Aqua Grill

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ricky7023

Joined 2 years ago

must go to this place!. this place has the best food in jacksonville. we love the staff, the ambiance and creativity of the chef. we are so tired of " chain " restaurants that is so refreshing to go to a restaurant that is unique to its city. this place has a great bar and fantastic seafood. my wife had a terrific filet mignon and our gingered chicken spring roll was a great starter! the staff there really cares ; as we noticed the owner going by every table to check on his guests. 5 stars!

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Lisa Rasch

Joined 2 years ago

Best Seafood Restaurant in Northeast Florida. My husband and I have been dining at the Aqua Grill for over 15 years. I can honestly say that we have never had a bad experience. Aqua Grill has everything a great seafood restaurant should have; fresh local seafood, delicious and unique preparations of their seafood, and a friendly and knowledgeable wait staff. You can dine at Aqua Grill several times in a week and get a southern influenced dish on one visit and an Asian inspired creation the next visit. At my last dining experience I got the Spice Seared Ahi Tuna with Wild Mushroom breadpudding accompanied by a Port Wine reduction, and I am hooked. Aqua Grill also has an excellent wine selection and a full bar that serves one of the best martinis I have ever had, the Aqua-tini. There are plenty of non-fish dishes such as veal schnitzel and a mouth watering bacon wrapped filet.

If you still have room for desert, the creme brulee and key lime pie are to die for. Aqua Grill is truly one of the gems of Northeast Florida and should not be missed

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wallace12286

Joined 2 years ago

they have it all!!!!. my girlfriend and i love to eat out but get bored at so ordinary places in town. however Aqua Grill is the best restaurant we went to in Jacksonville and Ponte Vedra. this place has fantastic creative food, great menu choices, afffordable and fun ambiance. the staff is experienced and we had a drink in their neighborhood bar with Judy who has been there 23 years! management cares, chef is super talented and appears that is where all the locals go. we sat on the outside deck next to herb garden and enjoyed the beautiful moonlight. amazing night!!!

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Wm J

Joined 2 years ago

Impeccable Service, Extraordinary Meal. Tonight I had one of the top five memorable meals of my life. After reading several glowing reviews about the Aqua Grill I decided to give it a try and I'm so glad that I did.

My server was Dustin. He informed me that he is usually the bartender. He had a friendly demeanor that would go well with that position. Dustin had an extensive knowledge of the menu and ingredients and helped me make a difficult decision in choosing an entree. Excellent customer service.

I had an appetizer of Day Boat Scallops and Parma Ham on toast points that was prepared to perfection. It made the anticipation of the entree almost unbearable. I had Dustin bring me a bottle of Ferrari-Carano 2009 Fumé Blanc - Sonoma County that paired nicely with both the delicate scallop appetizer and the spicier entree I was about to order.

When Dustin brought the green salad with raspberry vinaigrette I placed my request for the Bang-Bang with tilefish being substituted for the cod.

While waiting for the entree, the General Manager, Cary, came to the table and was most gracious. When I told him that they should have a sampler dish because it all looked so good he asked me what else I had been thinking of. I told him that the Pistachio Tilefish on a bed of sweet potato risotto with the cranberry reduction was the runner-up he said he would take care of it.

The tilefish, a mild whitefish with large flakes was crusted with almond and fresh herbs, it was served with Thai chili sauce on vegetable primavera pad Thai noodles. The presentation was playfully creative with a small Chinese food take-out box and chopsticks. In the corner of the platter was a small serving of the Pistachio Tilefish topped with asparagus and fried basil.

The flavors and textures were phenomenal. If I died on the way home I would have died happy and fulfilled. The spiciness of the chili sauce juxtaposed with the creaminess of the risotto was an unexpected pleasure for my palate, it should be on the menu like that. Every bite was a cacophony of flavor and ecstasy.

The worst part about eating here is that I won't be able to come here for the first time again.

Before I left I stuck my head in the kitchen. When I was younger I worked on a cleaning crew that deep cleaned restaurants and found that many restaurants have no concept of cleanliness. That is not the case at the Aqua Grill as attention to detail does not stop with the presentation but also with the preparation.

