A renowned restaurant where Simon Davies worked as an intern, Chef de Cuisine, and Executive Chef. It was recognized on the World's 50 Best list and held 3 Michelin stars during his tenure.
Alinea is a renowned restaurant in Chicago, celebrated for its pioneering approach to modernist and avant-garde cuisine. Led by Chef Grant Achatz, the restaurant is known for its multi-sensory dining experiences that...
Simon Davies is a chef and filmmaker, formerly the Executive Chef at Alinea. He now runs ilixr Creative, focusing on private events and in-home dining.
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Having experienced Alinea’s chef’s table before, I arrived with high expectations and plenty of curiosity after learning Chef Grant Achatz had completely reimagined the tasting menu just weeks before our visit.
What impressed me most wasn’t the technical execution—which remains exceptional—but the shift in atmosphere. The experience felt more immersive, more playful, and surprisingly more approachable than I remembered. From interactive courses and dramatic tablescapes to moments of quiet precision inside the kitchen, every detail felt intentional.
The chef’s table remains one of the most fascinating seats in Chicago. Watching the kitchen operate in near darkness, seeing courses meticulously plated, and interacting with the staff added an entirely new dimension to the evening. The team was warm, knowledgeable, and genuinely excited to share the story behind each dish and pairing.
Standout courses included the Barely Cooked Aleutian King Crab, the 14-Day Aged White Pekin Duck, and an unforgettable Japanese Wagyu course inspired by Caravaggio's Saint Jerome Writing. The wine pairing was also exceptional and worth the investment, with selections ranging from Krug Champagne to sake and Japanese whisky.
Alinea has always been theatrical, but this new menu feels less focused on revisiting its greatest hits and more interested in exploring what comes next. It's ambitious, artistic, and occasionally challenging—but that's part of what makes it memorable.
The most impressive part of the evening wasn't the spectacle. It was watching a restaurant iconic enough to rely on its own legacy choose reinvention instead.
For anyone considering a special occasion meal in Chicago, Alinea remains one of the most remarkable dining experiences in the city.
We visited Alinea to celebrate my husband’s birthday, and it was truly an unforgettable experience. From the moment we arrived, everything was seamless. Having valet available made it especially easy for us since we were visiting from out of town.
We were fortunate to get reservations for the Gallery, and it exceeded every expectation. I won’t give away any spoilers, but the entire experience is incredibly unique and thoughtfully curated from start to finish.
The food was absolutely amazing, and we opted for the non-alcoholic drink pairing, which we enjoyed so much. It was refreshing to see such a high-end restaurant offer a non-alcoholic pairing with the same level of care and creativity which made the experience even more special for us since we don’t drink.
Every dish and drink was beautifully presented, full of flavor, and unlike anything we’ve had before. This is truly a one-of-a-kind tasting menu that turns dinner into an experience you’ll never forget.
We will definitely be back the next time we visit Chicago!
5
If you’ve seen the movie The Menu and thought, "Yes, that looks like a relaxing way to spend an evening," Alinea is ready to fulfill your cinematic desires. This is a dining experience that unapologetically prioritizes high-concept performance and gastronomic art over standard, cozy hospitality.
Trying to dissect all 22 courses one-by-one is an exercise in futility, and frankly, after navigating nine different paired wines, my memory wouldn't allow it anyway. The theatrical production begins at a communal group table under a "Hive" theme, facing a mysterious orb. Somehow, the kitchen manages to pack your first seven courses into this single vessel, presented by a staff operating with the eerie, harmonious precision of a literal bee colony.
Once you survive the orb, you are whisked directly into the kitchen for a sensory palate cleanser and a demonstration of a medieval cocktail-sharing contraption that looks like a Da Vinci fever dream. While you're gone, the restaurant pulls off a magic trick: you return to a completely transformed dining room, now seated exclusively with your own party at individual tables.
The rest of the meal progresses as a parade of culinary anomalies. Some are breathtakingly exquisite, while others—like a completely clear Concord grape—pack a flavor so aggressively potent it instantly teleports you back to childhood cherry cold medicine. The service itself is flawless, and Diego easily tracks as one of the greatest sommeliers in the game. It all builds to a crescendo with the famous, abstract-expressionist dessert table art at the end. It's exhausting, brilliant, and slightly unsettling—exactly as intended.
2
This is easily one of the most exciting, innovative, groundbreaking and trailblazing restaurants of my dinning career. Their food is second-to-none in the second-city and leaves me wondering what exactly left them with two-stars when they are head-and-shoulders above the only 3-michellin starred restaurant in Chicago. While service isn't supposed to be considered officially, for me, it's easily the service, clientele. This is not to knock other patrons, rather highlight the behavior Alinea promotes by tolerating. We witnessed a guest be seated with shorts (not the worst offence but note-worthy) and another guest puke in the entrance of the rest-rooms on the second-floor and see it played off for laughs while we were still trying to enjoy our final course. The incident more-or-less ruined our overall experience. What we thought was the highlight to our recent marriage (just married that day) turned into a stain on an otherwise joyous day.
While they are valued-guests and well-paying customers, it leaves a bad taste to see it played off coy, as if it never happened to the only other two guests in the room (us). The splatter of the girls vomit was that of a wet mop's initial impact on the floor alongside the entire bucket of dirty water. The bathroom still reeked of vomit even after a cleaning. Maybe our experience was an exception to the rule but it is something that will forever linger on our wedding anniversary.
The food was delicious and wimpsy. With every new dish I was delighted in the ways they could fit so much flavor into every bite. We will not come back due to the thought of vomit associated with the restaurant.
5
This is an amazing experience. The non-alcoholic wine pairing went with the all the plates well. All staff are knowledgeable and attentive. There wasn't a moment that we weren't being catered too, from a drink being filled, a napkin being replaced, a plate being explained, or shown to the restrooms. The food was displayed artistically and with precision. We had a great time and will be back.
