I have been to the Metropolis Ballroom for events before, but I was left a little underwhelmed this time. I was excited to support the local high school's madrigal performance--they were a 5 star act--but the supporting dinner around it was not what I imagined from the Metropolis. 1st service was mulled cider and 2 people at our table were missed so my boyfriend had to flag someone down to get the last 2 mugs filled. (The cider itself was delicious!) The tomato soup and bread course was good, although the soups were served at the same table at varying temperatures. I ordered the chicken for our party of 4 and that was pretty good. I did hear a high school student at the head table ask his parents if they could stop at Culver's on the way home because his chicken was not cooked. The dessert was pretty good, although I do not remember what it is by now. The soft drinks were grab and go cans laid out on the bar over ice. I had no problem with that choice, it was just a little unclear at first if the cans were included with our ticket or not. The coat check staff was quick and efficient. As someone who is not married yet, I had always thought about the Metropolis Ballroom as a possible venue, but after my latest experience, I would probably not consider them in the future. read more

Metropolis Ballroom - Ballroom entrance - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

I cannot begin to describe how happy we were with Metropolis Ballroom for our wedding. The venue itself was absolutely beautiful and it fit our style perfectly. We had 140 guests, but the venue definitely could have fit more! We had our ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception all in the same place which was so nice that our guests did not need to travel! The bridal suite and grooms room were both at the venue as well which was so convenient! What really set this venue apart from the others was the team. Rachel Herrera was our Event Producer and she was absolutely amazing. From start to finish she was great to work with! We booked our venue a year out and she was extremely organized, responsive with her email replies, accommodating, kind, and knowledgeable. She provided great insight and suggestions to help ensure our day was as successful and wonderful as it was. On the night of our wedding, Rachel was onsite and as supportive as ever! She also had a Banquet Captain, Mauricio, who was fantastic to work with. Guests are still raving about how great the food was. We were so pleased with the presentation and the quality of the food! We could not be happier with Metropolis and the team that helped create and execute our wedding. We are forever grateful and we would highly recommend this venue and their team to anyone! read more

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Went for Easter Brunch not inexpensive at $86 pp before tip. Nice ambiance beautiful view of terrace and flowering trees, comfortable seating white tablecloths fancy silverware. Nice music great service. Unlimited Mimosas and other soft drinks. Food was good quality but fresh oysters were small and they ran out midway through the day. ( they apologized said they didn't anticipate all the teenagers eating them). Sliced Lamb was excellent. Ham outstanding. Fresh fruit yummy cheese cubes. Epic dessert table was just that. So many petit fours, custom sundaes. Of course we all ate more than necessary. We'd definitely go again for Brunch. read more

Mary P, thank you for caring and writing your review. Totally agree with your experience and observation of the event. Only 2 heavy duty fans were brought in, not a few. I agree that whoever paid for the event should get a HUGE refund! read more

When my husband recently passed, it was clear that a funeral wasn't his "thing", and we opted for Celebration of Life instead. This is not an easy event to organize, you want to hit just the right notes of sorrow, and yet joy. The decor has to be subdued but not depressing, the ambience respectful but also casual, warm, and welcoming. I do not know how to thank Anita, the Special Events coordinator at the Metropolis Ballroom, enough. She helped us get everything EXACTLY RIGHT, and did it all with a gentle kindness that was exactly what I needed at that most difficult time. The event was amazing, the venue could not have been more perfect, and I happily give Anita and the Metropolis Ballroom a full five stars. May all your events be for joyous occasions! read more

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We could not have picked a better venue! We loved the outdoor area. The food was amazing and Anita was great to work with and very helpful!

Our family went to Metropolis Ballroom for Mother's Brunch, and it was such a wonderful experience! It is rare to see live sushi station at a brunch buffet. They have a good variety of rolls and even sashimi! Oysters and prime rib are our favorite as well! Beautiful place with outdoor seating. Our family took a lot of photos on the veranda. Live entertainment is a young and talented violinist. We for sure will be back next year if they have it again. read more

Metropolis Ballroom - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

I held a bridal shower in the ballroom (the biggest room) and it went perfect and smoothly. Staff was efficient and made the program go seamless. The great start buffet and omelet station was a hit with the guests. And everyone enjoyed going outside for the balcony view. Only thing was the a la fresco schedule barricaded the roads and people got confused how to park and get there so make sure to communicate directions during the summer months. read more

