Grant Achatz's Lincoln Park tasting menu: 18 to 22 courses of edible-balloon, painted-tablecloth, hot-pepper-ice theatre that codified modernist American fine dining.

Alinea opened on Halsted Street in May 2005, the first restaurant from chef Grant Achatz and partner Nick Kokonas. By 2010 it held three Michelin stars and has carried them every year since the Guide arrived in 2011. Achatz, a Charlie Trotter alumnus and Thomas Keller protégé, treats the tasting menu as continuous theatre: edible helium balloons of green apple, hot-pepper-flavoured ice, the famous painted-tablecloth dessert finished tableside. The room was remodeled in 2016 into three flows (Salon, Gallery, Kitchen Table). A reservation is among the hardest in American dining; Kokonas built the Tock system to manage it.

1 editor pick for Alinea tasting menu in Chicago, ranked by editorial score. All Chicago signature dishes · Alinea tasting menu across every city.

Alinea ★ 4.9

$$$$New AmericanLincoln Park

Alinea in Chicago is Grant Achatz's three-Michelin-star tasting menu at 1723 N Halsted, the dining room that codified American modernist fine dining.

OrderWhichever course needs your two hands; the kitchen is unsentimental about it.

TipBook the Gallery flow if you want the full theatre; Salon is the quieter, three-course-less option.

DirectionsView

Learn to cook it, or eat it with a guide

Alinea tasting menu makes more sense with someone from Chicago explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.

Book food experiences in Chicago

See all 248 bookable experiences in Chicago