D’Acqua

CLOSED — or at least phone number no longer valid (including phone number on website)

4.5 stars. Service was great, food was amazing. We had the grilled octopus special appitizer which was the best I’ve ever had. The tentacles were huge and if they just used a tad less salt it would have been cooked perfectly.
For our main meal we had whole fish cooked their signature way cooked encrusted with salt which gets broken off when served. The fish was moist and the sauce that came with it was awesome. The only issue is that the fish itself wasn’t supposed to be salty (the skin is the barrier for the salt), but some of the pieces were majorly salty as the server should have been more careful when cutting away the crust. We also got a pesto, monkfish, mushroom pasta which was great as well.
All in all a great experience. The half star off is for the slighty too salty octopus and the few too salty fish pieces.

Slow night, fabulously friendly bartender who made a good and strong Absolut drink for the happy hour price of $ 5. Happy hour at the bar entitles you to complimentary bruscetta which was delish. I would have ordered a whole order, but I didn’t see it on the dinner menu. Lots of tomato and garlic on little toasts. The Italian menu for dinner looked intriguing with homemade ravioli and other fresh pasta dishes, but alas, I wanted to go outside and see the Navy band perform (every Tuesday in summer I hear). There is a large patio with seating, but the bar was pleasant and the décor attractive. A must visit!

Service was good. Waitstaff ignored me for a bit, but it could have been because I was dressed like a beach bum. The owner? manager? though was very attentive as soon as he noticed no one was helping me. Almost borderline anal-​retentively, control-​freakishly so.
Pasta was incredible. Homemade and cooked to that perfect balance between al dente and soggy. The sauce complemented it perfectly – Not too oily or salty, and with just the right hint of sweetness and spice. I didn’t try the fish. The fact that it was sitting out in the open in a hot room, even if it was on ice, made me a little nervous.
And, best of all, you can sit in the outside dining area on a Wednesday night and listen to the Navy band play. Great food and entertainment, can it get any better?
On the other hand, I’m giving D’Acqua four stars instead of five though because the atmosphere is somewhat… meh… and stuffy inside the restaurant itself.

Awesome food. Service was wonderful! We had a sea urchin pasta that was out of this world and the penne with vodka sauce was to die for. Décor is modern and chic. Cute servers! D’Acqua has been added to one of my favorite dining places.

I very much enjoyed the ambiance, excellent service, and wine list at D’Acqua. The appetizers and pasta dishes were excellent, with inspired sauces and delicate flavors.
Unfortunately, the fresh seafood dishes offered by the kitchen, while good, were not as amazing as their price tag promised. At this level, I expect fresh seafood to delight my palate the way D’Acqua’s pasta did, but instead I was left wanting more. There are a few outstanding items, however, such as the appetizer crab cake, which is sublime.

I’ve been here twice and I wasn’t dissapointed with the food and service on both visits. The fish is always fresh and the dishes are not typical Italian food that are mostly served in Italian restaurants in metro area.
I love the desserts especially the tiramisu is a killer. I will definitely go back again to this restaurant.

The food at D’Acqua is sublime. Everything was freshly made and delicious, starting with the bread, progressing into the salads, and on to the fresh, home-​made pasta. If you eat fish — their specialty — you’ll probably have a five-​star experience. Truth be told, my meal was five-​star quality (I dropped a star only because the veggie options on the menu weren’t very diverse)… That said, veggies and omnivores alike are likely to have an exquisite treat at D’Acqua.

Pretty good food and nice waitstaff were completely wiped out by the ambiance. This place feels like an upscale Olive Garden.
If you’re dropping $ 100 plus for a couple, you’d like it to be a nice environment. About a third of their tables are located in high traffic areas. So you have waitstaff zooming by beside you, behind you, around you.
I’d rather go elsewhere — somewhere cozier, more romantic.

