I was so happy to discover Aqua on a recent family trip to Beaufort/Atlantic Beach. Â My parents and I shared a number of tapas and really enjoyed all of them. Â The tomato pie was one of my favorites. Â They have a bunch of great wine deals, including a 10 wine tasting for $4 every other Tuesday -- we'll be back!
Review Source:This is one of the best restaurants I've eaten at in a very long time. The food was well prepared and executed. Â They menu is very inventive and they dishes ate prepared with local ingredients. Â The service was excellent. Â If you visit Beaufort you owe it to yourself to have dinner there. They clearly are the best restaurant in town.
Review Source:Aqua just changed their chef and menu a week ago, and both are excellent. Â I like the variety of food offered and they have a good variety of bar choices as well. Â I like the new menu options and they have kept some of the previous favorites, such as the unique Cesar Salad. The service is very good, as is the decor. Â This is one of my favorite places to eat in the Beaufort-Morehead City area. Â The price is equivalent to the quality of food served.
Review Source:Intriguing Food, Nice Design, Swell Wine List...
This is a nicely designed restaurant with pale aqua walls, warm wood trim, shimmery art glass and bold Miro prints -- an upscale, slightly mod ambiance with a nice hopping energy. I always like a glimpse into the kitchen, too. The dishes were imaginative and well executed and presented.
We started with the grilled oysters on the half shell. Like oysters Rockefeller, the gorgonzola, caramelized onions and spinach somewhat overpowered the delicacy of the oysters, but the flavors were delicious. Next up was the pork belly bruschetta with wild mushrooms, brie ad truffle oil. Beautiful balance of flavors, and the pork belly was perfect in texture. The delicate broth of the oven-baked scallops on the half shell was the highlight of my evening. The little scallop shells acted as perfect reservoirs for the broth from the scallops, artichoke heart, pork belly and lemon caper beurre blanc. Delish! The avocado foam on top of the black truffle and oyster mushroom risotto was another highlight. Clean, light essence of avocado with just a hint of warm truffle. Mmmm. (The risotto was might tasty as well.)
Our server was a tad slow on the beverages and a little over-proud, but knowledgeable and friendly. The wine list was quite nice, and Fridays are 33% off bottles, My Manhattan was well-prepared (minus points for cherry from a jar).
Bananas Foster capped the meal with a tabletop flambe. Flavors were good, but the banana could have been a touch riper. Our server brought our ticket as we were finishing dessert which, despite her encouragement to linger, was a little off-putting.
All in all, this was a lovely dining experience, and we will eagerly return to Aqua our next visit to Beaufort.
so this may be one of the best restaurants in beaufort. i should point out that their "tapas" are not in the traditional spanish sense, but if you can get over that, the food is amazing, ambiance is good, staff great, and wine delicious. i really do love this place! :):)
if only i didnt travel so much i would be here more often!
The food was good. However I am visiting from out of town and I am not impressed. We were waiting over an hr for chicken tenders and fries for my friends daughter. Also the waitress parents were in the restaurant and they received excellent service and I hardly got my food on time. This is horrible and I will not return.
Review Source:This is not the kind of restaurant we go to a lot. Â Keep that in mind. Â But as folks like us could come in here I feel justified in reviewing it.
We had dinner there  the Saturday between Christmas and New Year; we came in probably at 5:30 and there were a couple tables occupied and some folks at the bar.  By  the time we left it was filling up. The wait staff was friendly and the milieu good, not extravagant.
My wife had a merlot she liked; she commented some merlots are even better than our usual well-known two or three buck variety. Â I had my first chocolate martini; I may have to do that again.
As to food, I had a baked scallop tapa (singular of tapas?) and mussels linguini. Â My wife had the petite filet. Â I like scallops but this tapa did nothing for me. Â I found the linguini to be good but not delightful. Â My wife found the filet to be delightful and a very good size. Â Then we shared a chocolate torte, which was quite good.
