This year saw the opening of many significant event and meeting venues in Boston. Here's a look at the best restaurants, party rooms, hotels, corporate event venues, conference centers, and private rooms to open in 2014. These new and renovated Boston venues suit groups large or small for private and corporate events, business dinners, cocktail parties, conferences, weddings, and more.
Located in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Boston, Bar Boulud is chef Daniel Boulud’s first restaurant in the city. Chef Aaron Chambers, formerly of Bar Boulud New York City, helms the kitchen, which opened in September. A 68-seat main dining room and 17-seat zinc-topped bar are available for guests, as is a 22-seat private dining room. Classic French dishes like coq au vin are served alongside American dishes with a French twist, like “the Frenchie,” a grilled beef burger topped with pork belly confit, arugula, Dijon, tomato compote, and Morbier cheese on a brioche bun.
Once the Fenway Motor Hotel, the Verb Hotel is now a hyper-stylish, music-theme hotel that opened in August. Located next to Fenway Park, the 94-room boutique property displays Boston-centric music and pop-culture memorabilia and irreverent design such as stairway walls with painted messages such as "If the music is too loud, you're too old." The property has a pool and a deck suited for events, and its restaurant, Hojoko, an izakaya from Tim and Nancy Cushman, is slated to open in early 2015.
Located in Cambridge’s tech capital, Kendall Square, Le Laboratoire Cambridge is an art and design center modeled on the original Le Laboratoire in Paris. The 5,000 square feet of event space is spread across four rooms, some of which can be combined. The rooms include the Gallery, which seats 200 guests; the Lecture Hall, which seats 60 for dinner or holds 80 classroom-style; the Howard Brenner Studio, a cozy lounge area for smaller groups; and Café ArtScience, a 1,536-square-foot bar and restaurant. For receptions, the entire space holds 500 guests. It opened in late October.
The Legends Club at the TD Garden is the result of a two-year, $70 million renovation of Boston’s famed sports arena. Opened in October, the 4,600-square-foot space is restricted to Bruins and Celtics season-ticket owners during games but is available for private event rental for receptions of 300 guests. The club also upgraded its technology capabilities.
Located below the new luxury residence the Arlington, Liquid Art House is a 10,000-square-foot restaurant, art gallery, and lounge that fuses art and gastronomy in one of the city's most historic buildings. Built in 1899 to house the Boston Consolidated Gas Company, the Back Bay/South End site is centrally located and prepared for events. Several spaces are available for rental, including a main room that seats 200 and a private dining room for 66 people. There is also a curator's lounge and a chef's table available for groups. The venue opened in May.
Lawn on D is a 2.7-acre outdoor event space managed by the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority. The lawn, which launched in August, has freshly planted trees and greenery, lawn furniture, and a 5,000-square-foot tent with a permanent bar. Guests can sit at picnic tables or stroll along paved walkways; a number of food trucks often line up nearby. The facility offers electrical connections, lighting, security, and Wi-Fi access for private events.
Housed in the former Boston Police Headquarters, Precinct Kitchen & Bar opened in May at the Loews Boston Hotel and is available for private events. The 5,245-square-foot restaurant and patio serves modern New England-style cuisine and seats 69 guests in the dining room or holds 140 for receptions.
A sister location to the South Boston spot Temazcal Tequila Cantina opened in Lynnfield in early October. The 7,000-square-foot restaurant offers upscale Mexican food like swordfish Salguero and asada skirt steak tacos made with local ingredients. A group dining manager coordinates private events at the bar and restaurant, which seats 262 guests. Fittingly, it also has an extensive tequila list that boasts more than 250 varieties.
The Rosebud Diner, a historic landmark in Somerville, reopened in September as the Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar, a casual spot that maintains classic diner style with an upgrade in food offerings. The original dining car is available for private events. The classic red booths measure 420 square feet and seat 50 guests. The menu includes craft cocktails and comfort food like St. Louis-style ribs and pie.
Available for teambuilding events, cycling haven Bspoke Studios opened in the financial district in July. The studio offers a 2,000-square-foot space with 35 Schwinn AC Performance Plus bikes. Amenities include a custom sound system, six showers, changing rooms, and a purified water refiling station.
