Fino to close, new Barrafina to open

Spanish restaurant Fino in Fitzrovia is to close due to the growing demand for tapas bars, with owners Sam and Eddie Hart opening a new Barrafina to fill the gap.

Sam and Eddie Hart

Fino opened on Charlotte Street in 2003 and was one of the first contemporary Spanish restaurants to make a splash in the capital. However, it has since been joined by a legion of more casual tapas bars preferred by today’s diners.

The restaurant was ahead of its time and paved the way for the likes of the Brindisa and Camino chains, and tapas bars like Copita, Dehesa and Drakes Tabanco.

Fino’s last day of trading will be on Thursday 11 June. Keen to grow their successful Barrafina brand, the Harts, who also own Quo Vadis in Soho, will open third site on Drury Lane this July with seating for just 23 and a private dining room downstairs.

The first Barrafina opened on Frith Street in Soho in 2007 and hit the headlines last year when it was awarded a Michelin star, proving that fun and fine dining needn’t be mutually exclusive.

A second Barrafina opened on Adelaide Street in Covent Garden last year. All three sites run a no reservations policy.

According to Hot Dinners, the menu at Drury Lane will be filled with Barrafina classics alongside new dishes inspired by recent trips to Galicia, San Sebastian and Mallorca.