Acqua Restaurant, Patio and Bar — Restaurant in Burnaby

My experience at the Acqua Restaurant (Executive Suites in Burnaby) on May 12, 2024, during my Mother's Day celebration, was unfortunately overshadowed by several disappointing incidents, primarily centered around an issue with the seating arrangements. Upon our arrival, it became evident that the staff's approach to hospitality involved seating guests in secluded and unappealing areas of the buffet venue. Specifically, an attempt was made to seat my two children and I in an isolated corner outside the buffet hall, adjacent to the gazebo. Despite finding our name listed on the table, it was surprising to discover the absence of chairs, especially given the numerous vacant tables within the buffet hall.

The highlighted section in the attached image depicts the area where the restaurant manager, Dennis, attempted to seat us.

After expressing my concerns to a waiter, we were briefly left unattended as he sought assistance from the restaurant manager. Unfortunately, our situation remained unaddressed as we stood near the gazebo. It was only thanks to the intervention of a kind young lady, whose name I regrettably neglected to note, that we were eventually seated within the restaurant premises.

During our interaction with Tatiana at the restaurant, whom I had previously communicated with regarding my reservation, our concerns were adequately addressed, resulting in our relocation to a more suitable seating arrangement within the buffet hall.

Furthermore, our initial encounter with the restaurant manager Dennis, was marred by a lapse in attention, as we were temporarily set aside to accommodate another group of dissatisfied patrons. While I recognize the importance of addressing customer grievances, the manner in which our needs were overlooked appeared disorganized and lacked professionalism.

Despite the exceptional service provided by our waiter, Rishi, throughout our brunch, it was unfortunately insufficient to salvage the overall experience.

In conclusion, my Mother's Day buffet experience at Acqua Restaurant serves as a poignant reminder of the potential repercussions when customer comfort and satisfaction are disregarded in favor of expediency and indifference.

I encourage prospective patrons to explore alternative dining establishments where all guests are treated with the respect and consideration they rightfully deserve, regardless...

The thing that drew us to this restaurant was the prime rib special they have on Wednesdays. Most places only have prime rib available on Sundays so it's nice to enjoy this mid-week.

Located inside the hotel, there us free parking for restaurant guests (put your license plate down on the sheet located at the hotel lobby desk).

It wasn't too busy on our visit. We had a view of the small hotel pool from our table. Got the acqua sipper (cranberry, pineapple, mango) and Pacific breeze (coconut water, ice tea, muddled mint and lime) to drink.

Thr prime rib special is 10oz ($32) with yorkshire pudding. A good price point with all the fixings. The yorkie had a crisp exterior but fluffy inside. You can get the gravy on the side (it's a thickish gravy). I would definitely come back for this again.

Also ordered the Thai mussels ($24) with lemongrass, galangal and garlic toast. Plenty of mussels but this wasn't my fav and I found it a bit too salty and the mussels weren't very tender.

The Brussels sprouts ($11) with capers, balsamic, and parmesan also leaned into the salty side of things.

Overall, worth a visit for the prime rib at this price point and they also have some happy hour items that looked interesting.

UPDATE July 2024: It's been about 2 months since our last visit here and we decided to come back for their Wednesday prime rib special. We started out with their happy hour calamari ($14) which was better than expected but somewhat salty. The batter was a bit thickish but crunchy and it came with scallions and jalapeños slices.

The 10oz prime rib is the real reason to visit. We asked for medium rare (I would say it was probably a bit more cooked than that but it's difficult when it comes off a roast). Still, the prime rib was tender to the bite. The yorkies seemed to be more cakey/eggy inside this time around with the inside lacking a light hollow interior (assuming it didn't rise as much as it should have). That being said, it was soft and we enjoyed it....

I've changed my review from 2 stars to 5 stars following my latest visit. The food was excellent and my experience very different from my first visit.

I was invited back to Acqua and came during dinner time. They currently have a promo for 50% off an appy when you order an entree so that was timely. The complimentary parking is always a plus.

Acqua recently revamped their menu and I was pleased to see a larger menu selection. For food, I tried the calamari, the acqua burger, lamb shank and full pork ribs. The burger was my favorite while the meat for the other dishes was very tender and fall off the bone delicious. Our server, Rachel, was friendly and attentive. Overall, a great dinner experience.

My greatest concern with my last visit was also addressed as they checked for the vaccine passport and ID at the front. Being a restaurant with ample seating, it would have been preferred if other tables were seated at least a table apart from others but this is a minor gripe since they still checked vaccination status at the front.

I have no reservations about returning back to Acqua and will definitely have to try their happy hour next time! OK but hard pressed to come back considering Cactus Club is next door.

The wagyu carpaccio was decent but quite salty. The seafood garganelli pasta was underseasoned and came with penne instead of garganelli. The frites with the mussels (which were overcooked) came 10 minutes later only after we had to remind the server. However, biggest issue was that no one checked our vaccine cards or IDs nor anyone that followed after us. Fortunately, only 3 tables including us in a spacious room but that to me is a dealbreaker for...