Situated at the intersection of Columbus Avenue and Northampton Street, Darryl’s Corner Bar & Kitchen serves up Southern comfort food to the Boston community. 

The restaurant has been open since 1957, starting out as a neighborhood spot called Bob the Chef’s before Darryl Settles took over in 1990. Settles later rebranded the establishment as Darryl’s Corner Bar & Kitchen in 2010. 

Settles added “Corner Bar” to the restaurant’s name, pointing to its literal space but also the role it plays as a community space.

“We think about cornerstones of communities and neighborhoods, those places that are safe and third places where people want to go,” said Nia Grace, current owner and operator of Darryl’s. 

Grace began working as a consultant for Darryl’s in 2015 before purchasing it in 2018, bringing her attention to detail and passion for the restaurant into the new ownership. 

“After working here, managing [Darryl’s] and really getting an in-depth preview on what ownership looked like, I was like ‘I think I can do it, period,’” Grace said. “I was scared for a while, but I’ve had the thought in the back of my head for probably 10 or more years.”

Grace had gotten used to the stamina, energy and inverted schedule needed to work in a restaurant and the time felt right. She said she could not go back into the corporate world — she had worked in nonprofit management for 12 years — and buying Darryl’s made sense. 

“It’s kind of my love for hospitality, entertainment, hosting, creating spaces that are alive with personality. And I loved the food, I love to eat. That’s got to be a part of it,” Grace said.

While the current iteration of the restaurant pays homage to Bob the Chef’s menu with items like fried chicken and catfish, the atmosphere feels completely different.  

“Bob the Chef’s was just a diner style restaurant [where] you would come up, get your food on a plate and eat. There was no alcohol, there was no entertainment,” Grace said. 

Since then, Darryl’s has transformed into a full-service restaurant that attracts a diverse crowd for its live music, energetic crowd and cocktails. The dining room at Darryl’s is decorated with art handpicked by Grace, from a vibrant Barbados-inspired painting by saxophonist and Berklee professor Elan Trotman to a piece titled “The Seat Around the Table,” appropriately placed in the center of the room. 

“I put it in the center of the restaurant because even with these individual tables, we’re all at the same table in the same space, feeling that same energy. I want every single guest that I have to feel that way about it,” Grace said. 

Pertreena Cherrie of Roxbury described her experiences at Darryl’s positively, echoing the feeling that Grace wanted to capture. Cherrie last dined at Darryl’s with her girlfriends during one of their Sunday brunches, which also happens to be Grace’s favorite day of the service week.

“The atmosphere is very friendly, a very family-type place and we had a really good time,” Cherrie said. 

Cherrie lives close to the restaurant and said she recommends it to visiting friends, with specific instructions to order the sweet peach chili wings, mashed potatoes and cornbread. Cherrie recalled the variety of people she saw at Darryl’s and said that it has a “little bit of something for everyone.” 

“It’s just a place where you want to be. Like if you want to go on a first date, it’s a great place because even if you don’t have anything to talk about, you don’t feel uncomfortable,” Cherrie said. “You feel really relaxed, really welcomed. The music is good, the food is good.”

Live music is another element that Grace has changed since taking over at Darryl’s. Instead of focusing on jazz, performances have branched out to other genres including rhythm and blues, soul and Latin jazz. 

“I think it has a little more of a youthfulness, but at the same time it caters to the different generations very well,” Grace said.

One band that frequents Darryl’s is Other Than Boston. Marquis Lewis, the band’s guitarist and singer, said he tries to play at the restaurant once a month. The intimate space and relaxed environment, along with the warmth of the staff, draws Lewis to Darryl’s.

“Performing there, I love the family vibes. You don’t really see a lot of places like that with the owner, especially Nia. She’s out there interacting with people, making sure you’re okay. Since day one, it’s always been that vibe for me,” Lewis said. 

Praises of a familial feeling at Darryl’s are no coincidence — Grace is extremely careful and thoughtful about the people on her team, from who she hires to how she takes care of them. 

“I hand-select most of the people who work here for me and with me because I know what I need to breed and foster here … No one here is just a number,” Grace said. 

Grace said she is “blessed” to have retained 93% of the staff when she transitioned into ownership. Grace also credits her ability to balance compassion, fairness and steadfastness when managing her team. 

“I speak with authority, but at the same time, we have laughs and we’re experiencing the same thing together,” Grace said. “The team is our first customer and if they’re happy, then that is a piece of making everyone else happy that walks in.”

Cherrie spoke about how attentive her waiter was, answering the many questions her party had about the menu. Lewis also mentioned the helpfulness of the staff, even as a performer.

“It starts at the top and everyone’s always checking in. They see me carrying gear, they hold the door and help me bring it in. If I’m setting up, they’ll take my cases and put it in the back,” Lewis said. 

The staff at Darryl’s is one that cares for each other and for their customers, even through the busiest or the slowest days. Grace said that during the early days of the pandemic, she had to empty the dining room of its furniture and she would often sit in that echoey space, reflecting on the purpose of her business.

“Often, you’d find me in that back corner. I’m looking up and it’s like looking down the barrel of a gun,” Grace said. “And it was just like ‘This isn’t it.’… [Takeout] didn’t keep us engaged. The people, the music, the smiles, even the cries, that is exactly why we’re here.”

And it appears that Darryl’s is serving its purpose once again, one that welcomes what Grace considers the most diverse restaurant clientele in Boston. Grace said that the past weekend was “super special,” with a feeling of normalcy rippling through her team.

“Even with all the restrictions, just to have the volume and the people and the smiles and the energy in the place, that’s been the most rewarding,” Grace said. “That’s exactly why we’re in this business. We would be nothing without it.”