I thought the prices were a tad high but that may be because we rarely go to a place like this.  The food ranged from pretty good to very good and the serving sizes are a good idea we think.  Hence, a  four.
After trying to get my husband to go to Aqua for over a year we finally made plans last weekend and it was fantastic! Our wait staff was friendly, gave great advice on meal pairings and were really friendly and 'spot on' bringing our tapas plates to our table. The food was, to understate it, simply the most flavorful, delicious and creatively combined we have ever had the pleasure to taste.
The atmosphere was eclectic, cozy but not tight, and lighting was impeccable. Even more good news, the bill was very reasonable and we left very satisfied after the BEST chocolate Pot de creme I have ever had!
I can say for sure, it will not be a year before we go back; more likely on one of  our many, and likely next visit to Beaufort~! Don't miss this! A wonderful experience.
Wow! Â I love Beaufort and try to get some great seafood whenever I'm in town, but somehow I had never been to Aqua before. Â There's a lovely and unique garden out front, a nice porch and a small but nicely decorated indoor eating space, plus a bar if you want to eat by yourself. Â I came here with a couple of friends who happened to be in the area, and loved it so much I immediately booked for the next night solo. Â It was Memorial Day weekend, so it was definitely crowded, but unlike at some other local establishments, they weren't treating their customers like cattle to be rushed in and rushed out with little regard for the diner's experience. Â Everything I had was delicious, and although on the pricey side, it was worth every penny. Â
The format was for either a small plate experience or an appetizer/entree experience, which at first made the menu a little confusing, but I soon understood. Â The first night I had a Bloody Martini, which contained vodka, Loaded Bloody Mary mix, and had a delicious Old Bay rim. Â I'm not one for sweet drinks, and I was glad they had a few options that were more savory, but this was the best of the cocktails I tried. Â The chef sent out an amuse-bouche, which I thought was a nice touch, that was a spoonful of an asian noodle salad which had a nice spice to it. Â I next had a fresh and delicious Caprese Salad with truly ripe tomatoes. Â I would have preferred whole basil leaves rather than shreds of basil leaves, but otherwise the flavor was right on. Â As the entree I ordered the Softshell Crab with wasabi mashed potatoes, chinese cabbage and soy reduction. Â This was mind-blowingly good. Â I happened to be there during peak softshell crab season, which was fortunate, and according to our server these were selling like crazy. Â No wonder, because the flavor combination was dynamite! Â I also enjoyed being able to sample my friends' dishes, which were all great, including the goat cheese apple tart, and the Thai seafood bowl which had an awesome broth.
The second night I came by myself and sat at the bar, which was small but the bartender was friendly and attentive. Â I tried the Aqua Signature Martini, which contained vodka and Hpnotiq, something I had never tried before. Â It was good, but a little on the sweet side for me. Â However, it went very well with the amuse-bouche, which was a spoonful of Strawberry and Basil Soup. Â As a follow-up, I tried the Ginger Martini, which was very good. Â I chose to do small plates this time, and so ordered two, which was plenty filling. Â First I ordered the Bento Box with seared tuna, a lovely scallop ceviche, coconut shrimp on thai noodles, ginger and seaweed salad. Â The ceviche in particular was quite lovely, with manadarin orange, kiwi fruit, minced red bell pepper, and minced serrano pepper which gave it just the right amount of kick. Â The other small plate was the Fresh Catch of the Day, which in this case happened to be Grouper. It was lightly breaded and fried with pea shoots, cherry tomatoes and carrots. Â I'm usually not so fond of fried fish, but this was so good I pratically inhaled it!
I will definitely be going back here the next time I visit. Â Recommended for anyone who considers themselves a foodie.
