Boltini Lounge at 11 N. Neil St. has the look of a jazz club with its hardwood floors, elaborately designed tin ceiling, painted brick walls, and red leather seating. The space is long and narrow, lined with a row of small, semicircular booths. Toward the back of the bar, a short staircase separates a lounge space that offers more casual seating on leather couches and armchairs.

The lights are kept very low (so low, in fact, that I would rethink that saucy appetizer, lest you realize too late that your shirtfront is covered in drippings), and the bar’s deep, cozy booths are conducive to an intimate atmosphere. Yet, at times, the music can be too loud and boisterous to complete this feeling. However, this doesn’t seem to be a problem. At Boltini you are more likely to see larger groups of friends or singles on the prowl than couples on dates.

Boltini is downtown Champaign’s only martini bar — and a popular one at that, especially with Champaign’s late 20’s and 30’s crowd. By 10 p.m. on a Friday, the narrow space is already crowded. Come in this late, and you’re lucky if you find somewhere to stand, much less somewhere to sit. You may find yourself next to the restrooms, leaning on the half-suitcase makeshift table protruding from the back wall.

Brown mumbler Manhattan, chocolate truffle’tini, bloody hot ‘n dirty martini — Boltini’s drink menu is expansive. From the traditional to the sublime, there is almost surely a martini for every preference — creamy or fruity, sweet or savory. Made with espresso-infused vodka, butterscotch liqueur and cream, the caramel macciato martini comes highly recommended for coffee lovers. And for those with a taste for the exotic, the red lotus martini with lychee liqueur, vodka, limejuice, and cranberry juice puts a tropical spin on the classic cosmopolitan. The black martini, made with vodka, Chambord raspberry liqueur and sour mix, is both tangy and sweet with berry notes that make this drink fruity, but not overpoweringly so.

Although drink prices run a little high at about $7 to $9 for a martini, these drinks definitely pack a lot of punch, and are not unreasonable for both the variety and novelty that Boltini offers.

Boltini also boasts a food menu that parallels the stylish air that the lounge strives for — ­a large and delicious-looking selection of small plates, from mixed nuts served warm to crab cakes and sesame encrusted Ahi tuna ranging between $3.50-$10, a variety of cheese plates from $4-$7.25, flatbread pizzas from $5.50-$7 and sandwiches on soft pretzel rolls or ciabatta for about $6, and a few desserts.

Personally, I would tend to opt for a double chocolate or raspberry truffle martini over crème brulee or cheesecake — just keepin’ with Boltini’s specialty.