Acqua Santa - Brooklyn

This charming restaurant has a cozy, home-like vibe and features delightful staff. The interior resembles a garden, and the lighting creates a wonderfully romantic atmosphere. The owner personally visited our table several times to see how we were doing and shared some stories about himself, which added to the authentic Italian experience. The portion sizes are generous and the food is delicious. I tried the Pasta alla Norma, while my friends opted for the chicken breast and the tagliatelle with seafood.

My friends and I shared the pizza with sausage. While it was a bit small for the price and tasted only okay—not the best pizza I've had, but certainly not terrible. We then ordered four different pasta dishes to share: fettuccine di zafferano orto e mare, strozza preti amatriciana, gnocchi di bietola, and pappardelle bolognese. The pastas were delicious and tasted very fresh, with the gnocchi being my personal favorite— surprising, since I’m not usually a fan of beets. I had seen pictures of the complimentary bread on Yelp and was eager to try it, but our waiter never brought it to us. When I inquired about it, I learned that it's only served if you order a pasta dish. This restaurant is on the pricier side, but it’s definitely worth it for a nice dinner and the outstanding service.

The food itself was underwhelming. The calamari was lightly breaded but came out soggy. I ordered the filet mignon for my main course, which was cooked perfectly to a medium rare as requested, but it lacked seasoning and flavor. While I understand that filet mignon isn't meant to be overly flavorful, this one was just bland. Among the desserts on the menu, only the ice cream was enjoyable; the others didn’t taste good at all. On a positive note, the service was excellent. The waitstaff were friendly and welcoming, which made the experience slightly more pleasant.

Had the spicy sausage pizza with a variety of pasta dishes and the chicken stuffed with prosciutto and cheese. Everything tasted good but the potatoes were cold. Luckily it didn't matter too much for me. The gnocchi was great. Staff was very friendly and courteous. Ambiance when you walk in was a bit of a let down but once you get to the back main dining area it changes drastically as it has a rustic and calming feel to it. Overall a nice place.

I used to love coming here. Such a shame they closed down. I've only ever sat at the bar and ordered appetizer. I used to always say I would sit in the restaurant part but never had that special someone to do so with. If they ever ooen in a new location I'd love to check it out. Thanks for the good memories.