Aqua

02/10/07

My FAVORITE kind of place to hang out!

by willscape at Citysearch

I started going to aqua a few years back, they used to have ladies nights on wednesday. it is a great place, and it's just around the corner from my house. bartenders are friendly and helpful. music is alright, they have a piano playing most of the time when i come in.

I can go up to the bar, order a drink, sit there and watch ESPN on their plasma TVs. a few years back when it was busier, social scene was FABULOUS. i would be alone at the bar and women would come up to me and talk to me. I miss the crowds and the women on wednesday nights but i love aqua and whenever i get the chance i put on my cologne and dress clothes and walk around the corner to 916 east state. thanks to aqua for being a place where i can be myself.peace!

06/13/08

Not well cared for

by UWgradstudent at Citysearch

Aqua used to be a very cool place to go when friends would come from out of town. The clear chairs next to the clear bar with water running under it was something you would expect to see in Miami or Las Vegas. I recently went back to Aqua with my wife to have a drink. It was the middle of the day on a Saturday, so the bar was almost empty. It had been about two years since my last visit and it was clear right away that the place had gone downhill. The clear plastic chairs have not been well cared for and now have a slight dirty yellow hue to them. The bar, with its bubbling water, now looks like a fish tank that hasn?t been cleaned in a while, since algae had clearly been growing inside for a while. We ordered our drinks and took a seat toward the corner of the bar. I don?t mind paying a higher price for nice drinks, but my wife?s $14 specialty martini was served in a glass that had clearly not been cleaned for a long time. There was a layer of dust on the base of the glass that had accumulated on what appeared to be a sticky film of sugar. It was quite nasty. The other thing that seems to have changed is the clientele. Aqua appears to have officially become your typical bar that is connected to a hotel. In the 30 minutes that we were there, half a dozen skeezy traveling salesman came down to the bar and were talking to each other and the bartenders. They were loud and obnoxious, but the bartenders seemed to enjoy them which made them grow even louder. I feel bad about the state of Aqua now, since it had so much potential. I?m not sure what happened, but laziness and poor management seem to have desperately hurt this establishment. I really wouldn?t recommend going there for more than a drink.

• Pros: Great concept, beautiful at first
• Cons: Bar is now dirty and unkept

11/01/06

Avoid Aqua

by bob0304 at Citysearch

Customer service is poor. Food taste is ok, but definitely not worth how much it costs. Drinks are also very dissapointing and expensive. I would recommend any other restaurant over Aqua.

04/09/06

Weird and uncomfortable

by cherry2000 at Citysearch

The decor is interesting and we were seating right away. Everything after that was pretty bad. The one waitress seemed to have no experience at all and needed reminders to bring things to us once asked for. The music was blues - completely out of place in this atmosphere. When the singer was not singing, no background music was playing but we could listen to the air conditioner instead. Not pleasant. The food was okay, nothing specatular. The Jerk Chicken wasn't jerked at all. It was bland and dry. Four shrimp for $10 is a bit much too. Had to park about 3 blocks away since they have no parking lot.

Good points - comfortable chairs, iced tea was good due to interesting taste, butter for bread good and we got more bread when asked for.

• Pros: Butter, chairs, quick seating
• Cons: Bland food, bad music, poor waitress

11/08/04

horrible service

by chimiche at Citysearch

My fiance and I went to Aqua on a Saturday night for a romantic dinner. While the food was good, the service was so horrible I could never recommend this restaurant to anyone. We were seated promptly, but after that it went down hill fast. Only one waiter was working in the main dining room. He was also bussing his own tables. I can't believe this place has been open a year!

• Pros: food, scene
• Cons: , unfriendly

09/17/04

Most Unique In Milwaukee

by mkelady at Citysearch

Aqua has the most beautiful setting, the most curteous staff and th emost exotic and exciting menu in the city. I love the martini list and the bar staff is awesome. Their wine list is huge if you are into trying new wines. I highly recommend Aqua for a romantic dinner or a night out on the town. After ten o'clock the bar is crowded and the DJs are always awesome.

• Pros: Ambiance, Trendy, Great Food and Drinks

01/09/04

The aqua-blue colors and bubbling-water theme is a bit corny, but the food is terrific.

by Peter Behle at Citysearch

The Scene
Be prepared to get bubbly at this restaurant/bar in the Park East Hotel. The entire space was renovated in late 2003 and now features a water theme--everything from bubbling water inside the bar to pastel-colored lights poking down through the ceiling. Service is fine, but can be scattered if you arrive during the quieter hours.

The Food
Seafood is the star attraction, but some beef dishes are also worth a look. Start off with top-of-the-line crab cakes--crispy on the outside, but filled with chunks of crab meat and very little filler. The namesake Aqua salad is a seafood delight, loaded with massive slices of lobster tail and smoked salmon, then topped with foie gras. The steak sandwich features a surprisingly tender, thick slab of filet mignon topped with blue cheese and onions. Big spenders may want to try the Kobe beef, available either as a steak or a burger.