Chef Cedric Maupillier and restaurateur Saied Azali founded Convivial as both a friendly neighborhood gathering spot and first class restaurant. This duality came to define Convivial. Even the name Convivial is a cognate, meaning the same thing in both English and French. This duality, as well as the nature of conviviality, breathes through the design. With its French-inspired American fare, Convivial takes on various details and affectations of a traditional French brasserie, but delivered in a clean-lined modern take that is both comfortable, but also colorful and refined. The dining rooms are split by the centralized bar so that guests never feel overcrowded nor completely alone; intimacy and hospitality are balanced. Decorative felt walls add a splash of modern color, and coupled with the textured ceilings, provide excellent acoustics that improve conversation without requiring patrons to raise their voices. All of these details culminate in a space that is at once friendly and inviting as well as jovial and festive. Chef Maupillier has been a six time semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation's Best Chefs in America.