Boston Chefs

With two bars (rumor has it there’s a third hidden somewhere on the premises), a lavish dining room, low-lit lounge, and an actual library where you can drink, dine, or recline with a cocktail, Yvonne’s is bringing sexy back to the early 1900s supper-club scene with fine food, upscale drinks, and enough whimsy to keep the elegant setting feeling playful.

The restaurant is as serious about dining as they are about dressing well, with an internationally-inspired menu focused on fun and conviviality. The selections change with the seasons, but expect to find a slew of snacks and shareable plates, with high-concept flavors served in low-concept style (such as a selection of fancy “Toasts”) that lend themselves to reaching across the table and digging in with your hands. Paying homage to the space’s supper club roots, there’s also a “Feasts” section, featuring comfort-driven Sunday dinner-style meals meant to be shared among friends. The Late-night menu (11pm-midnight) cherrypicks craveable favorites from the dinner menu and adds a few shareable treats to help balance out the booze after hours.

Yvonne’s is divided into three rooms, each dripping with stylish, moody decadence and details worthy of investigation. You’ll enter into the Lounge, where overstuffed couches and antique furniture creates plenty of nooks where you can feel private in the high-volume atmosphere. The Supper-Club room is the restaurant’s boisterous soul, with large tables where you’ll be bumping elbows with neighbors, shimmering crystal chandeliers, and studded banquettes that look like they were stolen from a throne room somewhere. The Library is for leaning in over small tables for quieter conversation. You might pause to peruse a volume on falconry, or admire the portraits of reimagined famous figures, such as an oil painting of Christopher Walken as a decorated general. It’s an eclectic space that feels suited to large quantities of expensive champagne drunk from whatever vase or chalice is closest at hand.

The bars at Yvonne’s steal the show. The long, carved mahogany bar dominates the Supper Club room, and the quieter Library Bar is a little less rowdy, but both serve a well-curated menu of serious, stylish craft cocktails. Flaming garnishes and antique glassware are the norm here, made with a staggering selection of top-shelf spirits and house-made syrups, cordials, potions, and large-format cocktails served in large-format crystal. The beer selection is modest but local and thoughtful, and wine is anything but an afterthought. Comprised chiefly of small-production, responsibly-harvested wines, the list is curated by the sommelier and offers a range of terroir-driven selections at a variety of price points sorted into Old School, New School, and Rarities. The sparkling wine selection is predictably impressive, with all the usual suspects plus some interesting and unexpected selections, in both regular and large format.