Agua Dulce

WHAT? You closed? Are you kidding me??? I went to make a reservation and their website said they closed Feb 20^th. Please just say it’s so you can clean or something.
:’(tear!

When my friend suggested dinner at Agua Dulce, it really was the perfect choice for a girl’s night out. The ambiance and décor are fancy, without being over-​the-​top.
The specialty cocktails are great and if you’re like me, it’s not difficult to rack up a huge bar tab. I had a Pepino Diablo, which is jalapeño tequila with cucumber. It was both spicy and refreshing. Later in the evening, we switched over to wine. The wine list has a lot of pricey bottles, but the wines by the glass are also high-​quality picks.
For an appetizer, we shared bacon wrapped dates. These were perfectly cooked and the portion size was perfect for sharing.
For the main course, I had my heart set on duck… until I heard the special of the evening was whole branzino. It was simply prepared — grilled with some olive oil and herbs — but it was delicious. (It also induced nostalgia of all of my time in Spain.) The branzino was served over creamy lobster risotto, which had huge chunks of meat. It was very savory, just a tiny bit sweet, and really filled me up.
We were both way too full for dessert, but it looks like I will have to come back for the duck and to try the AYCD brunch.

Here for brunch, wait is much longer then we’re told by the host. Then we get to order… and they don’t have any of the things we were going to order! The waiter is very unapologetic about it and won’t accommodate any substitution requests.
When the food came it was pretty good, but not great. We came here once before for dinner and had the same experience. Don’t think I’d come here again.

Have visited for brunch several times now and I must say the restaurant’s come a long way from its beginnings. Personally, I think the food’s much tastier; if I’m not mistaking, the menu and/​or chef has changed – which is a wise move.
The ambiance is also much livelier, though – at times – perhaps overwhelming so. It’s not a spot that has tranquility of any sort, so if you crave a little bit of serenity, this wouldn’t be your venue – for brunch anyway. On the flip side, if you’re feeling a little festive and in the mood to people watch (the Hell’s Kitchen locals come out in droves and I must say, a good looking crowd – just make sure you have a reservation), you’re in for a treat as the pop tunes are cranked up and you may even witness an impromptu show by one of the hosts prancing back and forth on an imaginary runway — good fun.
For brunch, the menu’s actually quite comprehensive and features mouth watering Latin inspired selections like ‘Chorizo & Lobster Benedict’, ‘Blackened Snapper Soft Tacos’ and your classic ‘Cuban Sandwich’, plus, a sort of Nuevo Americana range. The ‘Stuffed French Toast’ which comes ‘stuffed’ with your choice of either ‘nutella & strawberry consome’ or ‘black forrest ham & cheese, sunnyside eggs’ is one of my favorites. I typically get the former since I have a sweet tooth but I’ve heard the latter’s just a scrumptious.
Alchies rejoice: For your beverage accompaniment, brunch features a drink special — essentially, bottomless mimosas, bloody marys, frozen cocktails & draft beer with purchase of an entrée, for a set price. No wonder everyone here is in such a lively mood. Thankfully it’s the weekend so you can stumble home or wherever else with plenty of time to recuperate before Monday morning.

Super trendy, super gay. there is something for everyone in this loungy restaurant. I like the décor and its a fun place to be. I didn’t however love the food. It was just OK. I came here for lunch and it cost us 100.00 for 3 people so I was hoping for something better. Especially since I had the chicken. It was undercooked with fatty skin on it. The menu says «Crispy Chicken» so I was expecting something else. When I asked the waiter to cook it more he said that’s what organic chicken looks like. I cook organic chicken all the time and the bird on my plate was alive. Nice places should know how to cook chicken properly.
I did love the bottomless cocktails. They lost some money on us there.

I would say the décor as well as the brunch all-​you-​can-​drink deal for $ 20 deserve 5 stars. The service was also excellent — our server was very patient with our party of 7 people, especially as we got more «festive.» The food though was definitely «meh.» No bread. The portions were smaller than we expected — the exception being the burger/​sandwich. My skirt steak was very small, as was the chorizo/​lobster benedict. Unfortunately, I forgot what my GF ordered but she didnt like the dish — I think it was some sort of sea food one. The french fries and potatoes were quite tasty.
Overall, the place is a solid brunch option, particularly for large parties or if you want to reserve a cool place for brunch on short notice (like one day ahead). It’s on a nice stretch of 9^th avenue too. And well, I left extremely festive. Perhaps a bit too much because I thought it would be a good idea to go ice skating in the rain in Bryant Park. Let’s just say I fell one too many times.

