This year saw the opening of many significant event and meeting venues in Atlanta. Here's a look at the best restaurants, party rooms, hotels, corporate event venues, conference centers, and private rooms to open in 2013. These new and renovated Atlanta venues can accommodate groups large or small for private and corporate events, business dinners, cocktail parties, conferences, weddings, and more.
Befitting a classic American theme, Ford Fry named his 7,900-square-foot King & Duke after two characters from Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Much of the menu, including desserts, is cooked on a 24-foot wood-burning hearth as well as a patio space. The restaurant is available for buyouts. The main dining room seats 145, the mezzanine fits 35, the private Drawing Room accommodates 14, and a patio seats 80.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts opened the first Le Méridien hotel in the Atlanta area, the Le Méridien Atlanta Perimeter, in February. The 275-room property was converted following a yearlong $20 million renovation and includes 10,000 square feet of meeting and event space. Food and beverage offerings include the Longitude 84 lounge and Portico, an 80-seat restaurant with a terrace available for private events.
Suite Food Lounge, a three-level restaurant and live-entertainment venue downtown, opened in September. The concept, which takes over the former Luckie Food Lounge, has a menu of contemporary Southern-influenced American cuisine. The main level includes a 132-seat dining room, two bar areas, a V.I.P. lounge with a dance floor and an elevated stage for live entertainment, and a covered patio. There are two private event spaces: the Royal Suite is a private lounge with its own patio, and the Penthouse rooftop space has a private bar, indoor and outdoor seating for 120, and skyline views.
For teambuilding or corporate events with a sense of fun, Game-X opened in downtown’s Luckie Marietta District in late March. Guests can play more than 60 games in the 12,000-square-foot space, which is available for buyouts and accommodates more than 400 people. The $4 million facility offers bottled craft beers, cocktails, and a full menu. The mezzanine level has a lounge with city views, another bar, and billiards. One final perk: a rooftop helipad for guest arriving on helicopters.
Lips, the New York-based chain of drag theaters, opened an Atlanta outpost in October. The 7,000-square-foot space has a restaurant, dinner theater, and event space and features Vegas-style revenues. Designed in jewel tones, the glittery venue has six five-foot crystal chandeliers, more than 100 disco balls, and a gold ceiling. Buyouts are available; the venue seats 190 or accommodates 235 people for receptions.
Gunshow, the much-anticipated restaurant from chef Kevin Gillespie, opened in May. The 2,500-square-foot restaurant seats 60 guests, including at Kevin’s Table, a six-person chef’s table for a custom degustation. The eatery is available for buyouts.
Following a multimillion-dollar renovation, the 194-room Hyatt Atlanta Midtown opened in the former Hotel Midtown. The hotel offers 3,903 square feet of meeting space divided into three rooms, with the capacity for events of as many as 100 guests. The rooms have amenities such as built-in drop-down screens, natural light, and pre-function spaces. Other gathering spaces at the hotel include a restaurant, Fork & Juniper, as well as Bar Juniper.
The city of Douglasville opened the $11.6 million Douglasville Conference Center in January. Designed to attract business from nearby Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the 35,000-square-foot facility is three times larger than the former Douglasville conference center.
The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead renovated more than 24,000 square feet of meeting space earlier this year with luxury touches such as silk wall panels, oversize antique mirrored sconces, and updated audiovisual equipment. The Grand Ballroom features six crystal chandeliers, each with 5,000 hand-applied cut crystals. Meeting rooms with large windows offer views of the Buckhead area.
Three Taverns Craft Brewery opened in Decatur in October. The brewery's contemporary tasting room features exposed salvaged brick walls, reclaimed wood surfaces, and custom lighting. The venue accommodates 200 people comfortably and offers buyouts that include three tours during the event. Weekly tours and tastings also are available.
