Fall Preview: 10 New Venues for Events and Meetings Opening in Chicago

Master Sommelier Alpana Singh plans to open the Boarding House in River North this fall. With multiple floors, the upscale restaurant and wine bar will take over a vintage building that was—appropriately—a boardinghouse at one time. Billed as the city's first restaurant to be owned by a master sommelier, the eatery will offer wine-driven menus developed by chef Christian Gosselin of Sofitel Chicago and Bistronomic. In the cellar and first-floor wine bar, the menu will focus on California-style pizzas, shared plates, and charcuterie. The second level, called the Blue Room, will serve as the private dining room. On the third level, Room 720 will have a beveled ceiling made of wine bottles and bay windows overlooking the city skyline. In Room 720, the chef will serve globally inspired entrées made with local ingredients.

Jellyfish, a sleek pan-Asian restaurant, opened in the Gold Coast in late August and hosts its grand opening this month. With a 95-seat dining room, the venue has a sun-filled atrium that can host seated events for 65. Oceanic blues spruce up the interior, which also has a recessed ceiling mosaic, whitewashed floors, and booths separated by thin curtains. Signature menu items include lobster summer rolls, wagyu beef skewers, and specialty sushi rolls such as the "Black Diamond," with shrimp tempura, black caviar, and Alaskan crab mix. Cocktails have names including the "Socialite" and the "Kissed by a Rose," and are made with ingredients such as orange flower water, herbal syrups, and muddled gooseberries.

Named after the Vietnamese word for "little one," Embeya will open in the West Loop early this fall. Chef Thai Dang (pictured left), formerly of Ria and L20, will offer a menu of traditional and contemporary Asian fare. Cocktails will contain unexpected ingredients complemented with edible garnishes. Modeled after a high-end resort, the 7,000-square-foot space will have design elements such as wood from Bali, light fixtures inspired by sea urchins, and a cloudlike sculpture made of resin flowers. A private dining room, decorated with paintings of elephants, will hold 62.

Set to open in November in River North, the Tortoise Club will have a classic dining-club style. With throwback cocktails, wines, and—of course—club cuisine, the menu was developed by executive chef Gray McNally, formerly of Spiaggia, BOKA, and the Elysian hotel. The dapper spot will host private events for groups of eight to 40, and is expected to be a hotspot for power lunches.

In River North, Baume & Brix will open this fall. The venue is named after culinary terms that refer to the scales used to measure sugar and the gravity of liquids. Chef and partner Thomas Elliott Bowman, formerly of iNG and Moto, has developed a menu divided into small, large, and sweet plates. Items include white sturgeon with salsify, white asparagus, and milk skin; and avocado cheesecake. The so-called "Mirrored" cocktail menu juxtaposes traditional, classic cocktails with updated versions of the same drink. For example, the Classic Manhattan cocktail is offered, as is the Modern Manhattan, made with Japanese whiskey, house-made vermouth, maraschino-infused ice cubes, and sassafras bitters. Inspired by a vintage map of Chicago, the interior has a 60-seat bar and lounge, a 106-seat main dining room, and a private dining room that seats 48. A chef's table can host dinners for six.

Sumi Robata Bar, a new venture from chef Gene Kato (formerly of Japonais), is scheduled to open in October on Wells Street. The restaurant, named for the Japanese word for "charcoal," will specialize in vegetables, meats, and fish prepared on a robata grill. Decked with fixtures that incorporate wood, water, and charcoal, the venue will have a Zen garden patio for alfresco dining in the warmer months. A private dining room known as the Tatami Room will host dinners for eight.

A comeback story if there ever was one, the Glunz Tavern is set to reopen in Old Town this fall after being shuttered for more than 90 years. Originally founded in 1888 as a neighborhood gathering spot, the space will be operated by Barbara Glunz—the granddaughter of the original founder, Louis Glunz I—and her son Christopher Donovan. With 48 seats, the space will serve wine, beer, spirits, and a menu of classic European fare including braised red cabbage, sausages with sauerkraut, and spätzle Uberbacken. A six-seat private dining room will have a Germanic-style carved wood table, high-back chairs, and walls dotted with portraits of the Glunz family. Guests of private parties will be served with the family's private crystal stemware collection.

Amy Morton—daughter of Morton's steak house founder Arnie Morton—plans to open Found in Evanston in mid- to late October. A rear private dining room will host events for 20 to 50, while smaller groups can reserve a book-filled space referred to as the Library. The entire restaurant can be rented out for events for 200. With a bohemian, literary aesthetic, the venue will be decked with vintage furniture. Chef Nicole Pederson, formerly of C-House and Lula Cafe, will oversee a menu that focuses on what owners call "the new American palate." There will be plenty of vegetarian options, a few cuts of steak and other meats, and casked wines from the Midwest. The cocktail program is described as "apothecary-esque," and beverages will include house-made tinctures and juices.

Chef Stephanie Izard of Girl & the Goat plans to open Little Goat in October in partnership with the Boka Restaurant Group. In the West Loop, the 8,200-square-foot space will serve traditional diner fare made with farm-fresh, local ingredients. Options will include a sloppy joe on a fried steam bun, quail egg chop suey, and patty melts. The entire venue, decked with 1950s-diner-style tropes, will seat around 120. On the first floor, there will be a bar, the diner, and an artisan bread and coffee shop. The second floor will house a demo kitchen and classroom for group cooking classes. The space will be available for meetings and private events.

Chef Curtis Duffy, formerly of Avenues at the Peninsula, will open his own restaurant sometime around November. Named Grace, the West Loop eatery will have a prix fixe menu and a private dining room that seats 14. The lofty venue, decked with exposed brick walls and vertical beams, will seat about 75 guests.