10 New Venues in Chicago for Spring 2021 Meetings and Events

Grapes and Grains opened in Chicago’s hip West Loop neighborhood in October. The lounge features exposed brick interiors, deep-red Chesterfield sofas and vintage chandeliers. Its 2,500-square-foot main floor features a baby grand piano within its sophisticated low-lit, 1920s-inspired space, making it the ideal atmosphere for live music. Guests can enjoy small bites such as smoked imported burrata with apple jam, watercress and garlic confit, and spumante mussels topped with Champagne cream sauce, sour grapes and piment d`espelette butter and served with grilled whole-grain bread. Cheese and charcuterie boards, craft cocktails and a curated selection of whiskey and wine complete the menu. The Champagne sabering room and outdoor patio, Sophia’s Garden, are suitable for celebrations, plus the entire restaurant can accommodate as many as 200 guests for private events.

The University of Chicago’s David Rubenstein Forum began accepting reservations in November. Renowned New York architect Diller Scofidio + Renfro designed the 10-story building, which has 70,000 square feet of space that's suitable for meetings and events. Each area brings in the outdoors with a slew of natural light and its biophilic design. The Forum is ideal for lectures, debates and workshops, while the ground floor gives guests two different dining room choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner, including one option that can host 100 attendees, and an elevated wine bar and cafe, BARDAVID. Shown here, Friedman Hall, an auditorium that takes over the third and fourth floors, is ideal for keynote speeches and selected performances for 285 guests. The Peter May Boardroom, a tiered meeting space, can accommodate around 70 guests for board meetings, while the largest space, the University Room, can hold 600 in a theater-style configuration. On the 10th floor, the City Room has incredible views and is another unique option for special events.

In February, Avec River North opened a second location to complement popular sister site Avec West Loop by One Off Hospitality (the same restaurateurs behind Publican and Big Star, and recipients of nine James Beard Awards). The River North location boasts 8,000 square feet, much larger than the original 1,500-square-foot restaurant in the West Loop. It can hold up to 58 guests for seated dinners and host 100 attendees for receptions. Small plates line the menu, which is inspired by the sun-drenched islands of the Mediterranean (think sea scallop crudo with meyer lemon, caper and couscous, and hearth-baked merluza filet with calamari, tomato, fideo pasta and aioli). Also on the menu are pasta dishes such as rigatoni pasta with braised lamb neck ragu, olives and fennel pollen. Pizza offerings include the smoked lake fish pizza with garlic cream, marinated kale and charred lemon.

In October, Graduate Hotels Evanston, which has locations in college towns nationwide, opened a 119-room property near Northwestern University and Lake Michigan in Evanston, Ill. Opened in 1928, the building was formerly home to the Homestead Hotel. It's featured on the National Register of Historic Places. Additionally, Chicago-based DMAC Architecture maintained the building’s critical characteristics throughout the restoration. One of the hotel's many highlights includes the custom art picturing lakes and landscape portraits that guests are sure to notice upon arrival. A unique gallery wall by American illustrator and caricaturist Ken Fallin features 16 caricatures of celebrities, including Zooey Deschanel, Eddie Vedder and Meghan Markle, a Northwestern alum. The guest rooms are flushed with Wildcat pride with splashes of Northwestern purple throughout and feature tailored furniture, purple and green Persian-inspired rugs, Craftsman-style floor lamps and chess tables. The 285-square-foot Tea Room is ideal for micro-events with the ability to accommodate 15 guests in an intimate conference or classroom-style configuration. Rooted in nostalgia, the sophisticated Trophy Room serves up classic American fare highlighting regional flavors and local influences. The restaurant’s aesthetic features natural materials, circle banquettes and preppy prints. The bar can accommodate 28 guests, and the restaurant can hold 64 for full buyouts.

The Museum of Illusions Chicago opened in November just two blocks from Millennium Park, joining more than 20 locations worldwide from Paris to Toronto. The 4,500-square-foot space features over 80 mind-bending illusions and exhibits suitable for celebrations and networking events for 120 guests, including the Infinity Room, Ames Room for growing and shrinking perception, and the Vortex Tunnel. The Smart Playroom has brain-teasers and puzzles, ideal for team building. The 300-square-foot party room has an 86-inch monitor for displaying a company’s logo, videos and slideshows. An on-site team can help planners arrange various services, including catering, beverage service, DJs and magicians. For an additional fee, other add-ons could include guided tours and merchandise.