Think twice before having your wedding or event here if you have guests with dietary restrictions. We were told they could NOT accommodate food allergies and that guests with food allergies should bring their own carryout food into the venue. Yes, you read that correctly. Metropolis is good with foam carryout boxes being brought into the venue in the middle of the reception or event. Metropolis wants the guests (perhaps in formal attire) to leave the wedding or event, pick-up carryout, and then bring it back to guests with dietary restrictions. With more than 10 percent of the population over the age of 18 having a food allergy and countless more with celiac and other dietary restrictions, we are not sure Metropolis can stay in business with this very close-minded and extremely outdated and lazy position. Multiple other venues will accommodate dietary restrictions and in fact highlight their goal of ALL guests having an enjoyable time at an event. Metropolis likely won't be around much longer with this policy. read more

I attended a wedding reception here on 6/21/25. The temps outside were extreme (90+ Fahrenheit) and we soon discovered the air conditioning in the room we were in was not working. 100+ people tried to enjoy a wedding while sweating profusely. Over half of the guests left immediately after dinner. It was unbearable. Complaints were made by the hosts and a worker mentioned to my group that emergency calls were made to an HVAC company but nothing was done. After about 3 hours, a few heavy duty fans were put in the corners of the room but they did nothing substantial to cool off the room. We ended up leaving early because being dressed in formal clothes while trying not to pass out from the heat makes it impossible to enjoy the moment. I wasn't a member of the couple's immediate family but I think whoever paid for that venue should get a huge refund. Weddings are a once in a lifetime event and in my opinion, this one was completely ruined. read more

We recently had the tasting for our daughter's upcoming wedding at the Metropolis Ballroom. The tasting was handled professionally and efficiently. Our wedding event producer Anita, is extremely knowledgeable and pleasant. She answered all our questions. We were very impressed. Chef Eric is very accommodating. He was happy to adjust the menu to our dietary restrictions and make suggestions. The food was nicely presented and we were offered a large variety. Server Mauricio, quietly served us with timely precision. We left after 2 hours stuffed with all the different selections we tried. We look forward to a wonderful wedding in the fall. read more

we had our daughters wedding there on July 13,2024, the day was perfect, the staff was amazing and the food was delicious. Anita was great to work from start to finish with all of the planning, she was very attentive to every last detail. Thank you to all that were there that day and night to make this wedding a success! read more

We were there for my son's wedding last year and the Mother's Day brunch last weekend. In both cases the food and service were excellent. We will be back for their next brunch read more

Poor service and disappointing food. Took the staff half an hour to bring water for the table. They finally remembered it on the third try. Dirty dishes piling up all around. The advertisement said live music but there was no music to be had during our seating. Other brunches in town are half the price and the quality of food and service is much better. I should have known considering this place doesn't usually operate as a restaurant. read more

We booked the Metropolis Ballroom as a venue to hold a fundraising event for the Hersey High School band. The event was supposed to take place in February 2021; however, we had to cancel due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately for the Hersey band program, Metropolis was unwilling to refund the $750 deposit we made to reserve the ballroom, despite the fact that we are currently, legally unable to hold the event. In fairness, they did offer ability to apply the $750 deposit as a credit for a future event within the next 12 months, but we do not have any future events planned. The CEO of the Metropolis Ballroom will say that the $750 deposit is non-refundable, per the terms of our contract - which is true; however, it is very disappointing that they weren't willing to be more flexible, given the fact that we are in the midst of a deadly pandemic. I know things are tough for businesses right now, but it's just wrong that they would keep the school's money, especially when they aren't holding any events for the foreseeable future. I will personally never do business with Metropolis again. read more

First and last time. I spent a fortune taking my family out to brunch. My daughter found two measly snow crab claws that were hidden under ice. They were never replenished as far as I know. The omelette station was ok but definitely not worth the price tag for some very basic breakfast food and imitation crab sushi. read more

