9 New Venues in Atlanta for Spring 2022 Meetings and Events

In January, this jewel box of a restaurant opened doors at Ponce City Market. Atrium is filled with bright pinks, hues of green and teal-blues, and serves as a colorful backdrop for the Insta-worthy floral installations by local artist Pinker Times that are hanging from the ceiling. Smith Hanes Studio designed the space in sections: There’s a 4,000-square-foot main dining room and a 1,200-square-foot cocktail lounge known as the parlor. The latter is available for smaller events (think: pre-event mingling and team building) and holds 50 people. The parlor’s exquisite bar has hand-painted tile by local artisan Charlotte Smith and a mural by Savannah-based artist Kipper Millsap. The main dining room is otherwise known as the bistro and has expansive factory windows, ideal for corporate lunches and dinners or coursed dinners for up to 80 people. Expect a modern-American menu that is seasonal, vegetable-forward and light with sprinkles of European influence—not to mention guests taking selfies in front of the bold mural.

Mangia! Event designers and planners will love the posh Italian cafe vibe at the newly bowed Bastone. The Westside eatery from chef Pat Pascarella (the team behind The White Bull and Grana) is ideal for corporate business dinners, receptions, showers or even team-building activities (pasta-making classes, polenta parties and mozzarella pulling, anyone?). The restaurant is also available for full buyouts if you have a larger gathering—and the patio alone screams festeggiamo! ("Let's celebrate" in Italian). Treat your event guests to mozzarella flights or a demo of a chef hand-pulling mozzarella to order.

The Buckhead Village District welcomes a new boutique property from Hyatt. The Thompson Buckhead opened in December with a mix of Southern charm and urban sophistication. Its 201 guest rooms are well-appointed and luxe, but it's the rooftop pool with private cabanas and stunning skyline views that are wowing event planners and partygoers alike. The neighboring cocktail lounge Tesserae—a chic, private club—doesn't hurt either. Mapping out a reception or social event across the property has to include discussions about a private event in Dirty Rascal, the 140-seat, on-site restaurant. Helmed by beloved Atlanta chef Todd Ginsberg, the Italian-American menu is reminiscent of old-school New York Little Italy joints. Book its private dining area or a full buyout to take over the oversized leather booths, blue-velvet banquette vignettes, intimate spaces and large central bar area. The hotel's main ballroom is 4,187 square feet and is ideal for bigger events. When those Atlanta nights cool off, a retractable glass wall in the ballroom opens to an outdoor terrace complete with a cozy fireplace. Meeting and event planners will appreciate ample pre-function areas, divisible meeting space and an executive boardroom for smaller gatherings.

A property-wide renovation is underway at this luxurious grand hotel in Buckhead and set to finish spring 2022. The lobby of the Waldorf Astoria Atlanta Buckhead will transform and include three new dining and drinking destinations downstairs while 127 suites and guest rooms will be reimagined upstairs. New York-based design firm BHDM has conjured up Brassica, a Southern take on a classic French brasserie, that opened in March. This exquisite new addition to Atlanta’s culinary scene will have tableside presentations and everything from duck rillettes to buttermilk-fried Gulf oysters. The new Peacock Alley lounge adds another feather to the hotel’s cap and pays tribute to Waldorf Astoria New York’s classic American cocktails. A light-filled Solarium will round out the new offerings. The Solarium can be used for private dining events or small parties of 20 that can include the hotel’s signature afternoon tea service. Waldorf Astoria Atlanta Buckhead will still boast indoor-outdoor venues for up to 250 guests, 10,874-square-feet of overall meeting space, including a ballroom with an adjoining terrace, private gardens and five conference rooms to boot. The hotel will consider full buyouts on a case-by-case basis.

