Here's a look at the best new Chicago restaurants, hotels, party rooms, corporate event venues, conference centers, and private rooms to open this winter. These new and renovated Chicago venues can accommodate groups large or small for private and corporate events, meetings, business dinners, cocktail parties, conferences, weddings, and more.
Cowshed Spa opened at Soho House Chicago in August. On the ground level of the six-story hotel and private members' club, the West Loop spa hosts "Pretty Parties" for groups of eight to 15. Planners can book the entire spa for half a day or during evening hours. Guests get their choice of two mini treatments from options that include pedicures, back massages, or facials. The venue can provide small bites, wine, and champagne. Staffers can also arrange for groups to have sit-down dinners at the hotel's on-site restaurant, Pizza East.
Morgan Manufacturing opened in the West Loop in September. In a former manufacturing complex, the venue spans six connected buildings and can host meetings, events, and conventions. The industrial-style space seats 600 or holds 1,000 for receptions. Billed as an "adaptive reuse project," the space will eventually house a 32,000-square-foot Innovation Lab, creative and tech office space, a brasserie and café, a craft distillery, and a rooftop terrace with cabanas and sun-shaded work spaces.
From the owners of Boka and Girl & the Goat, Momotaro opened in the West Loop in October. The Japanese restaurant has a second-floor private dining room that seats 22 guests. On the lower level, the izakaya (a Japanese-style pub) can be bought out for receptions of 150. A semiprivate lounge in the izakaya holds 30 in a combination of seated and standing room. On the menu, offerings include rice and noodles, sushi, and grilled meat skewers.
The W Lakeshore Hotel unveiled its $38 million renovation in June. The top-to-bottom redesign included renovations on the hotel's 13,700 square feet of meeting space. Meeting rooms are housed on the first, sixth, seventh, and 33rd floors. On the top floor, Altitude is a 3,800 square-foot banquet room with slanted windows offering views of Lake Michigan and Navy Pier; it holds 350 for receptions. Current, the hotel's new farm-to-table restaurant, now provides catering for all on-site functions. Menu items include pan-seared free-range chicken breast and hand-rolled cheese ravioli.
From the owners of RPM Italian, RPM Steak opened in River North in August. The 350-seat restaurant takes decorative cues from classic Chicago steak houses. There are also English-inspired touches such as a bowler hat sculpture and a Victorian-style train station clock. For events, a mezzanine with panoramic views of the restaurant seats 80. The mezzanine can also be divided to host smaller events for as many as 50 seated guests. The menu offers more than a dozen cuts of steak, coal-roasted chicken, and seafood; the wine list has some 350 selections from across the globe.
A dual-branded Hampton Inn & Homewood Suites opened just off the Magnificent Mile in August. The 40-story venue has 352 guest rooms, and every floor of the property has rooms from both Hampton Inn (pictured) and Homewood Suites. The hotel offers 5,400 square feet of flexible meeting space, and it has 14 meeting rooms. The largest meeting space, the Pennsylvania, holds 70 classroom style. For small meetings, the DuPont Circle Boardroom holds 20 classroom style; the Independence room holds 50 classroom style. The Windsor, a casual restaurant serving American fare, will open on the ground floor in 2015.
Le Méridien Chicago Oakbrook Center held its grand opening in September. With 172 guest rooms and suites, the Oak Brook hotel has 3,500 square feet of meeting and event space. On the ninth floor, the 3,034-square-foot Grand Ballroom has floor-to-ceiling windows and can be divided into four salons. The entire ballroom seats 180 for banquets, 202 theater-style, 130 classroom-style, or 60 in a U-shaped arrangement; it holds 250 for receptions. On the same floor, the Discovery Boardroom seats 12 for conferences. The hotel also has a Spanish restaurant, El Tapeo; a lobby-level restaurant called Longitude 87; and two spa suites that can be rented out for small spa parties.
Bordel Puncheon Club & Cabaret opened above Wicker Park's Black Bull restaurant in August. With two stages, the venue regularly showcases live jazz musicians, flamenco dancers, burlesque artists, and more. The dimly lit spot specializes in craft cocktails made with small-batch spirits and fresh ingredients. Murals inspired by European pub imagery decorate the interior, which is also filled with velvet couches and candlelit tables. Bordel holds 150 for receptions. Hosts can also arrange for seated dinners for 75 downstairs at Black Bull, where Spanish menu items include empanadas, tomato gazpacho, and chicken croquettes. Black Bull chefs also prepare passed appetizers for functions held at Bordel.
The Four Corners Tavern Group opened Highline Bar & Lounge in River North in September. With five separate event spaces and 24 HD LED TVs, the sports bar hosts corporate and convention lunches, presentations, cocktail receptions, and dinner parties. The Front Lounge seats 38 or holds 60 for receptions. The West Lounge seats 28 or holds 40 for receptions. An area known as the "Beer Bench," which is a beer tap table with more than 15 draft beer options, seats 14. The Beer Bench can be combined with the West Lounge to hold 55 for receptions. There's also a private room, which seats 62 or holds 150 for receptions. The venue can be bought out for 400. Available on the banquet menus are welcome cocktails served in punch jars, a taco bar, and "build-your-own-bowl" stations stocked with items such as spiced rice, assorted vegetables, and sauces.
In May, the historic Palmer House Hilton wrapped up a $215 million renovation. The hotel has 130,000 square feet of meeting and event space, and there are updates in several areas. The Grand & State ballroom now has 19,000 square feet of new carpeting, and the Red Lacquer ballroom has newly restored windows overlooking State Street. The mezzanine, which overlooks the lobby and painted ceiling, now has complimentary Wi-Fi and new seating. The Empire and Cresthill rooms also have new carpeting and window treatments. Some $6 million went into revamping the hotel's rooms, which include 1,641 guest rooms, 44 deluxe suites, 10 hospitality suites, and a 3,700-square-foot penthouse. The hotel's cocktail lounge, Potter's Bar, has new furnishings and a brighter color scheme, and Lockwood Bar & Restaurant has a modern new design scheme and a new chef, Mathew Wiltzius.
