aqua grill

better luck next time....... this restaurant is ranked amongst the top in the area, and afterdiningthere this evening i am not sure exactly why. first off, the good: the service was excellent. the crab cake appetizer was excellent, but i would not pay 15 bucks for one crab cake again. the truffle fries as a side dish were great, very tasty, freshly prepared and well put together. the steamed garlic spinach was very good as well, perfectly cooked and very savory. the giant pepper mill is breathtaking. this is where things went awry. the caesar salad was wilted. we sent it back and it came back not wilted, which leads me to believe that it was pre-made and sitting. the bread was dry and unflavored, kind of like stale wonder bread which also tasted like it was not baked today (or yesterday for that matter). my girlfriends pasta was very bland as well. the background music reminded me of "muzac"- bland , generic and annoying. upon suggestion of hotel staff we made a reservation, which was far from necessary as there were only 4 other tables occupied in the entire place. i now understand why. also, 86 dollars for 2 people with no alcohol is a little out of line. happydining:)

about once a  month a few of my women friends, get together for a girls night out which equates to happy hour cocktails, and dinner; normally a finediningevent, tonight that brought us to aqua grill.  it has been remodeled since my last visit and the results are quite elaborate.  dark wood, sparkling glass with upscale lighting, a waterfall wall, space by the open kitchen for a private table and a much improved patio offering a romantic ambiance.

if you like salt and rude managers, then this is the place. local to the area and have patronized most of the local restaurants including aqua grill. first the food; my last two visits have been disappointing. the chef seems to rely on heavily salty sauces, i presume to masked the prepared food. had ahi tuna and what a bad call. i know quality ahi tuna and this restaurant doesn't seem to either know how to prepare or buys lower quality fish. now i know one shouldn't expect "healthy" food whendiningout, though it is possible, but i'm confident the ahi tuna and stir fry had to be way over 2500 mg of salt.
the staff has always been friendly, not under their control how the management addresses their customers, but one night manager was the opposite of warm and friendly, must be a nj/ny thing i guess. i've found if neighborhood restaurants at least act as though they value their patrons, they just may return. in conclusion, pvb should have better restaurants to choose from and if they remain in business while serving sub-par food, then it's not going to change.

fantastic food, great service, perfect ambience. had dinner on 3/11/14. beautiful maindiningroom, nice bar, but decided to eat outside on the covered porch, overlooking the lake. we were quickly shown to our table and our server was very prompt, friendly and very knowledgeable. the menu is large, very diverse and there were at least 10 entree's i wanted to try, but settled on the broiled red fish over a corn, crabmeat risotto, which was one of the best seafood dishes i've had in northeaster florida in the last 8 years! my wife had broiled mahi over tortellini with red sauce, with mussels and clams, in the shell, surrounding the fish. also wonderful. from the ample wine list we selected a bottle of pouilly-fuisse which went well with the fish. very classy restaurant that we'll be visiting often. i highly recommend trying aqua grill.
dick wilson
st. augustine, fl

the aqua grill, in sawgrass village just outside the gates of the players club, is our “go to” restaurant for special occasions. with candlelight flickering on every table, smooth jazz playing in the background, and a clientele who tend to “dress up” for dinner, it was the perfect spot for a romantic dinner on valentine's day this year.
the menu du jour included several entrees and desserts not ordinarily offered on the regular carte. my wife, who cannot eat seafood, was delighted to see several options for herdiningpleasure, and ordered an 8-ounce filet with whipped potatoes and a medley of asparagus and carrots. instead of the garden salad included in the price of the entree, she asked for what our server slyly called a “honeymoon” salad – lettuce alone! – with the grill's wonderfully creamy and chunky bleu cheese dressing.
although i had intended to choose from among the grill's many signature seafood dishes, i could not resist an unexpected offer of grilled lamb chops, which i ordered “as rare as the chef will serve them!” and that is exactly what i got: 3 exquisite 2”-thick chops browned on the outside, pink through the thickness, and almost red at the bone, sauced with a red-wine reduction that was superb! these were plated with potatoes thinly sliced and roasted until just al dente, and the same asparagus spears and whole carrots similarly prepared that had my wife marveling at the subtlety of the presentation. priced in the $30 range, each entree was well worth it!
although the chef had prepared a half-dozen special desserts for the occasion – including a triple-layer carrot cake and cheesecake concoction that had several diners around us raving – we opted to share an always generous portion of one of the regular menu's offerings: a cinnamon-apple cobbler that is actually almost a classic tarte tatin with graham-cracker crust, vanilla bean ice cream and an artistic drizzle of caramel.
the grill's wine list is extensive and sophisticated. i particularly appreciate the inclusion of one of my favorite oregon pinot gris – robust enough to stand up to the red wine reduction, yet subtle enough not to overpower the delicacy of the very rare lamb.
on the drive home, my wife's comment said it all: “the aqua grill never fails to make a special occasion extra-special!

