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Spirit
By Henry Dubois
Tucked away amid the hustle and bustle of Barnsley town centre life is Spirit, a cafe & bistro which is already well established for lunchtime dining.
Spirit fans will be delighted to know it will now be open two evenings a week as well, Fridays and Saturdays.
With Spanish style tapas on the evening menu, served from 7pm to 11pm both evenings, a friend and I went along for a sneak preview of what diners can expect from Spirit’s owner Louise and her team.
As first-time visitors to Spirit, we were surprised to find this little oasis of great food tucked away in Regent Street South, conveniently placed for both car parks and Barnsley’s contemporary bus station.
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For some time Spirit has operated as both a cafe/bistro and a small boutique. Now Louise has decided that the growing success and reputation of the food side of the business means she will be concentrating solely building up the culinary side of Spirit.
On the evening in question, we were surprised to find Sprit was already filling up nicely with customers and decided we would try the tapas menu. Not sure how much we should order, Louise advised about three dishes each.
On her recommendation we tried a great selection including olives, tomato and onion salad, large cheesy balls and mini Spanish meatballs, all served with a dish of tasty ciabatta bread.
The most noteable dish was Spirit’s own version of Spanish omelette - but with a Barnsley ‘twist’ on traditional egg and chips. Very nice it was too! Louise also persuaded us to try some of Spirit’s famous ‘big chips’. Mmm! Just how we like our chips.
After clearing the decks, we were amazed how full we were and just opted for a coffee to follow. In case you didn’t know, the tapas revolution originated in Spain as a tradition of serving small snacks to enjoy with drinks and the name literally means ‘cover’ or ‘lid’.
Being starter size, they were originally intended as appetisers. Today’s menus offer a choice of meat, seafood and vegetarian tapas meaning there is always something for everyone. Surprisingly having six dishes between us was remarkably filling.
Spirit tapas are just a part of the extensive menu offered by Louise and her team. Take a look at the menu and you’ll see a great choice of food served predominantly at lunchtime but now into the evenings as well. Remember Spirit also has a great wine list so diners can enjoy a drop of red, white or rose with their meal.
Spirit - Regent Street South, Barnsley - 01226 299978
Published Winter 2007. All information correct at time of print.
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