Best of 2012: 10 Most Notable Event Venue Openings in Chicago

Geared toward business folks—the venue is stocked with work stations and has chargers for Blackberry, iPhone, or Android devices available for rent—Chuck's Manufacturing opened in November. The 4,000-square-foot space has a private dining room that can seat 24 or hold two tables of eight. A lounge area can hold 25. Chef Justin Frankenberg, formerly of Parmount Events Catering, oversees the menu. Items include shrimp in phyllo dough with pepper jack fondue, seasonal soup shooters, and Ruben sandwiches. Specialty cocktails include Chuck's Cherry Coke, served in a tilted glass and made with cherry vodka, coke, and cherry-vanilla bitters.

Hotel Lincoln opened in Lincoln Park in March. In a 1920s structure overlooking the park, the boutique hotel has 184 guest rooms spruced up with bright colors, local artwork, and nightstands swathed in fake crocodile skin. On the second floor, a boardroom with a kitchen can host meetings for 10, while a larger space overlooking Lincoln Park can hold 75. Combined, the two rooms can host functions for 100. Boka Restaurant Group's Perennial Virant is on the property's first floor, and it supplies catering for meetings and events as well as in-room dining. Elaine's Coffee Call is a European-style coffee bar that serves pastries and La Colombe coffee. Perched on the rooftop of Hotel Lincoln, the J. Parker is the first cocktail-driven spot from the Boka Restaurant Group. With a patio that seats 124 and indoor seating for 52, the space is available for indoor or alfresco events; the whole space can host receptions for 175.

Balena, a new spot from the Boka Restaurant Group, opened in Lincoln Park in March. The Wine Cellar can host meetings for 40 and has two flat-screen TVs that can connect to laptops; hosts can also plug their own iPods into the venue's music system. Serving Italian-inspired fare, Balena has dedicated event menus with appetizers such as goat's-milk ricotta with honey and black pepper, platters of meatballs with gravy and aged provolone, and family-style dinners with options such as whole-roasted market fish and kale Caesar salad.

Untitled opened in June in River North. Inspired by speakeasies and old-time supper clubs, the ornate venue has several areas that can host private events. With tufted leather walls and velvet booths, the library has seating for 48 or can hold 110 for cocktails. The dining room, featuring a raw bar and booths, seats 100 or holds 120 for receptions. The parlor seats 36 or holds 50 for cocktails; a sliding door leads to the lounge, which seats 80 or hosts receptions for 150. The lounge is decked with vintage factory carts and steamer trunks. An area known as Backstage can host 140 for cocktails, while smaller groups can reserve the Stage Right section, which holds 36 for receptions. Menu items include bison burgers and selections from the raw bar, and the drink menu includes throwback cocktails and champagne.

From the owners of Old Town Social, Nellcôte took over the former Marché space in March. Catering to meetings, events, and banquets, the 11,000-square-foot restaurant is outfitted with crystal chandeliers, an Italian marble staircase, and a flower wall covered with live lavender. The space can hold 150 on its main floor and 250 if the upper level is used as well. Drop-down screens are built in throughout the space, which is also stocked with double-sided projectors. The interior can also host cocktail receptions for 500. A patio covered with flowery arches can seat 40 or hold 60 for cocktails. The menu has Neapolitan-style pizzas, house-made pastas, and meat and seafood dishes. The venue's name was inspired by Villa Nellcôte, a French estate where the Rolling Stones holed up to record Exile on Main St.

A 30,000-square-foot combination of restaurant, winery, event space, and concert hall, City Winery opened a Chicago location in August. The restaurant can seat 175 or hold 350 for receptions; the concert hall seats 300. The private barrel dining room, complete with audiovisual equipment for meetings, can seat 30. The winery seats 45, while the concert hall seats 320. The entire mezzanine can seat 175, and a smaller mezzanine dining room can host dinners for 18. The restaurant also has a private wine garden, which can seat 150. Billed as the city's sole fully operating winery, the venue offers 18 wines on tap and a menu of Mediterranean-inspired small plates such as eggplant, tomato, and feta paninis; main courses include burgers topped with broiled goat cheese, tarragon, and apricot-fenugreek ketchup.

One of the buzziest openings of the summer, Drumbar is perched atop the Raffaello Hotel. With views of Lake Michigan and the Hancock Building, its rooftop terrace offers built-in banquet seating and two fireplaces. The 1,500-square-foot space seats 75 or holds 100 for receptions; soon, a terrace for private parties and events will open.

The Swissôtel Chicago wrapped its $10 million renovation this spring. Updates to the lobby include a new earth-tone color palette and check-in pods in place of a central front desk. All front-desk agents are now equipped with laptops that allow them to roam and check in guests. Amuse is a new eatery with small and large plates, specialty cocktails, and wine. It has a soundtrack of DJ beats, TVs, and multimedia plug-ins; a semiprivate reception space holds 15 to 20 guests. The Classic meeting space, which comprises a grand ballroom, a large salon, and private suites, has new wall coverings, carpeting, and technology, along with a new color palette that blends monochromatic hues with tones of red and gold. The updates were intended to make the meeting rooms more consistent with the feel of the event center, which opened in 2009 as an extension of the hotel and offers 38,000 square feet of meeting space. The hotel is the first Chicago property to offer Nervana's Bonfire Events Management app for meeting planners and attendees. The tool allows users to track schedules, flights, and presentations and connects meeting participants through a social media site.

RM Champagne Salon opened this summer after months of anticipation. Inspired by the classic feminine style of Grace Kelly, the interior is outfitted with candles, fresh flowers, antique hand mirrors, and vintage crystal perfume bottles. Specializing in champagne, the West Loop spot also offers cheeses, tea sandwiches, and petits fours. Available for private and semiprivate events, the venue has around 60 seats and can host cocktail receptions for more than 100. A patio can host alfresco seated functions for 40 and receptions for 75.

BellyQ—a new spot from chef Bill Kim, Cornerstone Restaurant Group, and basketball star Michael Jordan—opened in August and can host business meetings, karaoke parties, and more. The largest event space, the Ogden room, is separated from the main dining room with sliding panel walls and can host dinners for 48. The more intimate Chef's Quarters has a drop-down projection screen and can seat 16. Inspired by a minimalist garden, the interior of the Karaoke Den is decked with a series of moving translucent panels decorated with galloping horses. Guests sit in custom wingback chairs, and the waitstaff wears handmade leather aprons. The venue focuses on Asian barbecue, with menu items including goat's milk feta cheese and rice-noodle pancakes from a wood-burning oven; chilled soba noodles; and tofu hot pots. Staffers can prepare custom menus for groups.