If you do not try the Aqua Grill when you are in Jacksonville you will be missing out on an exquisite dining experience. My advice is to take off your wristwatch while you dine there and savor every bite.

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Adamomarc13

Joined 3 years ago

Had to write a review. Normally I'm not the reviewer type. I read the reviews but fail to give feedback myself. After dining at Aqua Grill, I was compelled to finally give back to the internet community and let the readers know that money is well spent here. To begin, I was greeted with warmth and enthusiasm by the hostess. Then our server, Scotty, anticipated our every need during our meal. I had a difficult time choosing which dish to try, as there were about 5 chef's specials that looked delicious. I chose the Pecan encrusted Grouper special and my friend had the Triggerfish Mediterranean. Though completely different specials, they were both amazing. The fish melted in your mouth and the combination of ingredients was out of this world! For an appetizer, we shared the stone crab claws, which were good; for dessert we shared the most perfect key lime pie I've ever had! It was so good I probably could have eaten the entire slice myself. It wasn't too tart or too sweet and was the perfect consistency of both firm and creamy. I just can't believe I waited so long to try this place. Living at the north end of the beach, I'm a creature of habit, but Aqua Grill will now become one of my new favorite habits.

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A paul

Joined 3 years ago

Fabulous food in Ponte Vedra. I'll start by saying I eat here as well as several people I work with several times a week. The food is wonderful, the staff is great as well and seem to love working there so the faces are familiar year in and out. The menu is fresh and never gets boring. They have done music on Sundays in the past and that was a blast. I hope they do again in the future because the deck is amazing in the fall and spring . WE love Aqua!

Pros: Staff and food are top notch

Cons: The menu is so good its hard to try new things because what you had last time was so amazing... just take a deep breath and go for it you'll love that dish to!

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annecarmine

Joined 3 years ago

Yum!. I eat at Aqua Grille a few times a month and it is on the top of my list. From burgers to seafood to my new favorite bang bang cod I haven't had a meal I haven't loved yet the people are friendly, the food is fresh so it takes a minute but worth it. The bar is quaint and like the cheers of ponte vedra where everyone knows your name. sign up for the email and they send a birthday present..I won't spoil the surpise but its yummy! Great place try it if you haven't already. Lots of fresh young life happening in this community icon!

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lauren w

Joined 3 years ago

GREAT EXPERIENCE!!!. dining at Aqua Grill was a treat with all the eclectic food items on their menu and the fabulous presentations we were thrilled. loved this place. cannot wait to come back: the staff was so friendly and welcoming since we were visiting the area. they could not be nicer. the steak we had was melting in our mouths with a fantastic portabello mushroom demi and stuffed potato. we loved the WEDGE salad and our Crab Cake Appetizer with lump crab was to die for. i had triggerfish for the first time and that was some great tasting fish especially with homemade heirloom tomato sauce and grilled polenta. cannot wait to come try all of their great sounding menu choices FIVE STARS!!!

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dining don

Joined 3 years ago

LOVED IT!!!. We love eating out and consider ourselves " foodies ". In Jacksonville there are not alot of great and special restaurants to thoroughly enjoy intersting and well prepared food. Aqua Grill in Ponte Vedra is a fantastic place! The menu is quite large and lots to choices from and eclectic creations galore. We honestly had a tough time choosing from all the great fish preparations and also some very nice chicken/meat choices. My wife and I ordered two local fish dishes : one was an Italian delight with fresh ingredients and the local Red Snapper was served with a Pan Asian Sauce and Vegetable Pad Thai. The portions were large and after having one of the best appetizers we have ever had Seared Day Boat Sea Scallops with proscuitto & parmesan cream with toasted garlic herb bread. Wow! The vibe in this gem was amazing. Will make a special trip next time in town to eat there because my wife cannot stop raving about it!

Doesn't Recommend

Mr Obfuscation

Joined 3 years ago

My two cents. Restaurant positives include location, spacious eating tables, good wine selection, and very good waiter service.

The negatives include quality (salty and bitter) could not differentiate between the various fish served (all six people in our company ordered fish and all tasted the same).

Summary; this restaurant is overrated and overpriced.