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Forbidden Root’s upstairs events space
BJ Pichman

14 Great Private Dining Spaces at Chicago Restaurants, Mapped

Impress your guests by throwing a party at these spots

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Forbidden Root’s upstairs events space
| BJ Pichman

Finding a restaurant that’s perfect for your private event can be difficult, even within Chicago’s vast dining scene. But with excellent food and lavish spaces, these 14 private dining rooms within Chicago restaurants are a great setting for many different types of parties, whether a small gathering or a large blowout bash. Listed from north to south.

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Fat Rice

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For those looking to dive into a wide range of Fat Rice’s dishes, its daytime bakery and evening cocktail bar can be rented out for a prix-fixe tasting menu by chef Abe Conlon. The room is filled with a smattering of tables next to the bakery case in a bright-walled space—it may not be the fanciest of spaces, but the food will certainly impress. The “Venture” menu changes daily and ranges in price, while the “Voyage” menu features Fat Rice classics like potstickers with a crisp shell and the Arroz Gordo, Fat Rice’s signature dish. Number of guests: 28. Price to book: restaurant takes all booking requests at eatfatrice.com/contact/private-events. 

Bakery At Fat Rice
The Fat Rice Bakery space is a unique spot to throw a party
Marc Much

Oyster Bah

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Seafood lovers flock to Oyster Bah to slurp oysters and drink beers, but parties both big and small will find its High Tide Lounge and Low Tide Lounge good for gatherings requiring a dedicated bar. Customers can pick from private party menus in the smaller Low Tide Lounge or try interactive stations like oyster shucking and build-your-own taco bar in the larger High Tide Lounge. Number of guests: 34-100. Price to book: $1,000-$3,000 food and beverage minimum purchase applies, depending on room.

Oyster Bah’s High Tide Room
Christina Slaton

Summer vibes thrive all year long at Mahalo, the Wicker Park Hawaiian-themed bar and restaurant. It holds two private dining rooms, dubbed Mahalo Vibes: a private dining room on the first floor clad with the restaurant’s signature white-washed tables and a sun-filled upstairs dining room with swings and strung lights. Pick from dishes like poke bowls and Hawaiian ramen and pair them with tropical cocktails for an island getaway in Chicago. Number of guests: 25-75. Price to book: Fluctuating food and beverage minimum applies, depending on date, time and guest count.

Mahalo
Mahalo’s private room is sunny all year round
Marc Much

Nico Osteria

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One Off Hospitality Group’s acclaimed Gold Coast Italian seafood restaurant is a great spot for an upscale function. The restaurant features four rooms for small parties, which all emulate the restaurant’s elegant and cozy atmosphere. For seated dinners, rent the Chelsea room, which features a built-in bar, while something a little more open would call for the reserve bar, which overlooks Salone Nico above the wall filled with greenery. Whichever room fits the party, Nico Osteria’s food options range from seated course meals with plenty of options to passed hors d’oeuvres. Number of guests: 24-150. Price to book: $100-$120 food and beverage minimum per person, depending on size of the party.    

Nico Osteria throws swanky and sophisticated private parties
Courtesy of Nico Osteria

Marisol

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The new restaurant in the Museum of Contemporary Art has chef Jason Hammel (Lula Café) at the helm, which means that the space is not just beautiful but the food promises to be gorgeous and tasty too. The room has a mural by Chris Ofili and is filled with modern wooden tables and retro-looking upholstered chairs in bright primary colors. Hammel focuses the menus around seasonality, with quickly-changing dishes that are expertly plated, so expect private dining options to be similar. Number of guests: 40. Price to book: restaurant takes all booking requests at 312-799-3599.

A dining room with wood tables and different colored chairs and a colorful mural on the back wall.
Make your event artsy at Marisol in the MCA
Courtesy of Marisol

Forbidden Root Restaurant & Brewery

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This West Town brewery’s focus is botanic beers, and the space matches, with dark woods and greenery filling the restaurant. The theme spreads to the upstairs private dining space, which has a large wooden table (or hightop cocktail tables if preferred). The full menu is available, with favorites like the burger with giardiniera mayo and marinated fried Brussels sprouts with XO sauce. For the beer lovers, this is the perfect spot with a high-low menu feel amid excellently crafted and interesting beers. Number of guests: 15-30. Price to book: varies according to booking type.

