A Soul Food Legend Returns to Boston’s South End, Refreshed

While Uptown Social has a refreshed interior, owner Nia Grace kept the distinctive curved, tiled bar from the restaurant’s previous incarnation as Darryl’s Corner Bar & Kitchen. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

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. Owner Nia Grace—who was also behind the most recent incarnation of Darryl’s, which closed at the end of 2023—says the rebrand is “giving the neighborhood what it needs now and continuing what it started,” with food “rooted in our culture as well as our backgrounds,” alongside craft cocktails, live entertainment, and, thankfully once again, music-filled brunch.

Uptown Social’s fish and grits, with cornmeal-battered Atlantic haddock, Anson Mills grits, braised greens, Creole cream, and chow-chow. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Uptown Social. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

“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 co-owned 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.”

Uptown Social’s nuggets (made with chicken thigh) are topped with chive crème fraîche and Osetra caviar. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Changes to something that was “revered and beloved in the community” often make people uneasy, Grace acknowledges, even under the same ownership. “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.”

Uptown Social. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

For Grace, her parents, brothers, and other family members had all been to Bob’s—and her grandparents even lived upstairs, a fact she didn’t find out until after she purchased it. But Grace, who grew up in Roxbury and Dorchester, came to know the space in the Darryl’s era, first as a customer in 2010. “Having lived in Miami and New York, I didn’t find anything like this in Boston until I came here,” she says. “It definitely spoke to me.” In 2015, she began managing the place, ultimately buying it from then-owner Darryl Settles in 2018. (He bought Bob the Chef’s in 1990, running it as Bob’s Southern Bistro for a time before selling it, later buying it back, and reopening it as Darryl’s Corner Bar & Kitchen in 2010. While it was out of his hands, it was briefly Circle, then Stork Club.) “It is the Cheers of Black Boston,” Settles said in a 2018 interview regarding the sale to Grace, “where all feel comfortable,” and Grace intends to carry on that legacy with Uptown Social.

A cocktail at Uptown Social. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Uptown Social’s lamb suya with charred shallot and tomato, smoked peanuts, and lime. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

“It’s a full circle moment for me, too,” says Randolph, who’s originally from Dorchester and grew up in Franklin, the son of two Southerners who met up here. “I come from a family of exceptional cooks, but the only time we would ever get things catered, for bereavements and things like that, was from Bob the Chef’s. It’s really dope to be able to come back and pay homage.”

A cocktail at Uptown Social. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Some carryovers in the design reinforce that homage without feeling dated. If you ever went to Darryl’s, you know it was a good layout already, says Grace, “so you’ll see that familiar shape when you walk in, and the glow coming from the bar.” (Yes, that distinctive bar with its pearlescent tiled curves remains.) Just past the host stand, a wall of photos nods to the past, with images of Bob the Chef’s original owner Robert Morgan, Settles, and performers from over the years. Instruments still hang on the walls, and a piece of the Darryl’s signage reading “Corner” fits neatly by the bar.

A piece of the signage from Darryl’s Corner Bar & Kitchen is on display inside Uptown Social. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

But other aspects of the redesign lean maximalist and swanky, more like the glammed-up vibe of Grace’s ambitious Seaport restaurant and music venue, Grace by Nia, which opened in 2023. Wavy-framed mirrors, bold wallpaper, and animal-patterned stools stylishly take the storied space into the future, complementing Randolph’s caviar-topped pickled deviled eggs, elegantly plated fish and grits, and massive veal chop.

Uptown Social’s pickled deviled eggs with Tabasco relish, Kewpie mayo, and smoked paprika, plus caviar if you’re feeling fancy. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Uptown Social’s 18-ounce bone-in veal with barbecue braised beans and red eye gravy. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Randolph’s plans for the opening dinner menu draw influences from around the South, with hints of Caribbean and African cuisines, too. Think: buttermilk biscuits with crabapple butter; lamb suya, Nigerian grilled meat skewers, with smoked peanuts; soup joumou, a hearty Haitian squash stew; and Creole mussels. And watch for late-night offerings that play on corner-store-esque food, such as patties stuffed with braised oxtail or Jamaican jerk chicken. “I’m just excited to take classic dishes and reinterpret them in ways that don’t freak people out,” says Randolph, “especially knowing that the faithful following of this place that’s come before me has high expectations.” He’s not too worried: “We’re three people from Boston, with Southern roots, making this happen.”

Uptown Social’s Rhythm and Spice cocktail, a fiery take on an espresso martini, with Licor 43, crème de cacao, scotch bonnet, and walnut bitters. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

The third? Donnell Singleton, partner and guest relations director, who owned the Best of Boston restaurant Food for the Soul. He’s a poet, too; you’ll surely see him on the mic, says Grace. With Grace, Singleton, and Randolph combining their efforts and passion for the neighborhood, Uptown Social is poised to build on the legacy they all hope to honor. “This is the first of our collaborations, but it won’t be the last, and I’m very excited about it,” says Grace.

Uptown Social’s late-night menu will feature patties with an epis dipping sauce. One patty will have braised oxtail and house-ground beef, with optional cheese; another will have Jamaican jerk chicken with rice and peas. They’re pictured here with Salt n Pepa, Uptown Social’s play on a dirty martini: pepper- and coriander-infused gin and vodka, Bitter Bianca, dry vermouth, and pickled okra. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

And we’ll let the poet take it from here: “Uptown Social, for me, is a mental, a physical, a spiritual experience, something you’re not going to get anywhere,” says Singleton. “Your tastebuds are going to dance, your toes are going to tap, your stomach’s going to be satisfied. That’s euphoric. That’s like heaven on earth. So when I think of what it is that we want to give to the people, it’s an escape from everything. Come into our oasis. Come into this realm. Time travel, if you will. Because when you walk down that corridor and you see history, you’re traveling through time, not only the past, but also the present. And we’re going to give you a glimpse of the future.”

Upon entering Uptown Social, you’ll see a wall of photos honoring the past (and present) of the Columbus Avenue space, including images of Bob the Chef’s. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Opening in early 2026. Watch social media for updates on takeout and special events before the grand opening. 604 Columbus Ave., South End/Roxbury, Boston, instagram.com/uptownsocialboston.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of the March 2026 issue with the headline “South End Soul.”