2022-12-12 05:35:18
Get the scoop on the latest hotel, dining, brewery, and venue openings in Chicago. HOTELS The St. Regis Chicago is scheduled to open in February 2023 inside a 101-story skyscraper that marks 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. The 280-room citizenM Chicago Downtown is located on North Michigan Avenue, close to the Chicago Riverwalk. The hotel is housed in a 47-story tower that’s also home to luxury residences and shops. The mod citizenM Chicago Downtown features three societyM meeting rooms and a colorful facade showcasing the art of Illinois-born Nina Chanel Abney, whose work also appears in the hotel’s entryway. The Emily Hotel in Chicago’s Fulton Market offers 159 rooms and five unique spaces for meetings and events. The boutique hotel recently unveiled the Rooftop Cinema Club on its fifth-floor terrace (featuring a weekly lineup of classic and cult films) and Selva, a rooftop bar serving casual Mexican bites and cocktails. The Study at University of Chicago in Hyde Park features 167 rooms, including the hotel’s signature Study units and premium suites. Truth Be Told is the hotel’s British-style gastropub, serving classic tavern fare. The hotel offers 4,700 square feet of flexible meeting space, including a light-filled Winter Garden with a secluded outdoor patio for events. The newly renovated, 228-room Holiday Inn Chicago Downtown – Wolf Point has been reimagined as a dual branded hotel with the 293-room voco Chicago Downtown, IHG’s new lifestyle brand. The hotels offer lodging that ranges from standard guest rooms to elaborate suites, with sweeping city and Chicago River views. The hotels’ 25,000 square feet of high-tech event space includes 15 meeting rooms and three ballrooms, with direct access to theMART via a skybridge. DINING Global humanitarian and chef José Andrés teamed up with the local Gibsons Restaurant Group to open Bazaar Meat and Bar Mar along the Chicago River. Located within the 57-story Bank of America headquarters, Bar Mar welcomes guests on the first floor with creative cocktails and a raw bar, while the second-floor Bazaar Meat features everything from bison carpaccio to tapas and Wagyu steaks. Former Check, Please! TV show host Alpana Singh debuted her namesake Alpana restaurant in the Gold Coast. The master sommelier curated the wine-inspired cuisine, with dishes such as spring pea ravioli primavera and Faroe Island salmon with king oyster mushrooms. Get into Grecian island mode at Lyra in the West Loop. This Greek restaurant features charcoal- and wood-fired ovens that turn out authentic fare, including prawns saganaki and grilled lamb chops with tomato-olive compote. The Villa private dining room seats 52, while Kava has its own private entrance and accommodates 36 people seated. The owners of progressive Indian restaurant Rooh Chicago opened the intimate Bar Goa in River North. The cocktail bar has a tropical vibe that transports guests to India’s sunny southwest coast, serving Goan street food like chicken curry and green pea hummus. Creative cocktails are mixed with Indian spirits, and live DJs spin most weekends. The playful Hide + Seek is a Mediterranean-influenced restaurant on famed Randolph Restaurant Row in the West Loop. The two-story, comfortably elegant eatery serves New American cuisine that includes small plates like house-made malfatti dumplings, along with entrees such as Dover sole. Dine on upscale Southern comfort food at Kitchen + Kocktails by Kevin Kelley in River North. The menu includes favorites like shrimp and grits and Nashville hot chicken and waffles. Cocktails are creative, with the True Flame arriving to the table lit on fire. Don’t miss the homey desserts, including a sweet peach cobbler. Lexington Betty Smokehouse in Pullman has expanded to become a full-service restaurant and caterer. Chef Dominique Leach, who appeared on Food Network’s Chopped, is known for her fall-off-the-bone barbecued brisket, as well as pulled pork and smoked chicken. Soulful sides include collard greens and gouda mac ‘n’ cheese. From Here On, a huge food hall from local hospitality group 16” on Center, opened on the first floor of The Old Post Office. From Here On is home to local Chicago vendors, offering Nashville hot chicken from Hot Chi Chicken, Durango-style Mexican food at Flo’s Kitchen, Italian