Forbidden Root’s upstairs events space
BJ Pichman

Baptiste & Bottle

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Up in the Conrad’s whiskey-focused restaurant and lounge sits a private dining hall that’s great for a small but swanky gathering. Filled with the same dark woods and floor to ceiling windows looking out into River North, the space is perfect for an intimate dinner. Pick from dishes like a tender Amish chicken with summer beans and earthy free-range bison with roasted broccoli. The family-style large party package gives plenty of options to satisfy many eaters and drinkers. Number of guests: 12 seated, 20 reception-style. Price to book: no room fee, but $2,000 food and beverage minimum purchase applies.

Baptiste & Bottle’s sleek private room also has sick views
Nick Fochtman

Ivy Room At Tree Studios

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Glam events are the specialty of Ivy Room at Tree Studios, which provides modern touches in an ivy-covered green space. Menus are seasonal and customized to the event and customers’ tastes, so be sure that nearly every detail will be covered at the Ivy Room at Tree Studios. Number of guests: 200. Price to book: $4,500-$9,000, depending on date and time.

Yes, The Ivy Room At Tree Studios has lots of ivy
Anjali Pinto

Joy District Chicago

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Joy District’s Chandelier Room, located between its first floor barstaurant and mezzanine, is a swanky space designed for fancy events. A chandelier hangs above the room to solidify the room’s over-the-top feel. Customers can order from Joy District’s dinner menu and indulge in large-format cocktails. Number of guests: 10. Price to book: no room fee, but $500 food and beverage minimum applies.

Joy District’s Chandelier Room
Courtesy of Joy District

For small groups looking for a garden-to-table option, West Loop’s Eden has three private dining rooms with a modern and airy vibe, complete with white walls and wooden tables. Menus are always open to customization, whether for dietary restrictions or favorite Eden dishes, but otherwise changes with the season and features vegetables from the onsite greenhouse. Ownership has plenty of private event experience, as they’re also behind stalwart event company Paramount Events. Number of guests: 10-80, depending on room. Price to book: no room fee, but $800-$2,500 food and beverage minimum purchase applies.

Eden’s private rooms are cozy
Courtesy of Eden

Salero Restaurant

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Salero, which serves modern Spanish eats including large gin and tonics and paella and pintxos, also houses a private dining room on the second floor which looks westward into the West Loop. Floor to ceiling windows, exposed brick, an exposed beam ceiling and hanging lamps give the space a special warmth for a gathering. Chef Ashlee Aubin tailors menus to the event, from family-style offerings to prix-fixe meals and small bites. Number of guests: 50-80. Price to book: $300 room fee for four hours Sunday through Thursday with $1000 food and beverage minimum. 

Salero’s private room
Courtesy of Salero

Girl & The Goat

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For an underground secret lair feel, Girl & the Goat’s “Underground Goat” is just the spot. Hidden past the “staff only” areas of Stephanie Izard’s perpetually-packed restaurant and downstairs, the room is cozy and candlelit with exposed brick. It’s just great for smaller gatherings, with a customizable menu for a group of less than 30 people. Number of guests: 26. Price to book: $2,000-$2,500 and up.    

Girl & the Goat’s “Underground Goat”
Anthony Tahlier

Chicago Firehouse Restaurant

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Medium to large groups should enjoy the historic second-floor space in the South Loop’s Chicago Firehouse Restaurant. The restaurant maintained many of the old firehouse’s touches, from reclaimed wooden floors to oak walls and exposed brick, even after it burned in a fire. The various rooms range in size, from larger gatherings in the old fire chief’s room, now called the “Palmer Parlor,” to a sunny outdoor veranda space for a medium-sized group. Number of guests: 20-225, depending on room. Price to book: restaurant takes all booking requests at 312-786-1401.

Chicago Firehouse’s “Palmer Parlor”
Courtesy of Chicago Firehouse

Thalia Hall

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Wondering where Dusek’s keeps all their large format beers? In the beer cellar, of course, the space directly underneath Dusek’s at Thalia Hall. It’s decked out in bottles of beer in built-in exposed brick shelves and cozy wooden tables. Choose from coursed meals, passed hors d’oeuvres or stations. If the space doesn’t already sound interesting enough, just pass through the secret bookshelf exit for another level of mystery. Number of guests: 30-45. Price to book: varies, is based on a three-hour event.

