Aqua

New restaurant in Flatiron! Based on the location and the grandiose décor, I was thinking the food might be mediocre... but it was great! First impressions... this place is MASSIVE for a New York restaurant. It almost feels like you could be over the bridge in New Jersey. There are tall columns decorated with ropes, but I'm not sure how this "ties" in with the Italian/Japanese theme (pun intended). Nevertheless, the food was fantastic. They explained that they have two kitchens - one Italian and one Japanese - and they are not connected. The first half of the menu is a full Italian menu and the back half is a full Japanese menu. We ordered a little from here, a little from there: - the crystal sushi - a "new genre of sushi" that includes a gelatinous layer over the top. It was actually very good. - scallops crudo: delicious - sashimi: great, but the server got our order wrong - spinach salad: genius to have steamed spinach sitting in a pool of peanut sesame sauce - risotto: great, but the flavor was a little mild. I think because it was supposed to have sausage in it, which would have given it a nice balance, but there was no sausage. - Then the Japanese lamb chops - wow!! My friend and I are both Greek and we LOVED it. Do not miss.- gelato and sorbet for dessert was great as well Excellent mocktail menu that I have to mention for the search engine.The service was just okay. Some good moments (taking our coats upon arrival) and some not-so-great (getting our order wrong), but overall a nice experience. I think this could be a great place to impress out-of-town guests, for large parties, or even event buy-outs. Could also dine here pre-theater, then hop on the R/W to quickly get to 42nd or 49th St.

I was very intrigued to try Aqua after passing it multiple times and reading about it.The concept of Italian and Japanese food served in the same setting seems weird but I think the execution was well done.I stopped in on the night of the Super Bowl (on purpose! I don't watch the Super Bowl and I enjoy the empty streets and businesses every year on that day).As expected, the restaurant was pretty quiet with a handful of parties seated. The restaurant is MASSIVE. Like, it kept going all the way to back when I didn't expect it to.I was alone, but since the restaurant was not busy, they gave me a 4 person table so I had plenty of room.The menu is pretty extensive in both Japanese and Italian offerings. I opted to do the Restaurant Week special. For $60, edamame, miso soup, appetizer, entree and dessert which is a great deal.I am a vegetarian and the server told me the miso soup was not vegetarian so I could not partake in the soup. I suggest reworking this to be vegetarian in the future.The edamame was good and a nice start to the meal. For my appetizer, I had the seaweed salad which was presented with the spinach actually cooked together in a rectangle shape that you had to break apart. The sever poured the sesame dressing over the salad at the table.I had the eggplant pasta dish for my entree. It was very good! Really enjoyed this. Very flavorful.For dessert, I opted for raspberry sorbet. Standard sorbet, but good. Although, not sure if this was intentional or a mistake...but at the bottom of the bowl, there was parmesan cheese sprinkled? I stopped eating the ice cream half way through once I started eating into the cheese. Sorbet and cheese do not go together, lol .For a drink, I had the Hana Collins, which I assume is a play on a Tom Collins. I also enjoyed this drink. Drinks were $19+ and up.From the host to the server, I thought the staff was all friendly and attentive.Because the restaurant was pretty empty, management was very visible, walking around and asking how everything was. I think they were probably too visible though to the point of being awkward, kind of just standing there and staring at tables and staring at the staff. I guess it is good they are being present, that's important.Overall, I really enjoyed my meal here and would certainly come back. I like the idea of having Italian and Japanese food in the same meal, and it is not as weird as you would think. Both cuisines seemed to compliment each other.The restaurant itself is also gorgeous and large, which is not something you come across too often in Manhattan. This would be a good spot for a quick dinner, but also good for groups and dates. Something for everyone.One thing I suggest is to please put purse hooks on the bathroom doors. There are currently no hooks available and I had to put my bag on the floor.