In 2019 our son had a wedding planned at metropolis for the summer of 2020. When Covid was still raging they cancelled, and rescheduled for the following year. Unfortunately, Covid was still a serious problem that year. We could not take the chance of possibly exposing so many people to the virus. Their circumstances changed again, and they had to cancel altogether. It's true that the contract states no refunds. However, this venue, like all the others, are fully booked with so many people getting married this year. They asked for a partial refund, and were turned down. The owner should do the ethical thing, and give some money back to the bride and groom. They gave the owner thousands of dollars for a deposit, and got nothing. This is a lot of money for a young couple to lose. read more

had my sons wedding here recently, what a beautiful venue. The outside veranda is a bonus to an already lovely room. The staff we worked with was great, kudos to Marta. They went out of their way to make sure everything went as planned from the setup to the last dance. BIG shout out to Rachael and Kristine for going above and beyond. Thank you! CeCe read more

FULL DISCLOSURE: Following my review the Director of Sales, Jamie called us to discuss on behalf of Metropolis (3/27). They fully owned up to what was lacking from our day and addressed our issues and concerns. They said that although they cannot bring back our day and the experience to our guest, they would like to offer us a small compensation to amend our customer experience for the shortage of food and for the fact that we were not happy with our cake through their partner bakery, Gladstone. We are grateful for this gesture, one that we did not expect, but of course, are happy with because it shows a level of care and courtesy. Although we have received compensation just this week (4/19) Metropolis NEVER once, asked me to update or change my Yelp review. I am updating this review to 3 stars out of my own will and to reflect the customer service that I received FOLLOWING the event. We are very satisfied with their level of professionalism from both Jamie and Tom (who is the owner of Metropolis) to rectify the situation. The tone of both individuals were professional and polite, they never once pointed fingers at their bakery partner, Gladstone, and admitted that there were areas for improvements from all sides. They also said they will take our feedback to improve future customers' experience. I respect this. In fact, following my first review, a fellow Yelper reached out to expressed her concerns because she is about to have her baby shower there this month. She said she reached out to Metropolis and they have been assuring that they will be on top of their game for her event. It really sounds like based on this feedback they have really turned around in their practices for future clients. In addition, she said she is able to bring in her own cake from another bakery. This is a huge improvement because of my recent experience with Gladstone bakery, this is now a deal-breaker. I cannot say the situation was rectify with the bakery nor can I recommend the bakery. (I was less satisfy than when I had started and I didn't even think that was possible... you will have to go to that particular Gladstone review for details.) All in all, this was a job well-done in turning things around by a banquet hall. We respect their business and we will say that while our son's birthday event fell short of our expectations, Metropolis went above our expectations to make up for it. This shows character in the business and we are glad to update our review to reflect this. read more

Yesterday, we had a reservation for five people at 1 o'clock. One of those people was to be my 91 year-old mother. When she woke up, she was having dizziness and headaches. Her blood pressure and pulse were also very high. Needless to say, my self, my mother and the caretaker from my mother were unable to attend, the brunch. When my daughter went with her partner, she was charged for five people, even though there were only two. I don't find this to be fair since it was an unforeseeable circumstance. I am requesting a refund of the three people who could not make the brunch. Since my daughter moved into Arlington Heights a month ago, we have been spending a lot of time and money in the downtown area. Especially since they opened up the alfresco dining. My mother is in a wheelchair and cannot travel without a caretaker. She lives with me and obviously, with our fear of her having a stroke, we did not attend. I really hope that you give consideration to refunding the money that was paid for the three people that did not partake. I will wait to hear from you before I go any further with this request. Thank you very much. read more

