AQUA

Wow! This place has it all. Great atmosphere, amazing food! We had appetizers, lunch and shared a dessert. Tried a few drinks as well. The service was top notch.

Aqua is a happening place. Each time I've been there, the staff, from the hosts to the servers, have been outstanding. The views of the harbor are incredible, and you often see gulls and other seabirds flying around. The food matches the excellent service. Definitely a go to place when you're down on the Connecticut shoreline. One aside, my friend left her purse hanging on her chair, so having departed a few hours earlier, we called to see if they had found it. The young man who, coincidentally, had served us (I recognized his voice on the phone), said that, "Yes, there was a tan purse left by an old lady." As a former journalist and, later, a public relations specialist, I would caution members of the staff to refer to anyone in that manner, even though we both do have gray hair. It would have simply sufficed to say that, "Yes, there is a tan purse. Would you like to tell me your name and I will see if it is yours? Other than that a wonderful experience.

Well off the beaten path—past Bills, past Fish Tale and, seemingly on the edge of the Connecticut coastal frontier, sits Aqua. Located on the water smack dab in the middle of Marinaville (near a boat launch and surrounded by a boat dealership) upon arrival you might think Google Maps did you wrong but fear not and have trust in technology my pescatarian people—you have arrived! Waterfront, open air (with roof), dining beckons. Two full service bars and a cocktail menu that includes some very creative recipes (see also Florida Man). The bartenders (super friendly) are heavy handed and quite accomplished. Lots of great favorites grace the dinner menu (fried options, swordfish, tuna, tacos, wraps, lobster ravioli, and more) so there is something for everyone. The setting really seals the deal here—being water front and far removed from the main road in a quiet neighborhood. I must ding them though because we waited 40 minutes for a table on a Sunday evening. I guess Aqua’s fan base is legion-like. All our food hit the table in good time and was hot and fresh. The fried clams are a great choice but equally impressive were the shrimp tacos. I saw a sesame tuna steak float by, destined for another table, and I longed for her to be mine! A flying fruity drink, courtesy of an over-imbibed chump who grossly underestimated the prowess of the bartenders, dampened the evening (literally), but that shan’t reflect poorly upon Aqua. If you are in search of a beautiful setting to sip tasty cold beverages and nosh on fresh, quality seafood Aqua has you coveted!

Went during lunch, was busy but was able to get an inside table not next to the open windows. Can see it being hard to find a parking spot on weekends and holidays. Waitstaff very friendly and on point. Food was very good.

11/1/25. Not overly crowded this time of year. Service was fast however the food itself was less than expected. RI clam chowder was thin lacked clams and overpowering with thyme. The steak sandwich wasn’t much more than dressed up “steakums”. My partners fried whole bellies were a serious disappointment and were more strips than bellies. Hard to give it a good review when the salad didn’t even have a slice or two of cucumber. Sorry but I’ll forego the view for better quality

Located close to Hammonasset State Park, this place has a great location by the sea and also plenty of wind to bask into! The ambiance of the restaurant is decent enough with most of the seating providing sea views while the service is great with the servers being pretty communicative and attentive to our needs! Special shout out to Ashton over here! The food can definitely be improved upon! The location though great, the food doesn't live up to the expectations. We had ordered buffalo shrimp and fried calamari as appetizers. The calamari was okayish, while the buffalo shrimp was sour so did all the sauces which accompanied it! Honestly we didn't like any of their sauces. Then for entrees we went for their signature broiled seafood platter which had scallops, some fish(probably cod) with white wine, a couple of shrimps, mashed potatoes and sauteed broccoli with brussel sprouts! I tried scallops for the first time and it felt great to me. They were rightly seared and butter was at the right quantity. The fish though was well made and the shrimps were broiled enough. Mashed potatoes were really awesome and I had a great time devouring them. The Cobb salad was good as all the ingredients were fresh also the vinegarrete added as a good dressing to it! Lastly, the tap beer was ordered by my friends and they said it's good! Overall a great place to sit and enjoy by the seaside but definitely needs to work on their food quality!

After a long day at the beach, I recommended that my friends and I eat here for dinner. We were not disappointed! The fried clams were amazing, as always. The fried scallops practically melted in your mouth. It was the best bisque I've ever had. We all got something different. None of us were disappointed. The view is spectacular! One of my friends had a medical issue. The manager and our server went above and beyond to help and makeher feel like she wasn't a burden. A fellow diner was an EMT and nurse. He jumped in to help. In all of the commotion, I have forgotten their names, but they all should be commended. My friend is doing much better thanks to their help. I can't wait to go back!

