Photo: Darryl's Corner Bar and Kitchen
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Darryl's Corner Bar and Kitchen, a mainstay of the South End and a popular meeting spot for Boston's Black community, is temporarily shutting down at the end of the year.
The soul food eatery and live music venue first opened on Columbus Avenue 65 years ago as "Bob's the Chef," under original owners Robert and Dottie Morgan. In 2010, subsequent owner Darryl Settles rebranded the restaurant Darryl's Corner Bar and Kitchen. Current owner Nia Grace took over the establishment in 2018.
Darryl's manager Keyana Fultz told WBZ NewsRadio Friday that the restaurant will close on Jan. 1 for about a month.
"We’re actually just rebranding and remodeling," Fultz said. "So I consider it a revitalization. We just want to give a little bit more pizazz to the corner. It’s going to be beautiful, it’s going to be new, it’s going to be fresh."
Fultz assured that although the restaurant will have a different name whenever it reopens, it will still serve the same food. She also denied claims that the rebrand was due to gentrification.
"Absolutely not," said Fultz. "We’re definitely going to keep our same clientele. A lot of people ask us that question, but that is absolutely not what we’re doing. We’re definitely going to keep the community involved, and so, no, it’s not any gentrification going on here."
WBZ's Suzanne Sausville (@WBZSausville) reports.
Follow WBZ NewsRadio: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | iHeartmedia App | TikTok