Alinea Group Reviews

Needless to say, this is not a spur-of-the-moment joint. But Grant Achatz has achieved substantial things in establishing his high end restaurant empire in Chicago. If you would enjoy being taken hold of by a team of intense, exacting culinary experts who will provoke your ideas of what constitutes high end dining with complex, allusive dishes that will probably include a pillow of flavored "air", an Escoffier dish served on century old china, and a dessert that includes kitchen staff painting the table surface with molten chocolate, let's face it, there's only one place in the world that is Alinea. Encouragement to spend large sums on a complex arrangement of paired wines is unsubtle.

Great setting, amazing presentation and attentive staff. Since we were vegetarian staff made sure to adjust the menu

Amazing combination of great Food taste, presentation and variety along with outstanding service, a unique dining experience

Great experience and gorgeous presentation. We will return soon.

Good place to visit. Had a great products at an affordable price

Absolutely fantastic. A very unique culinary experience

Great experience at this 3 star Michelin restaurant!

Cancel my reservation 3 hours before dinner. Unacceptable. Have to cancel my flight due to them. Thanks. Good job

Delicious, entertaining and the food is literally art very creative!

Food as Experience. Worth the splurge if you like talking about your food with a good friend/partner.

Wonderful service, cool experience. Completely worth a trip!!

Went here last night with my boyfriend - I can't say that the food wasn't impressive because it clearly was. (If you're into the whole gastronomy scene.) But the presentation, staff and atmosphere were completely pretentious and pompous. The arrogant waiters really took away from the experience of our meal. When you pay $700+ for dinner - you expect to be treated like a king/queen not like a pauper by patronizing waiters!

Some very creative dishes, but would not recommend the wine pairings vs a bottle. Grace would just pip this place if it was still open. Alternatively try Smyth and the loyalist for 90% of the experience here.

Unique experience. Deserves its place in culinary world The visual aspects are the highlight of the experience but unfortunately on account of food. Emphasis is on molecular gastronomy. Creative and fun. It is more about the experience. Few dishes had the wow factor
Service was professional but too formal and seemed like industrial
I expected more; for example there was no non-alcohol pairing.

One of my top meals of all time. Interesting, sense-provoking food experiences that were also delicious, a stimulating and satisfying meal. (from 2011)

Amazing, as expected. Vinny was a top-notch waiter. Attentive but also relaxed and friendly with a great sense of humor. I loved the whole staff, who ostensibly enjoy food and beauty above all else. This made the experience truly remarkable.

Was looking for authentic paella negra made with squid ink. Finally found this place with very cozy atmosphere and outside dining. Great food and great ambience. Worth the drive to get to this place to celebrate a special occasion.

Great table services. Food was delicious. Great presentation of food. Dessert was delicious.

wow! an absolutely remarkable dining experience! next time i'll take notes so as to remember the crescendo of intoxicating tastes! smells! visuals! was in chicago for two nights....spent the first at tru and the second at my new all time favorite restaurant alinea! enjoyed this romantic classy dining experience just across the room from an iron chef doing the very same thing! eating in good company! cannot wait to go back! (note to self: next time...skip tru....double up on alinea)

A unique dining experience that plays on all your senses. Prepare for the unexpected and surprises with each meal.

Dined in the salon. Every dish was lovely and surprising. Flavors on point. The service was excellent and unpretentious. They answered all our questions and presented every dish in an approachable manner. The wine pairings were worth it.

Such a fantastic experience. The food was awesome. It was truly an amazing and memorable night of unique experience.

The Kitchen Table. Best dining experience of my life. All other food is sad now.

This is our second time here. The food is beyond delicious, the service top notch, and experience that is 1 of a kind.

Best meal of my life and worth every penny. Chef Achatz himself prepared his signature dessert for me at my table in the Salon. I just can t put into words how incredible this experience was. Lived up to every bit of their Michelin 3-stars. I ll never forget this experience. Chose the basic wine pairings and was very impressed. I cannot wait to return.

