CityGate Grille

ran seamlessly. Food was very important to use when we were looking into venues, and City Gate did not disappoint. We are still getting compliments from our guests about the food! You get a lot for your money and we are so grateful we chose to do our ceremony and reception here.

s also amazing. Head chef Adam Tanner made sure everything was made to order and even came down to check on us! All the guest could talk about the next day was how beautiful the place was and the amazing food! I would HIGHLY recommend this place! They made you feel at home and very special!

thing we wanted. She even came to the hotel suite that the bridesmaids were getting ready in to make sure we were doing okay! The food was amazing and we got so many compliments on it. Unfortunately it was raining on our wedding day but the outdoor patio is a beautiful place to have cocktail hour and to use during the reception if the weather is nice. Overall, I would HIGHLY recommend having your event at CityGate, you will not regret it. We had the wedding of our dreams and would not have changed a thing! Thank you Barb for making everything absolutely perfect!

t! Right before our ceremony it started to rain and she was able to get our guests seated quickly so we could have our outdoor ceremony we dreamed out before it started raining too hard. We would highly recommend having your wedding at CityGate. The food and drinks were excellent and the outdoor patio is perfect for drinks by the fire pits. We booked our room at Hotel Arista which was beautiful. The staff there was very accommodating. Thank you to Barb and all of the staff at CityGate and Hotel Arista for making our day perfect!

wedding feel. The room was set up with round tables and cocktail tables and the outside patio was everything for a summer night party. Barb even helped with center pieces and the cake is included in the package, which is extremely helpful, plus it was beautiful and delicious. The food is amazing, we had tons of food options and the staff during the reception was friendly, polite and accommodating. We had exactly the wedding we wanted! Wish we had our ceremony there as well, we missed out on that because we found this place last minute and had arranged the ceremony already, but the patio/outside area is beautiful for your ceremony as well.

venue for that. Katie and Barb helped us plan our big day. They were both so sweet and their attention to detail was spot on. We had several meetings before the wedding but because of that everything went off without a hitch. They were both my "right hand women". I couldn't have picked two better women to work with. They say planning a wedding is very stressful but the two of them made it stress free. I knew I was in very good hands. We were worried about the weather for the day of but it was a perfect 70 and sunny. The patio is so beautiful so we were so happy we got to utilize it. Love the lights everywhere and the fire pit. Let's talk about the food now. The food was phenomenal! Katie knew we'd be talking to our guests during cocktail hour making it impossible to eat so she made sure we had a plateful of the apps at our table waiting for us. We hit the "easy" button and decided to serve steak and chicken on the same plate but did accommodate people with special dietary restrictions. I highly recommend going this route because it'll make your life easier. Everyone commented on how great the food was. All in all I'd say our wedding was absolutely perfect. My husband and I are city people and wanted our wedding in the city but for all the upgrading we did at CGG we'd be paying substantially more just to have it in the city and that wasn't worth it to us. The CGG gave us everything we wanted and for a really great value. The wedding came out exactly as we envisioned it and we couldn't be happier.

commend CityGate Grille to anyone looking for a venue that stands out from the rest. Our guests raved about the food and outdoor terrace. Barb was very tentative to us the day of the wedding. Thank you CityGate Grille for all of your hard work!

job at transforming their event space into my dream reception. Having the outside terrace to use on the warm summer night was a great feature. The food was to die for, the wait staff was extremely fast and respectful. There were so many people from CityGate that made the whole night flow smoothly. Thank you Barb for making it all happen!

f, and done so quickly and fairly. The rest of the staff we worked with were wonderful, too, and so incredibly nice. The entire Calamos complex was top-notch. Having Hotel Arista so close was a huge plus. We've received nothing but compliments on the food. The food coming fresh from the kitchen worked great for two reasons- one, it tasted fresher, and two, it allowed us to actually eat and take a quick breather before the dancing got going. De'Etta's Bakery, the company that the cake is contracted through, is top notch, too! We are so glad that we chose CityGate Grille for our reception!

tails before dinner. Our wedding coordinator, Barb was fabulous! We did not have to worry about a thing. She made sure everything ran smoothly for the ceremony & reception. The food was great-we received so many compliments from our guests on the food choice, which was steak & chicken marsala. I would definitely recommend CityGate for anyone who is looking for a wedding venue!

