Aquavit

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65 East 55th Street (at Cross Streets bet. Park & Madison Avenues)
New York, NY 10022

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(212) 307-7311
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Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Aquavit - New York, NY
Reviews
( 21 )
( 10 )
( 7 )
( 4 )
( 8 )

Best

Aquavit is the type of place, at first glance, that seems a bit on the stuffy side - a little too stiffly pressed and polished. The door is so nondescript that you could easily m...

Worst

I highly recommend the venison when in season, all flavors of Aquavit (worth a try), and the Sunday brunch is great. The restaurant is extraordinary.

I felt like I was a taster on Top Chef. Food... 11/15/2007

I felt like I was a taster on Top Chef. Food was delicious and beautifully presented. more

Brilliant food. My favorite restaurant 11/14/2007

If you are in NYC and are looking for a unique menu, definitely check this restaurant out. From the home made aquavits (try the cucumber and coconut cappucino) to the entrees (steak tartare is incredible), this restaurant is simply amazing. The service is also impeccable. The ONLY negative thing I will say is that I preferred the old location, but who cares... Whenever I am in NYC, I always go to Aquavit. You should too. Pros: Fantastic inventive cuisine, great steak tartare, great drinks Cons: None. It is perfect more

incredible service, well worth the cost 10/31/2007

My boyfriend took me for my birthday and we had a beautiful evening. It is true, the prices are high, $85 for the 3 course prix fix, and the portions are not very large, but with amuse bouche and other small surprises that seemed to be coming from the kitchen we did not leave hungry. I had the lobster roll appetizer and it came with a special mini cocktail, gingerale and aquavit. Fabulous!!! Our waitstaff was extraordinary, even the man with the bread basket ( fabulous assortment) had impeccable manners. I got the "" arctic circle"" as a special birthday dessert, this is what someone else described as the "" goat cheese thingy"" : goat cheese ice cream which is more like a semifreddo. I would not have ordered it from the description but it turned out to be our favorite. Would definately recommend this restaurant. Pros: incredible food and service, beautiful interior, romantic Cons: smallish portions more

best service 10/30/2007

I was at Aquavit the athor night with my wife and a friend of mine for my first time.Everything was great.The swedish meatballs were amazing and the dessert, the goat cheese thing ,unbelievebel.Our waitress, Swedish maybe, was always at the table when we needed her.She helped us a lot describing the menu, and give us an answer at all the questions we had.She even told us information about the designers of the restautant.she so professional. We had great time and a great dinner .We loved the smogasbord who came with some aquavit ,house vodka,offered by our waitress. more

very very disappointing and overrated 9/20/2007

i agree with the reviewer about the amazing nastiness of samuelsson's support staff and in addition the food is fantastically overpriced and truly mediocre -- my fiancee and I were looking forward to a special evening and instead we agreed we have eaten better food on airplanes -- how this Samuelsson ever got book contracts, tv appearances, etc is beyond me since he seems to have no talent either for cooking or hospitality -- or maybe it is just the ugly mood of his employees that makes a tri to Aquavit so extremely depressing. who knows? Cons: every aspect of a good restaurant is not present here more

Aquavit never again! 9/15/2007

This review mainly concerns the ?service? category. We did not stay long enough to even see the menu so have no comment on food. Cons: Poor Service and Poor Environment more

very overpriced and disappointing 8/28/2007

my wife and i reserved a table for our anniversary only to be greeted by an incredibly snide and rude young woman who kept us waiting for ages -- the foor was certainly not worth the price and we will avoid all of this Samuelsson's many restaurants in future. Pros: centrally located Cons: vastly overpriced and nasty staff more

The best $39 you ever spent 8/27/2007

The $39 brunch here is a fantastic value. The food is fresh and delicious. The aquavit-based cocktails are terrific and give you a great buzz. It's the perfect meal before a lazy Sunday aftnernoon nap. Pros: Great value, fantastic brunch more

