GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Allora is transporting diners to coastal Italy with tastes and smells of the Mediterranean.
The upscale restaurant, 201 Monroe Ave. NW in downtown Grand Rapids, serves fresh seafood and light pasta dishes. The menu provides visitors an experience that usually requires a passport and expensive fare.
The menu was crafted after executive chef Luke VerHulst’s 10-day tour of Italy’s coastline, from Naples to Sicily. Throughout dinner service, VerHulst has spells of nostalgia whether spurred by salted fish or fragrances reminiscent of seaside breezes.
Former visitors to Italy have similar experiences within the dining room on the ground floor of the Windquest Building, he said.
“The most rewarding part of the job is to be able to trigger a positive memory through cuisine,” VerHulst said. “But also, it’s a great opportunity for people who might not be in the position to travel yet, to experience what coastal Italy is like.”
Executive chef Luke Verhulst inside Allora in downtown Grand Rapids, on Tuesday, April 15, 2025.Isaac Ritchey | iritchey@mlive.com
The restaurant, owned by Dick and Betsy DeVos, promises storytelling with its dishes: “every bite a story.”
VerHulst landed in Naples on a 110-degree day. After hours of delayed trains, his anger boiled in the lack of air conditioning.
A sudden sensory reprieve came as a man next to him peeled layers off an orange. Citrus fragrances poured from the fruit.
The experience led to the creation of the restaurant’s house salad — Insalata Allora.
“It was the most fragrant orange I’ve ever smelled in my life,” said VerHulst, recalling the moment. “We wanted the bright and freshness of coastal Italy to come forward in the salad.”
The salad, which costs $15, is greens, slices of citrus fruit, toasted pistachios, stracciatella and citronette dressing. The flavor profile was a collaboration with a local vertical farmer.
Insalata Allora, a house salad which costs $15, is greens, slices of citrus fruit, toasted pistachios, stracciatella and citronette dressing at Allora in Grand Rapids, Mich. on Thursday, June 26, 2025.Isaac Ritchey | iritchey@mlive.com
Allora’s cooking philosophy emphasizes seasonality and using peak local ingredients rather than building around predetermined concepts.
“It’s finding what is at its peak near you and utilizing that in a dish versus conceptualizing a dish, knowing what it’s going to be and then going out and trying to find the things to make the dish,” VerHulst said. “It’s very much cooking with the environment.”
The menu features light pasta rather than familiar “red sauce joints” that typically feature spaghetti and meatballs or chicken parmesan.
The Linguine al Nero di Mare for $26 is squid ink pasta tossed with shrimp, mussels, squid, roasted fish, white wine, calabrian chile, garlic butter and bottarga crumble. All the pasta is handcrafted in-house daily.
A colorful raw seafood dish is the Crudodi Tonno. Its yellow fin tuna with watercress, crispy capers, lemon, tonnato (sauce) and pangrattato (bread crumbs) for $18.
Many dishes are meant to be shared, VerHulst said, creating a communal experience. The restaurant also boasts an extensive bar program with unique, Italian-focused drinks and spirits.
Customers who order a full, four-course meal can expect to pay about $110 a person.
The immersive experience extends beyond the food and drinks.
Allora in Grand Rapids, Mich. on Thursday, June 26, 2025.Isaac Ritchey | iritchey@mlive.c
The restaurant’s interior design draws inspiration from Italian marketplaces, with flooring reminiscent of streets throughout Italy. The pattern on the marbled counters flows like waves along the Italy’s coast.
A signature scent was crafted for the lobby that evokes the Mediterranean, featuring notes of lemon, cypress and ocean.
Looking ahead, the chef is excited to welcome summer visitors to the lakeshore area.
“We’re grateful for the reception that we’ve received from the community so far,” he said, adding that the restaurant’s philosophy remains consistent: “Every day better than the last.”
Allora is open from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, and from 4:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. The restaurant is closed on Sunday and Monday.
For more information or to see the full menu, visit the restaurant’s website. Reservations can be made by calling 616-855-9463 or visiting Opentable.
Crudodi Tonno for $15 at Allora in Grand Rapids, Mich. on Thursday, June 26, 2025.Isaac Ritchey | iritchey@mlive.com
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