Tapas institution Barrafina to move home

Barrafina, the Michelin-starred tapas bar in Soho run by Sam and Eddie Hart, is to close this summer and reopen in the autumn inside Quo Vadis on Dean Street.

As reported by Hot Dinners, the hugely popular tapas bar, which often has queues snaking down Frith Street, has been forced to move due to a redevelopment plan.

The bar’s closing date has yet to be confirmed, but Quo Vadis will be closing for refurbishment on 1 August, and plans to reopen on 15 September.

The Soho institution run by the Hart brothers, which turns 90 this year, will incorporate Barrafina onto its ground floor. The current restaurant, run by head chef Jeremy Lee, will move into the downstairs bar area.

A new members’ restaurant is also due to open on the first floor, which Lee will oversee. Up another flight, a new bar is due to open on the second floor.

Last year the Hart’s made the decision to close their Spanish restaurant Fino in Fitzrovia due to a consumer demand for casual dining rather than fine dining sites.
To fill the void, the pair opened a third Barrafina site on Drury Lane in Covent Garden as a sister to the Soho original and its second site on Adelaide Street.

Barrafina Soho opened in 2007 and was awarded a Michelin star in 2014, proving that fun and fine dining needn’t be mutually exclusive.

The tapas bar was ahead of the curve in insisting on no reservations, which has become the norm in London’s casual dining landscape.