acqua italian restaurant

this an upscale outdoor restaurant with an entrance by land or by boat. during the winter they close up the restaurant with glass so you can still enjoy the water views. an italian restaurant on the water is somewhat different when most by the sea are seafood. the food is fantastic along with their selective cocktails which are excellent pours. the bar is set in the back by the entrance and faces the dining area which closer to the water. the staff is friendly and when the owner is around he will be sure to welcome you and thank you for visiting the restaurant.

have been coming to acqua over the past few months and am so looking forward to the warmer weather to be able to sit out by the water!
to start my husband and i shared the baked clams and all i can say is we used the bread to sop up the extra sauce!
the portions are family style so a full size is more than enough for 2-3 people. i love the bolognese sauce. it's probably the best on all of long island. the bowl of pasta is huge and there is enough sauce to cover the entire bowl. in addition we ordered a portion of shrimp parmigiana. it was delicious!
consider ourselves lucky to have such a terrific restaurant located in our town of south merrick

great food, great waterfront view, theme nights!. recently visited acqua for comdey night - great entertainment by three professional stand up comedians and outstanding buffet dinner. special treat - black pasta served by executive chef francesco as a surprise (only scilian's know that dish, i'm irish but i love it!) wine pairing tonight! i'll be there - suggest you try!


-----19 sep, 2014-----

consistantly great dining experience. back again last night and was not disappointed. great waterfront view, great food and excellent service. had the fried zuchini, penne vodka and the veal francese. so good! a must try


-----26 feb, 2014-----

acqua restaurant, merrick, ny. the finest italian cuisine and one of the most beautifull waterfront settings. the menu is extensive with something for everyone and the service is friendly and attentive. i always gravitate toward the fish and seafood as it is always fresh, expertly prepared and well presented. the specials are always good and reflect the creativity of executive chef francesco. the acqua atmosphere is friendly and relaxed. highly recommend - once tried you will become a regular like me!

two hours to get served?. went on a beautiful sat night and was seated immediately.... waitress was great ....got salad and appetizers with wine and then had to wait nearly two hours for pasta? the waitress came over several times to apologize and even paid for a free round of drinks.....i was told the kitchen couldn't keep up but the place was only 2/3 full? i will give them another chance .....maybe on a weeknight?

amazing food, great atmosphere, and awesome service!

acqua is directly on the water located in a marina with nice atmosphere. service good and all staff friendly. ordered the special pesto shrimp with linguine, which was said to be family style. the dish came and it had 4 shrimp (definitely not that big) on top of a large plate of pasta. we sort of laughed at it as we were enjoying ourselves. but after i got home and thought about paying $34.95 for 4 shrimp/pasta it sort of got me thinking. should we have had a couple more shrimp? i usually don't, but i called and asked to speak with a manager; so fabio took the call. he stated that our server should have explained the dish, and that ultimately yes, the dish has 4 shrimp. we also sort of got into that if we ordered the shrimp scampi for approx $26 there would have been 10 shrimp, but then pasta is a la carte at $9... either way he certainly did not try to make me feel better.
i do not wish this place any ill will, it was just surprising. not sure if we would go back...