Restaurant is great - Cafe is lousy 8/22/2007

Go to the restaurant - avoid the cafe. The furniture was stained and torn and the food was below average. more

best lunch deal in town i think. unbelievable herrings. m... 7/30/2007

best lunch deal in town i think. unbelievable herrings. meatballs. UNBELIEVABLE and yummy aquavits. mmmM!!! more

Terrific Food 7/2/2007

Aquavit is one of my favorite places in the city. I personally prefer the cafe, but the main dining room is fantastic as well. The swedish meatballs are out of this world. I highly recommend it for lunch. The service is not the greatest, but it gets the job done. A great place to take someone if you want to impress them. It is a bit pricey, but well worth it. Pros: Interesting and Eclectic Menu, Great Bargain Cafe, Scandanavian Decor Cons: Can Be Expensive more

If you love food, you can't go wrong with Aquavit. Not f... 6/11/2007

If you love food, you can't go wrong with Aquavit. Not for the unadventurous. more

Both Pleasantly Surprised and Somewhat Disappointed. 2/7/2007

We ate in the main dining room and our prix fixe selections were gloriously interspersed with unexpected amuse bouches. First, the tiniest cup of butternut squash soup was delivered and was marvelous. Pros: Loganberry Aquavit, nice decor, some good dishes, amuse bouches Cons: Somewhat disappointing elements to every plate. more

I'm not the biggest fan.... 1/12/2007

So, I'm not the biggest fan of Aquavit, but it may be more a reflection of my personal taste rather than the food itself. I've been to both the formal dining room, as well as the less formal room, and the food is good. But scandinavian food just doesn't appeal to my palate, so I will only say that it must be wonderful for those who want and appreciate the nordic cuisine. On that note, I didn't find anything wrong so much as I would have preferred to have another type of cuisine. The food was fresh, the service attentive and formal, and the ambience consistent with any 4 star restaurant... more

Great for special group dinner 11/1/2006

I went to Aquavit about a year ago with my aquavit drinking, Swedish family. All I can say is that everyone (there were about 9 of us) was incredibly impressed. Service was impecable and food/ drinks were out of this world. Everyone tried different types of aquavits (and the cranberry infused martini was AWESOME). We are not a very adventurous group of eaters, but the waiter was very well-informed and guided us into making great decisions when it came to ordering. Food was prepared and served with care. Our waiter made the experience even better. He talked up my Grandmothers' 85 year old boyfriend all night. Yes, the place is pricey, but well worth the cost for an unforgettable night with my family. Pros: EVERYTHING IS WONDERFUL! Cons: a little pricey, but worth it for a special night more

Still outstanding 10/31/2006

We were four of us for dinner on a Saturday night. At the door we were warmly greeted by a lovely young lady who took us promptly to our table. After receiving champagne to start with we decided to have the chef's tasting menu. Nowhere in the city can you have such an inventive and delicious menu. The service was top notch as usual and the new space is even more beautiful than the old location. Aquavit can do no wrong. Pros: Great service and great food more

Don't Waste Your Time or Money 9/30/2006

It was an experience I wish I could give back. I left completely unsatisfied by the pretentious cuisine and unentertained by the lack of character (especially the fact that there is no music in the dining room). I am not obtuse about trying different foods, but the uptight menu and atmosphere were a turn off. I would certainly never bring visitors or friends if I wanted to share some joy and laughter. I felt like I was in a library. Their specialty vodka however was a breath of fresh air, as when all else fails to amuse you, get a little tipsy I say. I understand the restaurant recently moved to its current location. Quite a waste of real estate, as they would serve our city of fine dining best if they were to move some place a little further...Pluto perhaps, which I understand is no longer a planet. Well this place should no longer be a restaurant. It should be a shelter to feed the hungry. Seek your pleasures elsewhere. Pros: Top shelf liquor Cons: Uptight Atmosphere more

