Aqua Star

I’m not ordinarily one for hotel restaurants, as I find them to be overpriced and underwhelming quality. However, it was raining and I was starving and thought I’d give Aqua Star a try and am so happy I did.
The restaurant itself is just the sort of nice but generic space you would expect for a Westin. My server was very nice, although not the most attentive. My salmon atop a bed of soba noodles, however, was one of the best dishes I’ve had in a very long while. It was a huge serving of teriyaki glazed salmon that paired perfectly with the broccoli and soba noodles. Seriously this dish was a major bang for the buck both on the serving size and deliciousness.
Aqua Star isn’t a place I’d hit up for the overpriced breakfast, but this lunch entrée alone should not be missed.

I went to the Westin for a work conference and the actual hotel is fine although they were in the middle of the lobby being redone so there were some issues there. On Monday I had a lunch break and wanted to eat with my family and as I only had a little over an hour the hotel restaurant was my only choice. There are very few food choices on the menu but the main problem was the absolutely TERRIBLE customer service. I ordered a hamburger, my husband ordered a turkey sandwich and we ordered my baby chicken strips. It took quite a while just to get our drink orders and food orders taken. After 40 minutes of waiting my child’s food came out but not ours and at that point the waitress said it would still be a few minutes till our food came out but she gave no explanation. At that point I asked to see the manager. I only had an hour long break so after another 5 minutes of still no food I got up and went to find the manager myself who hadn’t bothered to come to our table. They were just bringing food out and I asked if that was ours and they said no and just looked at me. I told them it was unacceptable and I would not be able to have lunch at all before going back in the conference. I did complain to the actual hotel whose only response was to give us vouchers for that same restaurant for breakfast, I let them keep their vouchers. There is no way I will ever go back to that restaurant. The waitress couldn’t be bothered to fill our cups and the manager couldn’t be bothered to check on the table when asked to and obviously the chef never bothered to cook our food after 45 minutes of sitting there. Did I mention there were only 2 other tables in the whole restaurant that had people at them… guess there was a reason for that

RUFE RUDE RUDE. I went to eat dinner last night and the hostess sat 3 other groups before my son raised hell. There were a lot of tables available.

My boyfriend & I have been to Sunday Brunch at Aqua Star twice now and absolutely love it! It’s definitely a special occasion mean as it is expensive, however it is totally worth the cost. They have every type of seafood you could want (oysters rockefeller & shrimp being our fav), great quality steak, fresh veggies and salads, amazing cheese & charcueterie, and a whole breakfast section. More food than you can eat and all incredible quality. Mimosas and live jazz music included! The best part was the fresh bananas foster cooked right in front of me for dessert. If you’re in Savannah for a Sunday and want a special meal– definitely consider the Aqua Star!

So very disappointing. Valentine’s dinner was meh. Service was awful. Server never once refilled our wine. Never saw her again after 2^nd course. Had to ask the person that delivered our main course for utensils. For $ 150 check I expect better. Will NOT go back.

It took 20 minutes for the first course. 20 minutes for the next. 45 minutes for the small main course. We won’t wait for dessert. We had reservations and we still waited. After waiting for the main entrée for so long and it was brought to us the manager came and apologized. For such a pricey pre fix menu it was not worth the money. Don’t waste your time. They will waste yours.

I went for the Sunday brunch which is 44 dollars per person. The food was decent. Lots of options from seafood, eggs to pasta. The dessert table was spot on. But only 2 drinks included and then there is a 9 dollar charge for each. The jazz music was nice. A simple saxophonist playing. The service was decent once you get seated. Getting seated is a process and wait even though I had reservations. Plenty of space inside for everyone but they were a bit slow that respect. But it’s Savannah so everyone has taken a chill pill so it’s cool. Nice view of the river n shops etc. I would def recommend it. Good deal for the cost.

Really great food! They load that pot pie down with seafood… Great presentation! I was really impressed. Service was ok.