As an added bday treat for Mr. SarinaH, we went down to Agua Dulce for a little birthday brunch before going to the Museum of Natural History.
We arrived at 1:00PM for our reservations, and were escorted to our seats immediately. The place was half empty, which was a surprise. Little did I know, NY’ers don’t really brunch until 2 or 3pm because it was a mob scene by the time we left.
Ambiance was cute, clean, and funky. Server was knowledgable, friendly and engaging. Food was outstanding. I had the pancakes with burnt caramel & bananas (yum). Hubby is a Cuban sandwich junkie (so of course that was what he ordered). He absolutely loved it. For dessert we shared the chocolate cake which came to the table with a bright sparkler commemorating Hubby’s birthday (cute).
We also partook in the the $ 20 AYCD extravaganza. I had 2 (being a light weight and all); hubby had (4)…he made sure he got his money’s worth.
Bill came out to be $ 60…not too shabby. But I think next time I’ll let hubby take on the AYCD. I’ll stick with 1 drink and my regular cup o joe.

My friend and I braved a pretty intense rain storm to sample Agua Dulce’s fabulous-​sounding menu. When I arrived at the restaurant, I was shocked by the beautiful, modern space shining out amongst a neighborhood of more casual, ethnic eateries. I entered the hip environment with its lounge-​style music and soaring ceilings. I located my friend at the bar, where she was doting over a fruity cocktail.
We checked in with the hostess and were escorted to our table. I decided to join in her revelry and ordered myself a sweet beverage as well. Allow me to jump forward to the end of the evening for a moment, so that I can tell you about how I had two small specialty drinks and went straight home to bed. This heavy-​handed bartender did not mess around!
It turned out that my friend’s boyfriend was going to meet us for dinner, so we decided to delay our larger meal and start with the Guacamole Trio. The giant platter included tons of fresh, crispy chips that were heavily fried, but fabulous. The Tropical Guac contained pineapples, mangoes, and habaneros, making the sweet blend a delight compared to the other spicy varieties. The Standard Guacamole delivered the perfect amount of kick with its blend of jalapeño, lime cilantro, and shaved red onion. Lastly, the unique Ahumado version was a smokey mixture of chipotle, tomato, and house cured bacon. We gossiped and munched away while we awaited her date’s arrival.
He soon found his way to our table, and we proceeded with entrees. My Crispy Organic Salmon was perfectly cooked. The sweet caramel sauce also carried some spice with its blend of mustard and red pepper. The plate also included seared cauliflower and green olives.
The two lovebirds ordered in sync with their plates of tender Smoked Tea Braised Beef Short Ribs. The moist meat easily fell off their large rib bones. The rich, thick truffle malanga purée was the perfect savory sauce. A side of soy-​charred string beans was the light touch the dish needed.
Agua Dulce provided a fun environment with fantastic treats. It was definitely worth battling the storm to make the visit.

Happy Birthday Kenny!!! This is a great restaurant to have a birthday dinner in. The atmosphere is fun, décor is fancy but not over the top, and the food was delicious. My chicken was juicy and cooked to perfection. Even when my stomach was giving me the «hey im full» signal, my mouth savored every single last bite. Yum
We ordered plenty of drinks and there was some confusion when our waiter thought we ordered a second pitcher of sangria but let us keep it anyway when we tried to send it back. Unfortunately the sangria here isn’t that good… but oh well who are we to turn down free alcohol?
I ordered my usual jack and coke but as a joke i asked my waiter (Amaury) to put a flower in it. He came back with my jack and coke and an additional drink called Flower.
Jean: Nooo I’m sorry I meant an actual flower i was just joking
Waiter: That’s okay just keep it
Oh well who am i to turn down free alcohol?
Despite the great food and free drinks (even free bday shots later on), Agua Dulce annoyed me because we waited forever for the check. We also asked the waiter about 4 times for bday cake, which we never got. Weird.

