Here's a look at the best new Chicago restaurants, corporate event venues, hotels, conference centers, and private and party rooms to open for events this winter. These new and renovated Chicago venues can accommodate groups large or small for private and corporate events, conferences, meetings, weddings, business dinners, teambuilding activities, cocktail parties, and more.
Morgan's on Fulton hosted its grand opening on October 22. The 10,000-square-foot Fulton Market district venue has four event spaces. The Studio has a built-in bar and DJ booth and holds 135 for receptions. Featuring work from local artists, the Gallery hosts receptions for 95. Suite C is a second-floor loft space that holds 165 for receptions. The rooftop and penthouse hold 250 for receptions.
Swift & Sons, the first steak house from the Boka Restaurant Group, opened in the West Loop this month. The highly anticipated venue is 16,000 square feet, and it has two private dining rooms that can each seat 30 guests. The private rooms have wood-paneled walls, lofty ceilings, and windows overlooking Fulton Market Street. There's also semiprivate event space for 180 guests. Event guests have access to a private bar, separate restrooms, and a sitting area. There's also a 60-seat seafood restaurant within the steak house.
From the owners of Siena Tavern, Bar Siena opened in the West Loop in July. The Italian restaurant has a second-floor dining room that seats 80 guests or holds 140 for receptions. A metal tree sculpture with hundreds of LED lights is at the center of the room, which also has booth seating, a private bar, and large windows overlooking Randolph Street. On the menu, items include kale and wild mushroom calzones and "Fireball Pepperoni" pizza.
Pomp & Circumstance opened in a two-story building in Old Town in August. Inspired by the 1960s, the restaurant and lounge has a catering menu with items such as blue cheese tartlets with tomato jam, seasonal soup shooters, and salmon skewers with strawberry salsa. The first and second floors both hold 100 for receptions. Open all year, a garden patio seats 35 guests for brunch or dinner; it holds 50 for receptions.
Lowcountry opened in Lakeview in September. The Southern-style seafood restaurant specializes in seafood boils with shrimp, clams, mussels, lobster, and other types of seafood; sides include corn, sausage, and potatoes. On the lower level, Clark Street Karaoke has five private rooms. Equipped with bottle-service call buttons, the rooms each hold six to 12 guests. Soon, the rooms will be available for other types of events, including personal film screenings.
JW Marriott opened a new spa in July. Offering treatments such as facials, manicures, and massages, the venue can host private spa parties. Technicians can perform services on eight to 10 guests at a time, and there are two relaxation lounges that can hold 10 to 12 guests apiece. While guests are in the lounges, staff can arrange for catered food and drinks. The new spa menus include options such as chia seed parfaits, seared Ahi tuna bento boxes, and baby kale salad.
Kimpton property Hotel Burnham underwent a $4.1 million renovation earlier this year. The venue refreshed its restaurant and guest rooms, as well as its private event space. The Reliance Room, which occupies the hotel's mezzanine, was updated as well. The room has new carpeting, window coverings, wallpaper, and artwork; there's also a new flat-screen TV. It holds 40 for meetings and conferences. For the holiday season, catering options include beet-pickled deviled eggs and duck-fat-fried chicken thighs.
Bernie's Book Bank is an organization that provides books to at-risk youth in the area. In November, it will open a new facility in Lake Bluff, Illinois. The 35,000-square-foot space will be available for receptions of 300 guests. Organizers can also arrange for charitable activities to be included in events. Activities can include sorting and bagging books.
The Blanchard opened in Lincoln Park in July. The French brasserie-style restaurant is available for buyout. Its dining room seats 85, with six additional seats at a chef's counter. The bar seats 15 with additional lounge seating, and the patio, set to open in the spring, will seat 64. Chef Jason Paskewitz's menu includes duck à l'orange, steak frites, and foie gras with accompaniments such as sea-salt shavings and Michigan cherry preserves.
Sink Swim opened in Logan Square in March. The hip seafood-focused restaurant seats 100 and is available for buyout. For small groups, six large booths hold six guests apiece, and staffers can seat 14 guests during regular dinner service. Menu items include gin-cured salmon, shrimp toast, and seaweed potatoes.