horrible!!. to start our waitress was playing with the fish in the tank then promptly delivered food to the table next to us with no time to wash her hands. we were constantly interrupted from our conversation and rushed into ordering entrees while still waiting on our appetizers. the thrill of the giant pepper mill was crushed when the waitress dropped it and let it roll across the floor then almost in the same stride cracked pepper over another guests dinner, by the way it was never cleaned. when the entrees arrived they resembled and tasted like an overcooked microwaved lean cuisine. mine in particular had the distinct taste of dirty dish water that was only masked by the freezer burnt peas. the only compliment i can give to this place is the valiant effort of the bar manager to apologize to us repeatedly because apparently the front of house manager was too busy in the kitchen running the microwave to deal with the upset guests in thediningroom. this place is an insult to fine dining.

done right!.diningat this most comfortabl yet well appointed venue is a treat not to be missed! always fresh and delicious cuisine, an appealing eclectic menu with fish preparations to satisfy the most discerning diner, and an emphasis on local providers, aqua grill continues to be one of the outstanding restaurants in jacksonville and surrounding communities.

another "wow" experience. as empty-nesters, we travel quite a bit, and recently enjoyed one of those "wow"diningexperiences at aqua grill. everything you look for was there: quick seating, gracious hostess, our waitress lisa was knowledgeable and attentive, proper timing of each course, deeeeliciois food, and a warm greeting at our table prior to leaving by the owner cary hart. and they even ordered a nice breeze across the outdoor patio! definitely will visit next time we are in town...

thank you!. i dined in the aqua grill this past friday evening and i must say i was over the top pleased with the service and the food. from the moment i entered into the restaurant i was warmly greeted and seated per my reservation. along the way to the table i was greeted by each person i came across "welcome to aqua grill". this is so not the norm with most servers and hostesses scurrying quickly to and fro on a busy friday in most restaurants.
the food was incredible. i ordered the aurugala salad that was perfect. i ordered as my dinner the appetizer scallops with grits, the scallops were cooked to perfection and so tasty and as a southern girl who loves her grits with her seafood - which is now making a huge impact on finedining- they complimented the dish to make a perfect selection.
for dessert the cheesecake had a ginger and lemon zing to it. i am not normally a cheesecake eater - mydiningcompanion chose it - however - i could not get enough of the incredible flavors that burst with each bite.
as we left that evening we were thanked and welcomed to come back by everyone we passed.
i must say - aqua grill will be on one of my new favoritediningexperiences in jacksonville!

best finediningin pv. seriously -- how can this place not rate higher?? simply outstanding service, menu, plating and food. menu changes daily, but you'll have plenty from which to choose. ask the staff for an introduction to the (live) fish -- fun to see servers who obviously like where they work.

loved it!. what a great totaldiningexperience from the moment we entered the door to when we exited!  the staff was friendly and attentive in a balanced way.  the manager personally came by our table to check on us and did so for all guests. each course of the food was amazing, generous portions beautifully presented.  this isn't just a seafood restaurant. we had a standout ny strip dish and an eggplant parmesan that any italian grandma would be proud of. my vegan friend loved her dish also.  a must try when in ponte vedra beach!

excellent seafood for over 20 years. my husband and i have beendiningat 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 lastdiningexperience 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

a feel good place!. i lovediningout and especially enjoy places that make you feel welcome. aqua grill was a warm, comfortable and feel good place. the food was fabulous and menu selections were unique. the service started off a little slow but after we got rolling: the experience was exceptional. my crab salad, snapper provencal and crab cake appetizer were as good as i had in a long, long time. the server was very professional and really pleasant. the manager came over twice to make sure we were happy and gaveus a small idea of what to do in this area. we were treated great and loved the food! ate there two of three nights in town and really happy we did.

awesome. after trying lunch there and being impressed, we signed up for e-mail notices and decided to come back at the next chance -but for dinner this time.we were shocked at the 'realness'of the italian eggplant parm: my wifes snapper weve had in decades.the portions are huge and its nice to see a restaurant not cutting corners in tough times, love the atmospherediningand the lounge the bread served and the key lime pie-truly a winner, u gotta go try this place or go to the lounge for a game(like cheers with great food) small plate offerings too.theyve got all bases covered.no excuses-the management is very accessible. a great experiencewith tremendous variety and a chef trained in italy.

love this place!. i am from nyc and aqua grill in ponte vedra is one the bestdiningexperiences i have ever had. the food was fantastic, fresh and unique. the service was quite friendly and professional. we sat outside which was very pleasant with the breeze from the ocean. if you love fresh fish, great steaks, people who care ( they told us aqua grill has been there 22 years ) then go to this great place. one last point , the owner was very affable and went to every table to make sure everybody was happy. that really helps this place stand out. 5 stars!!!