Great Tapas menu, great for catching some different tastes when you are not really sure what you want to eat, you just want to eat something GREAT. Â As a foodie and a local (ok, not really a local since I drive 45 mins from Emerald Isle just to eat here, yet isnt that a testament?),the food is well presented, imaginative, and reasonably priced. I was impressed with the wine selections...wanted to stay all night and snuggle into that wine cellar of theirs! Â Seriously, this is a fun restaurant; the chef has some off beat presentations and the tastes are great. Â Please ask for reservations - during the season, it can get full quickly which again is a testament to the fact that they have good food and all of us know it....enough that we are willing to drive AND wait. While waiting, go ahead, grab a wonderful glass from their selection and enjoy the Coolest Town in America. Â See why Beaufort earned the honors. Â You owe it to your vacation to see why. Â Leave the kids at home - this is Date Night Material.
Review Source:Fabulous. We were staying at the beach for the weekend and wanted something more than the usual "batter & fry it" approach typical here. Based on other Yelp reviews we chose Aqua and were not sorry. Not only the best meal of the trip but one of the best we've eaten in a long time. The small plates give a nice option, allowing you to try several things. We loved the habanero-touched pimento cheese appetizer and the cheesy with-huge-chunks-of-crabmeat gratin. My husband's shrimp and grits were just wonderful, as was my shrimp and crawfish jambalaya (a special that night). A plus: the hostess and wait staff were wonderful as well. Warning: the place is small so reservations are advised, particularly during summer months. Highly recommended!
Review Source:Aqua is definitely worth the trip if you'd like an alternative to the rest of the downtown Beaufort dining scene. Â This is the only restaurant I found to have comparable prices to up North, but for good reason.
If they have the pimento cheese appetizer - get it! Â For 10 bucks, you are served a huuuge helping of cheese with crackers. Â I enjoyed the extra kick from the habenero they add to it.
I had the shrimp and grits ($19) and could barely move afterwards. Â Delicious and hearty? - Yes! Â Induce sleep - Yes! Â Definitely just eat half if you have plans to go out afterwards. Â
Desserts looked and smelled wonderful, but I was too full to indulge. Â
Fun martini menu (and only $5 on Thursdays!) and pretty extensive wine list. Â
The service was wonderful, from the hostess to the bartender to the manager to the wait staff. Â
A bit tricky to find -- it is next to Backstreets, kind of "behind" Front Street/Clawson's.
Animated hostess to the former significant other (F.S.O), "Your date looks especially lovely tonight..." I did and yes, flattery will get you everywhere. I like this place already! The hostess further prattled on about how special every dish was, "and you'll just love all our special martinis... we have a truly very special Valentine's Day menu tonight... we have a couple of special wines featured tonight..." to which he wittily quipped, "Is there anything that isn't special?"
Reservations are recommend as Aqua is limited on dining space; there were maybe 12 tables in the main dining area and 3 pub tables in the bar plus six proper bar stool seats. Our reservation turned out to be a tall pub table in the bar which was catty-corner to the front door that blasted an icy cold draft our way every time patrons entered or exited.
Aqua's focus may be wine but their secondary enthusiasm for the erstwhile martini is disappointing and Aqua's menu would benefit from adding a few fresh, cleverly crafted cocktails to their beverage repertoire, however they had a good showing of seldom served cream martinis. Nevertheless, I ordered the super sugary sweet Berry Lemonade Martini (Berry Vodka, sweet & sour mix, splash of cranberry juice with a sugar rim) and the former S.O felt a bit metro(sexual) drinking the uncanny (to its namesake) Sugar Cookie Martini in a martini glass and then went to the Creamy Banana Splitini (Vanilla vodka, crème de cacao, hazelnut liqueur, raspberry schnapps, banana liqueur and a splash of cream) on ice in a Collins glass.
Unexpectedly and off menu, a little white spoon filled with an opaque yellow liquid arrived. Delighted I laughed gleefully, "an amuse bouche!" Mmm, one sweet sip of a spalike butternut squash soup, very clean and crisp but still rather rich.
We ordered the $89 for two people special Valentine's Day menu - a three course meal with a shared dessert. Â To start, we both chose the poached pear and micro green salad with bleu cheese and candied pecans with a passion fruit vinaigrette over the beet (Beet NOT BEEF as I almost mistakenly ordered) carpaccio salad which arrived with chilled forks! Very nice touch indeed! Staring at our salads, "what is a microgreen?" he asked, just as bemused, I replied unsurely "Sprouts?" Enough said.