I had little choice but to eat my breakfasts at this overpriced hotel restaurant while staying at the Savannah Westin for a conference, as the hotel is cut off from the city and the ferry runs infrequently.
It happened to be the first week in December, and the hotel saw fit to play novelty Christmas music at a volume that exceeds ordinary conversation. My favorite was «I Want An Alien For Christmas,» which was interesting because it was about an abomination, and the song was itself an abomination. After the first morning, I just wore noise cancelling headphones to the table, etiquette be damned – I had work to do, and this was supposed to be a conference hotel.
The waitstaff was pretty slow, and occasionally had some trouble understanding my concerns. I asked for milk to go with my coffee, and was told, when I returned from the buffet, that I had been given it. It was obviously cream, though, and when I asked for clarification, the person said, «yes, half and half.» Now, technically, she is correct: half-​and-​half «is» milk, at least the way a human being «is» water, and in similar proportions. But this is rarely what a customer means when they say they want «milk» for their coffee.
The food was fine. The bread was above average, and I appreciated the availability of kiwis at the buffet. The continental buffet is actually an OK deal, but it was not listed as a separate option anywhere until I asked, and as a result I bought (and failed to make use of) the full buffet twice.
On my last morning in Savannah, the conference was over and I was able to go somewhere else for breakfast. Seeing what I had been missing, I was disappointed that I was forced to eat so many lousy meals.

Delicious bloody Mary’s! She-​crab soup was delish. Fantastic service and super-​friendly staff :)

Great food greet atmosphere The service was really outstanding! I am not sure why nobody talks about this place it is a hidden treasure

We happened across an online event guide to Savannah which highlighted the Jazz brunch at the Westin Hotel and Resort just across the river from downtown. Now, to be clear, the idea of a brunch in a hotel is not normally something we would consider. However, being familiar with the Gospel brunches of New Orleans, this did spark some curiosity. When we asked our gracious hosts at the Kehoe House B&B, they insisted that this brunch was spectacular and worth the $ 45/​person cost. This by the way includes all the champagne you can drink, and they offer one of good quality.
Come Sunday morning, we donned our Sunday best and bundled ourselves into a cab (Full disclosure: this was a mistake. Taxis are notoriously late — as our was — and to make matters worse we found out later that there’s a free water taxi, that’s very charming, which will take you straight to the hotel from downtown. Next time.) Once we finally arrived at the Westin, there was quite the journey to the Aqua Star dining room. As we neared, the sound of soft jazz from the very talented live band lured us toward the feast that awaited us.
And what a feast it was! We were gob-​smacked as we walked past sprawling tables laden with all manner of delicious foods. Tables were set up with beautiful displays, some things you would expect at brunch and some delightful surprises. Indeed, there was too much to take in at first glance, the selection was so grand.
There was a marvelous plate — nay, vast marble slab — of cold cuts, delicious pates and decadent smoked duck breast with a side of lovely mustard sauce and horseradish to accompany your selections. This was perhaps our favourite.
Next our eyes fell upon the selection of fresh raw oysters, cooked shrimp, smoked scallops and shrimp, baked salmon and lox that had our mouths watering before we even reached our table. While we were not fans of the smoked scallops, smoked shrimp or baked salmon — the lox was fantastic.
It’s important to note there were some typical breakfast offerings, like omelettes, pancakes and what-​not, but we hardly spared a glance with all the decadent foods laid out about us. Indeed, we decided immediately to pace ourselves so we could enjoy as many offerings as possible. We started with the rack of lamb station, yes friends, freshly prepared perfectly cooked medium-​rare rack of lamb! While it was served only mildly warm, the quality of the meat and texture of the fat was spectacular. And this gem was situated immediately beside the beef tenderloin with blue cheese and blackberry sauce — OMG this is brunch! Again the meat is just slightly warm, but so tender and cooked to a nice medium, that it was quite enjoyable. We indulged in the oyster rockerfeller, seafood potpie, roasted veggies and many cheese selections. We never even made it to the fresh pasta station, salad bars, sushi or or some of the other foods available — we needed to save room for dessert.
Dessert also offered a huge selection, various pies and cakes (the pecan pie was marvelous, not too sweet and great texture), crème brûlée, chocolate mousse, cookies, macarons, chocolate truffles, chocolate covered strawberries… you get the picture. Probably most spectacular of all was the ice cream station where the ice cream was made on the spot, and if you wanted some flambeed banana and caramel… they did that too.

