10 New Venues in Boston for Spring 2020 Meetings and Events

A 1,200-square-foot Greek meze and wine bar, Krasi Meze & Wine opened in the Back Bay in February. Available for full buyouts, the space accommodates 58 seated guests amid gray marble plaster walls, imported brass accents from Greece, and repurposed antique wine decanters serving as lighting fixtures. There’s also a chef’s table for eight to 10 guests with a glass top over a myriad of succulents. Bonus: Krasi Meze & Wine also has full audiovisual capabilities.

Dorchester Brewing Company welcomed the Hopservatory, a four-season greenhouse overlooking the city of Boston, in January. With 2,200 square feet of indoor space and 2,000 square feet on the patio, the Hopservatory accommodates private events for as many as 75 seated guests or 150 for cocktail-style receptions. There’s also a cozy fireplace and full audiovisual capabilities.

A cheeky pharmacy-theme candy store, Happy Pills opened its first location in the United States in Boston’s Historic North End in February. Measuring 450 square feet, Happy Pills welcomes cocktail-style private events for as many as 30 guests. The quaint venue will serve up their trademark candies that are hand-curated from prestigious European manufacturers, alongside fun food and candy cocktail options.

Big Night Live—an 11,500-square-foot music hall, which opened in November—can accommodate 1,400 standing guests or 500 for a seated event in a room filled with oversize, red crystal chandeliers, wood-finished walls, photography, and fine art. Three large LED screens flank the 1,000-square-foot stage, ideal for shows, performances, presentations, branding, and customized content. Studio B, the venue's 4,500-square-foot private event space, accommodates 180 seated guests or 440 for a reception. Designed with high rafters of raw wood, large-scale tile floors, floor-to-ceiling case windows, brick walls, and globe lighting, the room features a built-in luxury buffet and expansive private bar. The space also features a large LED screen as well as several other small screens.

Serving up tacos, crudo, salads, and more, Yellow Door Taqueria features a colorful 2,228-square-foot space in an antique-cool, celebratory setting. The second location of the popular Cali-Mex restaurant opened in Boston’s South End in February. Available for full buyouts, YTD accommodates as many as 40 seated guests in the dining room and 28 at the bar, or 100 for a cocktail-style event.

With 159 guest rooms, the Cambria Hotel Boston opened in South Boston in November. Less than a mile from the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in the Seaport, it features 4,000 square feet of event space. The 1,561-square-foot function room can accommodate 173 guests for a reception or 108 in a classroom-style formation, while the 1,300-square-foot lounge welcomes as many as 144 guests for a reception or 108 for a banquet. Suite C, a 630-square-foot space, welcomes conferences for as many as 16 guests. There’s also a 3,457-square-foot rooftop patio that accommodates as many as 140 seated guests and 100 additional standing ones. Cambria has full audiovisual capabilities for rental.

The Moxy Boston Downtown opened in October as one of Boston’s newest boutique hotels. The 1,055-square-foot enclosed rooftop space provides sweeping views of Boston's Theater District and Chinatown from a funky, party-friendly environment. The rooftop accommodates as many as 60 seated guests or 100 for a cocktail-style event. There are also two smaller meeting rooms on the third floor of the hotel (Stage Right and Stage Left) featuring floor-to-ceiling windows and a pop-art-inspired ceiling mural complete with colorful light installations. Measuring 320-square-feet each, the two rooms can be combined to create a 640-square-foot space. Each accommodates as many as 20 seated guests or 40 standing. Mounted TVs with HDMI capabilities are offered in all meeting and event spaces, along with House Sound controlled by any smart device with Bluetooth.

Fresh off the heels of a $15 million renovation that transformed the 10,000 square feet of meeting and event space in addition to all guest rooms and suites, the Mandarin Oriental, Boston boasts a variety of modern event spaces. While the luxury hotel is scheduled to complete its revamp in the summer, the event and meeting spaces are complete and fully functioning. Updated spaces include the Oriental Ballroom, a 4,200-square-foot space that accommodates 600 guests for a cocktail-style event, 380 for dinner and dancing, or as many as 450 for a seated conference. There are also several smaller rooms, like the 670-square-foot Beijing Room, which accommodates 50 seated guests or 80 for a reception, and the Hong Kong, a 525-square-foot boardroom that seats 24. The Mandarin Oriental, Boston has full audiovisual capabilities.

Located in Back Bay’s famed Eliot Hotel, chef Tony Messina’s UNI just reopened its 1,134-square-foot private dining room back in December. The unique space, which accommodates 65 seated guests or 90 standing, now features a 360-degree mural by artist Sam Malpass. The customizable private dining menu ranges from approachable passed bites to all-out family-style feasts with demonstration stations. In addition, UNI has an 8-foot screen and audio capabilities.

Tucked inside the new Revolution Hotel in Boston’s South End, Cósmica is a Mexican eatery and bar that opened in February. Measuring 5,000 square feet, the modern urban oasis can accommodate as many as 150 seated guests or 300 for a cocktail-style reception. Cósmica also features an additional 2,000-square-foot private event space below that welcomes 150 guests for a cocktail event or 60 for a seated dinner. During warmer seasons, the 1,800-square-foot patio accommodates 120 guests seated or standing, depending on the configuration, and can be used independently, or combined with inside space. The Revolution Hotel has full audiovisual capabilities.