Every summer, restaurant week NYC turns the city into a dining playground. Hundreds of menus, endless options, and one recurring question: where do you actually go to make it count? If you haven’t considered Aquarelle NYC in the East Village yet, this might be the sign you needed.
Tucked away at 47 Avenue B, Aquarelle is a seafood and Mediterranean restaurant that doesn’t just participate in NYC Restaurant Week it genuinely shines during it. Four courses, $60, and a room that looks like it was designed by someone who dreamed up the ocean floor and decided to build it.
What Makes Aquarelle’s Restaurant Week Menu Stand Out
A Four-Course Menu Built Around the Ocean
Most restaurant week deals in Manhattan lean toward stripped-down menus — a salad, an entrée, and a dessert that feels like an afterthought. Aquarelle’s $60 offering takes a different approach. It’s a proper four-course progression that lets you move through the kitchen’s strengths, from the first bite to the last.
The menu is structured as follows:
- First Course: Aquarelle Caesar or Aquamelon Salad
- Second Course: Calamari (grilled or fried), Shrimp Kataify, Shrimp Kofta, Crab Cakes, or Grilled Octopus (with a small supplement)
- Third Course: Whole Grilled Branzino, Whole Grilled Dorade, Faroe Island Wild Salmon, Seafood Risotto, Zucchini Spaghetti with Truffle Mushroom, or Wood Fired Roasted Chicken
- Fourth Course: Chef’s Choice Desserts
The third course alone tells you something about the kitchen’s priorities. Whole fish, grilled simply with lemon and capers, is the kind of dish that only works when the product is genuinely fresh. That’s precisely what Aquarelle is known for sourcing daily from Atlantic waters and letting quality speak for itself.
Freshness Isn’t a Selling Point Here, It’s a Standard
Aquarelle’s entire identity is built around one commitment: serving seafood that came in that day. The menu rotates to reflect what’s exceptional at the market, which means a visit during NYC Restaurant Week is never a reduced version of the experience. The same care that goes into a regular dinner service goes into every restaurant week plate.
That philosophy carries through to the third course options. Whether you choose the Faroe Island Wild Salmon or a whole grilled Dorade, you’re getting the same sourcing standard that defines every dinner service here.
The Aquarelle Experience: More Than Just the Menu
An Ambiance That Does the Work Before the Food Arrives
Aquarelle describes its space as an underwater wonderland, and that’s not marketing exaggeration. The dining room features hand-crafted murals, sea-inspired lighting, and blue velvet banquettes that set a mood before a single dish reaches the table. One section of the restaurant paneled in warm wood feels like stepping inside a luxury yacht.
For Manhattan restaurant week, where diners are often choosing between good food in an unremarkable room versus something more considered, Aquarelle delivers both at once. The setting makes a $60 dinner feel like a proper evening out rather than a prix-fixe transaction.
Cocktails That Earn Their Place on the Table
The kitchen isn’t carrying the experience alone. Aquarelle’s signature cocktail list is worth exploring alongside the restaurant week menu. The house Aquarelle cocktail lavender, elderflower liqueur, gin, and prosecco is the kind of opener that signals you’re somewhere that takes the full meal seriously.
Other standouts include the Dejavu (lychee, yuzu, white rum, matcha), the smoky Forbidden Mezcal with yuzu and grapefruit, and the L’Truffle Coffee Negroni, which does exactly what the name suggests with earthy truffle and roasted coffee reworking a classic. These aren’t filler drinks they’re composed to complement the seafood-forward menu.
Beyond Restaurant Week: What Aquarelle Offers Year-Round
Weekend Brunch in the East Village
Saturday and Sunday brunch runs from 11am to 4pm, making it a natural anchor for a downtown weekend. The same thoughtful approach to seafood carries through the brunch menu, and the East Village location makes it easy to build a full afternoon around it.
Private Dining for Groups and Events
Aquarelle also functions as a private event venue that handles a wide range of occasions: birthday celebrations, corporate dinners, holiday parties, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, rehearsal dinners, and more. The private dining room, with its wooden-paneled yacht-like aesthetic, offers a distinct backdrop that most event spaces in the city simply can’t match. The team tailors menus and service to each event, which takes a lot of the logistical weight off the host.
The Full Dinner Menu Year-Round
Outside of restaurant week, the dinner menu at Aquarelle runs deep. Raw bar selections include just-shucked oysters, caviar service with Meredith Marks Ossetra, chilled seafood towers (including a Royal Tower with whole lobster, twelve oysters, and a ceviche trio), and crudo ranging from Faroe Island Salmon to Hamachi. Main courses cover whole fish, shellfish, handmade pastas like Squid Ink Linguine with Crab Meat and Lobster Pasta, alongside land options for those not ordering from the sea.
It’s a menu that’s built to reward repeat visits not because it’s exhaustive, but because it’s curated with intention.
Plan Your Visit
Location: 47 Avenue B, New York, NY 10009
Dinner Hours: Monday – Sunday, 5pm to 1am
Weekend Brunch: Saturday and Sunday, 11am to 4pm
Reservations: Available via OpenTable or by calling (212) 777-4547
Restaurant week in NYC moves quickly. Tables at restaurants worth going to fill up within the first week of bookings opening. If Aquarelle is on your list and after reading this, it probably should be reserving early is the practical move.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is included in Aquarelle’s NYC Restaurant Week menu?
Aquarelle offers a four-course menu for $60, including a first course salad selection, a second course of seafood small bites, a third course of whole fish or seafood mains, and a chef’s choice dessert to finish.
When does NYC Restaurant Week take place at Aquarelle?
The Summer 2025 NYC Restaurant Week ran from July 21 through August 31. Check Aquarelle’s website or contact the restaurant directly for current and upcoming dates.
Where is Aquarelle NYC located?
Aquarelle is located at 47 Avenue B in the East Village, Manhattan, NY 10009.
Does Aquarelle require reservations during restaurant week NYC?
Yes. Reservations are strongly recommended during NYC Restaurant Week as tables book up quickly. You can reserve online via OpenTable or call (212) 777-4547.
Can Aquarelle accommodate private events during Manhattan Restaurant Week?
Yes. Aquarelle has a dedicated private dining room and event team that can accommodate groups and special occasions year-round, including during restaurant week periods.
What type of cuisine does Aquarelle NYC serve?
Aquarelle is a seafood and Mediterranean restaurant specializing in daily-fresh catches from Atlantic waters, with a full menu covering crudo, raw bar, whole fish, pastas, shellfish, and signature cocktails.
Reserve your table at Aquarelle NYC for Restaurant Week before the window closes.
