8 New Venues in Seattle for Spring 2024 Meetings and Events

InterContinental Hotels & Resorts will debut in the Pacific Northwest this spring with the opening of InterContinental Bellevue at the Avenue. The 208-room hotel is set to occupy nine floors of a 26-story tower and will offer more than 12,000 square feet of meeting space. The event space spans nine rooms over two floors and includes two ballrooms, two boardrooms, and an outdoor terrace looking out on Bellevue Square. The divisible 4,272-square-foot Avenue Grand Ballroom (pictured) can accommodate 220 guests for classroom-style events or 400 for receptions, while the 925-square-foot Avenue Outdoor Terrace can accommodate 55 for receptions. The divisible 2,275-square-foot Orchard Ballroom can accommodate 120 for classroom-style events or 210 for receptions. The 342-square-foot 5th Avenue Room can host 15 for classroom-style events or 25 for receptions. The 396-square-foot Ginza Room can accommodate 18 for classroom-style events or 35 for receptions. The 360-square-foot Bond Street Boardroom can seat 14, and the 651-square-foot Champs-Élysées Boardroom can seat 18.

A historic Seattle cinema straight out of the 1960s reopened to the public in December. SIFF, the organization that runs the Seattle International Film Festival, acquired downtown Seattle's Cinerama and rebranded it as SIFF Cinema Downtown. The movie theater will screen blockbuster studio films, first-run art house cinema, and specialty film festivals. SIFF Cinema Downtown is available for rentals, with a seating capacity of 575. The theater dates back to 1963, opening just after the World's Fair, and went on to face demolition only to be revived by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen in the 1990s. The theater had been closed since 2020, and its new reincarnation brings back the venue's famous chocolate popcorn along with fare from local vendors like Rachel’s Ginger Beer, Yonder Cider, Caffè Umbria, Alexandria Nicole Cellars, and a SIFF 50th anniversary-inspired brew from Black Raven Brewing Co.

There's a new option for waterfront dining at the Port of Everett. Fisherman Jack's opened in August 2023 with an Asian fusion menu that emphasizes seafood. Options include noodles with Dungeness crab, Rainier clams with Chinese sausage, and Szechuan sea bass. Traditional dim sum is also available, including potstickers; lobster dumplings; and seafood siu mai dumplings filled with shrimp, Dungeness crab, lobster, scallops, ground pork, fresh ginger, and scallions, and topped with roe. The 4,000-square-foot restaurant's capacity is up to 200 guests, including both indoor and outdoor spaces. A private dining space can host up to 65 guests. Fisherman Jack's also offers 2,500 square feet of outdoor patio space that overlooks the boardwalk, while expansive windows in the dining room afford great waterfront views of the Port of Everett Marina.

Washington winery Rocky Pond debuted new event venue Milestone Events at Rocky Pond Vineyards in December 2023. Located in Orondo in the heart of Columbia Valley wine country, the site is surrounded by gardens, estate vineyards, and rolling hills. The property includes several event spaces, including a pavilion, a versatile amphitheater, and a stage. The pavilion can accommodate 130 seated guests with the doors closed or 170 seated guests with the doors open. The main stage can host up to 500 standing guests or 200 seated on the lower terrace and 200 seated on the stage/upper terrace. Smaller spaces include a gazebo with room for 24 guests and a bocce park that can host 100 standing guests. For alfresco meals, The BBQ Pit can accommodate 50 guests, and there's room for 24 for vineyard dining.

Darby Winery Woodinville, its new tasting room, is open and ready to host private events. The outpost in Woodinville is 3,700 square feet with two separate spaces. The larger event space can seat approximately 40 guests, or accommodate 45 to 50 standing guests. Behind a bookcase lies a smaller, more intimate “speakeasy” room outfitted with a record player for vinyl listening parties. The speakeasy can seat about 15 or accommodate 20 standing guests. The moody spaces are outfitted with dark paint, leather couches, neon signs, and dramatic art. Darby Winery partners with Washington state vineyards for its pours, including rosé, syrah, cabernet franc, and a cabernet sauvignon Bordeaux-style blend. The Woodinville tasting room recently moved into a new space after 10 years in its original location.

An alum of Seattle's famed Canlis opened up Atoma in Wallingford in November 2023. Located in a former house, the 56-seat restaurant aims to feel like a dinner party. The menu here from chef Johnny Courtney, who runs Atoma with his wife, Sarah, draws from global influences and local ingredients. Vegetables are prominent here, with dishes like peri peri carrots or lion's mane schnitzel with celery root remoulade joining lamb loin, beef tartare, and pork collar. Vegetables even feature in desserts, like a creme brulee with Japanese sweet potato. The homey space is decorated in moody green paint with dark wood furniture. Atoma is available for buyouts but asks for an eight-week notice in advance for events. The seating capacity is 44 seats in the dining room, four seats at the bar, and eight seats in the solarium.

A hip spot for Italian food and natural wine opened last summer within streetwear and lifestyle shop Hometeam in Seattle's Pioneer Square neighborhood. Darkalino's serves homey fare like sandwiches on freshly baked focaccia and made-in-house pasta like rigatoni with ragu. Favorite dishes include meatball sandwiches with roasted garlic aioli or burrata with toppings like roasted squash and pickled fennel, while cocktail options include a Darkalino Spritz flavored with blood orange. The dining room is a soaring space with floor-to-ceiling windows, exposed brick, dramatic pillars, and modern chairs that provide a pop of color. The restaurant is available for full restaurant buyouts for group sizes of 60 to 200 with buffet-style dining. Upstairs, the mezzanine boasts the capacity to host a seated/standing event for up to 30 people.

Gold Coast Ghal Kitchen serves authentic West African food, as one of the only restaurants within the city of Seattle to offer traditional food from Ghana and Liberia. This Black- and woman-owned business began as a pop-up and transitioned to a brick-and-mortar full-service restaurant when Gold Coast Ghal Kitchen opened in November 2023 in Seattle's First Hill neighborhood. The airy space features white walls decorated with patterned banquettes, colorful baskets, and African art. The 36-seat restaurant is available for full buyouts for up to 99 standing guests. A sample party menu includes chicken and goat cooked with a spicy rub, flaky meat pies with minced beef, onions, and green peppers; fried plantains; braised chicken and gravy; jollof rice; and Ghana chips spiced with onions, garlic, and white pepper.