I’ve been coming here for a number of years and it’s always been a good place. The food is always excellent. The weight service is superb and you can’t beat the view of Clinton Harbor. If you ever want a nice restaurant to relax at, watch the water and enjoy some really great food, check out Aqua. I highly recommend it.

Enjoyed the seafood here. Had the whole belly clams which were fresh and lightly breaded but so crispy. The calamari and coconut shrimp appetizers were great for sharing. Relaxing outdoor picnic benches by the water. Service was quick.

Had a lovely lunch here after checking out the nearby state park. We sat outside right next to the marina with a great view of all the boats. Our waitress was okay, she might have been annoyed that we didn't order right away but I couldn't really blame her. We didn't try any of the cocktails but a couple members of the group liked the Dragontail mocktail. I really liked my ahi tuna wrap. It was stuffed with tuna and had a tangy wasabi sauce. Portions were a little small for the price. My plate looked kinda of empty with the wrap and a little bowl of slaw. There was definitely space for some fries or salad. A couple people got baja fish tacos which fell apart as soon as they ate them. I was surprised that they weren't double shelled. We didn't try any apps or dessert.

We had an interesting experience. The Buffalo wings were very good; plenty of sauce and we could order flats only, which is our preference. The clams were very fresh and correctly shucked. The fried pickles were over breaded and had no pickle flavor. Nope to them. We had a table in the bar overlooking Clinton harbor. A success there. Service was not good though. Never came back to the table to see if we wanted another drink. It was not crowded so no excuse for disinterested service. We may be back for the view and clams but not sure. Only an average time with a chance for better with a few improvements.

My family and I stopped by Aqua for Mother's Day and had a great dining experience here! We didn't have a reservation and stopped by around 6, so it took around an hour to get us seated (honestly pretty speedy all things considered), and then we ordered some drinks and appetizers. Drinks were great, the Stellar Rose was delicious (I love passion fruit!) and appetizers came super quick even on the busy day. We were seated on the deck with a gorgeous view of the water, which was amazing. The main courses took a bit longer (the waitstaff let us know that with the Mother's Day rush it would take a second), but once it came it was BEYOND delicious. I got the Salmon Salad, a special, and I hope one day this dish makes it to the permanent menu because it was DELICIOUS. I loved it! Arugula, walnuts, cranberries, goat cheese, a honey citrus vinaigrette, and some nicely cooked salmon! Definitely a great dining experience, even on a busy day like Mother's Day!

This place was amazing! We went on a Friday evening so it was really busy but the wait wasn't too long and the staff was so friendly. The food was amazing and the view was even better!

Hubby and I were out looking for a seafood restaurant with a view for lunch. This is a great seaside restaurant in a boat dock with plenty of parking and great views. Upon walking in it was pretty busy from lunch we had to wait about 10 minutes which in that area is not bad at all. We started out our lunch with Clams Casino appetizer. They were fresh and absolutely delicious. Also got a lobster bisque which is one of the best ones I've had and I've had a lot! There were chunks of lobster very creamy not too salty quite delicious. For lunch, my husband got clam strips and I got a lobster roll. The clam strips were very fresh and not overcooked or rubbery. The breading was very light and tasty. The lobster roll was full of fresh tender sweet lobster meat, my only wish was that they added a little more butter. There was very little of it, and there was none on the side. Had a great view of the boat dock with the tiki bar, floating in and out. Great restaurant would definitely come back. Go visit if you're looking for good seafood!

We started our weekend getaway with lunch here on a Sunday afternoon. We didn't have a reservation but we still got a table by the window with beautiful views of the water and incoming boats. Service was prompt and friendly. We started with the New England chowder and we both had the Connecticut lobster roll (hot). A ton of perfectly cooked lobster was served in tasty toasty roll with butter. Will definitely go back!

Much improved! Thank you! The staff and food is better than previous years. The management is atleast trying.

Absolutely the best lunch ever. Our server was amazing. She was attentive and helpful. She knew the menu, she always had a smile. Food was fresh and quick! Highly recommend!!!!