South of Atlanta proper, in Peachtree City, a new Planterra Club golf course and clubhouse recently underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation. The ambitious project ended in December and is focused on golf and social experiences. A new clubhouse with all the trimmings—interiors, furnishings and appliances—are the perfect accoutrement to an extended back patio. A new upscale eatery, The Cut, takes advantage of sweeping lake views and a large covered patio with stone-crafted fireplace. Expect a chop house vibe with ample handcrafted cocktails and fine wines, perfect for weddings, events and corporate gatherings. For events that require time on the links (such as corporate retreats and incentives), there have been extensive golf course improvements, including new Champion G-12 greens, renovated bunkers, driving range, cart paths and landscaping.

Designed as a chain of movie houses, Studio Movie Grill has opened its newest flagship location near North Point Mall in Alpharetta. The new event space rolls out the latest features from the brand, such as fully reclinable leather chairs. There are multiple meetings and events packages that encapsulate a spacious, private auditorium for a minimum of 25 guests. And food is at the forefront with appetizing crowd-pleasers, such as a chili lime chicken salad, coconut shrimp, brisket sliders, flatbreads and a dessert menu that includes fun treats like beignets and frozen hot chocolate. To help with ambiance, a mural was commissioned by Atlanta’s own George F. Baker III to create a work of art that celebrates the moviegoing experience. The drink menu also pays homage to the silver screen with cocktails named "McConaughey’s Alright, Alright, Alright Old Fashioned" and "Ryan’s Aviation Peach Daisy."

This West End brewery and restaurant opened in 2019, but in recent months its Garden Room received an event planner’s dream makeover. The owners of Wild Heaven Beer put in a stage, a projector for presentations and the space is now fully banquet capable. This light-filled, industrial-esque room overlooks the beautiful West End Gardens and the Beltline. The Garden Room is 5,700 square feet in size and can host up to 400 guests standing or 225 seated. The adjacent 1,500-square-foot lawn is easily accessible via glass garage doors and allows for a seamless indoor/outdoor experience. The overall event venue has a 12,000-square-foot patio and a separate two-story lounge and mezzanine that allows for guests to spread out across the building. Event planners can take advantage of in-house surround sound speaker systems, screens and projectors, complimentary parking and all manner of tables and couch configurations.

A project in the making since 2019, By George is the acclaimed restaurant inside The Candler Hotel, a Curio Collection by Hilton in downtown Atlanta. James Beard award-winning chef Hugh Acheson is behind the establishment, which opened in Oct. 2019 only to close its doors during the pandemic’s second wave. The restaurant relaunched in late March of this year to rave reviews and a fresh spring menu. First, the location is one-of-a-kind. The iconic Candler Building downtown was built in 1906 and the restaurant is named after the two architects behind the historic Beaux Arts building: George Stuart and George E. Murphy. The restaurant has a 16-seat chef’s table, 16-seat granite bar and a cocktail lounge, which are all ideal for private events, corporate dinners and brand launches. It’s the restaurant’s local Georgia marble, crystal chandeliers and stunning floor-to-ceiling windows that save many event planners the need for dressing up the room.

Only an hour north drive from Atlanta, Barnsley Resort has always been an exceptional place for events, celebrations and meetings. With incredible vistas of the countryside and plenty of outdoor adventures, Barnsley Resort is the ideal place for team-building activities and creating memorable events. In late 2021, the resort upped its culinary game too when chef Javier Cuesta joined the team. The world-class chef created a unique, interactive cooking experience where he prepares a meal over a Sea Island Forge Fire Kettle. There are also winemaker weekends and more on a lineup of new experiential offerings. Take their boozy Southern happy hours, for instance. At 5 p.m. Thurs.-Sat., groups can join other guests in the lobby for a new resort ritual: a Woodford Reserve bourbon infusion tasting on the house. Barnsley Resort chefs infuse the libation with house-smoked pecans from local farmers. If that's not enough team building, attendees can attempt the Barnsley Bullseye Challenge. This new offering includes testing skills at archery, axe throwing and air rifles. Groups can try their hand at target skills interactions and challenges with trained instructors.