Rooted in Authenticity
Founded by restaurateurs Sam and Eddie Hart in the early 2000s, Harts Group has built an enviable portfolio that blends tradition with innovation, delivering experiences that are as memorable as they are mouth-watering. Ever since the opening of their first restaurant, Fino, off Charlotte Street in central London in 2003, the company has reimagined what it means to dine in the capital and beyond.
The Harts Group operates two main departments – Spanish and Mexican. On the Spanish side they operate five Barrafinas, all in central London. Barrafina provides unrivalled Spanish countertop restaurants, serving modern tapas of exceptional quality with dynamic open kitchens in a lively and energetic atmosphere. They also operate two Parrillans in central London. Parrillan offers guests a vibrant and sociable Spanish live fire cooking experience with table-top grills, seasonal Spanish ‘hero’ ingredients and stunning outdoor terraces. Finally, they have Bar Daskal in Borough Yards, which is modelled on the Hart family house in Mallorca and serves Spanish wines, cocktails and tapas. After living in Mexico City for five years, this experience influenced the launch of El Pastor in 2016. The four sites of El Pastor in central London provide an authentic Mexican dining and cocktail experience.
“In 2008, we opened Quo Vadis, having fallen in love with this iconic London restaurant. The restaurants at Quo Vadis serve seasonal, regional British fare, with a menu conjured up by chef proprietor, Jeremy Lee and his team,” explains Sam Hart, CEO of Harts Group. “This is complemented by an exuberant private members’ club, with two bars and its own restaurant, meeting every requirement from dusk until dawn. Completing the portfolio are two neighbourhood bars, The Drop and Two Drops.”
Having always been inspired by using the finest ingredients, an early motto for the group was “sourcing not saucing”, going against the over-elaborate fashion of the time. Over the years this obsession has remained, as has the ethos of providing restaurant experiences that are informal and welcoming, with friendly, knowledgeable staff.
In creating the now iconic counter-style dining concept Barrafina, the brothers were inspired by the best counter-top dining experiences in Spain, in particular their personal favourite site, Cal Pep, which serves amazing Spanish tapas, using incredible ingredients in a counter-dining restaurant. “In our opinion, having the food cooked so close to the customer really improves the dining experience and enables us to deliver dishes at their very best to our guests every time,” says Sam.
Now operating a multi-unit portfolio and with a Michelin star, the group has had to be much more structured in their approach to service and quality as they have grown.
“In the old days it was as simple as getting behind the counter, working the services and having an eye on everything that happened. Case in point I worked behind the bar doing service for over ten years,” highlights Anna Watkins, Managing Director of Barrafina. “Now we have a very sophisticated training and operations manual, skills matrixes, masterclasses and feedback mechanisms. We spare no effort to ensure a consistently excellent experience,” Anna continues.
With the groundwork now in place after the restructuring and rebuilding that was required post-Covid, Sam and Anna are very excited about the future of Barrafina and international expansion is now very much on the cards. “For starters, we have signed a licensing agreement to take the brand to the UAE and hopefully we will be opening in Dubai later this year and then Abu Dhabi next autumn,” Anna comments.
As our conversation moves onto the modern diner, Sam reveals that because London has such an amazing array of fantastic options, the restaurant-going public are extremely discerning. Because Barrafina has now been around for 20 years, offering a new experience is not the way forward and he feels that their best strategy is to maintain and continue what they do best, but work tirelessly to make it as good as possible.
Sustainability and community are very important pillars for the business. Six months ago, the company took their sustainability efforts to the next level by working towards B-Corp certification. It may take a while, but the company is certain it will get there moving forward.
Meanwhile, the business believes restaurants play a key role within the communities where they operate. Aside from bringing people together to enjoy a good meal and escape from the rigours of daily life, they work with multiple charitable partners, such as Streetsmart, Action Against Hunger and others to give back to their community.
As our time with Sam and Anna comes to an end, we ask what the next chapter is and what they are excited about in the world of hospitality.
“We are very excited about Barrafina’s international expansion. We have waited a long time to start this and we want to get going. Closer to home, we are busy looking for more venues for El Pastor,” says Sam.
“As for the wider world of hospitality, we believe that consumer confidence will continue to recover over the coming few years. That should make the job of the restaurateur a little easier,” Anna concludes.
