Planning a get-together? These Brevard restaurants have great private spaces available

Two years ago this month, when Gina Bach, owner of Tuscany Grill in Suntree, announced plans to move her restaurant to the site of a former Mimi’s Café at the front of the Avenue Viera, some raised eyebrows.

The venue is huge: 6,000 square feet, with four separate dining areas and a 2,000-square-foot kitchen. How would that work out, coming from a more intimate location?

Bach smiled. Tuscany Grill’s previous location, in a strip center off Wickham Road, was a favorite for meetings and special events in its 21 years there, with two rooms set off from the main dining area.

“This will allow us to do so much more,” Bach said. “We already have booked Christmas parties.”

It remains what a local wag once described as “seminar central.”

“We do many types of meetings and seminars, including lots of higher-end pharmaceutical events, rehearsal dinners, wedding receptions, financial seminars, and we’ve even hosted a couple dozen actual weddings here,” Bach said. “We also have had a ton of celebrations of life.”

The same is true for another of Brevard County’s larger eateries, Ember & Oak and its more casual patio food truck, Aha!, in downtown Melbourne, which also was redesigned (it formerly was an Italian-style restaurant) with groups as well as public dining in mind.

More about Aha!: Playing with their food: Chefs at high-end Melbourne steakhouse plan fun new casual eatery

“We have a private room available for use . . . and it is equipped with a computer and large-screen TV and video camera for virtual meetings, presentations, etc.,” said Dana Andersen, a spokesperson for the restaurant.”

Bach and Andersen agreed that how events are handled by restaurants is every bit as important as the amount of space in which they take place.

“I would have to say we are very conducive to larger parties because we’ve been doing this for 23 years,” Bach said. “We have it down to a science; we never need to know ahead of time what people’s choices are because who knows if they’ll want chicken or salmon two weeks from now, right?”

Said Andersen, “We take all groups and depending on the day of the week and their budget, they can choose food and drinks from AHA! or Ember & Oak, as well as custom menus for their events, parties, etc.”

Here's more about Ember & Oak and Tuscany Grill:

• Ember & Oak, 712 E. New Haven Ave., Melbourne, has an 1,100-square foot room with a 30-to-40 guest capacity. Call 321-722-6285 or visit emberandoak.com.

• Tuscany Grill, 6630 Colonnade Drive, Viera, has separate, 40- and 120-guest rooms equipped with Bluetooth TVs and HDMI cables. Call 321-757-7220 or visit tuscanygrill.net.

They’re not the only places with spaces, though, and like their food, they come in a variety of flavors and themes.

Here are some of our favorite Space Coast restaurants with private meeting spaces:

Higher-end continental at Café Margaux, 220 Brevard Ave., Cocoa Village: Brevard’s Golden Spoon winner is a restaurant of rooms, any of which can be configured for groups or private dining, as well as the The Penthouse upstairs, which is well-suited to conferences, presentations and meetings. Banquets and special events are the norm at Margaux, which hosts large, monthly wine dinners, and special menus can be worked out. Call 321-639-8343 or visit margaux.com.

More about the Penthouse: Cocoa Village fine dining restaurant opens intimate, elegant private dining room

Italian/American-style food at Vine & Olive, 3350 S. Washington Ave., Titusville: It has a sunny, semi-private, but set-off room that seats 25 as well as a separate lounge area and patio seating, and if you want the room without extras, just reserve it. “We do a rental fee if there are special items you want, for example a bridal showe , baby shower, etc., with custom menus and décor, but if you call, you can also do a reservation without the deposit,” said event coordinator Rachel Hallberg. Call 321-567-5028 or visit vineandolive.net.

Really Italian, complete with bocce, is the Italian-American Club of South Brevard, 1471 Cypress Ave., Melbourne: All food is fresh and homemade or guests may bring in caterers, said spokesman Albert Alberta. The club has seating for 130 inside and 70 outdoors, near the botanical gardens with firepits. Call 321-242-8044 or visit iac321.com.

Middle Eastern fare at Aya Mediterranean Cuisine, 936 E. New Haven Ave., Melbourne: Another downtown Melbourne favorite, its owners, the Aseid family, have transformed a second dining area into a fully private room for groups and events. “It fits up to 55-60 people. We’ve also had conferences there, so it is equipped with projector, screen and sound system,” said Sara Aseid, daughter of owner-chef Ziad Aseid. Call 321-327-7061 or visit ayamediterranean.com.

A golf course view at Twisted Birch Sports Bar & Grill, 1279 Admiralty Blvd., Rockledge: Its private banquet seats 40 people comfortably and has an attached banquet patio that seats an additional 16. Its sister restaurant, Oyster Shooters, set to open by the end of the year in Cocoa Village, will seat 80 banquet-goers. Call 321-208-7616 or visit twistedbirchgrill.com.

Venue in the Village, at Time Out Plus Sports Bar, 607 Florida Ave., Cocoa: This banquet room is a Central Brevard favorite, neatly hidden behind the popular indoor-outdoor sports bar. The large room can be transformed for weddings, dinners and other celebrations, with separate bar and a catering menu overseen by kitchen manager Darci Kropp Woodhull. Call 321-504-0823 or visit timeoutplussportsbar.com.

Funky, fun, New Orleans-style Cafe Paradiso Bistro & Social Club, 337 S. Washington Ave., Titusville: The eclectic eatery is located in a historic building in the heart of downtown Titusville. For groups willing and able to climb a few stairs, there's a second-floor space with room for about 20, as well as a third-floor space that can hold about 50. Call 321-567-5917 or visit thecafeparadiso.com.

From-scratch modern fare is on the menu at Palm Shores Bistro, 5060 U.S. 1., Melbourne: It has that locally-famed patio as well as a front room that can be blocked off for private parties and meetings, with full-service catering. Call 321-752-5222 or visit facebook.com/PalmShoresBistro.

Informal, beach-style food and beer at BeachFly Brewing Co. 513 Barton Blvd., Rockledge: The Tiki Room seats 15 to 20 people, or guests may select its main tap room which seats 100. “Lounge seating can be moved for normal table seating in Tiki Room,” owner Zach Featherstone said. Call 321-305-3865 or visit  beachflybrewing.com.

The all-American casual restaurant with a comprehensive menu Causeway Diner, 3712 N. Courtenay Pkwy., Merritt Island: It has a separate room that seats 25 to 30 people, owner Dolores Malafis said. Open buffets are available, as is food from the aforementioned menu. Call 321-454-9898 or search for the diner on Facebook.com.

Brewery with a touch of history Hell 'n Blazes, 1002 E. New Haven Ave., Melbourne: The cozy vault room at this downtown Melbourne restaurant and brewery has the feel of a ranch house kitchen and can hold about 50 people. The game room has space for up to 75. A catering menu is available for buffets, or guests can order off the extensive restaurant menu. Call 321-821-4052 or visit hellnblazesbrewing.com

Siblings Elise Comelchook and Tiffany Martin operate Salty Sisters Bar & Grill, 24 N. Brevard Ave., Cocoa Beach: They understand the importance of special events, particularly at this time of year. Reserve space on the outdoor breezeway, which seats 30 people, or indoors, which suits 40 to 60 people for meetings. Call 321-613-2474 or visit saltysisterscb.com.

Dowling is a freelance food and lifestyles writer based in Melbourne. Join the conversation at facebook.com/groups/321FlavorWhereBrevardEats.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: What Brevard restaurants have private meeting rooms?