Went for Mother's Day. Food was not up to par. Burgers overcooked. Lobster roll dry. Fries terrible. Our waiter tried but couldn't do much if food wasn't ready to bring out! Won't be back.

Never had a better experience. Our server and the food was amazing. Unfortunately I started not feeling well and like I was going to faint. Fortunately there was a nurse in our party at 6 and a table of paramedics sitting next to us, everyone was taking good care of me. A paramedic ran to their car and got a glucose tester and a blood pressure cuff to get my vitals. The restaurant manager was amazing and provided cold cloths which were placed all over me and also packages of electrolytes to add to water. An ambulance needed to be called but in the meantime this couldn't have happened in a better place with better people. Thanks to everyone who was there that day who were so kind and helped me. It was very scary. Please know that I am well and doing fine and again thanks to everyone!

Nice patio on the water. Wait staff was very attentive. Had the NE clam chowder. The clams were extremely chewy. Had to discard them. My wife had the Gluten free RI chowder. Was basically a broth with clams. We appreciate the effort for gluten free choices on the menu.

The quality of the seafood and the quantity far exceed the price. This is a casual, airy, dining experience with any preparation of seafood you could want to eat. The menu has an array of small bites as well as dinners. The server and front of the house staff were happy and welcoming. Rain or shine it's always nice to be by the water.

While the presentation of the fish and chips was appealing, the execution fell short. The fish was overcooked, leaving it dry, and the batter lacked the crispiness I was hoping for. Additionally, the fries were under-seasoned, which made the dish a bit bland overall. Between this and the lackluster service, this dish was way overpriced. Based on the numerous other responses I've read, it appears that many people are underwhelmed with the food quality so I would caution you with self praise of presentation and focus on raising the quality with pricing.

Overall, nice casual place with good service from the waiters. Great view of the marina. I had a grilled chicken Caesar salad which was fine but small and expensive considering the $24 price for lunch. I think the food is OK but not great yet. I recommend offering a bit more value for the price being charged. I know this restaurant wants to provide a slightly higher end menu than before, but the quality should be better. I wouldn't return unless they provide better quality and quantity for some dishes since the price tag is high.

After a short shopping experience in the Clinton Outlets, we decided on seafood. We landed at Rockys. Great seaside restaurant with excellent food and service.... What more can you ask for on a warm July day. Great vibes and we even heard a hip hop here! Nice OPP!!!

Aqua has changed hands, but the overall quality of food remains average. It has a great water location, but the food does not draw me in.

If you want glorified lobster bisque poured over mediocre ravioli, go here! When the restaurant was Rocky's Aqua Den, it used to be amazing! Now it under new ownership and has gone down hill. The service is ok but the food is disgusting. Portion sizes are small and the quality of the food is disgusting. They even admitted to pouring lobster bisque as the sauce for their lobster ravioli! Not to mention, it was cold when it came out. Not impressed and I won't be back.

First time at this restaurant. It is located directly on the water so the view is lovely. The service was very good. Everyone was very welcoming and my friends and I were not rushed. Food was very good as well. The Cole slaw was especially tasty and the portions were good. I would return.

Lobster roll was delicious and the fried shrimp was very good also. It sits on the water so the setting is very nice also

Food, venue and waitstaff were all great! It was a beautiful, sunny holiday weekend and our service was on point.

We love going here over the Summer months. Really great calamari! Friendly staff and amazing atmosphere! Enjoy

We had a spur of the moment "let's go for a ride" day and ended up along the CT shore. Using Yelp we found Aqua. So glad we did!! Yes, it was crowded, but our wait was only 15 minutes. Enough time to grab a tall gin and tonic and a beer. As busy as it was, everyone including reception staff, bartenders and patrons were all very friendly!! We were fortunate enough to get a table on the porch and our waiter was in attendance in a matter of minutes. We LOVED the RI clam chowder, PEI mussels and main entrees of hot lobster roll and grill tuna sandwich. Absolutely will be back! Thank you!!

Just did a lunch at Aqua. Very disappointed. The place and location are very nice. The staff is friendly and on point. The menu and the food were not good. Im not sure why they would have veal marsala for a special at a "fish restaurant". I understand they want to give options but that was one of two choices on the special menu. The calamari appetizer was under cooked. The clams in a half shell were small but fresh. The fried scrod was a lot smaller than years past. Not very happy. Now I have to find somewhere to eat.