sandwiches by Tempesta Market, and more. There’s also a cocktail bar called Snorkelbox and a sprawling patio overlooking the Chicago River. Urbanspace food hall has launched two downtown Chicago locations. The 12,000-square-foot Loop locale is just steps from The Chicago Theatre, while the second outpost is located within the iconic Willis Tower. Food vendors include Roberta’s Pizza, Pita Yeero, Edzo’s Burger Shop, Sushi Dokku, and Stan’s Donuts. Host a private or semiprivate event at either location. The lovely Avli on The Park is located downtown in Lakeshore East, adjacent to picturesque Maggie Daley Park. Born in Greece, chef Nikolaos Kapernaros drives the menu of authentic Greek dishes that includes moussaka, mussels in ouzo and white wine sauce, and house-made pita bread. Plan a private dinner in the banquet room or on the seasonal rooftop with skyline views. Also in Lakeshore East is Carlucci Chicago, a beloved locally owned Italian restaurant. On the menu are traditional favorites like arancini and pastas that include pappardelle with duck ragu, along with a selection of pizzas with toppings like rabbit sausage. The casual Radio Room is located in the heart of River North. The American menu features fried cheese curds and pickles, the double smash cheeseburger, and fish tacos. Four unique spaces are available for private parties of up to 400 people for a reception, or 155 seated diners. The Exchange is made up of stunning experiential spaces within one of Chicago’s architectural treasures — the Daniel Burnham-designed Railway Exchange. The Japanese-style Listening Room is a 50-seat restaurant serving New American fare by James Beard Award-nominated chef Brian Huston, including mushroom tartine and steamed walleye. Besides the Listening Room, private events can be held in the elegant Atrium (with a marble staircase and capacity of 250), Theo’s, a clubby bar that can accommodate 50, and the private dining room that seats 20. 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. BREWERIES Duneyrr Artisan Fermenta Project offers a tasting room and patio on historic Motor Row, close to McCormick Place in the South Loop. Duneyrr presents a twist on craft brews, creating a hybrid that focuses on the co-fermentation of wine, cider, and mead with artisanal beer. Try the Sauvyn Tropica wine/beer hybrid co-fermented with fruits like pineapple and mango, or a Snow Dune Slushee. Black-owned Turner Haus Brewery opened a taproom in Bronzeville’s 92-year-old Rosenwald Court Apartments. Turner Haus shares space with another Black-owned business, local coffeehouse chain Sip & Savor. The 2,500-square-meetinchicago foot venue features a sidewalk patio for outdoor imbibing. Crushed by Giants is the Streeterville neighborhood’s first craft brewery. It offers draft beers that range from IPAs to lagers, along with a casual menu of burgers and sandwiches. Private parties of 50 guests can be accommodated in the semi-private dining room, or up to 117 with a full restaurant buyout. VENUES 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 is a new state-of-the-art habitat for lions and big cats at 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 lion exhibit. The Salt Shed, a new performance venue on the site of the historic Morton Salt complex, opened along the Chicago River near Goose Island. Outdoor concerts were held this past summer. An indoor venue is planned to open within the mixed-use development in 2023. The Quarry Event Center is located in the South Shore neighborhood. The modern space features a large room with a stage and capacity for 150 people, and a smaller room that can accommodate 85. The Quarry offers in-house catering and cash or open bar packages. The Stockhouse is an industrial-chic penthouse loft space in Pilsen. The venue features the former brewery building’s original 24-foot-high terracotta tile ceilings and a rooftop terrace with skyline views. The Stockhouse’s 8,500 square feet of indoor/outdoor space is ideal for corporate meetings and events. Chicago Winery is a combination working winery, restaurant, and glam event space in River North. Host a meeting or private party at the venue, which offers wine made with grapes sourced from boutique vineyards and seasonal dishes from its full-service restaurant.
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