Found in Arlington Heights downtown, an exciting up and coming area. Who knew? Not me. Free ample parking next door in the parking garage. Street parking is available dependent on the day, weekends can be very, very busy. Check out the Metropolis website, ample photos detailing the rooms available, seating, spirits selections, etc. Easy access to the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre as well. Invited for a work holiday party, we were seated in one of the smaller party rooms. The room composed of brick faced walls and opposite that, a painting (on the wall) of a king and queen seated as jesters and musicians performed for their enjoyment. Great space for our party of 20+ guests, tables were shaped in a "U", ease for the servers to serve to the table and allowed for us all to see and talk. Room came with a bar / staff & two in room servers. It really benefits your event when tip is included in ordering & paying for your party. For this event, that's what they did and all cocktails served were STRONG. The selection of spirits, I would say were "well" or "call" brands. I'd say most stopped after two drinks. LOL. When you book a three hour open bar, be wary, though the time was thoroughly enjoyed. Few people tried to tip for drinks which was discouraged by the bar staff! They must've been well taken care of, or, they just want to show their customers "their" level of service. Compliments to the staff for being excellent and engaging throughout the party. During drinks maybe four courses of appetizers were served. Nothing too amazing or worth mention. Dinner: I was surprised that the portions weren't bigger, it was just enough to say that you have eaten. Based on the look of the ballroom, the fact that the department head was so adamant that everyone attend this holiday party, I suspect the per person charge would've been expensive. Still, how could they serve just a meager portion? First course, cucumber salad with field greens? See photo. Second course, I ordered the Angus Beef Tenderloin, it arrived drenched in Au Jus with a twice baked stuffed potato and some mixed veggies (sugar snap peas and carrots). A 1 would've been a good alternative to the brown gravy, had it been available. Also there was no option to how the steak should be prepared, it arrived, medium rare. Yuck! I hate to see blood on my plate. The potato could've had more stuffing and veggies were good. Dessert was a joke. A martini glass filled with maybe a oz of vanilla ice cream, topped with a bit of fudge chocolate syrup and served with a dipped pirouette cookie. They were trying, but not hard enough. Ridiculous, was that, as it was served to each person you could see an order of progression. The first glass had as much in it as mine had. Further down the table the amount of ice cream increased while the amount of fudge decreased. Towards the end of the tables, the glass was filled fully with ice cream, lowered amount of fudge and no pirouette cookie. We called the servers over and inquired about it. They agreed it was odd, it even seemed like they'd noticed that earlier before serving. Did they do anything about it? No. They just smiled and talked amongst themselves. Room full of holiday partier's who have had alcohol and were looking towards a decent dessert, what were these Idiots thinking. Presentation of the food overall was fine. Customer service, having answers about problems with food, etc, wasn't great. For a small gathering its alright. Concerning a larger occasion I would require more clarity. read more

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I'm not going to fake the funk and act as if I loved planning my wedding because between saying sayonara to a big chunk of change, and having every weekend taken up with to-do lists-let's just say a week before the big day, eloping to some exotic destination was looking mighty nice! Then came the big day that turned out to be pretty flawless. Rewind 15 months prior - - we wanted a wedding venue that was a little different than a typical banquet hall - we wanted a modern twist without the walls looking too night-clubby - somewhere in the middle between suburbs and the city - free ample parking - good food - lofty, but not a real loft where you had to bring your own caterer and rent your own chairs (that could be crazy pricey) - not as expensive as a hotel wedding - Managers that were knowledgeable and not shady Metropolis Ballroom was all of that and more. I made it a point to write a review long after the event was over (just to make sure I wasn't still riding on the 'wedding high' from our August wedding) Michael Raymond is a force to be reckoned with. Every wedding should have a 'Michael Raymond' running the show. From realizing that I wanted eggplant tablecloths(and not letting me settle for anything but), ensuring that my bridal party knew how to walk during introductions, cutting our vendors dinners short(dj, photog, video) to make sure we stayed on schedule, showing us how to cut the wedding cake, dancing to Lady Gaga with me, Michael Raymond and his staff definitely knows what he's doing. Many of our guests were impressed by how the wedding ran like clock-work and allowed maximum dancing time! Also an honorable mention - 3 weeks before our wedding it was announced that the Taste of Arlington Heights Festival was to be held across the street on the SAME DAY. Michael worked his magic and talked to the city of Arlington Heights to ensure that the parking structure had reserved 130 parking spots EXCLUSIVELY for our guests. As much as this festival could've been bad for our wedding (it upstaged our dinner music a little) the live band that was playing provided extra entertainment for our guests along the balcony and was even nice enough to dedicate a song to us! What I initially thought would be bad news ended adding another special touch to our wedding day. One IMPORTANT BONUS: There was ALWAYS an attendant watching the gift box. Envelopes were periodically taken from the gift box/basket and put in the office safe to make sure none of them get misplaced. The banquet manager then hands you all off them at the end of the night. All in all, the Metropolis was a great wedding venue - with onsight catering, excellent service, and attention-to-detail. All of the things you like about the urban setting without the urban headaches(expense, lack of parking, horrible traffic). A great value and our wedding couldn't have turned out any better. read more

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Metropolis Ballroom was our wedding venue and we could not be happier with our experience! Shawna, Director of Weddings, is a true professional and wonderful to work with. One point of feedback - wine was quoted at one price, but charged at a 25% markup. Although we were disappointed by this, we still feel that overall our wedding was fairly priced. We have, and will continue, to recommend Shawna and the Metropolis Ballroom to family and friends. Thank you to the team for helping us create the wedding of our dreams! read more