I came across this place on Unilocal and decided to head there for a romantic dinner with the boyfriend while we were visiting DC for the weekend. We certainly weren’t disappointed. I already knew based on the Unilocal reviews that I’d be ordering fresh seafood instead of off the menu, and the waiter took us to their «fish market» (fresh fish on ice next to the bar) and let the restaurant’s self-​proclaimed fish-​monger show us what they had and how they could prepare and cook it for us.
Though he was initially wary, I convinced my boyfriend to split the sea urchin appetizer with me. I had never tried sea urchin, and the preparation sounded tasty: sea urchin roe sauteed and mixed with a creamy sauce and pasta, served in the hollowed out sea urchin shell. The presentation was great and the dish itself was rich and absolutely delicious. We weren’t sure what to expect but were both pleasantly surprised and happy with our choice.
For the main course I had the lobster (b/​c I’m boring), which was on the pricey side, but it was served with mussels, clams and veggies in a heavy broth, all of which was delicious. I probably would have cleaned my plate if the sea urchin app hadn’t been so rich. My boyfriend had the salt-​encrusted branzino, and we were both fascinated with how adeptly the waiter filleted and de-​boned the fish table-​side before serving it with greens and sauce sprinkled over the fish. Full disclosure, there were a few bones left behind that my boyfriend had to pick out, but considering we saw the work done directly in front of us, we had a profound appreciation for how difficult it is to catch every tiny bone in a fillet.
We shared a bottle of the pinot gris and the tiramisu dessert, both of which were upper-​tier in the list of pinot gris and tiramisus I’ve ever tried, and the service, even without the fish work table-​side, was attentive and welcoming. The place was surprisingly on the empty side, especially for a Saturday night, but it was nice to finally have a meal where we actually didn’t have to raise our voices or yell to hear one another. We both had such a huge food coma from the meal that as soon as we got back to the hotel, we both fell asleep for the night. That to me is the mark of a fulfilling meal. Highly recommended should you be looking for a nice place to take a date.

I wasn’t expecting much when I wandered into the restaurant with my friend. We were seated and the hostess was really sweet.
When we sat down, the waiter took away our menus and asked us if it was okay for him to select our menu for us. We look at each other and handed him our menus. Noooooooo problem here!
We started off with chilled champagne (the non-​drinker in me likes what he’s picked!). He then brings out a light salad with grilled octopus seasoned just right. The salad consisted of lemon, olive oil and some seasoning. Along with the octopus came fried oysters with cheese and some fresh cheese (mixed ricotta with mozzerella) and cherry tomatoes. EVERYTHING was light, fresh and seasoned just right. We just kept eating and eating– the best part being that we didn’t FEEL like we were eating a lot. The portions are big and absolutely sharable.
Next comes entrees: Pasta with seafood in a red sauce. Upon your first bite you can INSTANTLY tell that the pasta is made fresh and in-​house. It’s good. If my friend was full, he didn’t let up because it was just easy to keep eating without thinking. And then when you’re done… you sort of look down in surprise because you want another bite and at the same time, you can’t believe you just ate ALL THAT FOOD! Another entrée comes and we look at each other– Can you fit more into your tummy? Well… no. But do I care? Well… not really, bring it on!!!
Last entrée of the night was a rocksalt crusted fish. They bring you the fish uncooked for you to examine at the table. When you give the nod of approval to the waiter, he’ll bring it to the kitchen to be cooked. Afterwards, they bring us our fish and proceed to take off the salt crust in front of us. Then, the waiter filets the fish and debones the fish RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU. The presentation is mesmerizing. All conversation stopped at my table and attention was 100% fixated onto the waiter fileting that fish. It’s a skill that’s not only difficult to master, but really stunning to see in person. I’d come back just to see that again!
Dessert was a strawberry cheesecake and a cappucino flavored flan. The cheesecake was deeeeelish! My friend gobbled up that cheesecake like noooooo other! The flan was good, but it wasn’t my kind of dessert. Nothing bad about it… just not for me.
I would absolutely come back again and again. The view gorgeous (overlooking the Navy Memorial fountain), the staff is friendly, the restaurant isn’t stuffy or uncomfortable-​yet classy, and the food is light and delectable. What’s not to like? Five stars all the way.

wow WoW wOw WOW…
you like seafood? check
You like Italian? check
You wanna do something semi-​romantic? check
give this spot a try. pick your own seafood and browse their fresh selection.
Relax and enjoy the excellent service, drink from an extensive wine list. dine to your hearts content. I came, i ate, i was treated like royalty from the minute i stepped in the door. I mean fellas take ya boocakes there and you’re guaranteed to have ‘em wrapped around your finger.

