Freepoint Kitchen & Drinks, located in the lobby of Cambridge’s trendy Freepoint Hotel, brings two Boston restaurant big-shots back together to riff on global flavors with homegrown ingredients. Chef Matthew Gaudet and Beverage Consigliere Alex Howell, both formerly of West Bridge, aim to make travelers feel at home and locals feel adventurous with food and drink menus that blend the quirky and the comfortable in a chic setting perfect for a date-night dinner or a quick meeting over Manhattans.

The menu at Freepoint is playful, with whimsical interpretations of barroom classics like sandwiches and wings with ingredients and preparations from around the world. Comprised of a variety of small plates and shareable entrees, the food is meant to be communal and conversational. Funky, but not fussy.

At the 13-seat bar—a long slab of local hewn sugar maple—the line between familiar and strange continues to blur, with drinks you recognize in ways you might not have seen them before. Classic cocktails are a global touchstone for travelers, but everybody does them a bit differently. With that in mind, one of the menu’s highlights is a dedicated Manhattan menu, with the House version as well as a number of funky twists ranging all over the map.

All of this flavorful whimsy is set inside the Freepoint’s swanky, eclectic lobby, with seating options ranging from traditional banquettes in Harvard Crimson to a casual lounge with layered rugs, armchairs, and a pool table. The space displays a diverse and bohemian sampling of local art, including a changing video display projected on the wall. Through the lounge, guests can access the Secret Garden, a glass-encased outdoor atrium open to the sky with fire pits, greenery, and a stand of birch trees.