The beer cellar at Thalia Hall
Courtesy of Thalia Hall

Fat Rice

For those looking to dive into a wide range of Fat Rice’s dishes, its daytime bakery and evening cocktail bar can be rented out for a prix-fixe tasting menu by chef Abe Conlon. The room is filled with a smattering of tables next to the bakery case in a bright-walled space—it may not be the fanciest of spaces, but the food will certainly impress. The “Venture” menu changes daily and ranges in price, while the “Voyage” menu features Fat Rice classics like potstickers with a crisp shell and the Arroz Gordo, Fat Rice’s signature dish. Number of guests: 28. Price to book: restaurant takes all booking requests at eatfatrice.com/contact/private-events. 

Bakery At Fat Rice
The Fat Rice Bakery space is a unique spot to throw a party
Marc Much

Oyster Bah

Seafood lovers flock to Oyster Bah to slurp oysters and drink beers, but parties both big and small will find its High Tide Lounge and Low Tide Lounge good for gatherings requiring a dedicated bar. Customers can pick from private party menus in the smaller Low Tide Lounge or try interactive stations like oyster shucking and build-your-own taco bar in the larger High Tide Lounge. Number of guests: 34-100. Price to book: $1,000-$3,000 food and beverage minimum purchase applies, depending on room.

Oyster Bah’s High Tide Room
Christina Slaton

Mahalo

Summer vibes thrive all year long at Mahalo, the Wicker Park Hawaiian-themed bar and restaurant. It holds two private dining rooms, dubbed Mahalo Vibes: a private dining room on the first floor clad with the restaurant’s signature white-washed tables and a sun-filled upstairs dining room with swings and strung lights. Pick from dishes like poke bowls and Hawaiian ramen and pair them with tropical cocktails for an island getaway in Chicago. Number of guests: 25-75. Price to book: Fluctuating food and beverage minimum applies, depending on date, time and guest count.

Mahalo
Mahalo’s private room is sunny all year round
Marc Much

Nico Osteria

One Off Hospitality Group’s acclaimed Gold Coast Italian seafood restaurant is a great spot for an upscale function. The restaurant features four rooms for small parties, which all emulate the restaurant’s elegant and cozy atmosphere. For seated dinners, rent the Chelsea room, which features a built-in bar, while something a little more open would call for the reserve bar, which overlooks Salone Nico above the wall filled with greenery. Whichever room fits the party, Nico Osteria’s food options range from seated course meals with plenty of options to passed hors d’oeuvres. Number of guests: 24-150. Price to book: $100-$120 food and beverage minimum per person, depending on size of the party.    

Nico Osteria throws swanky and sophisticated private parties
Courtesy of Nico Osteria

Marisol

The new restaurant in the Museum of Contemporary Art has chef Jason Hammel (Lula Café) at the helm, which means that the space is not just beautiful but the food promises to be gorgeous and tasty too. The room has a mural by Chris Ofili and is filled with modern wooden tables and retro-looking upholstered chairs in bright primary colors. Hammel focuses the menus around seasonality, with quickly-changing dishes that are expertly plated, so expect private dining options to be similar. Number of guests: 40. Price to book: restaurant takes all booking requests at 312-799-3599.

A dining room with wood tables and different colored chairs and a colorful mural on the back wall.
Make your event artsy at Marisol in the MCA
Courtesy of Marisol

Forbidden Root Restaurant & Brewery

This West Town brewery’s focus is botanic beers, and the space matches, with dark woods and greenery filling the restaurant. The theme spreads to the upstairs private dining space, which has a large wooden table (or hightop cocktail tables if preferred). The full menu is available, with favorites like the burger with giardiniera mayo and marinated fried Brussels sprouts with XO sauce. For the beer lovers, this is the perfect spot with a high-low menu feel amid excellently crafted and interesting beers. Number of guests: 15-30. Price to book: varies according to booking type.

