Barrio Familia to open flagship Covent Garden venue

The Nightcap-owned bar brand has taken on the former Tropicana Beach Club site on Parker Street and will reopen it in November as a 600-cover venue.

Spanning two floors, the 10,500sq ft venue will house one of the world’s largest tequila-focused bars, according to Nightcap, which also owns The Cocktail Club and Adventure Bar Group.

The move marks a return to the site for Barrio Familia managing director Jim Robertson, who previously ran Tropicana Beach Club when it was owned by Maxwell’s Restaurant Group before it went into liquidation at the end of 2020.

“Having previously set up and operated Tropicana Beach Club prior to the pandemic, I am so excited to be going back again with Nightcap to open Barrio Covent Garden,” says Robertson.

“This will be our biggest Barrio to date, and without a doubt, the best party we have ever thrown."

The opening will be the first new Barrio to open since 2015 and also the first new launch under the brand since it was bought by Nightcap at the tail end of 2021.

“When we acquired Barrio in November 2021 we wanted to respond to the growing demand for Latin-inspired, margarita and tequila focused bars, we always viewed Barrio as a brand that had significant potential for growth and rollout and we are absolutely delighted to have secured such a landmark venue in Central London,” says Nightcap CEO Sarah Willingham.

“It is a site that is very well known to our current senior management team at Barrio, and we are very excited about the growth opportunity for the brand, so it’s very fitting that the first new site will be at such an iconic central London venue.”

Nightcap now has 35 sites within its estate and a further 21 venues under offer or in legal negotiations.