I ve been so excited about Alinea for years - I was in awe of Grant Achatz and couldn t wait to taste some of his incredible creations. After planning a trip to Chicago (work and pleasure!), we opted for the Salon experience (including the wine pairing). It simply can t compete with Le Bernardin and Gaggan, both of which I ve been to in the past year. Both of those were, in my opinion, truly worthy of their places on the top 50 list. Alinea...not so much. The food was delicious, but the ambiance was lacking. The energy was my biggest complaint. Uptight, slightly snobby and arrogant. Not relaxing. Overall if it s your first Michelin experience, you ll probably like it but if you ve been to other interesting restaurants around the world, I d doubt if this ends up being in your top 10. Also the wine pairing pours were just really weak. Every other Michelin restaurant, including those that do a wine pairing, were more generous than Alinea. Overall, good food but not worth the hype and cost - skip it!

Fabulous experience. Wonderful food and great staff.

The Price you pay was not really worth what you get. the staff was amazing. but some parts of my food was tasteless

Absolutely fantastic. The entire staff was amazing and the food was outstanding. I look forward to being able to visit here again!

Wow. hands down the coolest dining experience I've ever had. Grant and Nick have done an amazing job with this culinary art spot. I've never had anything like it and it was awesome.

Absolutely phenomenal! Engaging and witty servers who clearly loved their job and didn't take anything too seriously. The evening was theatrical, entertaining, and absolutely terrific. Sit back, eat everything, don't ask what it is (you won't remember anyway), and just enjoy. It was a once in a lifetime experience that I hope to enjoy again and again.

Like nothing I've ever experienced before. I can't recommend it enough if you have the means.

An experience...think of it as going to a show or performance.

If you are looking for a great find dining restaurant, then this is the place to be. They have a great selection of food and drinks and the ambience here is really good.

This restaurant will treat you like you are the most important person in the world! The service was outstanding. The food was an experience from start to finish, and the wine that was suggested was perfect for the meal. I am a true foodie, so for me to say this is the best meal I've ever had. We all loved it, and I cannot wait to come back.

Mind-blowing! Every bite of every course was a surprise, and everything was delicious. Sure it's expensive, but it's worth every penny if you appreciate unique and interesting food. The servers were also attentive and friendly. I really can't recommend it enough, it earns all the praise it gets.

A magnificent dining experience. The food, atmosphere, and overall sense of whimsy is truly something special. The price tag is undoubtedly high ($1300 for two people with the Gallery experience and Standard wine pairing), but once you re immersed in the experience and see the incredible amount of care and artistry that goes into every single plate, the price begins to make sense. Highly recommend to any lovers of fine dining and inventive, experiential food. Thank you Chefs Grant Achatz and Simon Davies for a wonderful experience.

Beyond dining, this restaurant is a true experience. Be prepared for the full tasting to last hours. AMAZING.

I am going to agree with most of the other reviewers here, and let you guys know this place is so. Good.

If you don't like surprises, I guess I can say that I am not surprised that you might not like this place. However, I love trying new and unexpected food. If you come into this meal knowing that, you will be satisfied. We opted for "The Salon" option, as that was all that was available for a 2-top. We would love to try the other option "The Gallery" sometime if we have the chance! We also had the base level wine pairings which I absolutely recommend. There were a few dishes that were enhanced so much by the wine.



If you have the chance to get here, do it!

Really fine dining! A very unique experience. Every bite carefully crafted

It's really difficult to write a review for a three michellen star restaurant. This is really meant to be a once in a life time experience and well worth the price if you are into food and experience. Alinea easily lived up to its reputation. Amazing and thoughtful service starts the second you set foot in the door and continues till you walk out. Service is well thought out every step of the way. The mood and environment created by the staff was relaxed and fun which I was not expecting.

Just wow. Amazing food and the service is just as good. So many things that I would have never tried. Expect to spend three hours for the gallery seating but so worth it. And it's fun, not stuffy or formal like so many high end restaurants.

really great atmosphere and food. I really like everything about this place! sooooo goood

Simply not worth the money. We got a table in the Salon and the atmosphere was so stuffy and quiet, we weren't even sure if we were allowed to talk. The staff seemed like robots following commands and described the dishes like they've read the description 5,000 times. The food was OK but nothing close to the experience I was expecting for the price. The food was created and served in interesting ways, but the staff couldn't describe "why" the chefs did it, only how. The staff definitely judge you if you ask to order a glass of wine instead of adding the wine pairing. Will not recommend this place to anyone.

