Darling serves up innovative drinks and a slice of the American Dream

The new cocktail bar occupies space of former Mary Chung restaurant and lives up to its formidable legacy

Celina Colby

Celina Colby is an arts and travel reporter with a fondness for Russian novels.... VIEW BIO

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Culinary industry veterans Zimu Chen and Brian Callahan met pre-pandemic while working at Coquette and they dreamed of opening a restaurant together that would subvert the usual tropes of a hospitality experience. Years later, that dream is realized as the duo opens Darling, an intimate cocktail bar and dim sum spot in Central Square in Cambridge.

Inspired by the phrase “kill your darlings,” Darling is meant to be constantly evolving, shedding menus like skins and presenting something new to diners almost every night.

“We print and date our menu every day,” said Callahan, who oversaw the beverage program at Row 34, Coquette and Tiger Mama. “It might mean anything from changing an entire drink to maybe changing one ingredient or one aspect of a drink on a day-to-day basis.”

Brian Callahan (left) and Zimu Chen,
owners of Darling in Central Square,
Cambridge.
PHOTO: JM LEACH

This timeline is partially due to the intensive, house-made ingredients used in the cocktails. It might take two months to ferment a particular liqueur. If the supply is gone in a couple of weeks, the cocktail disappears from the menu until more can be made. The offerings are very much based on seasonality and availability. 

One example of those time-intensive, house-made ingredients is a corn and mezcal mirin that Callahan made for the bar’s opening in late July. Mirin is a type of rice wine typically made with rice and koji macerated and fermented with shochu. Instead, Callahan macerated koji with hominy and mezcal and let it ferment for two months.

Though it’s hard to choose between their darlings, Callahan is partial to the Sweep the Leg cocktail that fuses house-made tomato water with dry vermouth infused with Chinese celery, passionfruit liqueur and rum topped with a soy-cured tomato. Chen heralds the Hope I Packed a Parachute with clarified milk punch made using shochu, ceremonial grade matcha and red bean, combined with house-made coconut amazake, creme de cacao and topped with taro foam.

PHOTO: JM LEACH

The cocktails are the focus of the experience, but the dim sum bites pair well for a sipping and snacking experience.

On the food menu, chef Mark O’Leary has crafted bites like shrimp toast with smoked pineapple, Dr. Pepper-braised pork ribs and bao buns stuffed with salted cod, American cheese and pickled mustard. O’Leary plays with some traditional flavors and some classically American ingredients for a fun fusion that matches the strength of the innovative beverages.

The space, located at 464 Massachusetts Ave., leaves a big legacy to live up to. For 40 years it was home to Mary Chung, a beloved Chinese restaurant known for its flavorful dumplings and accessible prices.

“We fell in love pretty much instantaneously,” said Chen. “As Mary Chung’s it was a Chinese restaurant. We’re rolling out an Asian concept, Central Square needs a bit more of a cocktail scene, everything just fell into place.”

In homage to Mary Chung, O’Leary developed a recipe for suan la chow show inspired by the version served at Darling’s famous predecessor. Chen says he hopes to carry on the legacy of Mary Chung as a gathering space and connector, but also as an example of immigrant achievement.

“Mary Chung was this American dream 40 years ago for [the owners], when they were younger and hoping to make a living in U.S.,” said Chen, who immigrated to the United States from Nanjing in eastern China. “That is also carried through with us taking it over.”