Acqua al 2

A new favorite restaurant in W. Stockbridge not far from I-90!! Steak, pasta, salads, chicken. Desserts(!) Interesting but not weird menu. Several sampling options for each course. Our table had salads, pastas, steaks and desserts. The presentation for a weekday lunch was impressive but the food deserved it. The salads were all fresh, cool, nicely blended and flavorful. The filets were perfectly prepared and enhanced, one by the au poive and the other by the blueberry sauce. The pastas must have been really good because no one shared and everyone finished generous portions. And don't skip the desserts. They were really good!

I’d just like to start by thanking the owner for being so welcoming!! From sitting down and explaining the history of the restaurant, to explaining the history of the food he was absolutely amazing! I’ve been to Italy 100 times and I visit Acqua every time. The food is 100% the same! This restaurant is Italy, the atmosphere, the wine, the food! By far the best Italian food in Berkshire county! Thank you Valentino we will be back very soon!

The five pasta sampler was okay. The sauces were very buttery. I’ve eaten at the Florence restaurant and enjoyed that experience but I’m not sure it translates well to the Berkshires.

Best meal outside of Europe! Wow. Incredible pastas, a perfect port wine chicken and crazy good flourless chocolate cake! Valentino gave us the restaurant story and top- notch service. Oh, and the perfect fermenting!

This was one of the most memorable meals I have ever had in the Berkshires! The staff was extremely kind, the food was delicious and the atmosphere was perfect! I had gone in Florence and was so excited to hear that they were opening up in the Berkshires. I thought the food was just as good and I cannot wait to go back again!!! DEFINITELY RECOMMEND!! 10/10!!!!

We absolutely LOVED our meal here. The steaks were all so divine, especially their famous blueberry steak. We go to Acqua Al 2 in Florence and it’s one of our favorites so we were thrilled to hear they opened in the Berkshires. The service was so nice and we got to speak with the owner, who moved from Florence - he was so lovely!! A MUST visit!

The 5 pasta assaggi (tastings) was delicious. Four were very good; the pasta with red pepper didn’t do it for me but it was fine. Didn’t eat much else because I am a pescatarian and had very limited options. All main dishes were meat based. The wine list was very reasonable and the house read was a real find. Juan, the young waiter, was competent and friendly. Valentino, the owner, never approached the table even though he was the one to escort us to the table. We missed the personal touch of the owner coming to the table at least once to make sure everything was okay and make the dining experience more personable. All in all a good dinner without feeling wowed.

Great food - delicious pasta and steak. Definitely try the pasta sampler - everything is very flavorful. Will definitely come back for more

If you're looking for a genuine "Tuscan" restaurant experience in the Berkshires this is it! Dropped in w/o a reservation on a Saturday afternoon. The service was beyond good. We felt welcome right away even on a busy night sitting at a cocktail table in the bar area. The wine list was sophisticated, and could only be enhanced by a few more options by the glass. The food was over-the-top good. The three salad appetizer was great. I had pollo al porto; my partner had cannelloni. we shared and were both pleased. Each of the four "sampler" desserts pleased partner Mary, and I found all but one exquisite. The server Carly, and bartender James made us feel like locals as did the owner Valentino when he came by to chat and check on things We live an hour away but will DEFINITELY BE BACK ! Mike Finnegan Coxsackie, NY

Ugh, what a disappointment. We had such high hopes and even drove an hour to try this place. Unfortunately, the meal--and the long wait for it--were major letdowns. We started with the table wine and three appetizers. The cheese plate included only three very small slices of cheese, a bit of lettuce, and a few apple slices. The trio of salads was just okay, comparable to what you might find in a grocery store deli. The eggplant was the only appetizer we truly enjoyed. For our entrées, the 50 dollar sirloin steaks we ordered medium rare arrived well done, and the gnocchi had an extremely soft, almost snot-like texture. Overall, the food was just sad. To make things worse, we waited almost two hours for our entrées--even though the restaurant was empty on a Friday night. Now we understand why. Our server was very sweet and did their best, but the experience as a whole was terrible. Our exit was extremely memorable as we walked by the kitchen on our way out and were hit in the face with cigarette smoke. We won't be returning. We loved Rouge, the previous restaurant in this location, but unfortunately this new spot doesn't hold a candle to it.

How could a restaurant tout a Firenze location and serve food this bad? I was excited for the porcini mushrooms and sirloin. I requested medium rare. What I got was a steak, presliced and overdone. A few slivers of mushrooms and 8 thin slices of grizzled overcooked steak is not worth $50. I was mortified and unhappy. Never again. It may have been a mistake but a fellow restaurant goer requested the same order and received the same. Very disappointed esp after waiting 2 hours for our entree.

Acqua Al 2 is not just a wonderful meal, it is an experience. The food was excellent......perhaps the most authentic Italian food we have eaten in the states. Service was exceptional and the atmosphere charming and welcoming. How lucky for the Berkshires to have this little bit of Italy right in its backyard. We will be back again and again.

I already miss this place! A secret gem! Best Italian food outside of ITALY! The Sardi's of the Berkshire's (only with better food) the perfect place to go after the theatre!

