Aqualis Grill

Positives — Nice atmosphere. Old, historic building. Cozy setting. Good place to enjoy a quiet evening together/​date night.
Negatives — The food was okay — not great. A bit over-​priced for the quality.

AQUALIS GRILL IS CLOSED!
Prospect Restaurant opens in June.

I was underwhelmed! I brought the in-​laws there for dinner and I was excited — as it seemed from reading other reviews that it would good option for fish. However the dishes were forgetful.
Positive notes — cozy atmosphere and nice washroom facilities.

We had dinner here last Saturday night before a performance at BAM
Overall the food was very good. It is simply prepared as you would expect for Mediterranean style food.
My wife had the $ 25 prix fixe menu which was a choice of a salad or spread (she had the fava bean spread which was very good) plus a main course — she chose the skirt steak (other choices were talapia or ½ a roasted chicken). The skirt steak was perfectly cooked and tasty. The price also includes a glass of wine.
I chose the sardines which were very tasty and well prepared and the scallops with white beans as a main course. The scallops were perfectly cooked and the dish was excellent.
The service is slow but pleasant. There was only one waiter. There were a number of diners trying make the same 7:30 performance and that led to a bit of frustration. Lesson learned — get here by at least 5:30 to make a 7:30 BAM show

Not sure where the great reviews are coming from here…
Went based off Unilocal reviews-​should have listened to the more negative ones. There is nothing «wrong» with this place-​it just has mediocre food and not much else going for it. I agree with g.g. who summed it up as «bland.»
We started with a seafood app special. It was mussels, shrimp and whitefish mixed in with tomato. The seafood tasted off-​I think it was the strong cheese that was in it. It looked great when it was brought out but my friend and I both could not get ourselves to like it.
My friend got the swordfish. It was okay-​nothing one could not whip up at home with a grill and salt and pepper. The sauteed escarole it came with was just that-​but a nice touch. The meal did not do it for her.
I ordered the sea scallops. They were the smallest sea scallops I’ve ever eaten at a restaurant-​no means bay scallops-​just ubber small. They were pan seared and tasty. The best part of the meal was the celery and white bean sautee that was the base for my dish. It was very tasty and was the one thing I really enjoyed.
Service was very slow-​especially given the few table in the place. Prices were fair if the food was great– but I cannot see paying the prices they charge for subpar food.

In one word… bland. I hate to leave bad reviews, but no choice here. I am quite surprised this place is getting 4 stars average. went there last week, my first time under the new name (and new owners?). I will give them 1 star for the cozy atmosphere.
the blond waiter who served us recommended a really bad/​cheap-​tasting wine and got visibly annoyed when I asked to exchange it. sorry dude, I refuse to have bad wine nowadays. I did expect the food to be good, as since I lost a ton of weight, fish is my usual to go food and the menu looked interesting. the scallops we ordered were a joke. $ 22+ for 3 pieces (yes, 3!). and they were bland, as was the orzo side dish. garlic spinach was okay, but is there any food that doesn’t taste good with a ton of garlic?
these guys lost a great chance to have a successful restaurant, as certainly the people in this neighborhood can appreciate good food — just check nearby Olea which is always packed at night.
definitely not going back. not for the wine, not for the annoying waiter and not for the bland, overpriced food.

If you’re looking for a spot to eat fish, you’ve stumbled onto a goldmine.
If you’re looking for a spot to eat a whole fish de-​boned (upon request), you’ve stumbled onto a goldmine.
Date night is always great, but a date night with good food is even better. I enjoyed the evening’s special of pan roasted porgy with vegetable lentil salad and arugula. We shared the honey laden baklava which was a tad sweet but good. Although we weren’t in the mood for drinks, the waiter gave us a sample of red sangria with lime on the house! Tasty.

We were a little nervous after reading some of the recent Unilocal reviews– but we ended up having a lovely evening at Aqualis. This is clearly a place that has mastered the neighborhood bistro concept — the space is charming and cozy, and on a warm evening with the doors open, the room just shimmers. Somehow, this place manages to be both incredibly relaxed and elegant.
The fairly limited menu covers all the bases (shrimp, steak, chicken, ample fish choices) though fish is definitely the strongest of the offerings — the tilapia ($ 19 served with delectable beets and spinach) was absolutely perfect, and the grilled shrimp with veggies and orzo ($ 22) was also remarkable — the shrimp were grilled to absolute perfection, and the orzo had just the right mix of in-​season tomatoes to contrast with the shrimp. Our fava bean dip appetizer ($ 5) served with warm pita was a good start to the meal, but it wasn’t exciting enough to warrant a recommendation.
The one down-​side to Aqualis, though, is that the restaurant seems to run out of a lot of dishes — when we got there, we were told the sardines and branzino were both out (I wasn’t that upset about the sardines, but I had actually been looking forward to branzino) and then when we ordered dessert, we learned that they were also out of crème brûlée. The baklava was a pleasant-​enough dessert option, but I was surprised to learn that so much of the menu was unavailable at 7pm on a Saturday evening. The only other down-​side is that the service is spotty. Our waiter was lovely and attentive, but as the evening progressed and the restaurant filled up, he seemed stretched thin. So we ended up waiting a while for our drinks, and a very long while for the check. He was apologetic and kind, so I don’t hold it against him, but this wouldn’t be the place to go if you’re in a hurry.

