Dining City of Big Tables: A Worldly Guide to Chicago Group Dining

Z Bar

108 East Superior Street / Gold Coast

Like everything at the Peninsula Hotel, Z Bar offers sophistication to the nth degree. The private salon is this newest addition to one of the world's chicest hotels, and can accommodate up to 12 in an intimate cocktail setting styled with marble tables, brushed suede couches, a glowing fireplace and a private outdoor terrace overlooking the city. Sip cocktails inspired by global cultures crafted with rare spirits and fresh fruit while nibbling on an elevated menu of Malaysian-style beef and chicken satay with lemongrass, ginger and Sarawak peppercorn, caviar "ants on a log" or savory fried chicken brioche buns.

The Dearborn

145 North Dearborn / The Loop

Smartly situated for a pre-theater or post-work gathering, The Dearborn's private Rialto Room with its vaulted ceiling, crystal chandeliers and pink-washed walls, evokes a bit of Miami or pre-embargo Havana in the heart of the Loop. The room and its private bar can accommodate 24 seated or 40 for cocktails and passed appetizers with a customized menu created by Chef Aaron Cuschieri. Don't pass up the chance on having Cuschieri's grilled Spanish octopus with artichoke, banana peppers and a rich caper-beurre blanc, or the peri peri shrimp tacos. But if you want a real treat, make sure you add the pasture-raised beef Dearborn burger with Hook's one-year-aged cheddar and special sauce.

Fulton Market's culinary boom

Speaking of going big, over the past 10 years, the district known as Fulton Market has become one of Chicago's hottest dining destinations, and it's where to discover some of the most desirable tables tucked away in semi-hidden spaces.
 

Here are five critically acclaimed spots lighting up the neighborhood, including one of the hardest reservations to get in the city and two showing off glittering Michelin stars.

Girl & The Goat

809 West Randolph Street / Fulton Market

Getting a reservation at Chef Stephanie Izard's flagship restaurant can take months, but for a group up to 26 people (around either one or two large tables), the rustic wine cellar below the main dining room can be yours for an evening — and finding it is half the fun. To get there, guests pass through a door marked 'Do not enter,' before arriving into the secret space to be greeted with a welcome cocktail. Izard and her team then craft a family-style meal with staples from the Goat's menu, like roasted cauliflower with pickled peppers or wood-oven roasted pig face balanced with rotating seasonal dishes. The celebrity cooking show winner strongly encourages groups to order the whole roasted goat leg served with naan, sauces and sides to complete the meal. "It's an experience completely unique to Girl & the Goat," Izard says. "And guests should come hungry, because we never hold back!"

Fulton Market Kitchen

311 North Sangamon / Fulton Market

One of Chicago's most distinctive dining spaces is also a working art gallery with murals, photography, paintings and more set throughout the restaurant. The private 12-seat grand table crafted out of 100-year-old oak slabs, sits beneath a mirrored ceiling and among reclaimed wood panels and artwork by local Joe Miller. Need more space? The adjacent salon, set apart by iron-and-glass French doors, opens up to hold 20 seated or 25 standing. Chef Chris Curran is the artist behind the globally inspired menu that may include rabbit ragout over cavatelli, striped black bass with white corn grits and braised rainbow char. Or, simply leave it all in Curran's hands to select a multi-course feast for the senses.

Smyth & The Loyalist

177 North Ada Street / Fulton Market

The Loyalist and its sister restaurant the two Michelin-starred Smyth, share a private dining room that recalls a cozy North Woods lodge, complete with leather couches, a long blond wood table, exposed brick and an outdoors motif along the wall. Either kitchen can cater your meal, and with space for 28 seated or 40 in a cocktail setting (but 14 max for a Smyth tasting menu), the room perfectly accommodates a shared dining experience. Long tables are best filled with aged rib-eye, clams over linguine, Skuna Bay salmon with grilled mustard greens and, of course, the drool-worthy Loyalist cheeseburger. You can also tap sommelier Richie Ribando to set up a special wine dinner with reserve wines for your meal, which can also include Smyth's 10-course tasting menu ... with a twist. "We steer guests in a direction that's best for their experience," says co-owner and executive pastry chef Karen Shields, who works alongside husband, executive chef John Shields. "But it's also fun to curate it for their needs and how they envision it — like doing a round of burgers in the middle of a tasting menu."

Momotaro

820 West Lake Street / Fulton Market

Accented with white marble, brass, teak and vintage corporate photos of Japanese business people, the Boardroom is meant to resemble a contemporary conference room in Tokyo. Chef Marc Hellyar, who perfected his sushi skills working in top Tokyo restaurants, crafts one of the most exceptional sushi experiences in the city. No matter if the menu focuses solely on supremely fresh fish or gets a boost with grilled A5 Miyazaki steak or king crab, the room, which can seat 20 or 30 for a standing reception, makes the experience feel all the more cool. If looking for something more chill, the basement Izakaya Room can seat 14 for a casual, yet no less intriguing, Japanese street food experience.