I opted for the Local Trigger fish and Lobster en Croute with lobster cream sauce, pancetta risotto and sautéed sea beans with watermelon radish - very rich and flavorful, but many of the flavors were indecipherable, except for the pancetta which overpowered everything. The F.S.O ordered the Jumbo Lump Crab that topped a Filet of Beef Tenderloin with demi glace, root vegetable mash and sautéed asparagus. The lumps of crab were generous and the beef was tender but was cut improperly - the cut didn't affect the taste at all but it was just a CSI food "ah-ha" moment. We shared a petite Éclair layer cake with strawberries and citrus - it was the perfect complement of sweet, fruity but still light (we were quite stuffed at this point).
The food was good but it lacked the perceptible depth and wow-factor I was expecting. Maybe it's because we ordered the special Valentine's Day menu, but I'd be definitely willing to try normal, very unspecial menu just to see...
Love, love, love this place!! I'm from NYC and Aqua reminds me of home. The menu changes with the season so it's nice to look forward to change and the dishes are phenomenal. Prices are steep for this region but very worth it. There's a wine special and a sangria special everyday. The little plates are very good variety and if you order enough of them you'll find yourself satisfied. Tonight we had the bruschetta and fried oysters that were amazing. We also ordered seared scallops in a green curry sauce with roasted coconut and risotto--creative huh? I got the wine special which is a glass for $3.99 and it happened to be one of my favorites (Malbec). It was a generous glassful so I was happy. For dessert we got the huge, and it really is huge, creme brûlée Mmm. I can't say enough good things about this restaurant. The staff is awesome. I guess the only downside is that a reservation is needed to ensure seating. It's definitely not the place to go on a whim, especially on the weekend and summer months.
Review Source:You need to plan on eating at least one meal at Aqua Restaurant when you visit Beaufort. We first visited Aqua years ago when it was 'just' a tappas restaurant. It may be an embellishment to say this, I will say it anyway, It is like saying Monet was 'just' a good painter. They knew how to present wonderful tappas and then realized that some people like 'full' portions of food.
We visited right after the 4th of July and ate dinner here on a Thursday night. I ordered an awesome Scallops with truffled smashed sweet potatoes. Awesome. The scallops were cooked to perfection (*****)
My entree was a Bento Box of Seared Ahi Tuna, a sushi roll, some seaweed salad, and an interesting salad. The main problem is that the bento box was prepared in advance and placed in probably the coldest part of the refrigerator. I know that Bento boxes are the original 'fast food' from Japan...the sushi roll was so cold I could not pick it up with the chopsticks. (***)
I will give them credit in 'making it right.' They took my plate back to the kitchen, added some more tuna, and replaced my sushi roll with a "Lobster and Mango in rice paper roll." I like Sushi - I Loved this Lobster and Mango Roll.
One reason why I like this restaurant is that the food is imaginative. Another reason is the ambiance is great. I had an unbelievable Tempura Lobster dish the first time we visited. I want that back on the menu. It should be on every seafood restaurant's menu. Delicious.
We will return again and again.
I hate to throw cold water on all the enthusiasm . . . but I've never had food at Aqua that was good enough to justify the prices. Memorable is a plate of sushi with a lot of rice and a few tiny bits of tuna for $8.
Also, they sometimes get carried away with ideas and forget about FLAVOR. Â The "deconstructed" Caesar salad is stupid. The whole point of a Caesar salad is the blend of flavors. You can't get that the way they serve it. Â Also, for $8.00, why can't THEY do the work of mixing it together. Finally, mine was served with brown lettuce on bottom. I sent it back, and after a long wait, the new one was brown at another spot. Isn't anyone in the kitchen paying attention?