I came here a couple of months ago with a friend for dinner. It was amazing. Great ambiance. Great date spot. My only «con» was the long wait for our food… We sharded calamari and I had Scallops with veggies! Delish. The location is great as well. Close to the train!!!

My boyfriend and I went here a few weeks ago. We wanted to go to a place that had good seafood and outdoor seating, and Aqualis sounded like a good fit.
We ordered the eggplant spread as an appetizer. It was exceedingly bland, and the bread that came with it was very oily and buttery. My boyfriend enjoyed it, but I didn’t.
I ordered the tilapia filet, with a side of steamed veggies, as my entrée. First off, when the server delivered our food, he took a good three minutes rearranging our table over and over again. It wasn’t so much that everything couldn’t fit (all the plates and such could fit just fine), but it was like he didn’t like where I had placed my water glass and wine glass and moved it away from me, for example. Very strange. It was like table tetris!
The food itself was AWFUL. Just awful. The tilapia was tasteless and very heavily fried and unpleasant — the menu, I believe, said «lightly pan-​fried» or some such. But no appreciable seasoning whatsoever on any of it. The tilapia also came with beets and spinach, both of which were SOAKED in butter. I pretty much had to blot my food before I could eat it because the amount of butter used was destroying the taste of the food! Not to mention how unhealthy that amount of butter must be. I ate maybe a third of my plate, and I’m notorious for being a member of the clean plate club.
The «steamed veggies» were also soaked in a huge puddle of oil and butter. I was furious! Nowhere in the menu did it state that the steamed veggies (or sauteed spinach and roasted beets, with the tilapia) came with butter, or a butter sauce, or anything.
And when it finally came time for the check, the waiter took a good twenty minutes with it, while I watched him clear plates and deliver checks to other tables. I pointedly complained about the meal and service to him, and he comped the tilapia (hence why I didn’t give this place one star), but I was entirely disappointed with my meal. The food wasn’t truthful to the menu, and tasted bad, to boot. Both my boyfriend and I got sick later in the evening, thanks to the oily, buttery food.
Not pleasant, and never going back.

For 10 bucks, the Mussels app knocked it outta the park. The portion size and flavor were rediculous. I think we ordered like 3 rounds of the complimentary bread just to finish the SAUCE! (Epic Meal Time Voice)
For the entrée I had the swordfish steak and mashed on the side, which was really good but a little pricey. I don’t think this would have filled me up if I didn’t have all the bread and the appitizer.
Still, I would deffinitly go back here again in the near future.

While on the way to BAM — my friend and I had about an hour and a half to kill and get food — we stumbled upon Aqualis Grill. The place is more upscale than the typical place i go to — and probably too swanky for my unsophisticated demeanor but we ventured in all the same. For appetizer we order the mussels which came in a spicy red sauce with tomatoes, onions and chick peas — man, the mussels were awesome but the sauce it came in was even better! i think we finished off the sauce without finishing the mussels — can you believe that? For entrée i had the sword fish steak — so good, i can’t recall what i had on the side but i enjoyed it all the same.
I would definitely recommend this as a date place when you’re trying to impress a chick rather than a spot to go with your buddy — but in any case definitely worth checking out.

The seafood here was really delicious but wow, the service here was one of the worst I’ve experienced anywhere.
We waited close to a half an hour just to get a menu. Once we ordered, you could tell the waiter was not listening… repeatedly coming back to verify our order. He then continued to bring the entire order at once (appetizers, entrees).
It was by far an awkward and irritating experience. The only saving grace was that the food was quite delicious. Even with that said, I’m not sure I would return for another meal.

