The Mae District/ Food For Thought team was excellent to work with from start to finish. They were recommended to us through our wedding planner, and were the perfect fit for our wedding. The venue itself is the perfect balance of modern + historic. It fit our aesthetic perfectly and wowed our guests. High ceilings, natural light, interesting art and architectural features, clean finishes - its beautiful! The food options were a level above what you typically see at weddings. Our tasting was such a fun experience and our final menu, which included caviar, a beet and burrata salad, and more was just about as good as you can ask for at a wedding. The staff on the day of our wedding were great. Attentive, kind, and kept the drinks flowinggg! Special shout out to Kaci, who became an integral part of the planning team over the ~year we spent planning the wedding. She is excellent and knows her stuff! read more

I got married at Mae District in July 2025 and could not be more happy with how the day panned out, thanks in large part to the team at Mae District/Food for Thought! The historic venue itself is stunning - there's a separate room for everything (i.e., ceremony, dinner reception, dance floor/cocktail hour), which made the space feel more elevated and was a huge selling point for us. There's a cute courtyard area in the back with ivy and string lights which was great for photos and for guests to get some fresh air. However, the biggest selling point for us was the bridal suite/upstairs lounge area. It's a generous-sized private space with enough room for the entire wedding party and family members to spend time before the ceremony, and you can store personal things there during the wedding. I got into my wedding dress in the bridal suite and was able to capture getting ready photos here. My husband and I toured multiple Chicago venues in the same tier and this was the only one with a bridal suite/lounge area. Our venue coordinator was Hanna and were very pleased with the level of service we received. From the beginning, she made us feel like Mae District/FFT was open to our creative liberties, and anything that we wanted could be made true. We wanted a late-night ramen bar on a cart, which was a big hit, and she made sure that the sign on the cart was to our standards. One of our priorities going into wedding planning was that the food had to be good, and FFT delivered! We received many compliments on the food from our guests. Overall, I would highly recommend this venue to anyone looking to get married in Chicago! read more

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The venue not as nice as it looks in the pictures. The service was bad... We had to ask for refills on wine and water the entire night. The staff was friendly, but they were ineffective. The food was mediocre at best. Overall, I would not be back and do not recommend read more

Anna, Jessie, Kaci and the entire FFT team and staff literally knocked our Mae District wedding out of the park. As a wedding professional (planner) with a fiance (turned husband) who is a major food enthusiast, I would say we may be a tough couple to crack when it comes to catering and service. We tend to have high expectations. But when it came to choosing the right team up for the challenge, there were no questions asked that Anna and her team could and would knock it out of the park. From her proposal of a meatball trio first course (because - you don't make friends with salad) down to them meticulously setting up my 4 different table scapes with different linens, chargers, glassware, etc. and everything in between, I cannot express my gratitude for the FFT team more for giving us the most perfectly thought out wedding menu and event space of our dreams. read more

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I arranged a large business lunch in June 2024 at Mae District, we needed space near the convention center and quickly realized no nearby restaurants could accommodate our group. Mae District was able to set a beautiful room with a panel table presentation and the lunch was a complete success. Hanna at Food For Thought was wonderful to work with from start to end. The communication back and forth and working out all the planning and logistics led to a seamless event at the venue. Will definitely be using again! read more

Mae District - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Great event venue I had no idea that this place even existed if I did not go to a Courvoisier event hosted there The scheme or decor ideas are endless in this pretty much open space which can hold several hundreds of people and I love the way you can either have an open floor plan option also with several bars located on the main level itself and then even larger area upstair which was holding the VIPs read more

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Such a hidden gem with full potential to do many events. Hannah was absolutely great to work with from, walkthrough and continuous communication. They were very accommodating and supportive of our non for profit to come here and host an amazing ceremony for our graduates. We will look to book future events in the future as an organization and myself personally. read more

Mae District is an absolute hidden gem. Having attended events, supported their planning and execution, and worked as a vendor at this venue, I can't say enough good things about it. The space itself is expansive, open, and clean, offering a stunning environment whether you opt for elaborate decor or a more minimalist approach. The FFT team consistently delivers exceptional quality, with food that not only tastes amazing but is also presented so well. A special shout-out to Anna Ditton for her attention to detail, vast experience, and creativity and to Martin for his many skills onsite. read more

19 East is where you need to hold your next event. Just stop looking already and book here now. My fiance and I are having our wedding here in the spring and are so impressed with the Team running this venue. After looking at tons of spaces we fell in love with 19 East because of the overall space, cool Chicago history (you'll need to check out photos upstairs of it's early days of being where Capone used to hang out) and value but over time have fallen in love even more with the customer service and help from our sales manager Anna Boltz. I highly recommend working with her as she is organized, a multi-tasker and professional. I'm constantly emailing her with questions and she is always on top of things and helping us make the most of our day. The food that is made by Food for Thought is awesome, I love that they make everything in-house and will bring in items based on the season. If you are looking to book a wedding, I loved how they had enough space for ceremony and reception where we didn't need to flip the space, plus the amazing space upstairs you can use for getting ready. read more

I got married Sept 21st., 2019, I worked with Chris. She was amazing to work with. She is responsive. The venue was great. The staff was great. The service was excellent. Everybody loved the venue. The space is so unique- and the three separate areas makes for a lovely transition through the evening. I got many positive reviews on the venue after my wedding! I hope one of my friends gets married there so I can go back :-) read more