Fantastic place right next to the Marina. Not much else around! Very friendly service and a great seafood menu. I had 6 Little Necks and the Seafood Bisque. They have two bars and a great view!

This is an amazing restaurant/bar on the water with a fantastic view. The wait staff and management were fantastic also. Now on to the food...The shrimp for the shrimp cocktail are large and in charge but the shrimp lack flavor. The clam strips are plentiful but also lack flavor as well as the fish and chips and onion rings. We enjoyed our stay and met some fantastic patrons and will certainly be back again to give this awesome place another chance.

The blackened tuna sandwich was a dried out burnt piece of questionable origin. Terrible.

I wish we hadn't wasted $90 on this restaurant. My husband ordered a lobster roll and it was just bread and meat, no butter or sauce of any kind and the lobster meat was so chewy that he couldn't eat it. I ordered fried oysters and they were soggy, as were the unseasoned fries in both of our plates. so disappointing, and wish we would've gone somewhere else.

The place is beautiful! I went there for my birthday and the food was not good unfortunately. The drinks were watered down as well. Overall the staff were very friendly!

Such a laid back place. Always enjoy the service, staff are super friendly, thank you Brinley for such pleasant service and a warm smile. Opted to go seafood today, clam strips, haven't had them in ages. So looking forward to gobs of tartar sauce, yes I like the sauce more than the clams. I was sad that they didn't have traditional tartar sauce, wasn't a fan of what they had; But Brinley offered some chipotle ranch which did the trick. I also recommend not using the sweet potato fries as the bed for the clams. I squeezed the lemon on my clams and had lemon flavor potato fries. Not bad, but.... Will always enjoy going to aqua, great vibe and great staff. Their drinks are amazing. I had the kickin mule and weatherboy friend had a pina colada thing. We both forgot the name.

Located close to Hammonasset State Park, this place has a great location by the sea and also plenty of wind to bask into! The ambiance of the restaurant is decent enough with most of the seating providing sea views while the service is great with the servers being pretty communicative and attentive to our needs! Special shout out to Ashton over here! The food can definitely be improved upon! The location though great, the food doesn't live up to the expectations. We had ordered buffalo shrimp and fried calamari as appetizers. The calamari was okayish, while the buffalo shrimp was sour so did all the sauces which accompanied it! Honestly we didn't like any of their sauces. Then for entrees we went for their signature broiled seafood platter which had scallops, some fish(probably cod) with white wine, a couple of shrimps, mashed potatoes and sauteed broccoli with brussel sprouts! I tried scallops for the first time and it felt great to me. They were rightly seared and butter was at the right quantity. The fish though was well made and the shrimps were broiled enough. Mashed potatoes were really awesome and I had a great time devouring them. The Cobb salad was good as all the ingredients were fresh also the vinegarrete added as a good dressing to it! Lastly, the tap beer was ordered by my friends and they said it's good! Overall a great place to sit and enjoy by the seaside but definitely needs to work on their food quality!

Food service and ambiance are excellent, a little pricey but worth it! Best lobster rolls I ever had!

Great location, nice view, and good service, but food was very mid! Stop out here on Memorial Day Monday, right after going to the Clinton outlets. It was a group of four of us, and there was definitely some mixed reactions to the food across all of our plates as for the pros, seafood bisque was very good, good flavor and actually had nice chunks of seafood inside of the bisque. Calamari was also pretty good. It was a little on the bland side however it was cooked perfectly and the sauces made up for the bland batter. As for my meal, I ordered the fried fish wrap, but instead of getting it on a wrap, I asked for a Bun instead. The fish was nicely cooked and the coleslaw was actually very good however, that fish was bland city it definitely needed some seasoning either on the fish or on the batter for sure and the amount of tartar sauce was making up for the blackness unfortunately. My wife ordered the chicken chipotle wrap, which she felt was more buffalo flavor versus chipotle.

Stopped in for a late lunch while we were in Clinton. My wife and I has superior service and my Icelandic Cod w-clams over linguine was fantastic. Warm enough for the walls to be up and get a nice sea breeze. Very happy we chose this place.

Great service! Nice view overlooking harbor. Food was decent. Fried clams should be crisper tho.