Atmosphere: This restaurant very nice with the riverside view. Rather upscale and pretty pricey.
Service: The service was ok. We had to ask for water refills. It took a while for our food to come after our salads. The salads didn’t take too long, but they took too long to get us our main course.
Food: The food was phenomenal. I got the savannah pot pie which was a normal pot pie with the breading, etc., but filled with seafood, including scallops, lobster and crab. I have never had anything like it.
This restaurant was on the pricey side, however the food was unique and tasty and the views of savannah riverwalk were great!

The Aqua Star is the restaurant located inside the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort and Spa on the second floor. The restaurant has windows that face the rivers, allowing diners to eat and enjoy the river view at the same time. The Aqua Star is open for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. This review will only be for the breakfast and the Father’s Day Sunday Brunch.
The breakfast buffet had a pretty good spread. They had their omelet station with a chef there to cook omelets or eggs any way you want it. They had their usual hot food station with Bacon, sausage, potatoes, and scrambled eggs. In addition to oatmeal, they also had grits. Bread and toast were also available.
After spending the previous days at the Embassy Suite in Orlando, the Aqua Star was a welcome change from the Embassy Suites madness. Missing were all the teenagers and unruly children. It was nice and quiet inside the the restaurant in the mornings. I could enjoy my cup of coffee and watch my the ships on the Savannah River. It was nice. Even though they both had bacon, sausage, and omelets, the food at this Aqua Star tasted much better. The waiters and waitresses did a good job and cleared my plates whenever needed, and were helpful in topping off my coffee. It was a good breakfast buffet.
What was interesting was that they also had 2 griddles where you could make you own pancakes. They had the batter and 4 ingredients consisting of cranberries, blueberries, chocolate and pecans. The pancakes were very good.
Father’s Day just happened to be on the Sunday that we were staying at the Westin Hotel. Both my wife and daughter wanted to celebrate Father’s day by eating at the Father’s Day Brunch at the Aqua Star restaurant a few hours after eating at their breakfast buffet. In addition to the items that they served at breakfast, they also had other items like seafood. They had oyster’s on the half shell, chilled shrimp, oyster’s rockefeller, salmon, smoked shrimp, smoked scallops, and a wonderful seafood pot pie. They also had a carving station for the rib roast, and a dessert station where they made banana’s fosters. Everything that I had was delicious.
They had a pasta station at brunch as well. They let the chef’s do their own thing. Instead of making pasta, one of the chef’s made a wonderful shrimp sauce for me so that I could have some shrimp and grits. While another chef made some shrimp and waffles for me. Both of the shrimp dishes were delicious.
Overall, the breakfast and Sunday Brunch were pretty good. The breakfast was part of a package deal from Westin. It was a great package deal. Unfortunately, the breakfast package did not include the Sunday Brunch. We had to pay for that separately. This is a nice place for both breakfast and brunch.

This review is for breakfast only. They had a buffet for $ 22. Neither of us felt like we could do it justice, so we opted for off-​the-​menu. I loved the sound of the egg white omelet with broccoli and white sharp cheddar. It came with perfectly browned hashbrowns and good grain bread toast. Although it sorta kinda sounded healthy, there was a lot of butter going on. Good thing calories don’t count when they’re not your fault, huh?
Meanwhile, Husband enjoyed his scrambled eggs with hashbrowns & bacon (they forgot the bacon, but brought it when he pointed it out).
Before we left our Server actually gave us her card and told us she wanted to know about any dining concerns. Wow, never had a Server give us a business card before! We left feeling like they really cared.
Another plus here is the view… they even have a couch pointed at the window overlooking the river. Would be a cozy place to hang out and look out.

Maybe they had the B team on for Thanksgiving night… service was pretty horrid. My expensive holiday meal came out cold, and there was an insect in my glass of wine. I know holiday dining shouldn’t be judged for the overall restaurant, but I hesitate to return here to dine anyway. At least they seated me by the window so I had a good view of the river.

