Woodfired, rustic sharing food, cooked in the spectacle of owner/chef Francisco’s Argentine open grills, sets the tone for Barrio’s elegantly low-key space. Barrio, meaning ‘neighbourhood’ in Spanish, is designed to bring people together in a convivial atmosphere, rich with natural materials and earthy textures.
A large back of house, coolroom storage, prep kitchen, canteen kitchen, bar, open grills, woodfired oven, pass and coffee corner are inserted into one side of the wing-shaped space, and fronted by a 25-metre long bar, clad in rammed earth. The design takes advantage of the existing gas-strut windows for bench seats, with the stark, newly constructed concrete shell softened by upholstered timber banquettes and joinery.
Overflowing indoor greenery, paintings and custom handmade tableware add further homely warmth. Barrio was the recipient of the 2018 AIA NSW Country Division Award for Interior Architecture.
