Grace is Chicago's Most Expensive Restaurant by Starting Price After $30 Hike

Curtis Duffy and Michael Muser's Grace, Chicago's only three-Michelin-starred restaurant not named Alinea, has raised the price of its tasting menus to $235, up from $205. The change makes Grace Chicago's most expensive restaurant by starting price.

By contrast, the dinner menu at Alinea, whose price varies depending on the day and time of a reservation, generally starts at $225 per person (every now and then there are also $210 seats available). But keep in mind that dinner at Alinea can also rise to $255 or even $275 during prime times, which means Grace isn't necessarily always the most expensive restaurant in Chicago.

Muser, in an email, attributed the PRICE HIKE to Chicago's rising minimum wage, which will increase from $8.25/hour to $10.00 on July 1 for non-tipped workers, and from $4.95 to $5.45 for tipped workers. So a nine-course tasting for two at Grace, after wine pairings (which remain at $125), tax, and tip, will now run $940, up from $860. Expect to see more HIKES in the coming weeks and months as restaurants adjust to the higher cost of doing business in the city; the full minimum is set to rise to $13 by 2019.