The greatest meal in my life. I'll only post the balloon dessert picture here. Expect an amazingly creative menu from expert kitchen staff and top tier waitstaff. The menu will change by the time you get a reservation. Go!

This may have been the best meal of my life. The food was impeccable as was the service. What an amazing experience. Thank you Alinea!!! I didn't think perfection was possible until I walked into your restaurant! Spectacular!

My kids ask me to come here moreso than any other place, which is pretty cool.

absolutely delicious, extraordinary service as well

Today we got a take out .We had the duck meal.The salad ,the green beans and the dessert was ok.The main dish ,was tasty back VERY VERY SALTY , to the point I could not finish it. To be honest I had a little higher expectations from a 3 star michelin restaurant.

The food here is always served hot and fast! I love this restaurant!

All I have to say is WOW. Presentation was superb and on point, good exquisite. Thank you #joel

It's a one-of-a-kind experience. Go with a small group of good friends so you can gawk at the culinary creations and crazy service - this isn't the sort of place where you'll want to be having serious conversations or first dates. Grant Achatz often serves desserts himself tableside, which is a treat.

Great service! The high-end dining experience you expect at that price point without the unnecessary side of pretension.
Food was great, cocktails were interesting and noteworthy, and the cava was fantastic!

Lol the stupidity in people to pay 100s of dollars for this baby tray food

Mr. Achatz and his team do their best at Alinea. The only regret one may have is by NOT going there.

Stopped in on business trip. Excellent service. I'll be back.

exotic foods I like this place a lot. nice waiter I think his name was Matthew

Definitely go if you can. Don't read too much about it and let it be a surprise.

One of the highlights of my trip to chicago. The food was great but the service was outstanding. The servers were quirky and funny and had a good sense of humor that made the whole experience fun and enjoyable. The timing was perfect and although there was no background music, it didnt feel too quiet. Food was pricey yes but it is such a memorable experience.

Hands down worth every penny. Staff was incredibly pleasant and affable, without an air of expectation or douchebagery. The food was absolutely mind blowing.

Fantastic creative cuisine, dramatic presentation, you never know what to expect except that it will be a delight.

What can I say, an experience of a life time. So much more than just a meal. Everything from visual, to sound, to smell...all your senses are treated to an amazing experience.
This was the gallery experience...worth every dollar.

One of my main spots to grab some food. convenient location, always clean, and good service. Very good job!

Unique experience. Celebrated my wife s 30th here and it was a memorable evening for the right reasons. The food is not necessarily the best tasting I ve ever had, but it s the overall presentation for all your senses that make it special. It s obviously very pricey but think of it as a combination of going to a fine restaurant and a Broadway show. One caution however is that it is not for prudent/unadventurous eaters.

Best meal of my life so far. The food is art and pushing boundaries of art and food. Highly recommend this bucketlist meal!

My second time at Alinea and the food, service, ambience and overall sensation were divine. If you can part with the money, it is an experience of a lifetime.

My friend J Nichols dines here very often for dinner. She loves it. She takes a celebrity with chronic Lyme disease whenever he is in town, they have a good time. She also hasn t gained weight so you know it s good for you. Highly recommended by J Nichols and friend with chronic Lyme disease. I hope to try it one day. Or that she takes me.

Dining at Alinea is not only delicious, but also fun, emotional, and provocative. After a complete renovation in 2016, Alinea now features three unique and distinct experiences: The Gallery, The Salons, and the Kitchen Table. Alinea has been universally praised for its innovative approach to modernist cuisine. It has four times been named the Best Restaurant in America and is one of only 13 restaurants in the U.

For people with more money than sense. Was forced to go here, didn't expect much, got far less than expectations. Horror show. Style over substance.

The culinary experience of a lifetime. Transcendent flavors mesh with unforgettable, artistic presentation to create a meal unlike any other.