Just months after stepping into the executive chef role at Allora, Chef Greg Jones is unveiling his first seasonal menu—a summer lineup that further defines the downtown restaurant’s vision of approachable coastal Italian dining.
Located in the former Reserve Wine & Food space between DeVos Place and the Amway Grand Plaza, Allora opened in 2025 with an emphasis on seafood, handmade pasta and Italian hospitality. Since joining the restaurant earlier this year from Baltimore’s acclaimed Tagliata, Jones has been refining that vision with a menu that leans into seasonality while staying true to Italy’s seaside culinary traditions.
“My goal at Allora is to create dishes people crave—whether it’s a weeknight pasta, a great steak, or a memorable night out—all while bringing Italian coastal traditions,” Jones told Grand Rapids Magazine earlier this year.
The new summer menu reflects that philosophy, pairing peak-season Michigan produce with Mediterranean flavors and thoughtfully prepared proteins.
Among the new entrées is a grilled New York strip served with fingerling potato salad, mushrooms and a porcini salsa di acciughe, while a Berkshire pork chop arrives alongside crispy polenta fritta, guanciale and rosemary salsa verde.
Seafood continues to anchor the menu, with dishes including grilled branzino finished in a saffron acqua pazza with spinach gnocchetti, and pan-seared scallops served over creamy Acquerello rice polenta with spring peas, rhubarb, strawberries and pistachio—a dish that captures both the brightness of summer and the restaurant’s coastal Italian inspiration.
Housemade pasta remains one of Allora’s calling cards. New offerings include spaghetti alla chitarra with clams, Calabrian chile and bottarga; green agnolotti filled with sunchoke and goat cheese; ricotta cavatelli with tomatoes and basil; and pappardelle tossed with a hearty beef and local pork ragù.
The menu also expands Allora’s selection of smaller plates, from grilled octopus with potato gnocchi and peas to Stracciatella: heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, white balsamic, calabrian chili crisp, served with focaccia crostini. Raw bar offerings, including oysters on the half shell and yellowtail crudo, continue to reinforce the restaurant’s coastal focus.
Jones said when he arrived in Grand Rapids that he was excited to join a city that “cares about food,” and his evolving menus suggest a chef settling comfortably into West Michigan’s growing dining scene. Rather than dramatically reinventing Allora, he’s continued to refine it, emphasizing familiar ingredients, polished technique and dishes designed to bring guests back throughout the week.
The timing is intentional. As downtown Grand Rapids fills with concerts, festivals and waterfront activity this summer, Allora is positioning itself as an easy stop before or after an evening out. Just steps from DeVos Performance Hall and within walking distance of the Acrisure Amphitheater, the restaurant is pairing its new seasonal menu with handcrafted cocktails, curated wines and shareable bites for guests looking to extend a night downtown.
If Jones’ first few months have been about establishing consistency, this summer menu signals the next chapter: a restaurant increasingly confident in its identity as one of downtown’s destinations for modern coastal Italian cuisine.
