Atlantans love any excuse to throw a party, and with the holiday season around the corner, now is the time to book a room.
The holiday party group chat always starts the same way: “Does anyone know a spot that can actually fit us?” Luckily, Atlanta’s private dining scene has an answer for every version of that question, whether you’re wrangling a 12-person work dinner or planning a full-restaurant blowout. From wine cellars built around Mardi Gras floats to riverside tents that hold 140, these are the rooms worth booking before the good dates disappear.
Here’s where to take the party this season.
Two Urban Licks
For a buzzy, big-group setting right on the BeltLine, Two Urban Licks delivers on food and vibes. A retractable-roof courtyard adorned with a plant wall and a skyline patio both seat 75 for cocktail receptions or casual group dinners, while the newly added Ballroom on the second floor that overlooks the main dining room. Expect wood-fired, family-style cooking—this is the restaurant that roasts a whole pig for its seasonal Sunday Supper series. 820 Ralph McGill Blvd. NE, Atlanta, twourbanlicks.com
The Chastain
With its Chastain Park address and Michelin Green Star, the Chastain is a go-to for a celebratory moment. So naturally, this spot goes big on private parties. Case in point: the 1946 Room, a fully private lower-level space with a dedicated entrance, gas fireplace, and built-in AV. The covered Old Oak Terrace brings the party outdoors, and the South Terrace connects directly to the 1946 Room for indoor-outdoor flow. Menus follow whatever’s ripe in the Chastain’s garden that week rather than a fixed banquet script. 4320 Powers Ferry Rd. NW, Atlanta, thechastainatl.com
Local Three
This whiskey-forward restaurant is no stranger to full buyouts—the space can handle up to 110 seated or 200 for a cocktail-style event—but the real story is the Knights of Revelry room: a private wine cellar built around a table made from a 1979 Mardi Gras float. Tucked behind custom sliding bar doors, the 12-person space is perfect for more intimate celebrations. The 1,000-strong brown spirit list doesn’t hurt either. 3290 Northside Pkwy. NW, Atlanta, localthree.com
The Sun Dial
Few other restaurants can claim the 360-degree view found at the Sun Dial, which is exactly what makes it a magnet for Atlanta’s top-tier events. Three levels can hold up to 500 guests, though the main dining room alone can easily accommodate 300. Business dinners and celebratory gatherings reaching double-digit covers are the norm. It’s the definition of go big or go home—here, you can do both. 210 Peachtree St. NW, Atlanta, sundialrestaurant.com
Arnette’s Chop Shop
This Brookhaven steakhouse built its reputation on USDA Prime cuts and a wood-burning hearth, and it’s just as deliberate about hosting a crowd. The upstairs Lanai, an enclosed terrace connected directly to the main bar, seats 46 for cocktail-style events, while the Private Dining Room holds up to 20 for something more intimate. The enclosed Garden Room patio flexes from a 40-person semi-private setup to a full 72-guest seated buyout. 2700 Apple Valley Rd. NE, Ste. 55, Brookhaven, arnetteschopshop.com
Rumi’s – Sandy Springs
Chef Ali Mesghali’s Persian flagship just underwent a full reimagining this year, and the private dining room got the same star treatment as the rest of the restaurant: a floor-to-ceiling mural by artist Dean Barger anchors the space, alongside the same custom furniture and Persian blue-tiled details found throughout the dining room. The Sandy Springs location offers three separate spaces for private events, scaling from intimate gatherings to larger groups, all built around family-style menus of Persian classics and modern Middle Eastern additions. 6112 Roswell Rd., Sandy Springs, rumiskitchen.com
Marcel
Step into Ford Fry’s speakeasy-style steakhouse for private events dripping in old-world glamour. The Private Dining Room wraps groups of up to 45 in plush leather banquettes around a built-in fireplace, with independent sound control tailor-made for a festive set-menu dinner. For something moodier, the high-top Boxing Table tucked into the bar lounge seats 16. Reserve the whole restaurant and you’re looking at 150 seated or 175 for a cocktail reception. 1170 Howell Mill Rd., Atlanta, marcelatl.com
Lapeer Steak & Seafood
The Downtown Alpharetta steakhouse delivers private dining with extra style points thanks to a boho-chic covered solarium. Kitted out with teak wood furnishings and rattan pendant lights, the natural light-filled space seats up to 56. Need more room? Reserve the whole restaurant to entertain up to 200. Either way, you can expect the same Prime, Wagyu, and dry-aged cuts alongside a raw bar stocked with Gulf and East Coast seafood. 12 N. Broad St., Alpharetta, lapeersteak.com
Kevin Rathbun Steak
It’s only natural that one of Atlanta’s best steakhouses would be able to cater to a discerning crowd. For something truly atmospheric, descend into Kevin Rathbun’s Candle Light Wine Cellar, a cozy cookbook-and wine-wall-lined space inside a 100-year-old renovated warehouse, with its own music and lighting system. It holds up to 36 for a seated dinner or 40 for a standing reception. The wraparound BeltLine patio, with its wood-burning fireplace, can also be sectioned off for groups up to 75. 154 Krog St. NE, Ste. 200, Atlanta, kevinrathbunsteak.com
Ecco-Midtown
Vintage black-and-white photography lines the walls of Ecco Midtown’s private dining room, set beneath a ring of candlelit chandeliers that give the space an old-world glow—a fitting backdrop for the European hearth-fired cooking this Midtown mainstay is known for. The room seats up to 55, but you can go bigger with a full-restaurant buyout at 180 seats or a 225-guest reception. 40 7th St. NE, Atlanta, ecco-atlanta.com
Cooks & Soldiers
This West Midtown spot built its name on homestyle Basque wood-fire cooking, and its private event spaces lean into that cozy vibe. A semi-private, curtained dining room holds up to 30, made even more atmospheric beneath hand-blown glass teardrop light fixtures. A fully enclosed private terrace fits 50. For something more intimate, the Chef’s Table seats 12 and shares its energy with the bar. 691 14th St. NW, Atlanta, cooksandsoldiers.com
Sugo
Six private spaces are tucked throughout this Johns Creek original, each with its own personality. The secluded Basil Room feels like a hideaway with sliding doors that open into its neighbor for larger parties, while the Puttanesca Room, fully enclosed with a drop-down screen, is built for presentations as much as celebrations. Regardless of your party size, you can expect a menu of family-style Greek-Italian classics like meatballs al sugo and spanakopita. 10305 Medlock Bridge Rd., Johns Creek, sugorestaurant.com
Marcus Bar & Grille
Chef Marcus Samuelsson’s Old Fourth Ward spot brings its record-label energy into the Vinyl Room, a stylish private space with a recording studio vibe built for groups of 10 to 24. Go bigger, and the whole restaurant opens up for a full buyout—up to 125 seated or a 250-person reception—putting Samuelsson’s wood-fired grill and soul-food-meets-global menu behind closed doors just for your crowd. 525 Edgewood Ave., SE, Atlanta, marcusbarandgrille.com
Canoe
Perched along the Chattahoochee in Vinings, Canoe pairs its iconic riverside setting with four distinct private spaces. The wood-and-brick Wine Room seats intimate parties of 18 or fewer around a built-in table, while the high-ceilinged Paces Room, wine racks and all, holds up to 40. The covered patio sits 15 to 20 waterside, and the climate-controlled River Garden tent (a favorite for weddings) scales from 40 to a 140-guest reception. 4199 Paces Ferry Rd. NW, Atlanta, canoeatl.com
