It’s taken nearly two years, but Boston Chops is finally open in Downtown Crossing.
The latest venture by Boston Urban Hospitality Group’s Brian Piccini and chef Chris Coombs has been an intense labor of love, as their team had to overcome a few unique challenges in order to get the space ready. Located inside the 1890 Old Colony Trust Bank building at Temple Place, the new Boston Chops turned out to be a bigger undertaking than expected, as they wanted to give the venue an upgrade without sacrificing its classic aesthetic.
According to Coombs, one of the biggest issues involved dealing with the space’s floor-to-ceiling marble walls, which made wiring and plumbing a bit more difficult. Restoring the 10,000 lb. bank vault in the restaurant’s downstairs area also proved to be a challenge, as plasma cutters and welders were needed to cut through the concrete walls and steel plates.
“In the city of Boston, people build skyscrapers faster than that,” Coombs says. “I can’t say that I’ll be in any big hurry to retrofit any banks anytime soon.”
The hard work has paid off, though, as the new Boston Chops is a luxurious and elegant evolution of the “urban steak bistro” concept made famous by the original South End restaurant. The Downtown Crossing location features larger tables and more space, as well as wrought iron streetlamps, vaulted ceilings and velvet and leather seating. The venue also boasts three private dining rooms, three seperate bars, a wine room, plus a lounge area located in the bank vault which Coombs calls “one of the coolest spaces in Boston.”
As an avid social media user, Coombs is very excited about the new Instagram table too. Since the restaurant doesn’t have any natural lighting, the special section is basically a mini-photo studio where guests can snap amazing pictures of their meals thanks to adjustable lights controlled via an app.
“Right now, we’ve got about 100 active requests to sit at the Instagram table,” Coombs says. “People are very interested.”
Of course, you can’t forget about the food. Overseen by Coombs, executive chef Adrienne Wright will helm the kitchen, serving up elevated takes on steakhouse classics like prime bone-in ribeye and cuts of Chateaubriand. The restaurant will have an expanded raw bar as well, highlighted by the additions of caviar and King crab legs.
“You can show up to Boston Chops at any time and get a great meal, be treated well, have a fantastic bottle of wine and really have a heightened experience,” Coombs says. “As a chef, as a businessman, as an entrepreneur, this really was the natural evolution of the Boston Chops concept.”
If you go:
52 Temple Pl., Boston, bostonchops.com