Lilly Madison and Brinley!!! Fabulous!!! Tending bar!!! Serving tables. The best of the best. This trio is fabulous and they are rock stars!!! Food was great. Fabulous experience LF

Our local hangout when at the boat. Love this place. Decent food and the staff are great! Can't go wrong.

Great atmosphere food and service. Stagger you orders because they bring food out fast

Great location, lively bar with a good drink selection. Food is truly mediocre and pricey. Service is great.

Love this place!! I wish they had steamers ! But everting else is great! Enjoy! Do have the little neck steamers I could come back for them every day!! Enjoy!

We were planning our 4th of July to include a trip to the Lavender Pond Farm in Killingworth. It just so happens I have a co-worker who lives in that town, so I asked him to suggest a nice place for lunch after our visit. And that's why we had lunch at Rocky's Aqua. Under the COVID procedure, there's an exterior hostess stand where you check in and discuss seating options. We could have sat on the patio, but that looked to be close to maxed out, so we chose a picnic table to the left of the building. That gave us the chance to really appreciate the beautiful waterfront view that graces Rocky's. If you like boats and kayaks and marine scenery, you found the right place to appreciate those tastes. Our server Bert was a nice polite gent and he did a friendly and professional job for us. We ordered a cup of Rhode Island Chowder ($7), a Barbecue Shrimp Wrap with Fries ($15), and Shrimp Tacos with fries ($15). My chowder was a winner. It was loaded with lots of tender (not chewy) chopped clams and potatoes. The broth was very good too -lots of flavor and not the bland forgettable broth you get sometimes. My Shrimp Wrap included bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado, mayo, and shrimps in barbecue sauce. It was a solid choice, everything tasted great, including the fries. One thing I liked about the wrap was there wasn't a ton of extra folded up wrap in the sandwich. In other words, the wrap was "size appropriate" for the portion ! The Shrimp Taco plate included two tacos with grilled shrimp, lettuce, avocado, pico de gallo and a chipotle ranch sauce on soft flour tortillas and a nice portion of fries. Weirdly, to my eyes the portion size of the fries that came with the tacos was definitely larger than the portion size of the fries that came with the wrap. The young ladies who cleared the table and brought over the menus were very personable and friendly too. I've seen some Yelpers had issues with the service here, but we didn't, everyone we interacted with was great. We noticed that Rocky's has an ice cream counter by the front door, so we finished our lunch with Chocolate Oreo and Espresso Waffle Cones for a pretty reasonable $5 a pop. Nice job, Rocky's. You treated us well, fed us well, and provided some beautiful scenery to enjoy,

I had a nice lunch at Rocky's a couple days ago with some friends. We were looking for a place to eat after a shopping trip, and Rocky's was the perfect choice - the ability to eat on the water, a variety of menu items, and reasonable prices. Our party of six was able to be seated right away, and the service was swift. I ordered the fish tacos with fries and I really enjoyed my tacos. The fries were okay, but they weren't the main focus of the meal. My other friends enjoyed the Cobb salad, the Baja fish wrap, and the chicken sandwich. Next time, I'll try another seafood menu item with a cocktail. Thanks, Rocky's!

Great view! This is a great alternative to a lobster shack. Enjoyed my summer ale and lobster role inside by the window.

Found this lovely place in Clinton on July 4th. It's perfect weather to enjoy the seafood on the dock! Friendly staffs and food is good. What a good time spending the lunch here with family!

Excellent view , just okay food and terrible service Completely forgot an entree order and never came back to check on our table Too busy talking to each other

Ashton was an excellent server. Beautiful view from a window seat. Hostess checked to be sure it wasn't too windy. Lobster roll excellent on a better rolls - not just a hot dob bun. Burger cooked as requested. $48.00 for two without tip/tax. Recommend. I haven't been since they opened for the 2024 season. The restaurant feels "refereshed" with apparently fresh paint, flooring. Appreciated. Reservations not accepted for any size group.

The ambience is amazing. The service is perfect and the food was very delicious. I will return with my family sometime soon

Great overall experience. Was in recently with some friends. Our teenage server was wonderful! Very attentive and helpful, very friendly as well. The food was great. Highly recommended seafood soup, loaded with seafood. Grilled fish wrap was also great. Yummie cocktails. Decent prices for seafood. Nice location and dockside views. Would definitely go back and recommend to others.

Great view of the ocean, great drinks, good food and friendly wait staff! Great summer venue !