I love Aqualis Grill! As soon as we walked in we were immediately welcomed by one of the owners, Eddie. The restaurant was very warm and dimly lit. It had an open feeling although the kitchen was partly visible from the front of the restaurant, you could smell the delicious food from the moment you stepped inside!
We started out with the peasant salad and the calamari. Both were delicious. The calamari was really light and the dipping sauce had capers and more flavor than a plain tomato dipping sauce.
For my entrée I went with the skirt steak, I also tasted some of the branzino — it was probably one of the best fishes I’ve ever tasted. It seems like the seafood dishes are the best but the steak was also amazing.
When the bill came, 15% off from Unilocal =) =)
Awesome Awesome Awesome experience, I will be back.
I wish they delivered to where I live…

My new date night spot :)
Came upon it randomly last night while looking for a dinner spot. We were lucky — our first time we hit the jackpot with their Wednesday $ 15 lobster special. The skirt steak was great… cooked just right, great flavor. Spinach was exceptional! Crabcakes were meaty and had great scallion flavor. The mashed potatoes were so unique… but the cheese really added a lot of flavor.
If you like prosecco, they serve one kind by the glass. I’d recommend you try it.
Bill came, with drinks, lobster, steak, app, extra side, and dessert — came to $ 68 bucks. It doesn’t get much better than that.

This place was really great. Was surprisingly not crowded for a Thursday evening. Started with an average and small, crab cake appetizer.
I had the skirt steak, an it was cooked to perfection and was a good portion. Asparagus as the side, and that completed the meal. Very good service. The app took a little long, and… whoops… no free wireless here.

Wow that is all I have to say. I have always loved Mediterranean food and Aqualis really impressed me.
From their bread with olive oil and olives to the dessert, everything is just amazing. I tried the grilled octopus and it was grilled just right paired with great refreshing sauce.
For entrée, I decided to go with the sea scallops and my boyfriend got their lamb chops and man was I in heaven. Scallops were seasoned perfectly and they were so fresh. The lamb chops dish is huge and the lamb was tender and juicy.
We were totally satisfied after entrée and guess what? They gave us complimentary dessert! Sweet baklava with their Greek Yogurt with honey! I was shocked!
I wish I live closer to Brooklyn…

We were heading out to Olea for dinner tonight but it was too packed. M. was too hungry to wait for 20 minutes for a table. As faithful Unilocalers, we took out our blackberry and worked hard (mainly M. because he is the man) on finding another place around the area. Aqualis Grill came up in the search, it was packed with praised thus we marched towards our plan B.
When we arrived, there were nobody except two guests at the bar. Odd. Then I smelled fish… like I were in a seafood market. Hmmmm. I was starting to wonder about this place…
The décor is pretty. Exposed bricks walls, hanging light bulb fixtures and candle vases on the wall shelves. Nice ambiance, not too dark that you need a light to read the menu, nor too bright. The menu offers a good variety of grilled whole fish plus a dish of Lamb, Chicken, Hanger Steak for those who aren’t into creatures that breath under water.
We ordered Branzino w/​side of mash potatoes (m/​p $ 25) and one of the catch of the day fish which name starts with P but I forgot (m/​p $ 26) w/​side of sauteed spinach. We also had the Reisling and a glass of Rose. Delicious!
Our waiter was informative and very attentive. The last adjective was earned because our visit had to be abruptly ended a little while after he served us the tasty bread (moist! not those teeth pulling hard bread!) and a plate of olives (yay!). My sudden onset of tear-​jerking level of toothache robbed me of my willingness to sit properly and gave me a strong desire to bang my head on the table, continously. M. detected that I needed to go back home in order to cry on the bed so he asked for our food to be packed to go and asked our waiter for Tylenol, if they had any.
Our waiter couldn’t find any so he came back to us offering to go pick some up around the corner at a bodega. We declined but we were certainly touched by his offer. When he gave us our «to go» pack, the waiter informed us that he gave us some baklava as complimentary dessert and hoped that I feel better soon. Aw, nice touch.
Back at our apt, M. eagerly started to fest on our cooled down dinner. It smelled wonderful and it was delicious. The fish were grilled to perfection. Succulent meat with hints of smoke, perfectly seasoned after you squeeze some lemon on it. Also, the portions of the side dishes were more than generous. The food was delicious as I had them cold, imagine how good they must be when they were hot!
We will definably go back there, after I pay a visit to the dentist… *sobs*

A bit on the pricey side, but worth it for the service, ambiance, and free olives and olive bread!
Our meals were delicious, my gf had salmon with spinach, which I tried and loved more than my grilled seabass. My grilled sea bass looked like a little baby fish, not a nice chunk of white fillet i was expecting. I knew it would be a whole grilled fish, but I guess I was expected a striped bass size fish to appear before me. It was a little tough to watch out for bones and whatnot, but I still devoured it and haven’t had a nice whole grilled fish like that in a while. It was slightly burned/​blackened on the skin, which I love. I want to give this place 4 and ²⁄₃ stars.

The salmon carpaccio was PERFECTION. The grilled swordfish kebab was equally amazing. My friend and I also ordered the feta and roasted pepper spread, which was served with freshly baked pita bread.
The ambiance is wonderful, the music is great, and the waiters are hot. Without a doubt best Mediterranean fare this side of Athens.