While visiting NY came here for dinner. It happened to be restaurant week. Three courses for $60, which is a DEAL! The atmosphere was pretty cool vibes and a number of birthday dinners going on. There was a DJ playing at a small station as soon as you come in. The decor of the restaurant was pretty vibey as well!The service from the hostess to the server was excellent. We were well taken care of and when there was a mishap was handled very professionally. Totally didn't take away from the experience. The food was okay, the shrimp was So salty (I'm pretty sure it was the sauce). The sushi rolls were pretty good and probably the highlight of the night they were fresh and well rolled. The rock shrimp was well cooked however the sauce was salty and the oxtail rigatoni was pretty good but also low on flavor. The sorbet assortment was a perfect way to end the night.

Aqua is a large restaurant with a great vibe, fun and loud but you can still hear everyone at your table easily enough. Great acoustics and lighting! We were able to walk in early on a Friday night with a party of 4. There are effectively 2 different menus, one for Italian food and one for Japanese. This is not a fusion, just 2 menus slapped together which is interesting and slightly odd. The timing of the food was a bit odd as the sushi rolls came out at the same time and even before some of the appetizers. Overall food was good, the Japanese menu was a bit better overall, and the deserts were inventive and tasty, especially the chocolate caviar. The service was very fast, some food arrived almost seconds after being ordered. However the places were being cleared very aggressively, before we had finished all our food. On one course my plate was taken away as I was still spooning food in my mouth.

Made a group reservation it was eight of us. The meals are shareable, but the portions are small. They have two different menus, a Japanese menu and an Italian menu, but it is not a fusion style restaurant. The ambience gave upscale the prices gave upscale but the food gave subpar . The sashimi was the best bite for the night. Everything else seem to fall flat lacking flavor. We had an amazing waiter named Chaz. We tried his best to make our night amazing and memorable but overall, I would have to give this place a three, the vibe is a five out of five but the food Definitely needs improvement.

The most beautiful new restaurant in NYC! The decor and ambiance are gorgeous. I stopped in after work and was able to snag a seat at the bar, the bar is huge, lots of bartenders. Everyone was very friendly. This restaurant is unique as it has 2 menus- Asian & Italian. I opted to go Asian but you can order from both. Rock shrimp is my go to and Aqua did not disappoint, generous portion with a delicious creamy spicy sauce on the side. I tried 2 rolls, the fish is very fresh. The crystal sushi is their signature roll, it is very unique, a must try. Very tasty and different.Can't wait to return and try the Italian menu.

We stopped by Aqua for some drinks and small bites before heading to dinner elsewhere. Plenty of comfortable seats at the bar. The service at the bar was attentive, and the entire staff was very friendly. The ambiance was sleek and modern.We tried the rock shrimp, crystal sushi (botan ebi), and flounder sushi. The food was well presented and tasted good overall, but we felt it was overpriced. The rock shrimp consisted of tiny fried pieces that didn't seem to justify the $28 price tag. The crystal sushi was beautifully plated and fun to eat, but again, the ingredients didn't seem to warrant the $20 cost. The flounder sushi stood out as the best value at $11.The restaurant itself is spacious and inviting, with an interesting concept of two separate menus (Italian and Japanese), almost as if it were two restaurants combined into one. We might return for a full dinner experience, but we'd carefully select dishes that offer better value for the price.

We went for my daughter's birthday yesterday and it was phenomenal! Food was delicious and beautifully presented. The ambiance was great. Such a beautiful lively joyful place to spend our evening. Our server, Carmen was amazing. She was so friendly, knowledgeable and very attentive. Looking forward to going back again soon.

Hello , I went to dinner at Aqua tonight after rating several restaurants in New York. I was surprised by the food, the place is beautiful in the middle of Manhattan but what made the difference was the French service by Nino, warm welcome, wine advice to match the dishes, perfect timing, elegant and very classy. I recommend everyone to come here and ask for Nino as a waiter . Will I be back? With great pleasure and soon .

Sixto took care of us. The experience was great and food was top notch. I would highly recommend this place - especially NYC locals who are looking for something new to try! Great vibes.