Talk about a brilliant dine.
Harsh reviews are not necessary as you are acutely aware, that you are dining within a hotel establishment.
After being bitten to pieces while waiting for the ferry back to the hotel the previous night, after dining on River St and also having experience Mrs. Wilkes and Old Pinke House, we opted to stay within. Having already eaten the burgers (which were delicious) by the poolside, we opted for Aqua Star.
We were in the midst of restaurant week so a cute little pre fixe did the trick. Mussels over chardonnay garlic broth. YUM! SCALLOPS AND RISOTTO. oh my that was good, perfectly cooked scallops and risotto.
And after too many unexpected glasses of wine later (should’;ve bought ab ottle or two), i was stuffed and happy and had to take my pot de crème to go. In which, my sneaky ass sister ate in the balcony of our room later that night without me knowing. Pouty face.
Round two –dining experience– Void pre fixed. Ordered a la carte.
Bourbon blackened rubbed skirt steak. I love skirts and I love a perfect medium rare steak and this did the trick. Was so light and flavorful-​not BUTTERFULL like every other restaurant in Savannah but FLAVORFUL-​spice spice baby!
What an experience. Perfect timing too for our last night in town, an opera gang was dining alongside us and in preparation for their concert for the following night, they gave us diners an impromptu concert. It swam into your wine and crawled additional flavors into your mouth as you ate. It was one of the best relaxing and wonderfully executed dinners yet, And WONDERFUL service nonetheless.
And sugar, Aqua Star beats all of the restaurants on River St. Forget the night time ferry during the summer time… unless you bring bug spray.

Overall 4 stars!
My wife and I decided to stay in the hotel for dinner instead of dealing with the crowds on River being that Savannah is a regular stop for us.
I must say this was a great decision!
Sir Roger Michel is a French Chef and a Knighted Sir of England. His recipes are outstanding. I had the Scallops, my spouse the Swordfish. Both were prepared perfectly. I can say that it was one of the best prepared dishes I have had in awhile, plus it was the best dish during my 3 days in Savannah.
Next was the wine selection. Being the wine snot I do not drink 2011’s due to a bad year in California and Argentina vineyards. Turns out from Duckhorn on it was 2011. Thinking it was a poop out here comes the Sommelier and offers a nice French La Poussie (got to love that name eh?) and BAM! it was done.
Being my wife’s Birthday Week! Yes Week! She is 50, the waitperson brought out a surprise Mousse! Nice!
One last item is the bread, it’s addictive and it’s not the bread. Huh you say.
The Chef has a concoction of a butter with ground sea salt and ground smoke salt grouping. Try it! Damn it’s addictive.
The only improvement I could state is the waitstaff could explain the dishes and chefs plate items more thorough, again small.
Overall it was a great unexpected, unplanned choice and the best decision of the whole trip!

Food-​4 stars, service: 2 stars. We had the 50% off the whole meal and drinks and when showed to server her demeanor changed. She came to ask for our orders, ask if we wanted something else and the check.
Never again she asked if I wanted more wine or if husband wanted another beer. Hon, your tip comes from full price not discounted price and even if coming from discounted price you have to give the best service you can. We would’ve added an additional $ 20.00 to the already set tip has she given us better service.
Now to the food… BEST She-​Crab soup ever. Creamy, mild with enough crab lumps and caviar. They brought us some amuse-​bouche and bread, compliments of the chef. Our main course was awesome as well the steak and lobster. Had she brought the food on time the steak would’ve been right temperature but seasoning and tenderness made up for it.

When I book a Sunday brunch reservation 2 months in advance, for the 1^st seating @ 11:30am, with a request for a window table, and show up with my wife and guest in suits for a Sunday brunch, I DO NOT expect to be seated at a table for six, in the back of the restaurant, next door to a family of 8 that is in the middle of eating their breakfast, when the restaurant is empty. And this is from the manager!!!
Buffet was very good, not great. Typical «fancy-​schmancy» hotel brunch. Waitstaff needs training too. Ordering a juice should not be an exercise in logistics. My juice was warm. Also, I shouldn’t have to ask the staff for coffee, and then only me gets served coffee, without asking the rest of the table. Huh??? This is from a Westin???
Brunch is $ 38/​pp., including one glass of sparkling wine or mimosa @ 12:30.