On Friday, July 19th, my husband Matt and I celebrated our wedding at the Metropolis. I would like to start off by saying that our wedding was beautiful and was everything that we hoped it would be. On our actual wedding day, Mikayla was there to handle all of the "day of" details. She was absolutely AMAZING. We wish we were able to work with her throughout our wedding planning because her attitude was exactly what we were looking for. With that being said, unfortunately, there were some issues that came up along the way that we were not happy with, leaving a sour taste in our mouths. We had several issues with Shawna throughout the planning process. She was rude and seemed annoyed with us every time that we met with her after signing the contract. In April, when we came in for our tasting, we brought four people with us (which Shawna was aware of), so six total. She seemed annoyed the entire time we were there for the tasting and was rude when we asked any questions. We were so proud to bring my parents and siblings to show them how wonderful the venue was and we were embarrassed with how we were treated. My husband was so frustrated that he sent Shawna an email afterwards expressing that to her. Unfortunately, her response wasn't exactly what we were expecting. Shawna was overwhelmed by the number of people who attended the tasting. Really? We were the first people to have six people at a tasting? She also stated that this was just a tasting and not time for questions about other things, even though she always told us to ask questions. In June, my mom and I had to go back for another tasting because some items weren't available at our original tasting. We were really expecting that things would be different. Unfortunately, Shawna wouldn't even make eye contact with my mom, even when she was asking questions. We were also surprised when we got our final invoice. It was higher than we had anticipated because of the price increases from 2018 to 2019. I would suggest allowing couples to lock-in prices because really, they are signing a contract based off prices they are currently seeing. I'm sure it's in the contract but I think it would be nice if we were told by Shawna about the price increase. It wasn't until I asked her why the total was more than what we figured. I just feel like the couple should be given the updated prices as soon as they are available. Had I not said anything to her, we never would've known. In addition, they may want to consider including some of the "extras", instead of charging for everything. By the end, we felt that we were being nickel and dimed to death. If another bartender is needed based on the number of people, the venue should absorb the cost. The twinkling lights, garden chairs, the list goes on. Shawna was good at responding to emails in a prompt and timely manner, but her customer service and attitude was poor. I feel as though in the role she's in, superior customer service is critical, but we never saw it. I had many people after the rehearsal ask what her issue was or why she had such an attitude, which is embarrassing that they picked up on it. Another big issue pertains to the bridal suite. I emailed Shawna to make sure we could leave our stuff overnight and was told yes. As my parents, husband, and I were leaving the venue after the reception (after a very long day), I was told that I had to clean out the bridal suite. This could've been done much earlier, rather than when we were leaving the venue. If we needed to clean it out, that should have been clear in the e-mail back to me. Instead, we were doing it at 12:30 a.m. Finally, I dreaded going in for meetings with Shawna because I was nervous about how we were going to be treated, which really turned me off to the venue. I would doubt that is how you want couples to feel, especially when they are paying $20,000+ for their wedding. I reached out to the owner of Metropolis and voiced my concerns about Shawna, as well as his staff losing glasses that I had customized for my bridal party. He responded to me a week later stating that he would get back to me within a week and never did. This is a beautiful venue but the overall customer service makes this somewhere that I would never book or recommend again. After countless emails, they stopped responding, when they were the ones that lost my personal items. It's very disheartening that they couldn't even find the time to respond or replace these items. read more

Booked my daughter's wedding shower at the Metropolis ballroom. Courtney (Director of Corporate and Social Events) was wonderful helping me plan this event. We decided on a brunch since the shower was from 11:30am-3:30pm. We had breakfast and lunch entrees. They also offer a food tasting which helped us make decisions on the choices. The ballroom was so beautiful all set up the day of the shower. And the veranda was so nice to be able to step outside. The wait staff were wonderful always asking if we needed anything. The food was delicious. Many guests complimented on the food and venue. I would highly recommend the Metropolis. The florist I used was Sylvia's in Arlington Heights. They did a phenomenal job capturing the theme I wanted. I posted photos with Welcome sign and sweets table. It was a beautiful day and we had a wonderful time. Thank you, Linda read more

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A beautiful venue! The ballroom was gorgeous! The owner was a bit rude to deal with but I enjoyed the waitstaff there. If I go back I will avoid the owner so I can have a better experience read more

