Trattoria Acqua

I took my girlfriend here for our anniversary, and it was really romantic and the perfect place for it. I made the reservation a few weeks in advance and mentioned it was for an anniversary. As soon as we walked in, the hostess took us to a really nice table in a room with a lot of wines on the wall. It was very cozy. Our waiter stopped by and told us about some of the specials and then got us some drinks. We both had a wine by the glass since I like red and my girlfriend likes white. Both were very good and matched up with our food well. I had the NY steak which had a really nice wine sauce that was perfect for my red wine. My girlfriend had the halibut, which she said was light and went with her wine, too. The server brought out a special dessert for us with a candle to celebrate our anniversary, which I thought was a nice touch. A lot of places don't seem to go that extra mile to make you feel special, but they did. Even though the restaurant was really busy, our waiter and bus person did a great job on checking on us and making sure we were taken care of. I really couldn't think of any cons to our great night here!

I love this place in fact I can't get enough! Perhaps I am biased as I have a personal relationship with one of the managers however I don't get why and how this place has received poor reviews. Now don't get me wrong, I'm no food pro or restaurant connoisseur. I am a simple diner, the kind easily contented by the bread alone? None the less, my taste buds are in excellent working condition, my palate is keen to flavor and my judgment- critical yet very honest. The food, although pricey is superb, they have the most amazing salads with tantalizing fresh flavor, my favorite, the Insalata Mandarino. Avocado and citrus flavor complimented by candied almonds and feta cheese soused with a tarragon vinaigrette? a meal in itself! The dinner menu is quite extensive and has some very fancy entrees however if you are like me, you will be happily satisfied with the less pretentious Mac and Cheese. However, if you prefer the more ?classy? menu, bring your reading glasses and perhaps a good source of light and prepare to be impressed.

When i first stepped foot into the place I was blown away by how cute it was. This place is the best for adventurous eaters and picky ones. Chef Demaso Lee is the BEST chef, he accomidates to the best of his abilities. Alot of high end chefs are rude and its "my way or the high way" Not this chef he is truely in it for the love of the food and making customers happy.
I HIGHLY suggest making a reservation and being on time! There are only 10 tables TOPS that have views but i assure you that the rest of the place is beautiful to sit in too. You can request a view table but there are NO promises.
The wine list is extensive and waiters are well knowledged in them. This is a great place to dine with great selections! I know from lots of experience since i have worked there. If you are going to dine in La Jolla this is the place to be!

Great authentic italian, terrific service and great wine list. Great experience

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My boyfriend and I went for dinner on Saturday night and will never return. We ordered a bottle of wine and our waiter disappeared. 25 minutes later he reappeared to let us know the $100+ bottle of wine we ordered was too warm and they needed to chill it up. They didn't offer us an interim glass of wine or anything, and the waiter just disappeared again. They finally delivered the wine 45 minutes after we ordered it. The food was okay but not worth the expensive prices. I will say that the desert was very good. Unfortunately, the abysmal service is the only thing we'll remember.

My husband and I have dined here multiple times and the first several visits were very good. Our last two dining experiencing however, was terrible! Last night we arrived and were seated promptly which we thought was a good sign that things are better again, however, it took them 50 minutes to give us our bread (good thing we had each other and conversation to pass time) but as time went on, and as I got hungrier, we realized that 1 hour and 15 minutes had elasped and we still did not receive our appetizer and other diners around us was already contemplating dessert. The waiter apologized for the delay, letting us know that the kitchen had burned our lobster bisque and was making a new one for us. Since we had both also ordered salads, I dont know why they didnt give that to us first during our wait or offered to serve us our salad or replenish our bread (by 9pm we were famished!). What was upsetting to us, is that people who dined around us arrived after us, but aso left before we received our main entree. While they enjoyed some semblance of service, we felt we were totally forgotten. By the time we received our check, we were the last patrons at the restaurant. They had forgotten about us again because the waiter did not come by to pick up the check and since we had been there for 2.5 hours, we decided enough was enough and brought the check to them. Its a shame because this used to be one of my favorite places, but it seems the food and the service has took a turn for the worse. Since this is my second bad dining experience at Aqua in a row, I plan not to return to this restaurant and I urge you to try neighingboring restaurants that have much better food and service.

I am dumbfounded by the poor reviews. I would rate this one of the top restaurants I have ever been to. My wife and I travel all over the world and eat out regularly in the country's finest restaurants and few can even approach comparison to this one. The food is the best! The lobster potpie is worth every penny - it should be shared for sure as it is huge. The crab salad is one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten and not to be missed. The views are incredible. The service always top notch. For those who left bad reviews, you must be used to eating at Chili's or Friday's where the idea is to turn the table as quickly as possible. This is more like a great European restaurant where you are given time to enjoy your food and wine and not be hurried. Service is there when you need it, but no one hovers over you pushing you along. Don't believe the poor ratings, this place is the best!

Here is a pretty expensive restaurant in La Jolla that really doesn't need to be. It would probably be best if you headed to Downtown to get some Italian.

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This place is another over priced restaurant in La Jolla. The food is decent but nothing out of the ordinary.

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I think the atmosphere is a little cheesy, with the mural painted walls and candles burning in the daytime, but you get used to it. Nice food, nothing else remarkable.

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