Abstract: We compared the tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus O.aureus ) cultured in pond and in reservoir in terms of muscle nutrition, sensory evaluation, physical and chemical characteristics and free amino acid composition. The results show that the moisture content of tilapia cultured in pond is significantly lower than that of in reservoir, while the crude protein content is significantly higher than that of in reservoir; the crude fat, crude ash and total sugar content of the two are not significantly different. As in fish dishes, tilapia cultured in reservoir is sensed better than in pond. Moreover, significant difference does not exist in the rate of cooked meat, cooking loss, and the content of myoglobin, while exists in pH, drip loss, storage loss, intramuscular fat and myofibrillar fragmentation index (MFI). Eighteen kinds of common amino acid are detected in both, in which Asp, Glu, Ser, Gly and Ala contents are notably different. The content of umami amino acid, sweet amino acid and half- essential amino acid of the pond cultured tilapia is significantly higher than that of reservoir cultured ones, while the essential amino acid content is similar. On the whole, reservoir culture is superior to pond culture for tenderness, but inferior to pond culture for nutrition and flavor of tilapia.