We just celebrated our Wedding on 3/25/22- which was previously postponed from our NYE 2021 date due to Covid. Jill and Tom were AMAZING to work with and I can't say enough about them. Jill was so consistent and accommodating to anything that we needed and was always willing to go above and beyond to make our special day a dream come true! The venue itself is beautiful with the lofted ceilings and floor to ceiling windows that overlooked the veranda. The wait staff was also top notch and Kate (catering manager I believe) could not have been more attentive the night of! Over all, if you are looking for a beautiful venue to hold your next event, you should definitely consider The Metropolis and ask for Jill! Thank you again :) read more

My son and daughter inlaw just had their reception there. I have to say yes it was beautiful but the server's were rude and one of them pushed me and I was hurt. Manager said what can I do like really you server just put her hands on me. There was one sever that was the best and made me feel so special . and also another manager that took great care of me when I got hurt. But for the price, I thought the quality would have be better.also they had music in the park which closed of streets and hard to find parking for guest . read more

Everyone's heard of the bridezilla. A frightening creature that is spawned from engagement to wedding that wreaks havoc on her clueless fiancé, bridesmaids, family, florists, etc. etc. I had no idea that another monster may be lurking around in the swampy wedding season ...the venue-manager-zilla!! Ok, that's quite a mouthful but would have had a mouthful to say to this guy if it had been my wedding he had been micro-managing. 1. Wouldn't allow DJs to have even one drink. I understand that the manager was probably trying to keep all vendors professional but one drink isn't going to get anyone in trouble. 2. Wouldn't allow the newlyweds access to certain VIP areas for pictures. 3. Instructed the bartenders to cut people off (people who definitely were not intoxicated by any definition). My husband's cousin, the groom, and his bride paid for top shelf open bar, and I think they need to honor that contract. 4. The wedding cake table gave way and the bride watched in horror as her beautiful four tiered cake toppled onto the floor. She insisted that none of the cake be served even if some layers did not touch the floor, but to her dismay, some of the cake was served to the guests. Food was good, but not memorable. Yes, the space is beautiful. New. Clean. Modern. Exposed brick walls. A gorgeous balcony. Just be careful not to judge a book by its cover, and watch out for the venue-manager-zilla (Michael). read more

Attended a wedding here for a friend, beautiful venue, big free parking lot right next door and the staff was very attentive. Will keep it in mind for future parties and events. read more

My fiancé and I attended a wedding at this venue on Sunday, July 3, 2016. Out of a 200 person wedding, over 80 guests are sick (including the bride and groom) and being hospitalized for a food borne outbreak. My fiancé and I got released from the emergency room yesterday. When the groom spoke to the owner, Tom, about the incident he tried blaming it on the bakery the couple hired to bring desserts for the dessert table (both me and my fiancé did not have any sweets that evening along with many others). How can someone point blame without investigating on their end first? Poor business and customer service. I hope this place goes down the tubes and people stop giving it the hype it doesn't deserve. Aside from this incident the food wasn't served hot, not even lukewarm. It was cold! Everything came out super late, we didn't finishing eating until after 10pm when appetizers were served at 6pm. The staff did not seem like they knew what they were doing, very scatter brained and eager to get out of there. I feel terrible for the happy couple who wasted their hard earned dollars on this place. Newlyweds, BEWARE! read more

My husband and I were just married at the Metropolis Ballroom on 3/27/10. Our experience was overall - excellent. Viewing the venue - We met with Michael Raymond, the director, to view the venue and discuss pricing. Since we were planning a wedding in 4 months and chose March, we were able to get an excellent deal on price per person. My husband and I asked why they were able to give us such a good deal and Michael indicated that they were going to tweak the menu and number of courses to fit our budget. We were excited. Initially he said we would receive 4 course instead of 5. We were happy with that. In addition, we would serve our cake vs. paying for additional desserts. We were happy with that too. Later on, we learned that we would only receive 3 course, not 4. After some confusion, we still lost out and had to pay for an additional course. That is one of only two complaints I have about the venue. The second complaint is coming... The Tasting - We thoroughly enjoyed the tasting and felt like royalty. They do not do "group tastings." You sit down with the director and the people you brought. You do not have to share the time with other customers. The food is excellent, especially the Shrimp and Corn Chowder soup. We selected appetizers, soups, salads, and entrees. We chose a crab cake appetizer that I was not aware was a "premium" appetizer and was going to cost an additional $3 a person. I wish when I had given the list of items to prepare for our tasting that I would have known the crab cake would cost more should we select it. The ended up throwing it in with no additional charge. Thank you! The Rehearsal - It comes free of charge and can be run by Michael, the director. So if you don't want to pay your minister to come to the rehearsal - he does an excellent job. The Wedding Day - No complaints. Everyone one is amazing. They know exactly what they're doing. The service was beyond expectations. Michael is a jack of all trades. He fixed my dress, my bustle, and my hair. He made little beds for the kids to sleep on behind the head table. He yelled at the florist for me and made sure everything was perfect. He even saved a dance for me too. Overall - I highly recommend the venue if you can afford it. If it were prime time wedding season and we were planning for a year and a half out...we could never afford it. But if you're flexible and realize that you really only need a few months to put it together - then you're in for a great deal with many of your vendors. read more