What a great menu. Thanks to Unilocal,I did the Guac Trio. Definitely do that. Make sure to ask for additional chips as there is so much guacamole that you’ll need them.
Food was fantastically presented, well-​spiced and delicious. Portions were more than sufficient. I had the ribs which were delicious and moist. I would recommend.
If only I could have gotten my Guavarita within 40 minutes of ordering. Also follow up on food after delivery was a bit lacking.
Go for the food… the service needs a bit of refining.

Agua Dulce served up a really lovely prix-​fixe brunch ($ 35) for my mom, fiancé and me on Mother’s Day. We were seeing a matinée Broadway show, and our server was really great about getting us out on time. He was also quite sweet to my mom given that it was Mother’s Day, which we all really appreciated. The restaurant is very spacious and stays true to its aquatic theme in terms of décor. I believe there’s a skylight in the middle of the main dining room, which allows for ample natural light throughout the space, and the front dining area also has plenty of light coming in from the garage door windows. There’s just something about natural light in my dining space that elevates my experience of the meal. But I digress.
For appetizers, two of us ordered the salmon ceviche and one ordered the bacon-​wrapped dates. The salmon tasted fresh and was a nice, light starter course. I didn’t try the dates since I had just had dates the night before. I was worried at first because the portion size was quite small, even though the flavors weren’t. But then I saw how big the entrée portions were and wondered how we’d have room for dessert at the end!
My fiancé and I both ordered the pork belly eggs benedict, which came with jalapeño cornbread. Why have I never eaten this before? Pork belly and poached eggs is a perfect combination, even if it’s totally decadent and rich thanks to the lime chili hollandaise sauce. The pork belly, in particular, was perfectly cooked with a nice fat-​to-​meat ratio. And the cornbread was a nice complement to all the rich flavors. My mom ordered the skirt steak and eggs, which was served over chilaquiles. It was my first time eating chilaquiles, but it certainly won’t be my last! The sauce that accompanied the dish was also really delicious and tangy. I wanted to keep eating both her dish and my own — but my poor stomach was already running out of room!
For dessert, we had the dulce de leche flan with caramel ice cream, and coconut sorbet. After the heartiness of the entrees, I found the flan to be overwhelming in sweetness and richness, and the coconut sorbet was surprisingly overly sweet too. The caramel ice cream would have satisfied my sweet tooth on its own, actually. Next time we brunch here, I’ll skip the prix-​fixe and just order an entrée.
In all, it was a really great meal to celebrate the most important woman in my life. And I’ll know where to go next time we need a pre-​/​post-​theater restaurant, especially if we’re attending a matinée. After taking a look at their regular brunch menu, there are certainly plenty of mouth-​watering options to choose from! Can’t wait to try them all!

The joint drives an awesome Miami vibe, all light blue glass, stainless steel and dark wood. The neighborhood isn’t especially picturesque, but the weather was perfect so we ate outdoors at a sidewalk table and watched the locals walking their dogs. The restaurant is large, with multiple levels, a cool downstairs dining room, and a really funky bar.
Food was outstanding. I would (and will) go back in a heartbeat. I started with grilled oysters and shrimp, drizzled with cilantro oil, over a mango chutney (not on the menu). I could have eaten a whole tray of them. Wife started with a guacamole made with chipotles, house-​cured bacon and tomatos — astoundingly good. We scraped the bowl with the house-​made flour tortilla chips.
For dinner, my wife had churrasco skirt steak with roasted potatoes. The meat was as tender as I’ve ever seen skirt steak, and it had an undertone of heat on the back end that wasn’t overpowering, but just enough to notice. Wonderful beef. I had bacalao con bacalao — cod crusted with salt cod. As good as my wife’s steak was, we agreed that my fish was even better. Perfectly cooked, on a bed of greens and purple potatoes.
Mixed drinks were excellent. Service was spot-​on. The cooking is a very innovative spin on Latin food, and last night it was executed flawlessly. Winner.

