Restaurants With Fireplaces

• Abe & Louie's

Before you spend $35 on a steak, ask a few questions. That's part of the fun at Abe & Louie's, where the waiters sing the praises of dry aging and expound upon the flavor of New York sirloin versus a power-packed 24-ounce porterhouse. The only thing better than talking about the meat is eating it: Whether you're lunching in the masculine dining room or partaking in the nightly meat market at the bar, your steak is guaranteed to be broiled to perfection.

• Beacon Street Tavern

Younger siblings always seem to get the attention. It’s certainly true at the new Beacon Street Tavern, the larger, shinier Audubon Circle sister of Brookline’s popular Washington Square Tavern. Closer to town than WST, the newcomer mimics what its elder does best—dressed-up comfort food in a friendly, no-frills space—with the bonus of pleasant outdoor seating. There are tenderloin tips with a side of sweet-potato chips; pan-seared halibut over black-bean salsa; and perfectly cooked lamb chops. A rotisserie station in the middle of the crimson-walled dining room offers cheap entertainment while the spacious bar packs in drinkers sampling one of the eight brews on tap and about 25 rotating bottles. While Beacon Street has a high standard to live up to, two months in, its eager crowds hint at a shining future for the neighborhood’s newest addition.

• Bristol Lounge

Big, comfortable couches make for a subdued but unpretentious atmosphere. A good option for brunch and lunch, afternoon tea, or a late-night dessert. The burgers are particularly noteworthy.

• Clery's

This is the place where everyone really knows your name. The go-to spot for the ball-capped and popped collar set often has a line trailing around the block on Thursday through Saturday nights. But on weekdays, the post-work suited crowd infiltrates tables for satisfying apps and a choice of 16 draught beers. The fireplace sets the scene on cold winter nights, and when it finally warms up outside, the bistro windows open up to the streets. There's karaoke on select nights, and a DJ also spins downstairs Friday and Saturday evenings.

• Cuffs

Rooted in the basement of the Jurys Boston Hotel, Cuffs bills itself as an Irish bar. But this is Dublin by way of Beverly Hills, with a duty-free layover in Tokyo. There's a bloom of youth and money on the patrons, who, even if they're holding pints of Guinness, spend as much time on their cell phones as in their cups and dress in tailored wardrobes as well pressed as their complexions. Once the crush of beautiful people reaches critical mass, it spills upstairs into the low, leather seats of the Stanhope Grille.

• The Fireplace (go figure!)

Simply prepared New England comfort food that’s heavy on flavor. The menu is built on lamb, chicken, aged sirloin steak, and a few seafood dishes, either wood-grilled, prepared in a brick oven, or roasted on rotisseries.

• Grendel's Den

Since what’s traditionally known as happy hour is illegal in our great state, local establishments have been forced to get creative with the concept. Grendel’s, housed in a funky basement space in Harvard Square, puts the best spin on things: Besides the substantial beer selection and surprisingly good sangria, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. all food—a hearty mix of international specialties—is half off when you buy a drink.

• Grill 23

A grand, high-ceilinged steakhouse located in the former Salada Tea building. Trust sommelier Alex DeWinter to recommend wines for chef Jay Murray’s beef tenderloin, tuna tartare, and other dishes served by white-coated waiters.

• Harvest

This Harvard Square landmark continues to draw students, professors, and other local intelligentsia with a menu of regional favorites such as pan-seared striped bass and roast leg of lamb. Note: Lunch service ends at 2:30 p.m.; dinner begins at 5:30 p.m. 

• Olé

Mexican standards acquire new life in the hands of Olé’s chef-owner Erwin Ramos: Guacamole is prepared tableside with a molcajete y tejolote—a heavy mortar and pestle fashioned from porous, rough lava stone—corn tortillas are made in house, and the flour ones, which serve as a base for the irresistible chicken and rice enchiladas are from Maria & Ricardo’s (a great local success story). Though the Inman Square dining room has an authentic (read: colorful) feel, the more traditional dishes (including the moles) sometimes disappoint. Adventurous eaters should stick with the pozole Olé, an enormous main-course portion of thick soup with pork, tomatoes, sweet garlic, and slightly hot guajillo chilies. It comes with side bowls of shredded lettuce, diced radish, red onion, lime, and tortilla chips that make this classic a fabulous build-your-own meal.

• Oleana

It’s tempting to stick with chef-owner Ana Sortun’s sumptuous small plates such as tuna–black olive deviled eggs and Armenian bean-and-walnut pâté—until you get to the entrées, such as grilled lamb with Turkish spices, that follow. Save room for the baked Alaska.

• Ristorante Euno

The Italian North End restaurant has been heralded by Rachael Ray for its creative dishes and charming atmosphere, which includes a cozy fireplace. Reserve a table downstairs in the cellar for an especially romantic meal.

• RumBa

For those 'dark and stormy' New England winter evenings, RumBa, the InterContinental Hotel's rum & champagne bar, launches rum tastings by the fireplace on select Monday evenings from 6-7 p.m. For $25, guests will taste three featured rums and a specialty cocktail along with paired appetizers.

• Smith & Wollensky

Smith & Wollensky suffers from the steakhouse syndrome: the old-boys'-club décor with an obsession with size. The huge dining areas are awash in suits sniffing merlot corks and tucking into dry-aged sirloins. It’s hard to blame them: The meats are succulent and cooked almost invariably to order—a credit to both waitstaff and kitchen. But the portions, like the room, feel over-the-top. (And not just the beef: a two-pound-plus lobster is notably less flavorful than its lighter-weight cousins.) But while the room’s a little unoriginal and the food supersized, manly carnivores will undoubtedly find that Smith & Wollensky offers just what they were looking for.

• UpStairs on the Square

Sitting in the middle of Harvard Square, this funky two-story restaurant is a playground for Cantabrigians and foodies alike. On the first floor, the more relaxed Monday Club Bar and the Zebra Room are washed in purples and greens and present an affordable menu of fancified comfort foods, like cheeseburgers on buttered rolls and steak frites. Upstairs is the Soirée Room, accented with zebra-print carpets, pink walls, and gold fixtures, which offers fine dining in the form of Kobe beef skewers, tender poached fluke, and wood-charcoal-fired lamb sirloin. A crossroads of intelligent and playful, UpStairs draws crowds from across the river as well as from the universities in its own backyard.

• Warren Tavern

What's more historic than knocking back a pint where Paul Revere and Washington once did? Finish up the day at the low-ceilinged Warren Tavern, one of the country's oldest watering holes that still creates a stir with live music on Wednesday and Thursday nights.