included a complimentary wedding cake (saved us hundreds probably!), complimentary hotel room the night of our wedding (which was an AMAZING suite that even gave us chocolate covered strawberries!), a one-year anniversary dinner and one-year anniversary cake. Not only all of that, but the package is extremely flexible if you decide you don't want all the courses, or to limit drinks, etc. Anything taken away lowers the price per person so we were able to do so much. When I booked, I met with Holley who was absolutely incredible and to be honest, a big part of the reason why we decided on CityGate was because of her and how organized, accommodating, flexible, and kind she was. We were so upset to find out that she wasn't staying, and had found a new job elsewhere. However, we worked with Laura after Holley left, who was super prompt and great at answering my questions, and then they eventually hired Barb who now is in Holley's place and was there the night of our wedding. Barb was incredible and though she had a high bar set for her, we were so pleased with everything. Only thing I will say is that she was not as quick to answer emails since she is in office a lot less and doesn't answer emails outside of the office, but it was not a problem really and she was so thorough once she replied so we truly don't have any complaints. Thanks CityGate Grille!

staff was amazing the whole night. The food was amazing! We got a lot of compliments for all our guests about how perfect everything was. I would highly recommend CityGate to anyone.

sta, where our guests stayed, we were able to hold our ceremony on the patio of CG, and the layout was perfect for our 175 guests. The food was amazing, we went with the steak with chimichurri sauce and the pear and onion glazed chicken. The appetizers we chose were the tuna ahi crisps, bacon wrapped dates, beef tenderloin skewers, and bruschetta.

first drove to meet with Holley, we realized we've been to the restaurant upstairs before and immediately had a relief knowing at least the food will be outstanding (we are both big foodies and our guests expected nothing less but gourmet kitchen). Once we saw the space downstairs, we were stunned by the big top to bottom (almost 180°) windows. On top of that there was a private terrace surrounding the main room, which also included! My husband (then fiancé) and I looked at each other and immediately knew we had found our place! Once we booked we realized we'd also hit the jackpot! Holley (and the venue) was very flexible with every crazy request we threw at her. The best part is that she actually cared, she wanted to be involved, she came up with ideas, solutions and always sent me updates with diagrams and photos so it's easier to visualize . She was extremely prompt, attentive and somehow could "read my mind". I'd only give her an idea or ask question and you bet she knew how to beautifully make it happen! The day of our wedding Holley was managing the entire flow and made sure all decorations were on point. The entire CitiGate Grille team did a phenomenal job, all of our guests thought the place looked amazing, they were obsessed with every food choice they were served and everyone was taken care of greatly. Thank you CitiGate Grille for the phenomenal service, food, and experience. But most of all thank you Holley Himes for delivering the smoothest and best wedding day anyone could have ever ask for!!! ♡♡♡ P.S. There always was at least one negative review for every venue we looked at. But believe me, even if you come across one for CityGate Grille, just ignore it! I am one of the toughest critics and still There's nothing I can even think of that we didn't like, not one thing!

ception, but Holley made sure everything went smoothly. All of the food was great and everyone had a really good time. We had a couple of very last minute changes and Holley took care of everything; she was even able to get a wheelchair for my father to use. The suite at the Hotel Arista was awesome and very much appreciated. My only regret is that we didn't really discuss valet parking options and we really could have used it thanks to the bad weather.

hank for the suite we got at hotel Arista on them. All and all, it was the perfect choice for us.

ooked this venue 14 months in advance to lock in the current rates. At the meeting she informed me the cost per plate was now up 10 dollars and THEY HAD THE WRONG WEDDING DATE!!!! We saw the venue set up and ready for a reception.To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. The carpet was dirty, the walls needed panting and the linen on the seating card table was shredded. After this meeting I decided to go else where. I gave them a list of issues and told them I was canceling my contract they still made me pay the remainder of the deposit to the tune of $1,000!!! I experienced them as being untrustworthy and liars! My advice to you is to STAY AWAY!!

was a unique space that fit our vision perfectly – we both looked at each other and said “this is it!” Customer service and attention to detail is a high priority for the coordinators of CityGate. The then- coordinator, Nancy was amazing. Extremely warm and very patient (I sent her so many e-mails with questions, I was sure she rolled her eyes every time she saw my name pop-up in e-mail!) but she always responded promptly with a cheery, thorough e-mail. I worked with Nancy for almost a year-and-a-half and about 2 months before our wedding, I received an e-mail that Nancy had decided to pursue an opportunity outside of CityGate. I was a little panicked but received many e-mails from the manager, assuring I still could contact her for everything and they were quickly finding Nancy’s replacement. Fortunately, Nancy’s position was filled extremely fast by the new coordinator, Brittiny. I have to admit, I was impressed with Nancy’s customer service but Brittiny blew me away with her exceptional customer service. She quickly planned a sit-down meeting with me, to assuage any nerves I had, and we went through EVERYTHING in extreme detail to make sure we both were on the same page and that I was getting exactly what I had signed for on my contract. I left feeling calmed and really excited to work with Brittiny as I knew she would help put on an amazing event! About a month before the wedding, I would say Brittiny was in touch with me almost every day via e-mail. Finalizing plans, answering questions, making sure we were on the same page – something I really appreciated because you could tell she really wanted to make sure our wedding day was exactly as how we envisioned it. The day of Brittiny did not disappoint. She was extremely attentive to my husband and I ensuring we had everything we needed and were happy and comfortable. She also sent up chocolate covered strawberries & a bottle of champagne to our suite on the night of our wedding. It was a really nice touch to return to the room and see that waiting there for us! My reception was absolutely perfect and I really have it all to thank to Brittiny and her staff at CityGate. I received MANY compliments on the location (it was beautiful!) and the food (every one raved about how exceptional the food was). If you have a moderate size wedding (we had 95), check out CityGate, you will not be disappointed and working with Brittiny will be an enjoyable experience.