I don’t have an occasion to throw a party for but darnit, Agua Dulce makes me want to thow a party. What a beautiful place. But subtle. And subtle isn’t a quality you find very much in and around New York.
On a rainy Sunday after a trip to MoMA, we were in the mood for brunch. Of the places along 9^th Avenue, Agua Dulce always looked decent from the outside and but never made it to the top of our «to do» list. Checking the menu out as we strolled by, the guacamole menu sold me.
Our waiter was amazing… Attentive, warm, hilarious… One of the best servers I’ve encountered in a long time. He convinced us to do the AYCD mimosas which were good and STRONG. I didn’t taste much OJ in there but I guess that’s the point of an AYCD brunch. It’s a little pricier than other places $ 20+ per person but if you want to have a few drinks (more than two) it pays off.
The tropical guacamole appetizer looked small when it came out but was deceiving. It was plenty and delicious. My salad topped with shrimp skewers was good and extremely filling.
I’d really like to head back to try dinner here at Agua Dulce. Guacamole menu, here I come!

What a nice dining experience! Very nice bar area, and the bartender does magic with wonderful cocktails. I ran into Stewart W at the restaurant and he gave me wonderful suggestions and gave a good word to the restaurant management which took a wonderful care of us. I really liked the cocktails and the food (bacalao, mixed seafood stew, salmon ceviche) and had a great time there tonight. It has become one of my favorite restaurants in Hells Kitchen! Thank you Stu!
22 points on Zagat 2011.

Agua Dulce… Oh how I love you.
I have to agree with the beautiful Megan C. Agua Dulce is Stunning. It’s like walking into a fairy tale… bright, modern, dramatic and whimiscal. This is such the ideal place for a sexy date night! I was here with a larger group… we had a three hour brunch, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
I highly recommend the back marble table with bar style seating if you are in a party of four or more. The marble table is super luxurious, while being quite casual.
They have a brunch drink special on weekends… I think it’s $ 20 for unlimited two hour drinking or something fabulous like that. I can’t tell you how many bellinis and mimosas I had… A lot! They just kept them coming!
We started with their guacamole trio — Out came a bowl of regular guac, bacon guac (this is SINFUL) and mango guacamole (my favorite). I had to be careful not to eat the whole thing myself.
Following, I had the Frittata. I wish I had gotten the french toast! It was excellent. Loved it. Their brunch menu is quite extensive. I will definitely be back to try the rest of it.
Our server was Patrick, and he was stellar. Gorgeous too.

Salmon ceviche is unbelievable. Even though it looked like they served very small portions for everything we ordered, we were still full. I had to salmon as a main and it was perfection. The right amount of tenderness and juiciness and good crispy skin. yummers. To start, we also had the CRISPY MOJELLAS and we had to order more: apparently a dough/​bread thing but I swear it tasted like the best chicken nugget ever (and there’s no meat in it…)
For drinks, the habanero margarita is the best and is one of their most popular drinks (don’t know anywhere else around that serves this).
The service is great and always has been. The staff is SO knowledgeable with the menu and daily specials. They knew the ingredients (since one person in our party had allergies) and could advise. We tipped very well that night.
The atmosphere is very cool (upstairs especially). Feels like you’re in a Miami lounge, very calm, except that it gets noisy. Different feel during the day, but I prefer going for dinner anyways.
Also, great date spot! Share a flan at the end of the night… and it won’t be the end of the date…
Check out the website, very cool.

This is still one of my favorite places. The owners and management of Agua Dulce really take patrons concerns seriously. True, there are times when things are not perfect but they honestly do work on maintaining what is already good and improving on those not so.
I am always afraid to send people to restaurants I love for fear that just that one moment won’t be great. I recently recommended Agua Dulce to some friends who work in the industry who were looking to have a holiday party. Yesterday I learned that they had the most amazing time, were well accommodated, well treated and had incredible food at a fairly reasonable price (their words, not mine). And… when I inquired, I was told nobody ever mentioned that I recommended the place. How great is that?

Dream Restaurant
Literally walking down the street stumbled across Agua Dulce and stopped in my tracks. One word comes to mind — Stunning! Gorgeous design by Peter Sibilia the same group who designed the Dream Hotel the perfect space for a romantic dinner, a casual outing, a cook off, event, or relaxing in a lounge.
Well put together, soft yet modern finishes 4 stars just for being chic and original… from what I could see on the patrons plates (paninis at lunch time and such) it looked less original than the décor.
Date Rating: TBD
Pick up Scale: TBD
Strong Suggestion: email me and tell me what you loved if you’ve been here. I’ll be looking for suggestions outside of brunch.

