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Why Aquavit Is on Our Top 50 Seafood Worldwide
Aquavit, under Emma Bengtsson's direction, is ranked #6 on our Top 50 Seafood Restaurants Worldwide. The seafood style: Modern Nordic seafood.
The signature catch: Arctic char, herring tasting, gravlax, langoustine. The sourcing: Nordic and Atlantic sourcing; Scandinavian smoking and curing tradition.
The oyster program: Limited oyster program; raw register is gravlax and herring focused. The raw bar / grill technique: Cured-fish smorgasbord, smoked Arctic char, Nordic crudo.
The award lineage: Two Michelin stars since 2014; first female chef in NYC to hold two stars.
How to Order at Aquavit
The booking lead time: 8 to 12 weeks for prime time. Reserve through OpenTable, Resy, or the restaurant's own booking line where applicable; institutional walk-in oyster bars accept no reservations and run a queue from opening.
Order what came in that morning. The kitchen's strongest expression at Aquavit is the Herring tasting platter. The Modern Nordic seafood register is structural; the sourcing and the technique are what reward the booking effort.
The dress code: Jacket required at dinner. The dinner spend: 180 to 300 USD per person at dinner. The kitchen at Aquavit is rated 10/10 for food and 10/10 for ambience in our editorial scoring.
Why Aquavit Is Worth the Pilgrimage
"Emma Bengtsson's Midtown East flagship. Two Michelin stars and the most institutionally Nordic seafood restaurant in the United States. The herring tasting, the Arctic char, and the smorgasbord program anchor the Scandinavian seafood register."
Our editorial scoring places the food at 10/10, ambience at 10/10, and value at 8/10. The Modern Nordic seafood register is structural; the sourcing standard and the regional seafood tradition produce the meal that rewards the pilgrimage.
View Aquavit on Restaurants for Kings →
Related Reading
- Top 50 Seafood Restaurants Worldwide. The full editorial ranking, of which Aquavit is #6.
- Browse all 24 Top 50 Rankings · Top 50 Sushi Outside Japan · Top 50 Anniversary Dinners
- New York restaurant guide. The full city directory with all occasions.
- Le Bernardin. Our deep dive on the closest seafood peer in the city.
- Marea. Our deep dive on the closest seafood peer in the city.