My husband and I were married at Metropolis Ballroom in November 2011. My wedding planner found this gem after we looked at over 20 venues in Chicago. The first time I walked into the ballroom, I was in love and thought it was so beautiful. Hard wood floors, high ceilings, exposed brick, huge outdoor balcony - everything that I was looking for in a wedding venue. Some other perks of Metropolis is that they have tons of free parking next door, it is in a beautiful area in downtown Arlington Heights and very close to hotels. During our planning process, Metropolis made some updates to the venue. They painted and refinished the already gorgeous hardwood floors and in the area where the cocktail hour was held, it was originally two separate rooms. They knocked down the wall separating the two rooms which was a win win for us. Michael Raymond is the manager and will be your primary point of contact. Some may have differing opinions about Michael but here is my honest opinion as the bride - I liked Michael Raymond a lot and believe that it always strived to make the bride happy even if that means stepping on some toes. I read in another review that "every bride needs a Michael" and I couldn't agree more. Over the next 6 months, we emailed and met with Michael about different things such as our vendors, the timeline, linens, the menu, decor, etc. He was very good about getting our questions answered. The Metropolis Ballroom has on-site catering which was great because it is one less thing we had to worry about. We had a great tasting of the menu (we actually had two because we did not like the second part of the meat entree) and had the hors d'oeuvres for cocktail hour tailor made. It was just my husband and I, my in-laws and our wedding planner. The presentation was great and private. Michael was able to come with a new items that were off of the menu to our liking. They were also able to accommodate our vegetarian guests as well as our guests who keep Kosher. The food at the actual wedding was just as delicious as it was at the tasting which was a concern of ours since most weddings do not have good food. We had a lot of issues with wanting mixed nuts and candies on the tables for cocktail hour and on the tables at the reception before dinner. Michael said that they would provide this for $6 per person. We had 220 guests at our wedding and this was just ridiculous. After much negotiating, we were allowed to bring in our own mixed nuts and candies for the tables which were bought from Costco and saved TONS of money - more than $1,200!! For our rehearsal, Metropolis Ballroom booked a last minute event so we weren't not able to do it there. We had our rehearsal and dinner at the nearby restaurant, Las Tascas. Michael came and conducted the rehearsal and put me at ease about our wedding the next day. It is free to run a rehearsal and I believe it helps to do a quick walk through. A few reasons why Metropolis did not get 5 stars: For setup, Metropolis requests you drop off all decor that you can on the Wednesday before your event. It will be locked in a closet, which was great. More stuff that we didn't have to think about the day before or day of. We were supposed to have access to the bridal suite and setup to start at 3:00 p.m. However, Metropolis squeezed in another an event for the day and it was scheduled to end at 5:00 p.m. and then they would flip the rooms to get ready for our 6:30 p.m. ceremony. Sounds like a lot to do in 90 minutes, right?? They assured us it would not be a problem. In the end, this put us behind for the REST of the night. Not only were our guests left standing around, but Metropolis didn't even open the bar to keep people entertained while they were continuing to set up the room. The late start put us behind schedule for the rest of the evening. Before Michael left for the night, we confirmed with him that because of the late start, it wouldn't be a problem for the party to run longer - which he didn't communicate to the woman who took over for him. This caused unnecessary friction for us, as well as our families. None of us should have had to deal with that. For some reason even though I was clear that I wanted our cake to be one layer is chocolate cake and one layer is yellow cake with strawberry filing, it was wrong. I only had one bite and didn't love it like the one at the tasting. All in all, our wedding was gorgeous - the cocktail hour was great, the food was fantastic and the service was good. I would recommend Metropolis Ballroom to other brides and grooms. read more