Having walked by this place several times over the past few months and been very intrigued by what I saw, the time finally came for them to open and I got to go!
The interior design was absolutely gorgeous… not pretentious or overly designed. The weather was perfect for outdoor eating, so we opted for an outdoor table. From the minute we walked in, we were attended to by the welcoming and superbly selected staff. It is sadly rare to experience such great service at a restaurant these days without having to pay absurd prices. Here you are treated as if you are the most important patron of the evening.
We started with Citrus Salmon Ceviche which was excellent. The salmon was smothered in grapefruit juice with peppers and onions and was so superb that I could have eaten an entire serving for dinner. The perfect accompaniment to the Ceviche was the delicious Guacamole and homemade chips. The guac had small chunks of mango and avocado that were so fresh and explosive with flavor.
To drink I had the Frozen Mojito. It was about as good as I could make it at home (I am somewhat of a Mojito snob ever since I took an afternoon to master the art of a perfectly prepared Mojito). The ones here are certainly worth a try.
For a main course, I had the Pollo Al Carbon (charred organic half chicken). It was superb. The meat was tender and juicy and had the most excellent flavor. The charring was just right and gave the skin a nice crispness.
For dessert we opted to share the chocolate cake. It had a HOT chocolate center and a delicate, moist outer cake… smothered in a chili chocolate sauce that was to die for. It was easily the best chocolate cake I’ve had in a long time.
I can’t rave enough about the attentive staff and delicious food. This place will be hard to stay away from… I’m sure that I will be back again very soon.

For about two weeks now I’ve walked by this establishment on a regular basis in the midst of my daily food adventures, on my way downtown and on my way back uptown — only in the past couple of days have they taken the paper off the windows, and only yesterday were people visibly and actively shuffling about indoors — my friend and I (after noticing a particularly attractive individual working inside) made inquiries about when they were opening, what their name is, and what would be on the menu.
Their grand opening is today… My friend said I could come here and get a First Review. I said I wouldn’t, because it’d take me a few visits before I had enough appetizers and entrees under my belt to get a complete grasp of the place and undoubtedly someone would get to it before me – but, out of nowhere, two of my friends invited me out to dinner tonight, asking if I knew anywhere new that looked promising, and I suggested Agua Dulce — we had about a dozen dishes between the three of us and thus I feel secure enough in my knowledge of the overall experience to write a review — and, yet somehow, even though they’ve just started serving the public a few hours ago, somebody got a review in before me… 5 days ago?! But I’m not bitter, no way, not me.
This place easily wins the spot for my favorite Spanish-​based (as in from Spain, mostly) restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen — although, in my opinion, there isn’t much serious competition — it’s absolutely beautiful inside, the service is incredibly attentive and friendly, and lots of attention was paid to decorating both the bar and the main seating-​area, and surprisingly it’s even rather pleasant and attractive outdoors (which is a big compliment coming from me – I normally can’t stand eating «al fresco» in NYC, with all the congestion and pollution).
We started with:
– House-​made guacamole with fresh tortilla chips.
– Assorted grilled marinated vegetables.
– Assortment of Spanish cheeses and cured meats.
– Patatas Bravas with garlic aioli with smoked paprika.
We continued with:
– Crispy sweetbreads with grapefruit and fennel.
– Galician octopus with smoked paprika and olives.
– Spicy fried shrimp empanadas.
– Yellow-​fin tuna tiradito with lychee/​mint salsa.
We finished with:
– Grilled calabaza stuffed poblano peppers with romesco sauce.
– Mixed seafood stew with coconut milk and cashews.
– Smoked tea braised beef short ribs with grilled string beans.
– Saffron rice with grilled chicken and chorizo.
We ordered more than half of the dinner menu, all at the beginning of the meal, otherwise we most likely wouldn’t have ordered so much food… We were expecting everything to be «tapas style» which is so fashionable nowadays — it seems that somehow most people think that’s all Spanish food consists of, just like in the minds of most Americans all that the Japanese ever eat is Sushi — but the portions were all rather generous, all three of us left extremely full, even after spreading the evening out over a three-​hour time-​span… I’m taking a couple weeks off drinking alcohol, but my friends each had a few drinks and they both gave rave reviews to their tipples.