The Resy Guide to Boston’s Essential Cozy Locales

When the thermostat reaches a particular nadir, only “red sauce” will do. Those two words are the guiding principle behind Parm, the more casual sibling establishment of Contessa. In a dining room festooned by decorative tomato jars and the sounds of Frank Sinatra, Chianti will pour, oven-hot pizza knots will appetize, and plates of chicken Francese or rigatoni Carbone will chase the cold away.

The Independent has all the fixings of a cozy pub: quasi-colonial digs in a historic neighborhood, loyal regulars, and its own charming nickname— “The Indo.” But what keeps its followers coming back is warming, stick-to-your-ribs grub like poutine with Guinness beef gravy, beer-battered fish and chips, and buttermilk fried chicken accompanied by maple mustard and garlic aioli.

Steak tips have warmed New Englanders for generations, and said tips — furnished by 36 draft lines — are the order of the day at the Tip Tap Room. Just don’t think that steak tips, which are accompanied here by horseradish potatoes and Bordelaise, are the only thing for dinner. The restaurant’s remit also has it serving chicken tips, turkey tips, swordfish tips, and even tofu.

Coppa cultivates a Sunday-at-nonna’s feel by virtue of its tiny, homey space on one of the South End’s most attractive corners. But a peek at the menu soon reveals that it’s not quite red sauce as your grandma understood it. While the little enoteca indeed serves meatballs — perhaps the city’s best — it also features crispy braised pig head croquetas, spaghetti carbonara with Maine uni, and a red pizza topped with smoked beef tongue and bone marrow.

With its long wooden tables and quasi-medieval furniture, Bronwyn has the looks of an Alpine mountain lodge where one might find respite from a billowing storm. While a peek out of the windows confirms that you’re still in Somerville, crispy pork schnitzel, red wine-braised sauerbraten, and two-pound bone-in pork shanks will continue to suggest otherwise.

Some restaurants comfort by dialing up the hygge factor; others whisk away diners to sunnier climes. A trip to Kava is like setting foot in a Greek fishing village, thanks to its white-washed walls, nautical décor, and even a mural of a wizened fisherman on the back wall. But what proves most transportive is fare like perfectly seared lamb meatballs over a bed of creamy tzatziki, baked feta cheese and tomato in a cast-iron pan, and souvlaki direct from the grill.

Perhaps it’s our animal instincts, but there’s something about the onset of winter that makes one want to burrow underground and begin hibernation. Beacon Hill’s Grotto, tucked away on quiet Bowdoin Street in a brick-walled dining room, is already underground. And as for the hibernation, you can begin that at home once you’ve returned from a dinner of sweet potato ravioli with brown butter and bacon sauce, or short rib gnocchi with mushrooms and gorgonzola.

At times of biting windchill or nipping frost, the very thought of a juicy, roasted chicken spinning on the spit can be enough to warm one’s heart. Such chickens are served with alacrity at Shy Bird, which boasts a deconstructed bistro setting and also serves butternut squash soup with chipotle coconut cream and buttermilk-brined fried chicken bites in addition to its rotisserie birds.

Can a dive bar be comforting? State Park knows so, and the neo-dive — created with well-worn furnishings pulled from a long-vanished watering hole in Somerville — nails that everybody-knows-your-name familiarity while serving a menu that, we dare say, is a bit more inspired than your average corner bar. To wit: dishes like broccoli tempura in a sweet sambal chile sauce, eggplant muffulettas, and an entire Nashville hot fried chicken dinner.

Three words: French onion soup. While this most comforting of all broth-based dishes is served at scores of local restaurants, few prove as soul-warming as Aquitaine’s iteration. Chalk it up to a broth enlivened by aged sherry, Emmentaler cheese and Gruyère, and the possibility that it could be followed up by veal schnitzel or cavatelli duck confit. All within the confines of a traditional bistro setting with white tile and red leather banquettes galore.