Aqua Restaurant — Restaurant in Beaufort

Took my wife for our anniversary and we were not disappointed!! You can tell when an establishment is run from the back to the front. All aspects were top notch. Alot of cohesiveness between all the staff. First the service. Our server was Manny. If you call for reservations you have to request him!! Such a humble and attentive person. His attention and caring was unmatched. He had a great balance of service and letting us have our time to enjoy. Knowledgeable of the menu as well.,entire staff was just like this. Management take note, keep your good people and appreciate them. The food itself was superb.Future guest be adventurous and try something new on the menu, Its ok if you can't pronounce a dish, just give it a try. This includes the mixed drink specials also.The portions were such that you did not get full and really this is not the place for that. I can suggest any of the tapas, small platters and their specials.Also the chocolate mousse was superb!! The atmosphere was a bit hectic but the lighting was perfect to help with the ambiance. Try weekdays for a visit also. And this next message is for those patrons that are interested in dining at Aqua. This is a higher end restaurant so please show the establishment some respect and dress appropriately. I mean you don't need a suit but don't show up in board shorts , baseball cap and flip flops or bathing suit cover up. It cheapens things and takes away from the experience for others as well. This fine restaurant deserves more. Shout out to our host Quinton also, so attentive ,charismatic and a pleasant person. Also if you go please tip your waistaff, bar and chefs. These are very hard working people with families and rent etc. Overall a wonderful experience and will recommend this fine restaurant to all my friends!! Well done Aqua,well done. very thankful, your a local gem and so proud of...

Stopped in without a reservation but was able to be seated. We were lucky to get Trish, a top level server who clearly knows her trade. CJ, another server, helped especially with dessert, and also was incredible. That’s the best way to describe Aqua, who gets what a fine culinary institution is about - great food and a great experience, not pretension. So many places of this quality forget that. Despite us being a bit wind blown and under dressed from a very long day, we were welcomed. I wish I recall the managers name because it’s a crime not to, as he runs a great place and clearly cares about it. The food was fabulous - the way it works is that you order tapas for an appetizer - or several as the meal. The small plates are perfect for an entree after splitting an appetizer or two. You will not be hungry. We received a complementary small starter from the kitchen - a lovely touch. We had the shrimp and grits and artichoke appetizers. Both were flavorful and interesting without being over spiced. For dinner we had the local catch which was fresh local scallops - to die for - and the local eastern NC crab cake which to my palate is better than Maryland style. Dessert was bananas foster, and well worth the splurge. The bar is well stocked - I spied great Port options. The wine list is excellent. The ambiance is inviting and comfortable, and the outside seating is spacious. Oddly, they didn’t have any of their sister breweries products on tap, but that’s a quibble. Want New York City quality with a Beaufort welcome? You found it. Just don’t tell anyone when I’m in town, because I need a seat! We will be back. Note: this establishment shares ownership with Clawson’s and with Fishtowne Brewing. A fine example of a restaurant group making a town better with great...

First time at Aqua, and overall a good experience with a couple of things that kept this from being 5-star worthy. The food was absolutely amazing--very tasty and beautifully plated and great by-the-glass wine selection. I had the daily catch and the PEI sourced mussels from the tapas menu which were all incredible! Very nice atmosphere as well.

When it came time to order dessert, I was told that since I was dining solo, I would receive the "smaller size" of the bananas foster or creme brulee since they were deemed "too big for one person." I will be the judge of that and am happy to take a to go box if needed. I'm not keen on paying full price (especially at a high-end restaurant) for a smaller serving that I have not asked for, and I hope that this is not standard practice. I attempted to avoid this all together by going with the chocolate raspberry mousse, which was a creative twist on a classic dessert.

The other issue I had that felt "off" was that my server felt the need to rearrange my plates mid-meal to "give me a better experience." This made me feel patronized and like I was somehow eating my dinner "wrong." There was no danger of anything being knocked off the small table and her rearrangement only resulted in inconvenience as she moved the plate collecting my empty mussel shells to the far side of the table. My sleeve nearly landed in my main dish when depositing shells after this. I just left it alone because I didn't want her to "fix" it again.

I expected to pay top dollar here, and for the most part the high price was justified--except when it came to the dessert issue and the post-dinner coffee I ordered which was $4 for a cup of plain, average joe, not an espresso or anything fancy. Would rather have passed on that and just increased my tip...