Food quality / price (value) rating 8.5. The atmosphere is Contemporary Italian, with red walls, plenty of artwork, and several levels of warm cozy dining rooms and alcoves. The menu is classical Italian. I had the sliced sirloin steak with parmesan cheese, six ounces of sirloin on top of a high quality mixed greens salad and a wonderfully unique Focaccia bread crust that was chewy and crispy at the same time! Fantastic ! The wife had the pasta and marscapone cheese and mushroom sauce and said it was very good. They offer several well chosen bottled beers and a decent wine list. There are only a few restaurants on West Stockbridge, and you can be assured that you'll have a good meal here.

Food was amazing. Sampler pasta and steak was incredible. Desserts were perfect! Service was great as well!

Second visit here. Same great experience as our first visit. - Food - first visit we enjoyed the unique sampler-portion tour of the menu. The portions and variety for our party of two was fantastic. Starters, salads, "secondi," and dessert. Most recently we shared the steak & mushrooms and chicken curry (I know, right?) with a pasta starter and the sampler dessert plate. Fantastic. - Service - bar service was great. No specialty cocktails, but all your favorites done well. Thoughtful wine list. Staff are engaged and well trained. They truly want your evening to be enjoyable. West Stockbridge is on the cusp of becoming a mini dining destination due in large part to Valentino and his efforts to create an intimate and excellent bistro-type atmosphere. We will keep coming in to see what's cooking at Acqua Al 2.

My party went for a special occasion. Reservations was booked months in advance and was told would get "best table in house." Upon arrival, owner seated us in a terrible table next to bathroom. Waitress was not friendly, owner couldn't be bothered to see if we were enjoying our meal on our occasion. Despite the reviews you read, food is NOTHING SPECIAL. There are many restaurants better in the Berkshires. I am telling all my friends not to bother with this place. Never again...

Service was poor. Three people dinners all came out at different times. One ten minutes from the other two. Waiter was slow, unresponsive. Noticed other tables plates were also served at different times.

I hope this restaurant gets better because it is my hope they will because they are trying to be - and maybe will be better 1. wine list - good and varied and well priced. 2. wait staff - great and caring (but bussing as well so spread thin) 3. presentation - nice 4. salad - was not fresh enough (but nice to be able to taste a few) The lettuce and melon was not up to par. 5. tasting menu - lovely but the pasta was not heated properly and not prepared as they would have liked since it is prepared well in advance. 6. greeting - attentive attitude 7. table next to mine - their dishes did not arrive together - and not as requested. The restaurant has so much promise and is trying - but is spreading itself too thin to do all it intends. Wishing them well, since they are already 10 months old and are striving for so much - I want to be a fan in the future.

Just fucking GREAT Highly recommend trying the sampler of both the pastas and steaks. You get 3 fantastic filets and 5 delicious pastas.

What? Florence now West Stockbridge? Aqua al 2 did not disappoint. The assagio of pastas was so good, there were bites you wanted to keep on your palate just a second longer before swallowing. Honestly, one cannot completely replicate the sublime Aqua al 2 in Florence; This rendition is damned close. Thank you Valentino for being such a gracious host.

Staff was wonderful - attentive and friendly. Both stars are for our server. I wouldn't give the food even a single star. We ordered the salad sampler, cheese sampler, and pasta sampler to share. The salads were clearly made in advance and slightly past their prime. The cheeses were served too cold and they were bland. The five pastas were almost inedible - pasta was overcooked and gummy and the sauces tasted like something you'd get in a cafeteria. Do yourself a favor skip this place.

We thought the food was good; some of it very good and some of it just good. The melanzane parmagiano was very good and my guy's pasta with ragu were in the very good category. The caprese salad was good, but given that it's tomato season here, the tomatoes should have been more ripe and flavorful. I'm allergic to gluten, so my choices were limited. I got the grilled chicken in port wine sauce. The chicken was cooked perfectly and the sauce was good, but not great - a bit sweet for my taste, although I did like the strawberry with it - perfectly ripe and flavorful although it is NOT strawberry season. All of the food arrived piping hot. I did envy the gorgeous steaming plates of pasta being served at other tables. It's probably a place best for those that can eat pasta. I appreciated that they accommodated a gluten-free diner, although a side with the chicken would have been nice. Excellent service, pleasant ambiance.

Pleasant and efficient staff, however they couldn't make up for the institutional nature of the food. We opted for the heavily promoted samplers . The salads came out wilted and browned , the cheeses were grocery store quality at best. The 5 pastas tasted like they had been made 3 days ago and kept on a steam table. The $20 house red and tiramisu saved the meal , but the rest was so sub-standard it's hard to imagine this restaurant will survive given the other options nearby.

Nice ambiance and friendly staff, but this new restaurant has a long way to go if it wants to succeed. The salads were ice cold and had little flavor as a result. The fillet was a good cut of beef but was drenched in a cloyingly sweet balsamic sauce. The meat dishes come with no accompaniments and the sides were limited and pricey. The rigatoni with mushrooms and meat ragu was the best dish of the night, but it was nothing special. I would love to see Acqua Al 2 make it, but major improvements in the food and menu are necessary.