10 New Bars, Lounges, and Clubs for Events in Boston

Happy's Bar & Kitchen from noted Boston chef Michael Schlow opened near Fenway Park in April. The space is available for buyout and hosts 350 guests for cocktails or 150 seated. The restaurant focuses on comfort fare in a casual setting, with specialties that include hot pastrami with deli mustard and a one-pound meatball. The main dining room can be roped off to accommodate semiprivate parties of 100 seated or 150 standing. Decor is tailored to guests’ needs, and DJs are welcome.

West Bridge opened in Cambridge’s Kendall Square in May. The French restaurant and bar is available for buyout, accommodating 121 seated. A private dining room seats 12 and holds 20 for receptions. Additionally, a lounge has a large saddle-leather U-shaped banquette framed by a steel-and-rope light fixture. It holds 12 seated and 15 standing. A separate bar area, with bar and cafe-height seats, can be sectioned off for private dining for 41. Signature plates include duck liver terrine, crispy pig’s head with pickled rutabaga and mustard aioli, and sunchoke chowder. Event managers can coordinate decor and flowers.

Park Restaurant & Bar opened in April. Located in Harvard Square, it is available for buyout. The space accommodates 150 seated or 200 for cocktails. Two private rooms, the Classroom and the Den, are enclosed by curtains and encompass part of the restaurant’s bar; this space holds 120. Signature items include a sandwich buffet that showcases burgers, salads, and dessert; hot and cold hors d’oeuvres and stationary platters are also optional. Audiovisual plug-ins are available for presentations.

Nix’s Mate opened in April at the Boston Hilton in the Financial District. The bar, lounge, and restaurant is available for buyout, accommodating groups of 200 for receptions and 130 seated. Additionally, two private rooms, outfitted with plasma televisions, seat up to 18 each. The restaurant offers full-course private dining menus for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. DJs are welcome, and floral arrangements can be coordinated.

Naga nightclub opened in March near Cambridge’s Central Square inside Moksa, an izakaya from chef Patricia Yeo. The space is available for buyout. The nightclub, wrapped in black walls, serves pan-Asian cuisine including open-faced Indian flatbreads, rice dishes, and dumplings, as well as inventive cocktails that incorporate Asian ingredients like edamame, hibiscus, and kaffir. Naga holds 300 for receptions or 125 seated. Semiprivate dinners are also available for 25. Audiovisual hook-ups to projectors and logo displays are available.

Tonic, a lounge and bar, opened in Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood in April. The intimate space is available for buyout, accommodating 70 for dinner. Menus are customizable, with specialties that include molasses-brined double pork chops and pan-seared scallops over parsnip puree. The space is outfitted with several flat-screen televisions and full audiovisual hook-ups; an event coordinator works with groups to coordinate flowers and decor.

Olives, chef Todd English’s flagship Boston restaurant, reopened after a two-year renovation in May. The space is available for buyout, hosting 130 seated and 250 for receptions. A private dining room is available for 45 seated or 60 for cocktails. The restaurant’s lounge, adjacent to the bar, offers semiprivate seating for 40 and cocktails for 60. Signature menu items include flatbread tarts topped with crispy rock shrimp, veal meatballs, and garlic bread. The lounge has a flat screen hung TV from a wall, as well as two more above the bar; each screen can hook up to laptops and play DVDs. The private dining room has its own sound system. The restaurant works with a local florist to coordinate decor.

Clio, located inside the Eliot Hotel in Boston’s Back Bay, reopened in February after extensive renovations, which include an expanded bar area. Chef Ken Oringer serves French-New American fare with an Asian twist. The restaurant accommodates 70 for cocktails or 60 seated. Breakfast and lunch buffets are available, as well as customizable dinner packages. Signature menu items include sashimi platters, foie gras tartine, and sea urchin spoons; additionally, menu items from Oringer’s sister restaurants, Uni and Toro, are available with Asian and Spanish offerings, respectively. Audiovisual and decor requests are handled by an events manager.

Slate Bar & Grill opened in the Financial District in February. The space is available for daytime buyouts for up to 90 people seated or receptions of 130. Additionally, a dining room can be sectioned off in three separate spaces, each booked for up to 60. Signature menu items include a burger served on French toast and topped with a fried egg, chicken tacos, and roast Cornish game hen. Decorations and audiovisual needs can be coordinated with an events manager.

Tavern on the Water opened a Sand Bar in May. The Charlestown space is a pier covered with seven tons of sand; it accommodates 100 seated or 200 for receptions and offers a view of the Boston skyline as well as the waterfront. Additionally, the pier can accommodate 50 for semiprivate events in sectioned-off spaces. Menu options include beach-themed meals such as crawfish boils, clambakes, and barbecues. A coordinator works with groups to host DJs or bands, as well as to oversee custom decorations.