My grouper ($23) was rubbed in cumin and other spices and served with a strongly flavored sauce. I am a fan of variety, but either the fish was only marginally fresh or the strong taste of the cumin gave it an off flavor. What's more, grouper is delicate in flavor -- which is lost when you cover it with strong spices and sauces. And for that price, couldn't they serve rice and vegetable (or any side dish) with it?
I would recommend Aqua as a meeting place for a drink. You could have a small plate if you like. Â I don't recommend it for value or quality of cooking.
I loved the atmosphere both inside and outside on the patio. We had great service both at the bar and at our table. Â
We went on a Friday and indulged in the $5 martinis. Â Between my dining partner and I we sampled the Pinacotti, Espresso, Key Lime, Carolina Breeze, Sunburst, and the Dreamsicle martinis. Â I enjoyed the Pinacotti with pineapple juice, vodka, and a splash of coconut milk and the Sunburst with vanilla vodka, triple sec, banana liquor and pineapple juice the most.
We sampled a variety of small plates, and were delighted in the appearance, the flavors, and the textures. Â My favorite dishes for the night included: yellow fin tuna, beef filet, and scallops. Â The wasabi crusted yellow fin tuna over chasoba nodles with ponzu reduction and pineapple curry coulis was so beautiful. Â The flavor was fantastic and the presentation was outstanding. Â The plantation coffee rubbed 4 oz choice filet with Yukon gold mash, sauteed seasonal veggies and demi glace was half delicious for me. Â I loved the filet, cooked to perfection and oh so flavorful. Â However, the potatoes and veggies seemed odd to me with the juxtaposition of creamy mashed potatoes and nearly raw peppers and carrots. Â Just not my palate really. Â The pistachio seared scallops with hearts of palm and goat cheese mousse was very unique. Â The texture was great and the flavor was savory and complex.
The disappointment for me, came with the dessert sampler.  Crème bruleé, bananas foster, and dark chocolate mousse were all represented in small portions.  There was no real flavor other than sweet.  The bruleé was like sugar pudding, the bananas were like warm bananas, and the mousse tasted like milk chocolate.  It was even more disappointing because it followed such a perfect meal. Â
I talked about the meal for the remaining part of the evening and will go back the next time I'm back in the land where pirates once roamed.
This is one of the best places to eat in town!
Small Plates:
The idea here is similar to tapas - smaller portions to share or combine to make a full meal. Their version of crab dip is wonderful, as is the scallops study. My favorite is the crab cake though, and with the smaller portion, you can enjoy it without ruining your appetite to leave room for...
Greens:
OK, this has to be my least favorite part. I appreciate the new take on the Ceasar salad, but their version is a little too 'modern' for me - a little deconstructed. Last I went there, it was two wedges of romaine lettuce - one speared through a single large flat crouton. The four corners of the plate are stacked with different elements of the salad - anchovie, tomato, egg and olive, and a ceasar vinegrette was drizzled over the lettuce. While I really enjoyed the dressing and all of the elements presented, I would have preferred for it to be put back together. Maybe I'm too much of a traditionalist when it comes to my Ceasar salads.
So while I didn't like the salad overall, and will have to remember not to order it, it was the composition of the salad that I had a hard time with rather than the flavors.
Big Plates:
The coffee rubbed filet mignon was easily one of the best steaks I've ever had. The coffee rub provided a wonderful crust to the tender steak that lent great flavor that didn't overpower. Kerry had duck breast which was a special that evening, and it was awesome. There was a nice glaze that complemented the fattiness of the meat and skin really well. The menu changes from time to time, and that keeps things interesting and keeps me wanting to go back for more.
This is one of my favorite restaurants in NC. Â The food is really good, the atmosphere is great and they have a really good wine list. Â I can't really think of anything on the menu in particular....except for the Creme Brulee(sp?)...AMAZING!!! Â Whenever I am in town, visiting my father, this is the place I like to go. Â For the area, the prices are on the higher side, but in comparison to other restaurants of its caliber, they are great. Â If you are visiting the area, for the Big Rock, Seafood Festival or just traveling and looking for a good meal...look no further.
Review Source:
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