Alinea Confirms Pop-Up in Miami’s Faena Hotel

Alinea's Miami pop-up is headed for the Faena Hotel's new veranda dining room in 2016. The restaurant's team led by Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas will take up residence at Faena during February and March following Alinea's Madrid pop-up. Alinea Miami will serve a voluminous 18-course tasting menu that draws on "classic Alinea dishes," as well "culinary inspirations from both Miami and Argentina."

Faena Hotel veranda [Photo: Alinea Miami]

In choosing Miami for one of its destinations, the team explains, "Miami is perhaps the most cross cultural city in America now, and intersection of North and South America. It is reflected in the redevelopment of many neighborhoods, the vibrant emerging food scene, and the electrifying international art galleries and expositions." During its international, the three Michelin-starred Chicago restaurant will temporarily shutter to "overhaul the storefront... and revamp the multi-course menu."

Tickets will go on sale on December 3. The 18-course meal is priced between $275 and $385 and comes with an optional reserve wine pairing priced between $495 and $275; a standard wine pairing is available for $150.

By comparison Alinea Madrid's menu costs around $313 (plus 10 percent VAT tax) with an additional $135 to $270 for wine pairings.

Alinea Facebook/Christian Seel

There are still plenty of tickets left for the Madrid pop-up, which includes a dining experience at DiverXO. The Alinea team chose to stagger the release of those tables beginning in October with the final batch going on sale just before the January launch. It's a strategy far different from similar international pop-ups. All 5,500 seats for Noma's Australian pop-up sold in less than 90 seconds, while seats for Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck residence in Melbourne were snatched up within 20 minutes of going live.