Get ready for an Egyptian restaurant in Richmond when Memi's opens next month
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Barrio will soon reopen as Memi's, the first of three new concepts the owner has planned for the space. Photo: Karri Peifer/Axios
Barrio Taqueria in the Fan District is transforming into three new Egyptian-focused concepts all housed in the same space.
Why it matters: Soft-serve margaritas and tacos are out, Mediterranean flavors, a coffeeshop and a sexy Egyptian-themed cocktail lounge are in.
The big picture: Richmonder Ramy Yacoub bought Barrio from the Richmond Restaurant Group last year, his second restaurant acquisition after taking over 3 Monkeys in 2022.
- Yacoub quickly realized taco shops were abundant in the Fan, but no one in town was doing food from his home country, Egypt, despite the region's growing Egyptian community.
- He started planning for a pivot, with the help of his mom, Memi, an executive chef who'd already helped him fine-tune the menu at 3 Monkeys.
Zoom in: Memi's, named after his mom, will debut in mid-November as the full-service restaurant taking over the main dining room of Barrio.
- 🧆 Memi's will serve the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern-influenced dishes common in Egypt, like kabobs, hummus, baba ganoush, koshari (a rice and noodle dish), hawawshi (a pastry stuffed with ground beef) and molokhia (a popular Egyptian soup).
- 🌓 Amar (moon in Arabic) will take over the upstairs space as a cocktail lounge that's heavy on Egyptian decor and flavors in cocktail form (expect an Egyptian negroni made with dates, a tahini old fashioned and hibiscus-infused spirits). That should open in time for holiday parties.
- 🌞 Noor (light in Arabic) won't open until early next year. It'll be a coffee shop in the current backroom, serving up Egyptian coffee and pastries out of the Addison Street entrance.
What's next: Barrio will remain open through most of the transition, which now is down to putting Egyptian touches (both modern and ancient) on the decor, Yacoub tells Axios.
- The menu is basically done; Yacoub said a recent taste test for his mom and other Richmond Egyptians went exceptionally well.
- "Everyone licked the plates," he said, which is noteworthy since "Egyptians are not afraid to tell you when they don't like something." Neither are moms.