Chicago fine-dining icon Alinea has lost one of its three Michelin stars, a distinction Grant Achatz’s flagship restaurant — an international calling card for the city — has held since 2010. This is according to a statement from the Michelin Guide ahead of its 2025 Northeast Cities ceremony, which takes place in Philadelphia on Nov. 18.
Many no doubt learned the news from Achatz himself, who announced Alinea’s downgrade in an Instagram post Wednesday afternoon, ahead of the 2025 guide’s official release.
“We were disappointed to learn of our @michelinguide demotion to two stars,” Achatz wrote in a post depicting the restaurant’s minimalist gray logo. “For 20 years, Alinea has been devoted to pushing creativity, rigor, and the pursuit of perfection in our craft. That commitment remains as unwavering today as it was on day one, and will continue until the back door of 1723 locks for the last time.”
“For 20 years, Alinea has been devoted to pushing creativity, rigor, and the pursuit of perfection in our craft,” Achatz posted on social media after learning that reviewers docked his Lincoln Park restaurant a star. “That commitment remains as unwavering today as it was on day one.”
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Achatz and Alinea Group CEO and co-owner Jason Weingarten didn’t respond to requests for comment. Weingarten became Alinea Group’s first CEO in October, after former co-owner Nick Kokonas sold his stake to a group of tech investors led by Weingarten.
Michelin did not specify why Alinea lost a star, instead noting that its assessments are “far from fixed” and citing its methodology and five criteria for stars, including quality of ingredients, harmony of flavors, the chef’s personality in the cuisine and mastery of flavor and cooking techniques, and consistency between visits. Farm-to-table restaurant The Inn at Little Washington in the D.C. area, and omakase restaurant Masa in New York City were also downgraded from three stars to two.
“The Michelin Guide maintains its role of providing fair and qualitative recommendations to consumers, with its team of expert Inspectors, following its global methodology,” Michelin said in the statement. “It fully acknowledges the impact of its decisions on the establishments it honors.”
Since its Lincoln Park debut in 2005, Alinea and its auteur chef have piled up accolades on the back of its boundary-pushing cooking displaying modern techniques and a flair for theatrics. In addition to numerous appearances on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, Alinea won a James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant in 2016 and Achatz was named the Best Chef: Great Lakes in 2007 and Outstanding Chef in 2008.
Dishes like the floating, helium-filled green apple taffy balloon and truffle explosion, in which ravioli is filled with a truffle gel that liquefies when cooked, have become icons in their own right.
Michelin’s announcement comes on the heels of Alinea’s global nostalgia tour celebrating its 20th birthday, which uncomfortably coincided with reviews from The New York Times and Chicago Tribune that questioned the continued relevance of the restaurant long praised for its modernist cuisine. Smyth, the seasonal tasting menu restaurant from John and Karen Urie Shields, is the only remaining Chicago restaurant with three Michelin stars.
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