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Alinea (restaurant)

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Alinea
Map
Interactive map of Alinea
Restaurant information
EstablishedMay 4, 2005; 21 years ago (2005-05-04)
OwnersGrant Achatz
Nick Kokonas
Head chefGrant Achatz
Food typeMolecular gastronomy
Rating2 Michelin stars (Michelin Guide)
Location1723 North Halsted St., Chicago, Illinois, United States
Coordinates41°54′48″N 87°38′54″W / 41.9134°N 87.6482°W / 41.9134; -87.6482
Websitewww.alinearestaurant.com

Alinea is a restaurant in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is owned by chef Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas, and known for its "maximalist modernist cooking".[1] From 2011 to 2024, Alinea was awarded three stars by the Michelin Guide; it was downgraded to two Michelin stars in 2025.

Dessert course

History

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The restaurant opened on May 4, 2005, and takes its name from the symbol alinea, which is featured as a logo. Co-owner Nick Kokonas wrote of the restaurant's name, Alinea literally means "off the line". The restaurant's symbol, more commonly known as the pilcrow, indicates the beginning of a new train of thought, or a new paragraph. The symbol has a double meaning: on one hand, Alinea claims to represent a new train of thought about food, but as a restaurant, everything still has to come "off the line".[2]

In October 2008, chef and owner Grant Achatz and co-author Kokonas published Alinea, a hardcover coffee-table book featuring more than 100 of the restaurant's recipes.[3]

In January 2016, the Alinea Group, the owner of Alinea, bought Moto restaurant in Chicago.[4]

On January 1, 2016, Alinea closed temporarily for renovations.[5] The restaurant planned to operate pop-up restaurants worldwide[6] before reopening on May 20, 2016 after an extensive remodel and overhaul of the menu.[7]

In May 2016, Alinea and its chef and owner Grant Achatz were featured in the Netflix show Chef's Table.[8]

In 2020, Alinea served diners from a rooftop when all indoor dining was closed in Illinois during the coronavirus pandemic. The menu included a canapé shaped like the SARS‑CoV‑2 virus. Alinea Group co-owner Nick Kokonas stated the appetizer was "meant to provoke discomfort, conversation, and awareness", but some diners described it as "tacky", "disrespectful", and "insensitive".[9][10]

In March 2025, Alinea marked its 20th anniversary with an immersive, month-long residency at Olmsted in Brooklyn, New York.[1]

Awards and honors

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From 2011 to 2024, Alinea was awarded three stars by the Michelin Guide.[11][12][13][14][15] In November 2025, the restaurant was demoted to two stars in the Michelin Guide.[16]

Alinea received the AAA Five Diamond Award, the highest level of recognition given by the AAA, from 2007 to 2025. It ranked ninth on the S. Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants List, second only to Eleven Madison Park in the US. From 2011–2024, Alinea was one of two Michelin Guide 3-star restaurants in Chicago.[17] Alinea received the 2016 James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Restaurant.[18]

In 2016, Alinea was ranked 15th among the World's 50 Best Restaurants, an increase of 11 spots from 2015.[19] In October 2016, TripAdvisor named it the number one fine dining restaurant in the United States, and one of the 10 best restaurants in the world.[20]

In the 2017 list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants, Alinea was ranked 21st in the world. In the 2018 list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants, Alinea was ranked 34th in the world.[21] In the 2019 list, Alinea was ranked 37th in the world.[22]

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 Stein, Joshua David (March 25, 2025). "Alinea Comes to New York, at Last". Grub Street. Archived from the original on March 25, 2025. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Thought for Food: Alinea's Reinvention of Cooking and Eating". Gizmodo. August 24, 2009. Archived from the original on December 16, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  3. ↑ Achatz, Grant (October 1, 2008). Alinea. Penguin Random House. ISBN 9781580089289.
  4. ↑ "Moto Restaurant Sold to Alinea Group After Chef Homaro Cantu's Death". 5NBC Chicago. January 22, 2016. Archived from the original on January 24, 2016. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
  5. ↑ Todd, Anthony (October 13, 2015). "Alinea Is Closing For Renovations And Taking Chef Achatz On The Road". Chicagoist. Archived from the original on May 4, 2016. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  6. ↑ Pang, Kevin (October 13, 2015). "Alinea closes for renovation Jan. 1, plans pop-ups in Madrid and Miami". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing Company. Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  7. ↑ Freeman, Sarah (May 19, 2016). "Alinea 2.0: Reinventing One of the World's Best Restaurants". Chicago Eater. Archived from the original on May 20, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  8. ↑ McGinn, Brian (May 27, 2016), Grant Achatz, Chef's Table, archived from the original on September 24, 2021, retrieved September 24, 2021
  9. ↑ Alinea Pop-Up Closed After Staffer Tests Positive For Coronavirus — Days After COVID-19 Canapé Backlash Archived July 14, 2020, at the Wayback Machine Bob Chiarito, blockclubchicago.org July 11, 2020
  10. ↑ Coronavirus-inspired dish at Alinea draws backlash. Chef Grant Achatz explains his intent. Archived July 14, 2020, at the Wayback Machine Grace Wong, Chicago Tribune, July 10, 2020
  11. ↑ Davey, Monica (November 16, 2010). "A Hurried Announcement for a New Michelin City". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 11, 2022. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
  12. ↑ Sifton, Sam (November 17, 2010). "At Alinea, Three Stars Come With a Mischievous Taste of Autumn". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 11, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  13. ↑ Anthony, Katie (November 10, 2023). "Chicago's Smyth joins elite group of Michelin three-star restaurants". Chicago Sun Times. Archived from the original on November 24, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  14. ↑ Severson, Kim (December 20, 2017). "Grace, A Celebrated Chicago Restaurant, Closes After its Founders Leave". New York Times. Archived from the original on January 9, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  15. ↑ Michelin trims star list to 25 restaurants for Chicago Archived August 11, 2022, at the Wayback Machine Reuters October 20, 2017
  16. ↑ Mai, Jeffy. "Alinea Has Lost a Michelin Star". Eater. Archived from the original on November 19, 2025. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  17. ↑ "This Chicago restaurant just joined Alinea in earning elite 3 stars in Michelin Guide". November 8, 2023. Archived from the original on November 10, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Awards Search | James Beard Foundation". www.jamesbeard.org. Archived from the original on November 30, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  19. ↑ Sutton, Ryan (June 13, 2016). "The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2016: The Full List of Winners". Eater. Archived from the original on April 26, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  20. ↑ Lippe-McGraw, Jordi. "Here are the best restaurants in the US (bargains included!)". TODAY.com. Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  21. ↑ "The World's 50 Best Restaurants | Previous Lists". 50B - Restaurants - GLOBAL. Archived from the original on August 12, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  22. ↑ "The World's 50 Best Restaurants | Previous Lists". 50B - Restaurants - GLOBAL. Archived from the original on March 13, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
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