KEEFER’S
LUX BAR
NEW NANA5
This steak and seafood house features black leather booths, wood paneling, and a granite and cherrywood bar. Two private rooms hold 50 while a third holds 30. The adjacent Keefer’s Kaffe serves coffee, soup, and sandwiches. (20 West Kenzie St., 312.467.9525)
Lux Bar is full of wood, brass, and glass. Menu highlights include buttermilk-fried chicken and barbecue baby back ribs. The bar area, the fireplace room, and the restaurant’s upstairs may be reserved for private events for 100. (18 East Bellevue St., 312.642.3400)
Near Cellular Field, Nana opened in summer 2009 as a breakfast-and-lunch spot. The organic restaurant has a 40-seat sidewalk café that can be booked for private events. (3267 South Halsted St., 312.929.2486)
KINZIE CHOPHOUSE5
MADAME TARTINE5
This restaurant features mocha leather booths, blackand-white photos of Chicago landmarks, and French doors opening onto the sidewalk patio. The main dining room can host events for 150, the separate bar holds 100, a private dining room holds 60, and an additional private room holds 80. (400 North Wells St., 312.822.0191)
This French bistro serves an array of Parisian classics. Its interior channels 1960s Paris with vintage black-andwhite wallpaper and French flea market finds. A patio seats 100. Inside, a back room holds 75, while the front room seats 25. (22 East Hubbard St., 312.755.0007)
Nella Pizzeria Napoletana opened in November 2009. Owner Nella Grasano bakes pies in a 12,000-pound oven made of imported bricks from near Mount Vesuvius. At the back of the restaurant, a private room can seat groups of 24 or 36. (2423 North Clark St., 773.327.3400)
KROLL’S
The River North location of this national chain places it near many popular downtown attractions. Maggiano’s serves classic Italian fare. Its 10 private rooms seat as many as 300. (516 North Clark St., 312.644.7700)
Set in the Chase Center, this eatery provides city views. The lengthy fresh seafood menu runs the gamut from tempura shrimp skewers to broiled Australian lobster tail. The dining room seats 350, and three private rooms seat between 30 and 175. (51 South Clark St., 312.621.0200)
OPENING SOON MAMBO GRILL
N9NE STEAKHOUSE AND GHOSTBAR
Temporarily closed since March 2010, this lively River North restaurant will reopen soon at a new North Wells location. Mambo serves a pan-Latin menu (with a focus on Cuba and Mexico). A private party room seats 40. (410 North Wells St., 312.467.9797)
This contemporary American steak house has a 20-foot waterfall, a circular champagne and caviar bar, a silverleaf dome ceiling, and circular columns with mirrored mosaics. Upstairs, Ghostbar is a sleek lounge lit in silvers, grays, and greens that serves as an after-dinner lounge or a private party space. Private event spaces at both venues can accommodate groups of 15 to 800. (440 West Randolph St., 312.575.9900)
The South Loop branch of this local mini chain offers a dining room filled with sports memorabilia, along with a menu of burgers, sandwiches, thin-crust pizzas, and milk shakes. Twenty flat-screen TVs make the bar a popular sports-watching hangout, and the entire venue can be rented for 270. (1736 South Michigan Ave., 312.235.1400) LA CANTINA
Part of the Italian Village Restaurants complex in the Loop, this enoteca serves a diverse menu focused on seafood. Two private rooms seat 25 and 36, while the main dining room, where booths surround lit saltwater aquariums, can be rented for 150. (71 West Monroe St., 312.332.7005) LA MADIA
This contemporary pizzeria occupies a 4,200-square-foot space in River North. The main dining room seats 125, and a private wine and pizza tasting room is available. Chef and owner Jonathan Fox was formerly the C.O.O. of Maggiano’s Little Italy. (59 West Grand Ave., 312.329.0400) LANDMARK
The loftlike feel of this restaurant is punctuated by brick walls, exposed ceiling beams, and a catwalk lined with carved wooden railings. Landmark serves contemporary American food and will host semiprivate and private events for up to 500. (1633 North Halsted St., 312.587.1600) LA SARDINE
Across from Oprah Winfrey’s studio in West Town, this French bistro serves a menu featuring bouillabaisse, steamed mussels, and house-made ice cream and sorbet. A private room holds 30, and the main dining room can be rented for 100. (111 North Carpenter St., 312.421.2800) LAS TABLAS
This authentic Colombian steak house opened in Irving Park in 1993 (and later produced an offshoot in Lincoln Park). The casual, artsy dining room hosts live Latin music on weekend evenings and can be rented for 150, while a separate private party room holds 80. (4920 West Irving Park Road, 773.202.0999) NEW LA TRATTORIA DEL MERLO
