10 New Boston Venues for Fall Meetings and Events

The Royal Sonesta Boston unveiled 28,000 square feet of newly renovated meeting and event space in May. The Riverfront Room is a 3,125-square-foot space that can fit anywhere from 40 people for conference-style meetings to 350 people for reception-style events. The new 2,100-square-foot Longfellow meeting space, which overlooks the Charles River and the Boston skyline, is a series of three different spaces that can be combined into one room, or separated for smaller events. Finally, the 1,938-square-foot Parkview room, which has floor-to-ceiling windows and matte silver walls, can fit as many as 260 guests reception-style, 150 seated guests, or 45 conference-style.

Saltie Girl, a 1,000-square-foot Back Bay restaurant, is a seafood-lover’s dream. The restaurant serves globally sustainable iterations of fresh fish and seafood in all forms: Think fried lobster and waffles with sweet corn butter and spicy maple syrup. The venue, which opened in early June, can seat 30 guests (half in the main dining area, half in the bar) or host 35 guests reception-style. The restaurant is available for full buyouts.  

North End restaurateur and chef Anthony Caturano opened Tonno in June. Located in the picturesque seaside town of Gloucester, Tonno serves coastal Italian seafood in a comfortable environment with partial ocean views. The 4,000-square-foot space, which seats as many as 99 people, has a dining room, a fireside lounge, a cocktail bar, and a 600-square-foot private dining room that can seat 30 guests. 

FoMu, the beloved dessert company, serves up artisanal plant-based, vegan-friendly ice cream at its third Boston location in the South End. The new 1,100-square-foot space, which features high ceilings, natural wood floors, and multiple windows, has spacious lounge-and-cafe seating and a large, reclaimed wood community table. FoMu, which opened in May, holds 18 seated guests or 30 reception-style.

New to the South Shore this past spring, the Range is a lively bar and restaurant serving contemporary American cuisine. The indoor bar and grille is a 7,000-square-foot space that seats 155 guests, including 27 at the bar. Outside, the 2,500-square-foot patio overlooking the driving range can seat 88 guests. If your party wants to hit some balls, the restaurant will accommodate eat-and-play packages so you can get a few swings in before heading back for Cobb salads and Reuben sliders.  

Measuring 3,000-square-feet, Bit Bar, which opened in June, features two rooms of over 30 classic arcade games such as Donkey Kong and Pac-Man. The entire space fits 106 guests standing or 70 seated. There’s also a patio area that can accommodate an additional 60 guests. A 300-square-foot back room, which seats 22, is available for private events. Bit Bar serves a menu of bar food like burgers and nachos, with a cocktail list of video game-appropriate options like the Princess Peach and Ecto Chaser. 

The popular blowout bar’s latest branch is right outside Harvard Square in Cambridge. The 2,060-square-foot location, which can fit 50 guests reception-style, has 10 styling chairs where patrons can sit back and luxuriate while their hair is styled. Drybar's decor includes custom Italian chairs, tufted fabric walls, and marble bars with built-in phone docking stations and flat-screen TVs. The salon opened in June. 

The Airdeck at Coppersmith, which opened in May, is the only rooftop bar in South Boston. The 3,000-square-foot space, outfitted with a vintage Airstream trailer-turned-full service bar, rustic chic picnic tables, and flat screen TVs, overlooks the rapidly developing Southie skyline. Groups of 50 seated guests, or 115 standing, can enjoy barbecue and burger picnics delivered in a vintage Radio Flyer wagon. 

Located in the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel, Sapore brings rustic Italian cuisine to the Seaport neighborhood in a welcoming, cozy atmosphere. The restaurant, which opened in June, is a 4,880-square-foot space that can accommodate 90 seated guests or 165 standing for full buyouts. There are several others options: The Lorenzo private dining room is a 470-square-foot space that fits 28 guests seated or 25 reception style, while the Michelangelo is a 140-square-foot space for eight seated guests, or 15 reception-style. The Leonardo room measure 330-square-feet and fits 14 guests seated or 20 reception-style, while the spacious patio is a 460-square-foot spot for 20 seated guests or 35 standing. 

Classic Harbor Line’s newest sailing vessel is Northern Lights, a motor yacht inspired by the famous New England commuter yachts of the 1920s. The 4,400-square-foot boat, which can accommodate 149 guests for private charters, takes off from Rowes Wharf. On the first-floor, a climate-controlled cabin has mahogany accents and comfortable seating, while the covered top deck offers unobscured vistas of Boston Harbor and the city skyline. Before its arrival in Boston in June, Northern Lights underwent four weeks of extensive cosmetic updates.