The first thing I notice in a restaurant is the atmosphere. D’Acqua is letter perfect. Everything here is in its place. The staff is by far the best I have seen in DC. Every person we dealt with, valet, waiter, hostess, Maitre’D, even the bus boy understood the highest level of customer service. It was a pleasure to eat in such an attentive atmosphere compared to the usual rudeness that passes for «service» in DC. This staff made me feel happy to be at their restaurant.
The presentation is excellent. Everything looks so good you are almost afraid to eat it. I liked the fact that diners have an opportunity to look at the fresh seafood before ordering it. Our waiter described each dish making it sound even better than the one that came before.
The wine list is generous and a good value. The food is probably the best I have had in DC. I eat out probably five or six times per week. This was the best dining experience I have had all year. I can hardly wait to go back.
The menu offers a lot of variety, but stick to the seafood. You can good pasta a lot places in the city. The seafood here is amazing.

I had a working lunch at D’Acqua recently, and it was a delightful meal. My pasta was very well prepared, and the tiramisu left nothing to be desired. On top of the delicious food, the staff was friendly and helpful, what more could you ask for? I made reservations for dinner this weekend…

This is a true Italian restaurant, as good as you will find on the Ligurian coast, with the freshest seafood wonderfully prepared in a semi-​open kitchen and accompanied by an extensive, excellent winelist. It features the best Italian food I have eaten in DC. But wait! There’s more! It offers outdoor dining and window seating overlooking the fountains of the Navy Memorial. Last Saturday my partner and I combined the simulcast of the WNO première of La Traviata at Nationals Park (!) with a 10:30 p.m. dinner reservation at D’Acqua. Like another reviewer here, we arrived within 15 minutes of closing time and, in fact, were the last diners to leave the restaurant, but we were treated with courtesy and attention by the «capocameriere» and waitstaff. There were many, many items on the menu to choose from, and we followed out waiter’s recommendations. Our baked cod with endive and savoury Italian herbs and sauce was firm, perfectly prepared, and delicious. The half order of tortellini in a saffron sauce was excellent. We had three glasses of a 1999 La Selva felciaia that were tasty and reasonably priced. For dessert we split a pastry («sfogliatelle») stuffed with sweetened polenta and acompanied by a guava sauce. Heavenly. The atmosphere of D’Acqua is understated in Italian cucina style. The location makes the resturant perfect for an evening out in the 7^th Street corridor.

I was so excited to come here for restaurant week. We had 8pm reservations, but of course we were running late so I called to cancel. They were very nice about it. We decided at around 10 to actually go and wing it. The restaurant was practically empty. Dorothy, we’re not in Europe (or NY) anymore… what kind of joint is dead at 10pm on a Friday night? Well anyway, we were disappointed by the look of the RW menu (it was different than the one on their website — must’ve been last year’s menu). So, we opted instead for the Chef’s Tasting option on the regular menu. Our waiter came back after a few minutes to tell us the kitchen closes at 11 and it would not be possible for us to do that. Um, ok. So we ordered the calamari/​shrimp/​anchovy appetizer, a mesclun salad «w/​mustard vinaigrette», and two fish entrees. The appetizer was just ok, and the salad was extremely bland, even for a veggie lover like me. Jonny had the monkfish wrapped in pancetta, I had the roasted black cod served over a bed of escarole in a green garlic/​parsley sauce. I tasted the monkfish and thought it was pretty good. At that point I didn’t even care if I ingested pig or whatever animal pancetta is. Mine had kalamata olives AND capers, so that would’ve sufficed for saltiness… I guess the chef didn’t agree. The cod had about 2lbs of salt on it. I could barely swallow it. I really didn’t like it at all. Bummer! We ordered one piece of key lime cheese cake to go, but it was just average. It wasn’t cheap, but not expensive enough for me to be totally pissed that the meal was a bust. It’s pretty inside, but the food is pretty awful.
The service was their only saving grace. I loved that our waiter was Italian (and if he wasn’t, he must be really good at faking an Italian accent!). He was very friendly and so were the other servers/​hostess.

