Aqua Santa Review

Reviewed by rutamale from Berkeley, CA on 12/6/07
Our family had Thanksgiving dinner at Aqua Santa which receives rave reviews from the New York Times and others. There were a number of problems.

First, our parents' entrees were dreadful. They had lamb, chicken, and seafood. Their desserts were awful too. A lemon tart was cloyingly sweet with no lemon tanginess.

Second, when my mother-in-law called, she told them that two of us are vegetarian. They said it was no problem and that they love to cook for vegetarians.

When we got there, there was no veggie option on the menu. My husband and I asked about something vegetarian. The waiter acted as if we were asking for the moon. He reluctantly said they might be able to put something together. We got plates of food that I would not serve at home. It looked like table scraps slopped together on a plate with no care or concern. The food had no flavor. On top of that, they had the nerve to charge $23.50 (the same price as the chicken) for the plate of slop.

Third, when the bill came, the restaurant had added a gratuity. This was problematic for a couple of reasons. First, the menu did not state a policy of adding gratuities. Second, they added the gratuity onto the cost of the meal (including wine) and the tax. So, they were essentially adding a 24% gratuity. Of course, this was even more offensive because the food and service were so poor.

When we asked them about the gratuity, they were belligerent and insisted that this was their policy. All in all, this was not a pleasant experience.

Member Rating: 1.8
Ratings details: Food: 2.0 Atmosphere: 3.0 Service: 1.0 Value: 1.0

Reviewed by donrchap from Maine on 10/18/07
Ate here. Too many tables - very crowded. Service excellent. Wine list esoteric and very expensive. Great bread. This restuarant has a rep that the Chef loves to mingle with his patrons. I watched him for two hours - I thought he had 10 dates that night, given the amount of time he spent schmooching the female diners.

Member Rating: 3.6
Ratings details: Food: 3.0 Atmosphere: 3.0 Service: 5.0 Value: 4.0