In February, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises opened Lil’ Ba-Ba-Reeba! in River North, a sister concept following the 35-year success of Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! in Lincoln Park. The 2,000-square-foot restaurant takes inspiration from Spain’s tucked-away electric tapas bars. Executive chef Eric Jorgensen serves up Spanish-inspired small plates such as Rioja-braised short rib with manchego mashed potatoes, baked goat cheese- and bacon-wrapped dates and spicy potatoes. And on the drink menu, expect classic red sangria, rosé and sparkling cava, along with Spanish specialty cocktails, wine and beer. The intimate restaurant features an open concept kitchen and is filled to the brim with Spanish artwork, bottled vintners, pendant lamps and hanging charcuterie boards. It is available for buyouts for up to 50 guests.

Logan Square is home to Andros Taverna,, a new contemporary Greek-inspired restaurant that opened in February. The 3,200-square-foot space features an open concept kitchen and bar, an expansive garden patio and seating along Milwaukee Avenue when weather permits. The Andros Restaurant Group owns the venue, including celebrated chef Doug Psaltis and his wife and pastry chef Hsing Chen, and Ryan and Anna O’Donnell, founders of Ballyhoo Hospitality (also owners of Gemini, Old Pueblo Cantina, Coda di Volpe and Sophia Steak). The owners partnered with James Geier of Ol’ Style Consulting and 555 International design firm, drawing inspiration from old-world Greek restaurants while keeping it sophisticated and modern. Guests will notice authentic materials throughout, like intricate and extensive woodwork, terracotta bricks, copper metal detailing, lush hanging greenery and tablet mirrors with rounded edges that nod to traditional Greek architecture. The wood-burning hearth in the center of the open-concept restaurant exudes warmth, making it an attractive option for full buyouts for up to 150 guests.

The 202-room EVEN Hotels Chicago-Tinley Park Convention Center unveiled a complete $10 million renovation and rebranding in September. Ideally situated in Tinley Park, about 30 miles south of downtown Chicago, it's near corporate offices and other attractions such as the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, Olympia Fields Country Club and the Odyssey Country Club. It has over 70,000 square feet of meeting and event space spanning 21 versatile rooms, and it offers the ability to accommodate up to 6,000 guests. (An unexpected highlight is its 1,500 complimentary parking spaces.) But the hotel's biggest draw? The massive event space available at the 120,000-square-foot Tinley Park Convention Center, perfect for trade shows and conventions.

Pilsen Yards is a raw, industrial restaurant that opened in the Pilsen neighborhood in January. Its name was inspired by a now-extinct lumber mill that operated in the 1900s just a few blocks from where the restaurant is located. The 3,000-square-foot space can accommodate 160 people throughout three distinct areas, and it features reclaimed wood from that era in everything from the trim work to the tables. The bar has a 30-seat square counter and nine booths and can accommodate 78 seated guests and 90 standing. The Windows can hold up to 42 for receptions and has bench seating along 18th Street, plus a sprinkling of tables. The Lounge, a semiprivate area, can host 40 for seated events or 50 for receptions, and opens up to the covered 180-seat-capacity outdoor patio with a radiant-heated cement floor, a fire pit and a designated bar. The Alderman, an intimate, hidden 18-seat cocktail concept, features plush velvet banquette seating and warm lighting. The accompanying drink menu highlights hand-squeezed margaritas and whiskey cocktails by mixologist Lance Bowman. The food menu, on the other hand, features Latin street food such as tacos, ceviche and carne asada from executive chef Armando Gonzalez (a veteran of Libertad and Amerikas) and chef de cuisine Itzel Hernandez (formerly of Monnie Burke’s).

Studio Three—billed as Chicago's leader in group fitness innovation—opened its new location in February in the West Loop’s Fulton Market district. Situated in a 19-story building developed by Sterling Bay, the 10,000-square-foot fitness studio features daily interval, cycle and yoga classes. Designed by Gensler Chicago, the space features an airy communal lounge with comfortable stadium-stair seating with an overhead green wall where gym-goers can relax before or after a class. Three distinct class spaces can hold 20 guests each: The cycle studio features concert-grade lighting and speaker systems; the interval studio has a sexy, dark interior; and the serene yoga studio has plenty of warm natural light, giving off a calming atmosphere. Other highlights of the space include vivid action photography, natural wood paneling and eye-catching red wall accents. The entire studio can accommodate 100 guests. The other Chicago locations include River North and Lincoln Park.