Here's a look at new Chicago eateries, drinking spots, hotels, conference areas, private rooms, and other spaces to open for events this summer. The new and renovated Chicago venues are available for corporate parties, weddings, fund-raisers, outdoor functions, business dinners, teambuilding activities, conferences, meetings, and more.
The third location of taqueria Broken English opened in Lincoln Park on April 20. The color-drenched venue serves casual Mexican fare, margaritas, and mezcal cocktails. A private dining room with its own entrance seats 50 or holds 75 for receptions. For summertime events, a patio with hanging TVs and its own bar seats approximately 100 guests at picnic and highboy tables.
As of July 1, the cobblestone courtyard at the Waldorf Astoria Chicago will be available for private events. The 6,000-square-foot space can hold receptions for 400 guests or seated, buffet-style dinners for 200. Hosts can also opt to rent out smaller areas of the courtyard. The French architect Lucien Lagrange designed the courtyard, which was inspired by 1920s Paris. Within the courtyard, a patio for Michael Mina's new French patisserie Petit Margeaux can also hold events—it seats 20 guests at four round tables. The courtyard will be open for the season through September.
Open since February, Bunny Slope is billed as Chicago's first hot-tub bar. Suited to entertaining summer associates, the playful, après-ski-theme space on the lower level of the Acme Hotel can be rented out for groups of 20. Guests are encouraged to wear swimwear to the space, which has a hot tub and a bar; it's also stocked with bathrobes, towels, and a standing shower. For summer events, the venue will serve frozen cocktails including the cognac-based "Chalet Frappe" and the "Snow-Wein," which is infused with mulled, German wine.
Fairgrounds Coffee and Tea opened in Bucktown in March and it is available for evening buyouts. Decked with reclaimed bricks and quirky antiques, the space holds receptions for 80 or seats 40. Along with coffees and teas from artisan vendors, the venue serves kale and apple salads and hummus-veggie wraps. There are also fairground-theme snacks such as soft pretzels and funnel cake fries.
Formerly known as Trenchermen, this Wicker Park restaurant shuttered temporarily in 2016. In February, the venue reopened with its new name: Trench. Also new are the chef, tweaked decor, and a DJ booth. Billed as an American tavern, the restaurant serves items such as Kentucky-fried quail with bone-barrow corn bread. The full restaurant seats 90 or holds standing receptions for 200. The dining room seats 90 or holds 100 guests for standing events. There's also a stage area, which seats 25 or has standing room for 30.
Pizzeria Bebu came to Lincoln Park in February. The casual eatery serves crispy, thin-crust pizzas that cook up in three-and-a-half minutes; toppings include little-neck clams, roasted garlic, and wild forest mushrooms. Decorated with white subway tiles and paintings by local artists, the sleek pizzeria can be bought out to host seated dinners for 32 guests. It also accommodates standing receptions for 60.
Spiaggia, the high-end Italian restaurant on Michigan Avenue, unveiled a new private dining room in February. Adjacent to the main dining room and enclosed with a nine-foot-tall glass door, the private space can hold seated events for six to 20 guests. The room overlooks Oak Street and Michigan Avenue and has an understated color palette of ivory, bronze, and nude. Staffers can arrange for interactive classes including olive-oil tastings, cooking demos, and craft-cocktail making. Tasting menus and a la carte options are available for groups.
Slightly Toasted opened in the West Loop at the end of January. Specializing in whiskey, coffee, beer, and toast, the bakery-cum-bar serves dishes such as brioche topped with Nutella and bourbon butterscotch, and a smoked-trout tartine with smashed avocado. Decked with subway tiles and patterned rugs, the 2,200-square-feet space can be bought out to host seated functions for 96 guests or standing receptions for 150. It also can hold semiprivate standing receptions for 100. Using the rooftop deck of the building in which it is housed, the venue can hold receptions for 800 guests.
Ronero opened in the West Loop in December 2016 and is available for summertime events. The Latin-America-inspired rum bar has a private dining room that holds standing events for 60 or seated functions for 45. There's also a cocktail bar, EscoBar, that holds receptions for 75 guests. Menu items include empanadas, ceviche, and hearts of palm salad.
Looking for a venue with an unusual teambuilding activity? Thunderbolt opened in Portage Park in April. The venue hosts corporate groups for indoor axe throwing, an activity associated with stress relief and friendly competition. The space can hold events for eight to 50 guests, and typically offers sessions—replete with coaching—for two-and-a-half hours. Small groups can reserve individual axe-throwing lanes.
