"For decades, a Columbus Avenue restaurant space on the South End-Roxbury border has been a destination for soul food, live music, and warm hospitality. Some knew it best as Bob the Chef's; others came to it later as Darryl's Corner Bar & Kitchen. Now under a new name, Uptown Social, it will reopen early this year as a gathering space full of music, community, and comfort food, building on its legacy of "glorifried" chicken and joyful jazz brunches."
""In terms of a Southern soul food restaurant, there's nobody that's going to be doing it the way that we're doing it right now," promises executive chef and culinary director Chelven Randolph, who was most recently working at Southie's Park City and ran Nosh and Grog in Canton before that. "It's a continuation of the food and community aspect" that were hallmarks of Bob's and Darryl's, "but it's elevated-new impressions of old, classic dishes.""
""They think there's going to be so much that is unfamiliar, not what they knew and loved," she says. "But if you loved [this space] when it was Bob's, if you loved it when it was Darryl's, you're going to love it when it's Uptown Social, because it's still in the hands of people who care about it and love the community.""
A long-standing Columbus Avenue restaurant space on the South End–Roxbury border will reopen early 2026 as Uptown Social, continuing a decades-long tradition of soul food, live music, and hospitality. The space previously operated as Bob the Chef's and later as Darryl's Corner Bar & Kitchen. Owner Nia Grace, who led the most recent incarnation, says the rebrand aims to preserve community roots while updating offerings. Executive chef Chelven Randolph promises elevated interpretations of classic Southern dishes, maintaining signature items like glorifried chicken and music-filled jazz brunches. The venue will feature craft cocktails, live entertainment, and a focus on cultural culinary heritage.
Read at Boston Magazine
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