La Trattoria del Merlo opened in Lincoln Park in December 2009. The restaurant specializes in Bolognese fare made with imported ingredients. The space can seat 100 guests or host 140 for cocktails. For smaller groups, a back dining room seats 32 and a lower-level area can seat 20. (1967 North Halstead St., 312.951.8200) LE COLONIAL5
This French-Vietnamese restaurant is set in a two-story Gold Coast row house. The ground-floor dining room seats 95, while the second-floor bar and lounge holds 75 and includes a seasonal terrace—open-air in the summer, glass-enclosed in the winter—with seating for 22. (937 North Rush St., 312.255.0088) LEO’S CONEY ISLAND5
Based in Detroit, Leo’s Coney Island opened its first Chicago location in 2009. Occupying a space in Lakeview’s Southport Corridor, the venue dishes out a casual menu of hot dogs, fries, burgers, and chili. The restaurant seats 100 inside, and there is a patio for outdoor dining. (3455 North Southport Ave., 773.281.5367) NEW LM LE RESTAURANT5
LM Le Restaurant opened in the former Talluhlah space in October 2009. Chef Bradford Phillips offers a menu of contemporary French cuisine. An enclosed garden area, open three seasons a year, seats 32; the entire restaurant can host 120 for cocktails or 80 for seated dinners. (4539 North Lincoln Ave., 773.942.7585) NEW LOKAL
Lokal opened in Bucktown in October 2009. With seating for 60, the restaurant has a contemporary Polish menu. The mostly white space is dressed up with oversize light fixtures and touches of red and black. Small lounge areas throughout the space can be reserved for groups of 10. (1904 West North Ave., 773.719.7494) NEW LONGMAN & EAGLE
A combined pub, restaurant, and inn in Logan Square, Longman & Eagle opened in stages. it’s the restaurant arrived first, in January 2010; the upper-level guest rooms debuted later that spring. With an open kitchen and hickory accents, the 1,000-square-foot eatery holds 80. (2657 North Kedzie Ave., 773.276.7110) NEW THE LUCKY MONK
The Lucky Monk opened in in December 2009. The restaurant and brewery focuses on pizza, burgers, and beer. Aria Group Architects decked the venue with earth tones and accents of wood and stone. The main dining room seats 220; a round bar with a granite top seats 40. (105 Hollywood Blvd., South Barrington, 847.898.0500)
MAGGIANO’S LITTLE ITALY
MARCHÉ
This French brasserie is in West Town. Owner-designer Jerry Kleiner crafted a decor with muted primary colors and arty touches like wraparound murals on the columns and eccentric table centerpieces. A private room seats 120; the champagne room seats 10; and the entire restaurant can hold 150. (833 West Randolph St., 312.226.8399) MARKETHOUSE
In the DoubleTree Hotel Chicago Magnificent Mile, this 160-seat restaurant opened in February 2009. The semiprivate Heartland room, a circular space surrounded by red curtains, seats 21; the communal Harvest table can seat 14. (611 North Fairbanks Court, 312.224.2200) NEW MELANTHIOS GREEK CHARHOUSE
Melanthios Greek Charhouse opened in November 2009. Focused on southern Greek cuisine, the menu offers organic meats, grilled veggies, and specialties such as souvlaki and shish kebabs. The restaurant has three private dining rooms. (3116 North Broadway, 773.360.8572) NEW MERCADITO
Mercadito opened in September 2009. The first Chicago location of a New-York-based chain, the Mexican restaurant has 120 seats. Semiprivate dining can take place at a 14-seat communal table, or in a tequila lounge that seats 24 and looks out onto Kinzie Street through garage-style doors. (108 West Kinzie St., 312.329.9555) MERCAT A LA PLANXA
This South Loop hangout is an authentic Catalan tapas bar. The menu comes courtesy of Chicago native Jose Garces and includes traditional tapas, cured meats, cheeses, flatbreads, and an array of grilled dishes. A private dining area seats 16. (638 South Michigan Ave., 312.765.0524) MEXX KITCHEN AT THE WHISKEY
Rande Gerber looked for inspiration south of the border when designing this restaurant. Chef Richard Sandoval cooks up nuevo and tradicional Mexican dishes. The 100-seat restaurant features decor that mixes Mexican folk art with red velvet. (1015 North Rush St., 312.782.4933) MIDTOWN KITCHEN & BAR
Owned by Roger Greenfield and Ted Kasemir of Restaurants-America, this bilevel space opened in 2006. The 9,900-square-foot contemporary American restaurant holds 170 in the upstairs restaurant and 65 in the bar downstairs. (203 North LaSalle St., 312.379.5086) MIKE DITKA’S—TREMONT HOTEL
This homage to the legendary Chicago Bears coach is centrally located in the Gold Coast’s Tremont Hotel. The restaurant, decorated with football memorabilia, offers Ditka-brand cigars as well as steak, seafood, and a large wine list. Three private rooms seat 20, 60, and 80. (100 East Chestnut St., 312.587.8989) MIRABELL
