By: Marissa Ross
Lately, New York City has felt just a little more like the Côte d’Azur. From Amalfi-inspired interiors to seafood towers and lavender spritzes, a new wave of restaurants is channeling the laid-back elegance of coastal Europe. This summer, the East Village welcomes its own breezy escape in the form of Aquarelle, a seafood bar and cocktail lounge that invites you to linger, sip, and savor, just like they do in St. Tropez.
The restaurant just opened at 47 Avenue B, Aquarelle is the latest venture from hospitality veterans Marcus Andrew and Baris Koroglu. But it’s also something more: a love letter to a slower, more sensual kind of dining, where Mediterranean charm meets New York edge. “We wanted to create a place that transports you,” says Koroglu, who previously brought his vision to life at The Lullaby and Paradise Club. “Aquarelle is inspired by coastal towns where you eat late, drink slowly, and never feel rushed.”
The location has its own history. Once home to Le Souk, the famed Moroccan lounge that helped define early-2000s nightlife downtown, the space has been reimagined since it was last open as Lamia Fish Market. The soft marine tones, natural textures, and flickering candlelight give the feeling that you’ve stumbled into a seaside villa, without ever leaving the East Village.
Aquarelle isn’t alone in this shift. Across downtown Manhattan, a growing number of restaurants are embracing the Mediterranean model with seafood-forward menus and design that nods to the Riviera. New Yorkers are trading fast and casual dining for something warmer, more elegant, and more relaxed. Still, Aquarelle stands out.
The menu, curated by Koroglu, focuses on seasonal seafood and vibrant produce, much of which comes directly from Marcus Andrew’s Long Island farm. There’s fluke crudo with blood orange and fennel pollen, scallop piri piri wrapped in shiso leaf, and octopus carpaccio with smoked paprika oil and finger lime. Larger plates like summer lobster pasta with heirloom tomatoes and a salt-baked red snapper served tableside evoke the kind of effortless luxury usually reserved for Mediterranean resorts.
An interactive seafood bar lets guests select their daily catch, flown in fresh from Montauk and Maine, prepared simply and served with reverence. “It’s about highlighting the ingredients, not hiding them,” Koroglu says. “That’s the coastal mindset.”
Aquarelle’s drink menu is equally transportive. Botanical-forward cocktails include yuzu-thyme gin spritzes, elderflower negronis, and lavender sea salt martinis, all made for lingering conversations and unhurried evenings. Wine selections lean crisp, mineral, and European, echoing the food’s breezy ethos.
But where Aquarelle truly breaks away from its peers is in its embrace of late-night dining. In a post-pandemic city where many kitchens close by 10 PM, Aquarelle keeps the lights on and the stoves hot until midnight six nights a week—and even later on Saturdays. Around 11 PM, the vibe subtly shifts: lights dim lower, music deepens, and the space takes on the feel of a European after-hours gathering. It’s not a club, and it’s not a rush. It’s a whisper that says, stay a little longer.
“Aquarelle is about slowing down,” says Andrew, whose return to this exact location reflects not just a career full circle, but a shift in philosophy. “We built this place to feel like an escape, but one rooted in the rhythm of this neighborhood.”
In a city constantly chasing the next big thing, Aquarelle’s charm lies in its charm. And as more diners seek out meals that feel like experiences, complete with ambiance, conversation, and real hospitality, Aquarelle has arrived at the perfect moment.
If the current wave of coastal European-inspired restaurants is a trend, Aquarelle is helping define what it looks like at its very best.
