Last summer, I finally dined at Alinea. After decades of eating my way through every Las Vegas restaurant that would have me—including the most humble taco shops, the most expensive, palatial dining rooms on the Strip and everything in between—I accepted a good friend’s generous invitation to join his group at the groundbreaking, highly influential Chicago destination, and it exceeded all expectations.
We were whisked into the compact, dynamic kitchen for our second course, a mindblowing paella, and when we returned to our table, it wasn’t there. The entire dining room had transformed into a different place. I ate a small, multicolored cube of gelatin that was also, somehow, a Chicago-style hot dog. Another dish was more of an archaeological dig, complete with specific tools instead of knife and fork. My final bite was a balloon made of sour apple taffy, I think.
Balloon
The idea of dinner becoming a whimsical, immersive experience may not have been born at Alinea, but its co-founder, the highly decorated chef Grant Achatz, certainly advanced the theory far enough for every other experimental or even somewhat curious restaurant in the country to take notice. To celebrate its 20th anniversary last year, Alinea created a tour schedule for culinary residencies in cities such as Brooklyn, Los Angeles and Tokyo, and it’s wrapping up after one more stop—in Las Vegas.
Bellagio’s Michael Mina restaurant will host Alinea for a little more than six weeks starting on April 16, bringing Achatz and his team’s gastronomic magic to the Strip in one of the most exciting pop-ups Vegas has ever seen.
“Las Vegas has always been willing to think big and take risks. There is a real history here of chefs, operators and teams pushing hospitality forward, not just in scale but in creativity and craft,” Achatz said in a statement. “Bellagio understands how to create experiences that feel both bold and thoughtful, and that makes the resort a meaningful place for us to share what Alinea has been building for the past twenty years.”
Dessert Mat
When he first opened in Chicago, Bellagio had been open for nearly seven years and already recalibrated the concept of fine dining in Las Vegas.Here, the past 20 years has been about expanding our tastes, bringing more creativity to the casinos, and developing diverse, chef-driven eateries away from the Strip.
And it’s happened. Las Vegas is a fully formed dining destination now: a place where people travel just to eat great food; a place where locals splurge when an extraordinary experience lands on Las Vegas Boulevard; and a place where tourists routinely leave their hotels to explore our disparate neighborhood restaurants.
Our food has never been better and our profile has never been higher. How do I know? Wynn Resorts, certainly one of the fine-dining standard bearers on the Strip, created its own culinary festival, Revelry, in 2024, and this year announced a partnership with Chef’s Table, the Emmy-wining Netflix documentary series, that will transform the festival.
Grant Achatz
“Netflix’s iconic series is known for its ability to highlight the artistry and intention behind the world’s most influential chefs, and integrating that perspective into the festival allows us to elevate the guest experience in powerful new ways,” Brian Gullbrants, chief operating officer at Wynn Resorts, said via email. Expect more immersive programming and chef-driven activations at Revelry in September, along with rare access to celebrated culinary talent. “This partnership positions Revelry to evolve into a signature culinary event on a global stage.”
Essentially, everyone wants to play in this space now. Eating and drinking is as big or bigger than any other part of today’s Vegas experience, and it’s also the part local residents are most interested in.
It’s no wonder the Michelin Guide has decided to return to Las Vegas after a 17-year absence. After typically placing a couple of chefs in the James Beard Awards’ Best Chef Southwest category in recent years, Vegas placed six Vegas chefs in that category this year and eight semifinalists in other categories—including the acclaimed Indian restaurant Tamba at Town Square for Best New Restaurant, one of the toughest categories to crack.
It seems to me—still a humble diner, albeit with decades of experience—that we might need to update our claims of being the entertainment capital of the world and/or sports capital of the world. There’s no point in comparing the Vegas restaurant scene with any other city, but it’s inarguable that there’s no other restaurant city like Vegas.
ALINEA LAS VEGAS: 20TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR April 16-May 31. Bellagio, 702-693-7111, bellagio.com/alinea.
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