Planning to hold a meeting or event in Chicago this year? We’ve got the scoop on the newest venues, hotels, restaurants, and nightlife you’ll want to check out.
Venues
The Penthouse Hyde Park is a stunning venue located in Hyde Park’s historic Kenwood District. Situated on the 13th floor of the former Piccadilly Hotel, The Penthouse Hyde Park is crowned with a 2,600-square-foot rooftop terrace that features both lake and downtown Chicago views. The vintage venue also offers a glamorous grand ballroom that can host 200 guests for a sit-down dinner or 300 for a reception.
KOVAL Distillery opened its hotly anticipated tasting room on Chicago’s Malt Row, named for the bevy of breweries in the Ravenswood neighborhood. The sun-filled tasting room, outfitted with a marble bar and leather sofas, seats 96. French doors open to an ivy-covered outdoor patio that accommodates up to 30 people. Guests can sample flights of whiskey and gin, or try cocktails made with KOVAL spirits and paired with small bites.
The Pepper Family Wildlife Center, a new state-of-the-art habitat for lions and big cats, recently opened at the Lincoln Park Zoo. The Center’s Lion House features a Great Hall that can host dinners for 400 guests or receptions for up to 500. The Lion House also features a conference room, which can seat 80 guests, or 100 for a standing reception. Both the Great Hall and the conference room feature windows overlooking the inside of the exciting lion exhibit.
For a unique after-hours outing, take your group to the Loop’s Medieval Torture Museum, the largest interactive historical museum in the U.S. Visitors are transported back in time hundreds of years to one of the darkest periods in history. Guests can explore immersive, hands-on recreations of torture chambers from the Middle Ages, made up of a unique collection of hundreds of objects. A self-guided audio tour introduces the museum’s collection and characters, while the Ghost Hunting Experience lets guests “capture” restless spirits.
Hotels
Pendry Chicago is located in the art deco-style Carbide & Carbon Building along The Magnificent Mile, and features 364 guest rooms and suites. Its Venteux Brasserie, Cafe & Oyster Bar offers elevated French fare by Michelin-starred chef Donald Young. The 24th-floor Château Carbide is a seasonal rooftop bar inspired by the Côte d’Azur. The hotel offers 13,000 square feet of meeting and event space, including two ballrooms and a terrace with Michigan Avenue views.
Sable at Navy Pier Chicago, Curio Collection by Hilton is a waterfront 223-room boutique hotel located adjacent to Navy Pier’s Festival Hall. The hotel offers 4,286 square feet of event space and six meeting rooms, with breathtaking Lake Michigan and skyline views. The hotel also features Lirica, a Latin-influenced restaurant and lounge with private dining spaces. Upstairs is the glass-enclosed Offshore Rooftop & Bar, the world’s largest rooftop venue, featuring a chic bar and restaurant, plus terraces with cozy fire pits.
SpringHill Suites by Marriott Chicago Chinatown is located in the heart of one of the city’s most exciting neighborhoods, not far from McCormick Place. The 148-room, all-suites hotel is situated on Wentworth Avenue, surrounded by Chinatown’s colorful shops and restaurants. A 343-square-foot meeting room can accommodate 12 people.
The 215-room Canopy by Hilton Chicago Central Loop is located directly across from the Willis Tower, home of The Ledge attraction at the Skydeck Chicago observatory. The boutique hotel offers the all-day Depot 226 (a combination bistro, market, and coffee shop) and a 675-square-foot meeting room.
Set to debut in spring, The LaSalle Chicago, Autograph Collection is a luxurious 234-room hotel located on LaSalle Street in the heart of the city’s Financial District. Perched 21 stories above street level in the landmark Continental building, The LaSalle Chicago’s meeting space includes a lavish ballroom, private dining room, and an executive boardroom.
The St. Regis Chicago is scheduled to open in June inside a 101-story skyscraper that’s the city’s third-tallest building. The glamorous 192-room hotel was designed by the internationally acclaimed Studio Gang architecture firm. Plan a special event in the exquisite 5,000-square-foot ballroom, or a meeting within the hotel’s 3,000 square feet of executive and pre-function space. Two upscale restaurants and the pampering St. Regis Spa round out the luxe experience.
Restaurants/nightlife
The owners of progressive Indian restaurant Rooh Chicago have opened the intimate Bar Goa in River North. The cocktail bar has a tropical vibe that transports guests to India’s sunny southwest coast, a region known for electronic music and all-night parties, beautiful beaches, and Portuguese-influenced cuisine with Indian flavors. Bar Goa serves Goan street food like chicken curry and green pea hummus. Creative cocktails are mixed with Indian spirits, such as the Feni OG Style made with cashew feni (a pungent liquor produced in Goa) and Limca, an Indian lemon-lime soda. Live DJs spin most weekends.
Black-owned Bronzeville Winery is a combined restaurant, wine bar, and cultural space. The 120-seat winery features a menu of comfort food (including shrimp and grits) and a wine list curated by Anika Ellison, one of the industry’s few Black women sommeliers. There’s also a small stage for live music, an outdoor patio for 100 guests, and a rotating gallery of works by local artists.
Alla Vita is a new Italian restaurant from Chicago’s renowned Boka Restaurant Group. The casual West Loop spot is helmed by noted executive chef Lee Wolen, who crafts handmade pastas, old-school favorites like chicken parmigiana, and crispy pizzas that are cooked in a wood-burning oven. The breezy restaurant has a garden-like feel, featuring wooden lattices hung with greenery and twinkling string lights. Plan an intimate dinner in the private dining room, or do a full restaurant buyout for a party of up to 200 guests.