Forbidden Root’s upstairs events space
BJ Pichman

Baptiste & Bottle

Up in the Conrad’s whiskey-focused restaurant and lounge sits a private dining hall that’s great for a small but swanky gathering. Filled with the same dark woods and floor to ceiling windows looking out into River North, the space is perfect for an intimate dinner. Pick from dishes like a tender Amish chicken with summer beans and earthy free-range bison with roasted broccoli. The family-style large party package gives plenty of options to satisfy many eaters and drinkers. Number of guests: 12 seated, 20 reception-style. Price to book: no room fee, but $2,000 food and beverage minimum purchase applies.

Baptiste & Bottle’s sleek private room also has sick views
Nick Fochtman

Ivy Room At Tree Studios

Glam events are the specialty of Ivy Room at Tree Studios, which provides modern touches in an ivy-covered green space. Menus are seasonal and customized to the event and customers’ tastes, so be sure that nearly every detail will be covered at the Ivy Room at Tree Studios. Number of guests: 200. Price to book: $4,500-$9,000, depending on date and time.

Yes, The Ivy Room At Tree Studios has lots of ivy
Anjali Pinto

Joy District Chicago

Joy District’s Chandelier Room, located between its first floor barstaurant and mezzanine, is a swanky space designed for fancy events. A chandelier hangs above the room to solidify the room’s over-the-top feel. Customers can order from Joy District’s dinner menu and indulge in large-format cocktails. Number of guests: 10. Price to book: no room fee, but $500 food and beverage minimum applies.

Joy District’s Chandelier Room
Courtesy of Joy District

Eden

For small groups looking for a garden-to-table option, West Loop’s Eden has three private dining rooms with a modern and airy vibe, complete with white walls and wooden tables. Menus are always open to customization, whether for dietary restrictions or favorite Eden dishes, but otherwise changes with the season and features vegetables from the onsite greenhouse. Ownership has plenty of private event experience, as they’re also behind stalwart event company Paramount Events. Number of guests: 10-80, depending on room. Price to book: no room fee, but $800-$2,500 food and beverage minimum purchase applies.

Eden’s private rooms are cozy
Courtesy of Eden

Salero Restaurant

Salero, which serves modern Spanish eats including large gin and tonics and paella and pintxos, also houses a private dining room on the second floor which looks westward into the West Loop. Floor to ceiling windows, exposed brick, an exposed beam ceiling and hanging lamps give the space a special warmth for a gathering. Chef Ashlee Aubin tailors menus to the event, from family-style offerings to prix-fixe meals and small bites. Number of guests: 50-80. Price to book: $300 room fee for four hours Sunday through Thursday with $1000 food and beverage minimum. 

Salero’s private room
Courtesy of Salero

Girl & The Goat

For an underground secret lair feel, Girl & the Goat’s “Underground Goat” is just the spot. Hidden past the “staff only” areas of Stephanie Izard’s perpetually-packed restaurant and downstairs, the room is cozy and candlelit with exposed brick. It’s just great for smaller gatherings, with a customizable menu for a group of less than 30 people. Number of guests: 26. Price to book: $2,000-$2,500 and up.    

Girl & the Goat’s “Underground Goat”
Anthony Tahlier

Chicago Firehouse Restaurant

Medium to large groups should enjoy the historic second-floor space in the South Loop’s Chicago Firehouse Restaurant. The restaurant maintained many of the old firehouse’s touches, from reclaimed wooden floors to oak walls and exposed brick, even after it burned in a fire. The various rooms range in size, from larger gatherings in the old fire chief’s room, now called the “Palmer Parlor,” to a sunny outdoor veranda space for a medium-sized group. Number of guests: 20-225, depending on room. Price to book: restaurant takes all booking requests at 312-786-1401.

Chicago Firehouse’s “Palmer Parlor”
Courtesy of Chicago Firehouse

Thalia Hall

Wondering where Dusek’s keeps all their large format beers? In the beer cellar, of course, the space directly underneath Dusek’s at Thalia Hall. It’s decked out in bottles of beer in built-in exposed brick shelves and cozy wooden tables. Choose from coursed meals, passed hors d’oeuvres or stations. If the space doesn’t already sound interesting enough, just pass through the secret bookshelf exit for another level of mystery. Number of guests: 30-45. Price to book: varies, is based on a three-hour event.

The beer cellar at Thalia Hall
Courtesy of Thalia Hall

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