Metropolis Ballroom - Our wedding reception - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Arlington Heights, Illinois

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I attended the Mothers Day brunch and it was spectacular. The Metropolis Ballroom is a beautiful space I would call urban chic with wooden trusses in the cathedral ceiling. Our server was very attentive and was standing by to get us Champagne cocktails and clear our table. In the center of the room there were various carving and omelette stations. On the perimeter of the room were desert and fruit vignettes. Everything our group ate was visually appealing and absolutely delicious. The cuisine was absolutely restaurant quality. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the oysters on the half shell. Icy cold and the freshest I have ever eaten. I highly recommend this brunch. A real surprising gem in the suburbs. read more

My nephew was recently (Aug 2015) married here and I was really impressed with the place. As a professional, corporate event planner my expectations are often dashed, but not this time. The space is really well-done and clean. Very flexible space and the furnishings were terrific. There is a full wall of windows and an outdoor balcony. The evening we were there it unfortunately rained, but what an amazing lightning show seen through the windows. The food was good. The real crowning glory was the staff. They did an excellent job. I know I will likely spell this wrong, but Erena went out of her way to care about our needs and exceed our expectations. She really left a lasting and positive impression. I will most definitely recommend this venue! Incidentally, the ONLY reason I didn't give 5 stars was the fact that the cocktail reception area(not the ballroom itself) needs better ventilation/air conditioning. All of the guests were in there for about 45 to 60 minutes and it got quite warm. read more

I got married here May of 2011. I have such good memories here. Everything was beautiful. Michael Raymond rocks. He gave us a dance lesson. He diffused disagreements. He put me at ease by being as anal as I wished I could be, when I didn't have the guts to be (this is 100% a compliment). He made everything great. The decor is beautiful and very unique (for the suburbs). The food was delicious (especially the tomato soup, oh my god). The cocktail room while the reception was being set up was perfect with the exposed brick and view of downtown Arlington Heights (pretty full but less jammed than I'd worried it would be). I had no dream wedding when I started looking at venues, but then I found this place!! read more

I'm reviewing just the upper special events room only. I attended Metropolis for a wedding and it was a great time. I think most of the decoration and set ups had nothing to do with Metropolis itself and it was more of just a venue that hosted the wedding. There is a lot of free parking in the area which makes it a nice place to host a party. They had a couple hours of open bar but their drink choices were fairly limited. In terms of service and catering, they did a fantastic job. They were very considerate of taking away plates and glasses when people were done eating. There was a buffet choice and I think it was made in house. The food was above average for a place like this. The awesome part is they had a lot of choices... beef, chicken, tenderloin, several vegetable choices. All of the meats were tender and easy to eat. The mixed vegetables were great (a lot of times vegetables are either overcooked or too mushy) but they came out great here. Another big plus is they have a balcony area you can go to if it's too hot inside that overlooks downtown Arlington Heights. It's a good place for good conversation to happen (as long as it's not too chilly). Overall, I think it's a good place to host a mid-sized event (about 100-200 people). read more

My wife and I had to plan our wedding during Covid (not ideal, but that is how the timing worked out) Every month the Country and State guidelines would change. However, Shawna was wonderful to work with. Every step of the way, every change, she was on top of it. When the wedding day came, we had a smaller wedding but her staff made everyone feel very safe. The ballroom itself was absolutely stunning, the food was so good, and the service was top notch. I want to thank Shawna, her staff, and Metropolis Ballroom for the wedding of our dreams. I cannot recommend this venue and Shawna enough any future Mrs. and Mrs. read more

the food is horrible. and has no taste. , the room is very mediocre, if you can bring your own food or chef. than go. for it because all of there food is very bland. and tasteless read more

Wedding and reception on St. Patrick's Day. Shawna was a joy to work with, loved timeline in advance. There was nothing we wanted that we couldn't have. Food and cake were fabulous. We had guests from all over the country and everyone said how good the food was. Ceremony beautiful, loved veranda for pictures and move to cocktail hour to a different room really nice. (Appetizers great.) Staff was always right on it and kept asking if we needed anything. Perfect! Glad we made the decision to have the wedding in Arlington Heights. read more