5 New Venues in Dallas/Fort Worth for Fall 2020 Meetings and Events

In August, the Kimpton Pittman Hotel opened in Deep Ellum’s historic Knights of Pythias Temple, a historic landmark dating back to 1916. The hotel blends old and new, with a modern tower added to the renovated original structure. The common spaces offer an industrial loft style, with exposed steel and raw concrete, as well as custom furnishings and historic photos. Each of the property’s 165 guest rooms features artwork from local artists, pops of color, Frette linens, and Atelier Bloem bath amenities. Adjacent to the lobby, planners can hold gatherings in Elm & Good, a 5,525-square-foot, 148-seat rustic American tavern serving farmhouse fare ranging from a plant-based garden charcuterie board to rabbit agnolotti. Elsewhere throughout the hotel, 8,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space is available for events. The largest, a 4,200-square-foot ballroom, features 28-foot ceilings, three walls of windows, and can seat as many as 380 people for banquets or 525 for cocktail receptions.

Encina is set to debut in Oak Cliff this month, offering the neighborhood a new option for American cuisine with Texas, California, and Southern influences. Dishes like pear and gorgonzola flatbread, PEI mussels, and black-eyed fritters focus on seasonality and fresh ingredients. Inside, the 2,052-square-foot restaurant seats 36 in the dining room and 12 at the bar, while the 1,100-square-foot climate-controlled outdoor patio seats 58, with eight additional seats at the bar.

Palmer's Hot Chicken opened its doors in Lakewood’s Hillside Village Shopping Center in September. The Nashville-style from-scratch menu includes chicken platters and sandwiches (of course), gulf shrimp, catfish, street tacos, salads, sides, and a full bar. The dining room, which spans 2,000 square feet and seats 147 guests, takes its design cues from a rustic beach house, with reclaimed wood and exposed brick. Open year-round, a 1,400-square-foot climate-controlled patio seats 40 and is outfitted with games like Jenga and Connect Four.

Riverbend in Fort Worth saw the addition of Studio 101 in August. Spanning 2,000 square feet, the multimedia art gallery can accommodate as many as 125 guests for cocktail-style events. The eclectic space is equipped with floating walls, moveable bars, programmable colored lights and lasers, built-in audiovisual capabilities, and a wide range of engaging art that rotates quarterly.

In June, Mexican Sugar expanded operations to a second DFW-area location, this time in Las Colinas. Diners can enjoy Mexican food sprinkled with other Latin American influences, like squash blossom quesadillas and barbacoa tacos, along with a full bar that pours more than 100 types of tequila and 30 mezcals. Planners can seat as many as 427 guests in the 10,793-square-foot dining room. Six private dining spaces range from 21 to 75 seats, including a 65-seat patio with its own bar. The welcoming decor is inspired by the Spanish colonial revival style, with eye-catching seating and lighting fixtures and brick archways.