by a distressed antique mirror and lime-washed walls, soft lighting, and a blackboard where the lunch and dinner menus are displayed.
Come warmer months, the large windows at the front will be pulled open looking out onto a terrace where tables and chairs enable alfresco dining in this charismatic central London location.
Owned by siblings Zoe and Layo Paskin, and ‘little sister’ to adjacent restaurant, The Barbary, The Barbary Next Door also offers a considered wine list focussing on Spanish, French and Moroccan bottles; wine director and sommelier Honey Spencer choosing the perfect accompaniments to head chef Daniel Alt’s flavoursome fare.
Be it kicking off the day with minced lamb kefta simmered with eggs in a spiced tomato sauce, eaten straight from the pan, or finishing it with a bottle of plonk and a hearty dinner with friends, this Neal’s Yard treasure is intimate without being intimidating, unfussy whilst damn good, and is a splendid little neighbourhood joint brimming with passion and authenticity.
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Photography, courtesy The Barbary Next Door London.
