Next Restaurant

Next opened in 2011 in Chicago’s West Loop, founded by acclaimed chef Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas. Known for its innovative approach, Next reinvents its entire tasting menu and concept several times a year. The restaurant has earned a Michelin star and is celebrated for its creative, immersive dining experiences and culinary storytelling.

Next offers a Michelin-starred tasting menu experience that stands out for its ever-changing concepts. During this visit, the reviewer enjoyed a nine-course tribute to Massimo Bottura, sharing the evening with his father. The meal was described as spectacular, leaving a lasting impression. The unique approach of reinventing the menu multiple times a year makes each visit to Next a new adventure in fine dining.

Next Restaurant operates like someone asked "what if we rebuilt a new Michelin-starred restaurant every four months" and then actually pulled it off consistently enough to earn a star despite the measuring-consistency nightmare. The tortelloni drowning in broth justified both the $659 expense and the father-son bonding—extraordinary combination of pasta, black cherry, and warming spices achieving what the reviewer called "absolute perfection," with single bright red Ferrari-colored pasta reimagining Massimo's famous "tortellini walking into broth" for Chicago diners who'll never make it to Modena. The good? Beef so tender it earned "fluffy pillow" status (single most tender piece the reviewer ever had), cappuccino amuse getting perfect 10/10 score for cheese foam explosion, lemon tart being direct Osteria Francescana copy (bright, vibrant, truly special deconstructed accident), Five Ages Wisconsin Cheddar delivering rich umami perfection as Parmigiano-Reggiano substitute, sablefish with dashi chip imitating parchment paper, foie gras popsicle ("foie grasicle") providing unexpected smokiness, Green Goddess salad paving way for richer courses, and breadsticks demolishing Olive Garden's entire existence. The not-so-good? Prepaid ticket system demanding $635+ before stepping foot in restaurant with strict cancellation policy (arriving 1:45 early to avoid being late after prepaying), beverage pairings priced beyond reach (single glass instead of proper pairing), skipping $50 crab and caviar course because $130 for two crossed the already-crossed line, original plan to visit Smyth (Chicago's other three-star) abandoned when $420+ per person pre-tax seemed unreasonable, and restaurant taking until 2020 to earn Michelin star though understandably difficult when you're basically a different restaurant every four months. But when restaurants manage to completely reinvent themselves quarterly while maintaining quality high enough that a food reviewer calls it "best meal of the year" and "two-star quality" with one-star rating—tribute menus spanning Julia Child to Charlie Trotter to three-Michelin-starred Osteria Francescana—complaining about prepaid reservations feels like missing the entire revolutionary point. The father who paid for Alinea last year got treated to something special enough that his son felt pride about finally being able to reciprocate, making $659 worth every penny for priceless quality time that can't be measured in Michelin stars. Mom wasn't invited (picky eater wouldn't eat most courses), saving money while preserving her dignity and everyone's sanity.