nd weddings there. I wanted a space that was more interesting and unique than just a rectangular ballroom, and I found that here. Having the patio space for cocktails is a great bonus! Right from the get-go, I received excellent service and attention from the then-coordinator, Nancy. She allowed me to visit the site while they were setting up for other weddings repeatedly so that I could see different layouts in actuality. This also gave me the opportunity to see the staff at work, which was a very calm and organized process, even when dealing with obstacles. Our menu tasting was a wonderful experience. We were seated at a table in the CityGate Grill restaurant upstairs and were able to taste and savor the different options we had chosen to try. Everything was delicous! My fiance, who hates seafood, insisted that we serve the crabcakes because even he liked them! My favorite part was when I was told that, as the bride, I get to eat whatever I want. So I got tomato soup and a side of risotto (my favorite foods) while everyone else was eating the yummy bean soup and garlic potatoes. A few weeks before the big day, I received notification from Nancy that she had accepted a new position and would be leaving CityGate Grille. As sad as I was to see her go, I knew I would be in good hands because I had received nothing but excellent service from everyone I had interacted with at both CityGate and Hotel Arista. Fortunately, Nancy's position was filled right away again, and I was able to meet with the new coordinator, Brittiny, as soon as possible. A mere two weeks before the event, we had a wonderful, stress-free meeting to go over all the details. She was enthusiastic and eager to make sure everything we had discussed with and agreed to with Nancy would be delivered, including honoring an outdated reception package that included more than the current one. On the big day, the entire staff was incredible accommodating. There were a couple times during cocktail hour when I needed Brittiny while she was inside getting the dining room ready, but the wait staff was great about sending her out to me. There was also some confusion about what to do with the wedding gifts during cocktail hour because the gift table was inside the off-limits dining room, and a little bit more direction was needed by the guests when it came time to move inside for dinner. People were entering through the wrong doors and bypassing the escort card table, so they didn't know where to sit, but eventually they were pointed in the right direction and everyone was seated in record time. Overall, the evening went very smoothly. We received so many compliments on the location and the food, including the cake. I highly recommend this venue to brides who are having moderate-sized weddings (we had 75) and who want something a little bit out of the ordinary but still fairly traditional. Compared to other venues in the area, this place is a GREAT value and doesn't impose "their way of doing things" on the customer. Brittiny is a delight to work with and was willing to make anything I asked of her happen.

g was set-up beautifully, better than I had imagined. However, I was slightly disappointed at the taste of some of my food, which was not as flavorful as I had remembered it being at my tasting. Also, some of the waitstaff were in a rush and because our space was a bit crowded, several guests commented to me about the servers brushing past them, though I myself did not experience this. Also, we had planned in advance to show a video from the Internet, which the event manager had assured us two days prior that we would be able to connect to their Wi-Fi and play it. However, the moment came and she was not able to figure out how to connect it, thus only the audio of our video was able to play, which was a tad upsetting. Overall, I had a wonderful wedding, just these few minor details made an impact enough that I remembered them after our day had passed.

fit all of my guests (115) comfortably, and the food and service was wonderful. Everyone from the bartender to the waiters to the guy filling everyone's water was friendly, attentive, and had a very positive attitude. I hear about the food constantly from any guest I happen to talk to now. The hors d'oeuvres were exquisite (I was so happy when one of the servers popped upstairs from the cocktail hour to deliver a plate to me and my wedding party!!) and the entrees were unexpected and delicious. The only thing I can't comment on were their desserts because a friend made our wedding cake. The staff even set up our centerpieces for us (we provided vases and flowers and they followed our instructions perfectly) and they listened and adhered to every little request. Thanks so much CityGate!!

d with every last detail; she was professional & friendly, available at anytime & extremely knowledgeable about what Arista/CityGate had to offer & how to make the most of it.