10 New Washington Venues for Small Events and Meetings

For corporate meetings near the U.S. Capitol Building, Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital can host events for 10 to 250 guests in light-filled meeting rooms equipped with WiFi and built-in DPL projectors and screens. A $10 million renovation completed in 2011 restored this historic Civil War-era building to its 19th century appearance.

Alexandria’s Virtue Feed & Grain, a rustic new restaurant from the creators of Restaurant Eve, offers a private event space overlooking the river for up to 60 standing guests. The game room decor includes a pool table that converts to a dining table and video games from Xbox to Pac-Man.

District Kitchen, a new 60-seat Woodley Park restaurant that opened in early January, combines seasonal Mid-Atlantic cuisine with a laid-back, casual atmosphere. Currently not open for lunch or brunch, the restaurant is open to full buyouts for lunches on weekdays for a minimum of $2,000 and for dinner Sunday through Thursday for a minimum of $3,500 to $5,000.

Opened in fall 2011, District Architecture Center in Gallery Place Chinatown has five modern meeting rooms, including the 20-seat Florance board room and the Clark and Studios rooms, which each seat 50 for a reception, 20 for classroom seating, or 40 for theater-style seating. The meeting spaces can be rented out for a few hours or for multi-day events and come fully equipped with audio-visual equipment.

Evening Star Cafe in Alexandria recently renovated its private event space, No. 9 Lounge, to create a new, Victorian look, with antique furniture, retro styling, and dim, romantic lighting. The lounge can host private parties nightly for up to 50 guests, and plans are in the works to open for brunch parties in March.

Irish Whiskey Public House, a new Irish pub in Dupont Circle that opened in January, can accommodate 50 people in the Dublin room, its top-floor private event space. The Dublin room has a private bar, dining tables and lounge-style seating, and a dedicated bathroom.

After recently renovating all of its meeting space in 2011, Park Hyatt Washington offers small corporate groups its Mezzanine Loft, which seats 36 around a long wooden table. The space could be used in conjunction with the casual Gallery Lounge gathering area, where guests can eat, have a drink, or check email.

Jake’s American Grille, a neighborhood restaurant in Chevy Chase, just opened private event space Jake's Boiler Room in January. This downstairs game room seats 60 and includes a full-service bar, billiards, darts, arcade games, and flat-screen TVs.

The private event space at popular Adams Morgan bar Napoleon recently underwent a facelift, upgrading the space with new couches and tables and keeping the signature metallic wallpaper. The space accommodates 45 seated and 100 standing.

Boxcar Tavern, a new 65-seat bar and restaurant in Capitol Hill from the owners of Molly Malone’s and Lola’s, opened in late December. The name is derived from the restaurant's long and narrow dining room, which serves pub fare, cocktails, and drafts in a traditional wood-paneled and gas lantern-lit setting.