For a graduation dinner in Arlington, TX, Mercury Chophouse's Boardroom seats 8 to 20 family members at one long table on the ninth floor at 2221 E Lamar Blvd, about 2.5 to 3 miles from UT Arlington and College Park Center. Semi-private seating reaches 28, menus are tailored, and the restaurant is closed Sundays.
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Three generations, one table, no waiting list
Commencement weekends put every restaurant in Arlington under the same pressure at the same hour. The family that booked a private room in April is the family that walks past the crowd at the host stand in May. The Boardroom at Mercury Chophouse is that room: a single long table for 8 to 20, closed off behind a frosted glass door, with the district skyline filling the windows behind the graduate’s chair.
Graduation parties are the most mixed groups a restaurant sees. Grandparents, a roommate, an aunt who flew in, two younger siblings. One table keeps them together and keeps the toasts short, because nobody is shouting across a gap. If the guest list runs past 20, a semi-private arrangement takes up to 28.
For a graduate’s night out with friends rather than a family dinner, the graduation celebration dinner page covers the main dining room and smaller tables.
Timing the dinner around the ceremony
The single most useful fact for planning is that Mercury is closed on Sundays. Many ceremonies fall on a Sunday, and in that case the dinner belongs on the Saturday evening before or the Friday. The table below matches ceremony days to what the restaurant can do.
| Ceremony day | Dinner option | Hours that apply |
|---|---|---|
| Friday afternoon or evening | Dinner the same night | Open until 10 PM; free parking |
| Saturday | Dinner after the ceremony | Dinner service from 4 PM to 10 PM; free parking at the tower |
| Sunday | Saturday night before, or Friday | Closed Sunday |
| Monday to Thursday | Dinner the same evening or lunch that day | Open 11 AM to 9 PM; lunch menu from 11 AM |
From UT Arlington, downtown Arlington or College Park Center at 600 S Center St, the drive to 2221 E Lamar Blvd is about 2.5 to 3 miles and 8 to 10 minutes outside event traffic. Families staying in the Entertainment District hotels are closer still: the Loews Arlington is about 0.6 mile away and Live! by Loews about 0.9 mile.
A menu the graduate and the grandparents both like
Private dining menus are tailored to the group rather than sold as fixed packages, which helps with a table that spans a 21-year-old and an 80-year-old. The dinner menu gives the range to work from: Grilled Chicken Pasta at $29 and Tortellini Bolognese at $32 at one end, Cedar Plank Grilled Salmon at $48 and Chicken Saltimbocca at $42 in the middle, and the 6 oz Center-Cut Filet Mignon at $62 or the Hand-Cut Ribeye at $75 for the steak eaters.
Shareable sides feed the table family-style, with Whipped Potatoes at $14, Mac-n-Cheese at $15 and Broccolini at $17. Desserts stand in for the cake: Chocolate Torte at $15, Strawberry Cake at $17 or Crème Brûlée at $15, the last two of those gluten free as marked on the menu.
For the toast, the bar pours the MCA French 75 at $17 and the Ladies First at $16 with rosé bubbles, and there is Heineken 0.0 for anyone not drinking. Discuss the wine with the events team in advance; the wine list is on the site.
School photos on the screen, the district in the window
The Boardroom includes a fully integrated AV system with a large screen. Families use it for the kindergarten-to-cap-and-gown slideshow, or for a video from relatives who could not travel. Bring it on a laptop and note it in the inquiry so the team can confirm the connection.
Behind the table is what the restaurant calls Arlington’s best panoramic view of the Entertainment District, with Globe Life Field, AT&T Stadium and the Six Flags tower in the glass. May graduations catch sunset at about 8:15 PM, and December ceremonies at about 5:25 PM, so a winter dinner that wants the sky should sit down by 5.
Minimums, one check and the fee to know about
Parties of 10 or more meet a food and beverage minimum based on party size. The dollar figure is not published; it is quoted in the written proposal after the 48-hour availability check. Everyone in the Boardroom is on one check, with no split checks, so the parent or grandparent hosting settles a single bill. Parties of 6 or more see a 20% gratuity on the bill.
One fee catches families off guard: composed entrées carry a $25 split-plate fee. If two younger cousins plan to share a filet, that fee applies, and a $29 pasta of their own may be the better call. The large party policy page collects all of these in one place.
Booking before the ceremony date fills
Send the private dining request as soon as the school posts the ceremony date, with a first and second choice of evening and a realistic headcount. The reply comes within 48 hours. Graduation weekends are shared by every school in the area, and one private room goes to one family per night.
Book a Table
Reserve on the ninth floor at Mercury Chophouse – Arlington. Choose a date and time below, or call 817-381-1157.
Reserve on OpenTable Request a Private Event
Open Monday to Thursday 11 AM to 9 PM, Friday 11 AM to 10 PM, Saturday 4 PM to 10 PM. Closed Sunday. 2221 E Lamar Blvd, Suite 910, Arlington, TX 76006.
Frequently asked questions
Our ceremony is on a Sunday. Can we still have the graduation dinner at Mercury?
Not on the Sunday itself, because the restaurant is closed that day. Families with Sunday ceremonies book the Saturday evening before, when dinner runs from 4 PM to 10 PM, or the Friday night. Both nights are in demand in graduation season, so send the inquiry when the date is announced.
Is there a set graduation dinner package with a per-person price?
No. Private dining menus are tailored to each group, and the food and beverage minimum for parties of 10 or more is quoted by party size in the written proposal. The regular dinner menu, from $29 pasta to $90 bone-in ribeye, gives a reliable sense of the range before you receive the proposal.
How far is the restaurant from the UT Arlington campus?
About 2.5 to 3 miles, or 8 to 10 minutes by car outside event traffic. Downtown Arlington and College Park Center at 600 S Center St are the same distance. Mercury is at 2221 E Lamar Blvd, Suite 910, on the ninth floor of the Brookhollow Two office tower, with parking in the tower's garage or its outdoor lot.
What should the graduate's friends wear to the dinner?
The dress code is business casual. Long pants or unripped jeans with a collared shirt work for men; stylish separates or a dress for women. Baseball caps, hoodies, athletic wear, graphic T-shirts and flip-flops are too casual. A cap and gown over dinner clothes is fine for photos, but hats come off at the table.
Can a family of 6 book the Boardroom for a graduation?
The Boardroom is reserved for parties of 8 to 20, so a group of 6 dines in the main room at a regular reservation through OpenTable or by calling 817-381-1157. Ask for a window table when you book; it is not guaranteed, but the curved window wall runs most of the room. A 20% gratuity applies to parties of 6 or more.
Can we see the stadiums from the private room?
Yes. The Boardroom looks out over the Entertainment District, and Globe Life Field, AT&T Stadium and the Six Flags tower are visible from the windows. The view is the reason many families ask for a late-afternoon start in December, when sunset comes at about 5:25 PM, or a 7 PM start in May for the 8:15 PM sunset.