Upscale Mod Atmosphere; Excellent Scandanavian; Great Vodkas 8/24/2006

I've been to the old location several times and loved the atmoshphere. I recently came to the new one with a friend for lunch, and liked the updated modern 60's lounge vibe. We ate in the cafe, and chose from the limited restaurant Week Menu, but everything was outstanding! The herring sampler is a must! The vodka selection is extensive, and the innovative combinations will tickle your taste buds. Pros: Modern Loungey Decor, Quality, Vodka Cons: Price, Service can be a bit slow more

great prix fixe! 8/17/2006

Thanks to my co-worker for introducing me to Aquavit Cafe's awesome prix fixe lunch menu! The Swedish meatballs are so delicious and filling, you will feel compelled to order them each time you come back! Pros: beautiful space, good for quiet conversation, delicious food Cons: regular menu is pretty expensive more

A little dissapointed 8/16/2006

Admittedly, I want Aquavit to be amazing since I am partially swedish but I have been finding that I'm not thrilled with what I find here. I went, today (my third visit to the place), for this week's special peel-and-eat crayfish. The last time I did this was 6 years ago and I remember a whole special crayfish inspired buffet. It's been reduced to only peel and eat and frankly, I was dissapointed. It's not just that the only special crayfish dish was the peel and eat but that they weren't nearly as good as the time before. They lacked good crayfish flavor (it's actually not in season here in the US right now... so why have the special at this time? is it in season in sweden?... possibly) and the toast and potato that came with it were just as bland. Even the dill flavoring was lacking. The first plate I received had a nice presentation with fresh dill on top but the next plate didn't have it... either they forgot or were lazy, I'm not sure. Similarly, my girlfriend ordered the fresh corn orzo and it was lacking in flavor. Almost as though no salt was used in preparing it. The cauliflower soup made up for it being a bit too salty... but only in spots... uneven seasoning. Then to make matters worse, the service wasn't good either. The previous reviewer was absolutely right. Our waiter was not helpful when asked about the dishes. All he said was ""everything is good."" At a place of this supposed caliber I do expect more. Also, I expect that the bread is on the table before we get our appetizers not after and that when asked if I would like another plate of the all you can eat crayfish it should arrive before the person next to me who ordered it 5 minutes after I did receives hers (several minutes before I receive mine). A small detail, yes, but like the previous reviewer, these things make a difference at this level. Mr. Samuelsson needs to do a quality control check as it seems to be slipping in both food and service. Pros: Sometimes it's very good Cons: Sometimes it's not more
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Menu for Aquavit


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Aquavit, this country?s preeminent Scandinavian restaurant, opened in 1987. At the time it was the first Scandinavian restaurant to open in New York City in 35 years. Named for the stiff elixir that some hoped would give immortality - AQUA VITAE - or "the water of life," the restaurant offers a notable list of the stuff. Early distilled spirits were so crude-tasting, that spices were added to make it more drinkable. Aquavit continues the tradition with it's own in-house blends, such as "Svarta Vinbar-Black Currant," "Baska Droppar" and Vargtass-Lingonberry. Marcus Samuelsson, co-owner of the restaurant, has already received more accolades than most chefs receive in a lifetime: He was the youngest chef ever to receive a three-star restaurant review from The New York Times in 1995, and in 2003 was named "Best Chef New York City" by the James Beard foundation. You will find an ever-evolving and creative menu of home-cooking interpretations, whether you dine in the main dining room, café or private dining room. Also consider the traditional Swedish Smorgasbord, served Sundays from noon to 2:30 pm; it is an unforgettable experience. The present executive chef maintains the restaurant's high standards and reputation for which it is deservedly known. The ambiance of Aquavit is as wholly Scandinavian as the fare, a setting of muted woods contrasted by stark white walls that creates a calm, almost fjord-effect, if it weren't for the solid lighting and sparkling bar.

Editorial
  • Mod furniture and the clean lines of Nordic design make this Scandinavian fine-dining restaurant feel very 21st century, with dark wood tones lending the rooms warmth, and cherry blossoms in vases...

  • 4/28/2010 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: Daily 12pm-2:30pm, 5:30pm-10:30pm
  • Payments: American Express, Visa, Master Card, Diner's Club
  • Neighborhoods: Midtown, Midtown Center
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