AQUA e VINO

This place has amazing food and service. Be careful though, this restaurant is tiny with no bar area– reservations are needed, especially on weekends. The chef is very talented and many times will come out of the kitchen to greet guests.

Superior meal, gentle and excellent service, reminds me of a good European style restaurant, have been before and will return.

I went for restaurant week with a friend and the meal was amazing! Significantly better than the unnamed expensive steakhouse I went to the previous week. The octopus appetizer was the perfect size and the medley of flavor was spot on. The veal cheeks and polenta melted in my mouth — I don’t think I left a drop of gravy on the dish. And the bread pudding was one of the best I have ever had. The servers were very attentive and engaging — both with suggestions and with funny one liners! I will definitely go back.

Didn’t measure up. Based on all the positive reviews it’s possible our experience was atypical but we didn’t enjoy our food. A roasted chicken dish was 2 small wheel-​like slices of dry chicken wrapping an undistinguished stuffing. Very small portion. Prosciutto appetizer was cut on the thick side, so it was tough and chewy. My wife’s soup came cold. Service was friendly but it didn’t compensate for the mediocre food.

I liked the quaint setting of Aqua e Vino in Strawberry Hill. The chef sent us donuts as a filler because the kitchen was a bit behind. Nice touch. The donuts were more savory than sweet, but good.
The wine list @ Aqua e Vino is extensive (hence the namesake?) and I ordered a glass or two of red. We shared the Octopus as an appetizer and, for my main meal, I ordered the Salmon w/​butternut squash.
My food was well cooked and presented well. I consider Aqua e Vino a «pretty food» restaurant with relatively small portions, hearty prices, and a smallish menu. It feels like a special night out restaurant and you could see and taste the chef’s talents. I didn’t ‘love’ the hard bread personally (which is probably an authentic Italian restaurant bread choice) but I don’t need the extra bread anyway. :)
Great place for a special night or date. Make a reservation!

Spectacular! Absolutely the closest to an authentic Italian restaurant you will find in Charlotte. Trust me, I know because I am married to someone from Italy. We took his parents there and they were so impressed. They are extremely picky when it comes to eating out but loved their experience here. Wonderful authentic dining experience.

What a great evening. Such a pretty, quiet, romantic spot. The menu changes daily. The food is incredible, and the service perfect. The timing between courses could not have been better. We were able to talk and enjoy our wine without feeling rushed.
We split the octopus, the linguine with clams and the filet which had fresh tomatoes and a soft, delicate cheese… perfect.

Simply fabulous. My husband and I went for restaurant week and everything we ate was super delicious! The service was top notch too. The servers here really know how to connect with the diners. Very tiny inside and slightly cramped, but they do well with the space and make you feel comfortable.

Wooohooo I won a free meal voucher from Unilocal’s 2015 Charlotte Restaurant Week giveaway to Aqua e Vino so I was super excited to try this place out. Free food is basically my favorite thing ever.
Making a reservation was a bit of a process. I am a spoilt millennial and it has been ages since I made reservations without an online option. It took 3 calls but we finally snagged a Sunday night reservation (they are not typically open Sunday but made an exception for restaurant week).
Basically as soon as I received the certificate I eagerly pulled up their menu. I was bamboozled by that amount of unfamiliar Italian words so I did extensive googling before we reached the restaurant. Turns out all the wait staff were happy to answer questions on the menu. They provided complimentary bread and marinara sauce which were both delicious.
I started with the Bresaola Cornet which was my first time eating bresaola and robiola cheese and they made a completely delicious combo! The boyfriend was adventurous and ordered the Fritto Piemontese — sweet bread, polenta, sausage, apple. I had never had sweet bread before either and the sample I had was interesting and tasted better when combined with the apple. The sausage was amazing!
For the main I ordered the Catch of the Day «Pesce Al Cartoccio» which was a tropical fish I had never heard of. It came wrapped in the parchment sheet it was baked in. This was a novel experience and I am still unaware of the proper way to unwrap a meal. The fish was good but a bit dry but the vegetables baked under it had a great flavor.
For dessert he ordered the mixed berry tart and I had the Pesche Farcite both of which were excellent. The entire meal was an adventure of new tastes and everything was wonderful. We will definitely return!

Real Italian food served with wonderful service! Try the primitivo wine. Fresh, unique, fantastic.

Delicious food from a real Italian chef. Finally, I found Italian food in Charlotte. Not a knock off but the real soul of an Italian kitchen. Perfection from the service to the kitchen I can’t wait to return.

We loved the old place, Il Nido, but this is a fantastic transition. The place is small so reservation is a must. They are new so still working out some kinks.
We split 3 things. Beet salad, the cheese ravioli and the lamb chops. All 3 were amazing.
The big negative I had here was the service. It took FOREVER. I think they have a small staff and a small kitchen, however you would also think with a small number of tables you would have a lot of attention. Not the case. So if you do go, plan on at least a 2 hour dinner.
The food is amazing, just be prepared to wait.

We had an excellent dinner. The chef spent time with us describing his dishes and just talking with us. It felt like a nice dinner with friends. They offer indoor and outdoor seating. Our food was very tasty.