Alinea

The food was very good and creative, full of surprises, and the service was very attentive and thoughtful, they introduce the ingredients of each meal, how to eat it to feel the best flavor，and let us know the details of each bottle of wine. Also finally the dessert part was amazing and beautiful, like a painting, and of course delicious! I had a very important and memorable dinner in my life here, my boyfriend proposed to me! ！He said he appreciated the staff's help. I'm glad he chose this place as a turning point in our lives. We were visiting Chicago and if we travel this city again in the future, we will definitely go back to this restaurant again to try different thing for different seasons, highly recommended!

Congrats for winning 4th of 50 Powerful People in US Fine Dining Grant! I've been wanting to come here for the longest time. Alinea is one of the best restaurants in the world & at one point one of the only 3 Michelin star restaurants in Chicago PART 1 I never thought I would splurge on this.. but it was SO WORTH IT . Such a crazy experience going from room to room, and feeling like I was in Alice in Wonderland 👸 The kitchen experience was amazing, must do the gallery! PART 2 After the kitchen we were greeted by a complete change in the room & caviar There were no more long tables, flowers, & floor to ceiling decor Just 5-6 tables with 2-4 people each We started having our main dishes, mind you, before that we only had 2 of our 17 course meal 😂 BIGGEST highlights: 🕊️ Squab . The sauce was like a balsamic 🐮 Wagyu Short Rib 🍄 Truffle Explosion (you can get this signature in @aviarycocktails at The Office. Another one of my faves) 🦪Caviar mousse with maple & tapioca 🐟 black sea bass (crispy skin + smoked on cedar) 🐚Uni rice I was SO full that the manager asked if the food was okay 😂 since I couldn't finish all of the Wagyu 😭 Part 3: PAINT Flavors of banana split First they ran down the stairs in a straight line, holding those canvases.. Can you IMAGINE tripping down those stairs?! Then there was SO MUCH happening... 💥🤯 There were smoke machines, lines of people, bananas, canvases, swift movements, & more things flying in the air 🌬️ When the guy brought a bowl of nitrogen out, it finally made sense... 🍧We actually saw a huge bowl of nitrogen in the kitchen when we walked in, as they were prepping the dessert And yes the dessert was very very good, especially the frozen banana and the raspberry yogurt So full though.. seriously, I was still before the Wagyu Steak Fun fact: they pair this song with the experience, as it mentions Banana haha 🍌 (see video) PART 4: BALLOON This was my favorite part of the meal at 3 Michelin Star Alinea in Chicago. It was at one point, worlds best restaurant! This final dessert is a green apple laffy taffy balloon filled with helium 🎈 When they hand it to you, in a twisted laffy taffy "string", they tell you to kiss 💋 & *sip* 😱 it. Kiss it so your lips make a small hole in the balloon Sip it to get the helium It was SO FUNNY . And I definitely NAILED IT by getting it all in my hair 😂 you can hear the faint "oh my God!' in the video . That girl really made our experience, can't believe the whole restaurant laughed

My boyfriend took me to Alinea on my birthday. There was no more reservations for the gallery on that date, so we picked the salon. Alinea has been my #1 on my food bucketlist for over 10 years, so this was such a special gift that I’ll cherish. Of course the food was amazing and the atmosphere was beautiful, but the service and presentation is what truly makes Alinea worthwhile. It is top notch service. The waiter presented every dish so elegantly and the story behind them was intriguing. The presentation may be over the top at times, but it keeps you fully engaged and when you taste the food, you understand what makes Alinea, Alinea. The entire staff were all very nice. From the host, waiter, sommelier, and food runners - no one was snotty or pretentious. They were all very friendly and easy to converse with - complimenting on our outfits and other topics unrelated to the food. It was such a pleasant surprise and not what we expected from a place like this. They made us feel very comfortable and special on my birthday. I’d definitely come again for the gallery next time.

What can I say. This place delivered and then some. Yes, the food was extremely tasty and well presented, but what makes Alinea so special is the experience. One of the meals was in the kitchen and when we went back to our table the ambience had changed. The table deco and music had changed. The servers were super attentive and friendly, and the dessert presentation was quite the spectacle. Eating here will cost a pretty penny for sure, but it's a great experience when in Chicago. Happy to return.

We were at Alinea was to celebrate my twin daughters’ birthday. We had the 14 course meal with wine paring. The wine was paired nicely with the food. When we were making the reservation the requirements was that we have to come in pairs so we had to reserved for 4 people hoping that we could all make it. My husband couldn’t come so we had 4 portions food for 3 people. The food was very well presented. Thoughtful in many details and taste great! Not all the dishes were to our liking but we enjoyed most of them. The service was excellent. Everyone was nice and friendly. We had such a good time. Although it was a lot of money for one meal, we say it is worth it!

This was my first Michelin Three star restaurant and it was an extraordinary night! I felt so special since I stepped in. The food was very creative, beautiful and flavorful. I’ve been to Michelin star restaurant before and I could tell how different between one star and three stars. The flavor not totally like “this is it!” But art, creativity and story they’re telling. I wouldn’t say the price is reasonable but worth it for once in the life time!