Here's a closer look at Seattle's newest eateries, drinking spots, hotels, conference areas, private rooms, and other spaces available for events this fall. The new and renovated Seattle-area venues are available for corporate parties, weddings, fundraisers, outdoor functions, business dinners, team-building activities, conferences, meetings, and more.
Seattle Aquarium
Seattle Aquarium’s new Ocean Pavilion opened in August, a nearly 50,000-square-foot expansion decades in the making. The new exhibit transports visitors to a reef ecosystem in the Coral Triangle teeming with 3,500 animals and plants, including a rare Indo-Pacific leopard shark. The aquarium will be able to host third-party events in Ocean Pavilion beginning in November, and the space is ideally suited for small plated dinners or reception-style events. For now, the Ocean Pavilion can accommodate 100 guests for seated dinners or up to 300 guests for a reception-style event. OVG Hospitality is the Seattle Aquarium’s exclusive catering partner. The earliest third-party events can begin is 6:30 p.m., once the aquarium is closed to the public, and standard rentals are four hours.
Photo: Courtesy of Seattle Aquarium
Mirra
Try a high-tech spin on team building at Mirra, a new immersive virtual reality game hall that opened its first location in Bellevue in August. Teams can compete against each other in immersive games that feature VR headsets and 8K LED screens. Games range from air hockey championships to a memory card contest or dance-off. The 10,708-square-foot venue offers a full kitchen and bar. The menu includes main dishes like sliders, flatbreads, and tacos, with shareable appetizers like truffle fries, pulled pork bao buns, and Mediterranean lamb skewers, with cocktails, beer, wine, and more available at the bar. Mirra's maximum capacity is 482 standing guests.
Photo: Courtesy of Mirra
The Legends Lounge at Slim Goody
Old Ballard Avenue sports bar Slim Goody opened in July, fitted out with its own private events space called the Legend's Lounge. This space can seat 40 to 50 guests between high-top and low-top tables, and it includes a private bar with bar seats. Legend's Lounge is also equipped with four large televisions and a Sonos sound system capable of playing music or TV sound as requested. The private Legend's Lounge bar can serve beer and cocktails, and food at Slim Goody includes pub favorites like soft pretzels, Seattle dogs, and smashburgers. Legend's Lounge offers direct access to the bar's covered and heated patio, which offers foosball, cornhole, more seating, and televisions. The back patio can be included in part of a larger reservation, offering the capability to host an additional 30 to 40 guests. All party reservations will include a dedicated server/bartender to cater to the needs of the party's guests. Deposits and minimums are required for reservations and are contingent on the number of guests per party, party needs, and televised prime-time events.
Photo: Courtesy of Slim Goody
Woo Bar & Kitchen
Woo Bar & Kitchen opened in September in Seattle's Uptown neighborhood, specializing in dishes inspired by Southeast Asia. The restaurant's modern decor includes vibrant blue tones, greenery, a central bar area set off by tiles and surrounded by TVs for game watching, and light fixtures constructed of natural fibers. Woo Bar's menu includes fusion dishes like yuzu salmon with miso mashed potatoes, oxtail hummus with pitas, or the "Woo Burger" served with Thai basil chimichurri and Sriracha aioli. Brunch includes similarly creative dishes like lychee French toast and ube macadamia nut banana pancakes. The maximum capacity of Woo Bar is 198 and the seated capacity is 154.
Photo: Courtesy of Woo Bar & Kitchen
Barrel & Bacon
A Vegas spot known for over-the-top burgers just launched a Seattle spinoff this summer. The family behind Vegas' much-photographed Truffles N Bacon Cafe opened Barrel & Bacon in Interbay in June. Truffles N Bacon's signature burger with a mac and cheese patty appears on the menu here, alongside the Vegas restaurant's famed ube bread French toast—while new dishes at Barrel & Bacon include a crispy ube-flavored waffle combined with katsu fried chicken. Barrel & Bacon's capacity inside is 55 seated, including bar seats, with an additional 10 to 12 seats outside. The standing capacity is approximately 70 guests. The restaurant offers free parking on site.
Photo: Miranda Jade Photography
Chi Chi Bellevue
Chi Chi Bellevue is only the second location of this Korean nightclub chain in the U.S., joining an outpost in Los Angeles. The Bellevue location of this K-pop-inspired bar opened in July. The bar features an interactive element, with an entertainment system at each table that allows groups to challenge other tables to games or play among their own group. Neon lights and disco balls make up the decor, while the menu is stocked with Korean pub fare like cheesy corn, kimchi fried rice, and seafood creamy udon noodles. Chi Chi Bellevue can accommodate private parties of up to 220 standing guests or up to 140 seated.
Photo: Courtesy of Chi Chi Bellevue