Hey there! So my wife and I got married at 19East on April 27th of this year. It. Was. Awesome!! When we first started the process we were dealing with a different person who would change two more times before landing on Nathan. Seems like a lot, this was the best option. The earlier two hosts were personable and friendly, but Nathan went above and beyond! Making sure we had those few extra minutes at the end of our rehearsal to lock in routine, staying behind day-of to wait for someone when my wife's purse was left behind, bringing us water during our receiving line. Truly exceptional. And, you can tell he loves what he does! Let me say this: This is a venue/space that is owned by a catering company so if you include food in your event be prepared to fork over a pretty penny or two. BUT if their overall service and aesthetic is any indicator of their food quality, it will be worth it!! My wife and I elected to just rent the space without any food accommodations, but they still allowed us to have our donut wedding favors and water dispensers so our guests could have something. As far as the space itself, it's hard to do much better with even just the empty space alone. Every inch of this place is beautiful and could be used for pictures without any decoration. (which we basically did in the back area after the ceremony :P) There are plenty of accommodations in the bridal suite including a shower and private bathroom. The only negatives: -It is in the heart of South Loop so parking will be an issue for parties larger than ~10 people. Highly recommend the nearby Spot Hero lot under the train tracks and/or Uber/Lyft to the venue. -It can be can be hard to get rehearsal time without paying for essentially a separate booking. They do allow a few hours rehearsal the day before your event IF there is no other scheduled event which they will look at about two weeks out from your event. So everything would need to be scheduled in about that time. Since our wedding was late April, we missed the rush of full on wedding season and got a rehearsal. -Price to include even the smallest food packages. Like I said catering company! so price of labor, food items, and setup can escalate fairly quickly depending on your budget or what you are able to spend. Nitty Gritty: Beautiful Space Awesome Service+Accommodations (Ask for Nathan!!) Great Prices for rental, be aware food/food service will greatly increase pricing if you're trying to save. Not best for parking :D Cheers! read more

We had our wedding at 19 East on 11/12/16 and could not be happier with our choice! Both Anna and Kendall were amazing from the start and made sure everything went smooth the entire year we worked with them. We have had so many compliments not only on the attentive staff from Food for Thought, but also on the unique space. 19 East was the perfect place to host our ceremony, cocktail hour and reception and I would highly recommend using them if you need an event space in the near future! read more

Our company hosted an event at 19 East in the Hideaway and I could not have been more satisfied with the service! Anna was amazing at working out the logistics with me, she was extremely helpful and personable. We had a solid menu of tasty treats and drinks and our guests were well taken care of! I highly recommend hosting any event at this venue. Thanks so much! read more

Nathan and his team at 19 East were nothing but amazing. From the initial meeting of viewing the location to the conclusion of our wedding, 19 East made our dream wedding a reality. Such a hidden gem in the city for an event space. Highly recommend! read more

My husband and I got married in July of 2017 and Kendall was our event coordinator. We could not possibly have had a more perfect wedding day from start to finish. Kendall was so amazing throughout the entire process - she was so genuine, thoughtful and kind, so willing to assist with anything we may need, and went above and beyond in giving advice that Brides need to hear leading up to their wedding day. The tasting we had with her was so memorable - she made it so fun and both of our parents had such a great time. Not only was Kendall a 5 star event coordinator, but 19 East is an AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL venue! I would encourage anyone to get married there. The space is so versatile and beautiful, it's easy to get to in the city, and the upstairs bridal suite really makes an amazing space for pictures, parents with children to hang out, or if the Bride and Groom need a moment away. There's not enough great words I can say about Kendall and Food for Thought and 19 East! read more

My husband and I had our wedding at 19 East on 11/11/17. Choosing 19 East as our venue was one of the best decisions we made throughout the wedding planning process. The space itself is beautiful, and the people who work behind the scenes are the best. At every step of the way, Kendall and the rest of the team were incredibly helpful, responsive, flexible, professional, and friendly. They truly made the wedding planning process as stress-free and enjoyable as possible. Everything went smoothly on our wedding day, and it was exactly as we had planned. Thank you so much for helping us celebrate our special day! read more

We truly had the best experience possible at 19 East for our wedding. The venue was great. The venue is big enough to hold the ceremony in one room and the party and dinner in adjoining rooms. I love it when everything can happen at one place! The Food For Thought staff was awesome.....they catered to all of our needs, were easy to work with, very friendly and the communication was top-notch. The food and appetizers were outstanding. Our friends and family had a great time. I highly recommend 19 East for your wedding! read more

We had an Anniversary celebration for a non-profit scholarship fund at 19 East this summer and were delighted with our choice of venue every step of the way. Anna is super responsive and helpful, she made the stress of planning a large event during the middle of a national conference bearable. We were on a tight budget but our event came together beautifully thanks to the lovely space, our volunteer decorators, and the amazing food and beverage from FFT. So glad we found this option convenient to our conference at McCormick. read more

It was such a wonderful experience working with the team over at 19 East Chicago for CS magazine's BMW 7 Series Reveal event! Everything went flawlessly - the space was fantastic and Food for Thought's catering and service was impressive. The lighting, ambiance and acoustics fit our needs perfectly and the unique space provided a feeling of exclusivity. CS highly recommends this amazing event space. - Ally Cooke, Marketing Director at CS magazine/Modern Luxury read more