This German restaurant in Irving Park, open since 1977, offers traditional bratwurst, goulash, and sauerbraten, as well as more adventurous dishes like beef tongue in Madeira wine sauce. The main dining room seats 108, and a private party room is available for 40. (3454 West Addison St., 773.463.1962) MIRAI SUSHI5
This sushi restaurant in Ukrainian Village is known for chef Jun Ichikawa’s avant-garde maki rolls. The former church has been transformed into a sleek, loungey dining room that seats 46, with room for 40 more in the loftlike second-floor space and an additional 30 seats on the sidewalk patio. (2020 West Division St., 773.862.8500) MK THE RESTAURANT
This former paint factory features brick walls, a vaulted ceiling, modern art, and leather furniture. Chef Michael Kornick’s modern American menu features innovate dishes such as crispy-skin maple-leaf duck breast. A private second-floor dining room offers Magnificent Mile views and seats 50. (868 North Franklin St., 312.483.9179) NACIONAL 27
This 6,500-square-foot restaurant and lounge is known for live music and salsa dancing. Its menu combines the flavors of 27 countries from South and Central America. Nacional 27 holds 250. (325 West Huron St., 312.664.2727)
NEW NELLA PIZZERIA NAPOLETANA
NICK’S FISHMARKET
NOMI5
This contemporary French restaurant in the Park Hyatt hotel features glass chandeliers by Dale Chihuly and a patio overlooking many of Chicago’s architectural masterpieces. The private dining rooms hold as many as 30. (800 North Michigan Ave., 312.239.4030) NORTH & CLARK CAFÉ
In February 2009, the Chicago History Museum unveiled its newly remodeled North & Clark Café. The venue can seat 80 guests or host 120 for receptions. The daily menu reflects local culinary traditions with items such as the 1893 World’s Fair brownie. Taste America caters all of the venue’s events. (1601 North Clark St., 312.642.4600) NORTH POND
This restaurant is in a former ice-skating warming shelter on the edge of Lincoln Park’s North Pond. Chef Bruce Sherman devotes his menu to seasonal, local ingredients. The 90-seat restaurant holds 110 for receptions. (2610 North Cannon Drive, 773.477.5845) OAK STREET BEACHSTRO5
This beachfront restaurant offers private dining areas and tents for groups of 25 to 3,000, and can provide custom menus. Oak Street Beachstro is open from May through the end of September. (Oak Street Beach, 312.915.4100) O’BRIENS5
This Old Town steak-and-seafood joint features a long mahogany bar, a cigar humidor, and nightly piano music. Five private and semiprivate spaces seat between 30 and 100, including the garden café, which seats 85 around a gazebo bar and is tented and heated during the winter. (1528 North Wells St., 312.787.3131) OLD OAK TAP5
This restaurant has a 1,500-square-foot beer garden. The first floor features a 30-foot river-rock-encrusted bar, a slate fireplace, and seating for 70. The second floor, which can be used as a private space for 50, features wraparound bench seating, a second wood-burning fireplace, and a full-service bar. (2109 West Chicago Ave., 773.772.0406) ONE SIXTYBLUE
Owned by Michael Jordan, this restaurant has two private rooms separated from the main room by floor-to-ceiling French doors. The larger room seats 50 or holds 80 for receptions. The 14-seat smaller room has a private entrance and salon. (1400 West Randolph St., 312.850.0303) ORSO’S5
This authentic Italian spot has an old-fashioned dining room featuring ornate chandeliers, a copper-plated ceiling, and Italian oil paintings. Trellised grape vines provide a shady ceiling in the garden, and a seasonal roof deck is also available. The restaurant holds 100 for private events. (1401 North Wells St., 312.787.6604) NEW ORVIETO
Named after a region of Italy that’s famous for white wine, Orvieto opened in September 2009. With a chef from Sardinia overseeing its menu, the 90-seat restaurant serves thin-crust pizzas, pastas, calamari, and Limoncello. (2200 North Ashland Ave., 773.395.0066) NEW ORVIETO PIZZERIA AND WINE BAR
This venue opened in the Green Dolphin Street jazz club in September 2009. Available for full buyout during the day, the venue can host seated luncheons for 80. Smaller lunches or dinners can take place in the private dining room, which seats 30, and in the wine room, which holds 22. (2200 North Ashland Ave., 773.395.0066 O’SHAUGHNESSY’S PUBLIC HOUSE
England native Michael Finan opened this pub in the Prickard China building in April 2008. O’Shaughnessy’s features stained glass from Ireland, serves Guinness and Irish whiskey, and offers traditional Irish eats. The main area seats 160. Two private rooms hold 75 each. (4557 North Ravenswood Ave., 773.944.9896) PADDY LONG’S
Owned by a Dublin native, this pub has an extensive beer list. The baby-blue facade with bright red doors channels
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