Stopped in here while walking by on a Saturday evening. The patio overlooked the Navy Memorial and it was a nice evening outside. The Maitre’d opened the inner door for us and showed us to a seat on the patio right away. The restaurant wasn’t particularly crowded. Our waiter John showed up quickly and took our water selections. After giving us a brief period to look over the menu he asked us if we would be having fish. A positive response prompted him to ask us to come back inside and peruse their fresh «fish market» which was a selection of fresh whole fish and other live seafood on ice next to the bar. He explained what all the choices were, that they were caught on average about 14 hours earlier, how they could be prepared and what portions a particular choice might provide. The prices were listed clearly on a chalkboard which he pointed out. This sort of select your own seafood was very interesting and I enjoyed it. We selected a Red Snapper which he said would serve two and came with a salad. He suggested a salt encrusted preparation which he would serve tableside. John recommended selecting a pasta to share to preface our fish and we returned to our table and he carried our fish off to the chef.
We selected a pasta dish to split though he offered to get us half portions of any item in case we didn’t want the same thing. This wasn’t specified on the menu and he made it clear we could have thing any way we wanted. They had an extensive wine list but we weren’t in the mood for more than a glass. He asked us what we wanted and we responded something white, he immediately had something in mind and brought us the most wonderful white wine I have had in a while.
The pasta arrived shortly already portioned on 2 plates and the fish arrived shortly after we finished that. Everything was absolutely wonderful and we topped it off with an incredible desert which John also suggested.
The Italian style seafood was excellent, the service was impeccable and this is now on my list of places to go in DC.

I was impressed with the seafood at this place. My only suggestion would be not to order the seafood by the pound as it is a little pricey. The wine menu was extensive and the appetizers and entrees we ordered were wonderful. This is definitely a place I will go to again once I get back to D.C.

I had lunch there in early Feb. The food was very good. Seafood was the focus. We had a very good appetizer… a grilled octopus… that was great. The seafood pasta choices were also good.
Yes, this is the former Signature’s location, of lobbyist Jack Abramoff infamy. No association now.

I tried D’Acqua for RW last summer and was very pleased. It was easy to get to from the metro and although the sign isn’t extremely obvious, it’s not hidden away. The décor inside was gorgeous, with varying shades of blue and the use of water/​etc. without being overly tacky. As far as attire goes, I’d definitely say dressy/​business casual — but I did see other patrons wearing jeans, even if it didn’t quite fit.
The portions were quite large and in order to finish everything, my friends and I were stuffed. But it was definitely worth it. The appetizers were enormous, each big enough to be an entrée. The calamari was delicious, not overly breaded and just crispy enough. The arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette was very good, maybe a tad on the oily side but the lemon flavor was very refreshing. It was accompanied by two large, thin slices of parmesan. One of my friends had the osso buco, which she really enjoyed. The sea bass was very good, fresh and delicious.
I was disappointed with my dessert — the strudel. It was dry and didn’t look particularly appetizing. The panna cotta was creamy and sweet without being overly sugary.
We went on a Friday night and while it wasn’t packed, we weren’t the only ones in the restaurant, which gave it a nice, relaxing atmosphere.

This is the restaurant that replaced the notorious restaurant Signatures. I recently dined at D’Acqua for lunch. It had a decidedly different air about it, which is definitely what that space needs. I thought the ambiance was very nice and bright, with a very comforting smell in the air.
The food was pretty good, focusing on seafood Italian-​style. My group decided to split two dishes of pasta for an appetizer. Both were very good; I believe we had the Italian sausage pasta, and a pasta in lobster sauce.
For our main meal, I had the tuna in a balsamic-​vinaigrette sauce. While the tuna was good, the sauce completely took over the dish. It was too strong on the vinegar side, and there was just too much sauce! My friends had the sea bass and the osabucco, and they were both fantastic.
For dessert, I had the lemon covered profiteroles, which were WONDERFUL. My friend had the custard with ladyfingers, and that was very disappointing.
The service was good, but it is obvious they need to iron out a few kinks. For example, we ordered dessert and coffee, and they brought us our coffee after we had all finished our desserts. Maybe I am missing something, but I thought that was incredibly strange.
Since this is such a new restaurant (it’s not even on Unilocal yet!), I would be willing to go back and give this place a second chance. It might be the type of place that makes some delicious entrees and pasta, but some other selections could really be less than satisfying. Time will tell!