I always found bachelorette parties annoying, especially in gay bars. But then I inadvertently wound up in my sister's party and we found our way to Aqua Grill. Finding myself on the receiving end of a reactionary double standard our own community created, and witnessing the aftermath of being asked to leave really disappointment me. Â
Not only did Delaware recently legalize gay marriage, but federal equality is recognized there as well...both situations that every woman (and gay man) in this party was well aware of. So how is this a slap in the face?
Plus, it's a beach bar, not a local, windowless tavern populated by curmudgeons that use their local watering holes like gay community centers. In fact, if you're that insecure about your sexuality, you probably shouldn't be seeking out a bar to cope. You don't fight prejudice with prejudice. Luckily each of these women was understanding and has been a long time ally of our community and no sour experience will spoil that.
What's astonishing is just how inconsiderate this attitude is. Sure, these parties can be a bit annoying, but it's a once in a lifetime celebration. While expelling these parties might quell the insecurity of the few annoyed by their very presence, salvaging the evening for a handful of gay men unable to turn the other cheek, it leaves a lasting impression on a group celebrating an event that they will likely never experience again and remember for the rest of their lives.
Of course none of this bigotry compares to the blatant statement from the manager that the bar caters to men, and that he waited to say something to us at first because three me were in our party. I know this is common in our "gay bars," but it's also 2013. I'm dumfounded that misogyny prevails in the gay male community. In fact, given the reaction from straight men throughout the night, the sexism on the part of Aqua far exceeds anything I saw all night. Â
Bars in Delaware aren't allowed to ask gay men to leave, how does it do ourselves any favors to expressly discourage an entire gender from our public establishments? Aqua needs to update its website, which clearly states, "Aqua Grill is a gay-owned and operated establishment, but welcomes everyone and features an eclectic mix of avid party-goers, locals, adoring fans and weekly tourists."
What is the real story here?
The original owner has retired to Florida. It's no secret he sold last year. Â Who can blame him? Â During 2011, the Mayor and Chief of Police decided to engage in a "crackdown" of businesses serving outdoor diners after 10 pm - even those that had an exemption from RB's laws. Â The owner of Aqua was publicly arrested, later released and received an apology. Â Not surprisingly all ten business that were targeted by the Mayor's office were gay owned or gay friendly, like Cloud 9, Porcini House and Aqua Grill. Â Cloud 9 closed completely in October 2012. Small wonder when the mayor had been so vehement about a gay club across the street from city hall.
It's pretty blatant the objective is to push all gay related businesses out of the Maryland and Rehoboth Avenue areas and out to Route One based on bigotry and in defiance of Delaware's equality laws.
The mystery is - what's going on with Aqua? We were there Memorial Day weekend. No working bathrooms: port-a-potties and hand sanitizer. Yet, they were still serving food.
The gossip mill is the new owner has had challenges with Rehoboth Beach's fanatically disciplined and precise zoning board. So, he wasn't able to start construction over the winter.
There weren't hardly any servers, the bar was jammed (always good) some falling down drunk (never good).
What we heard in the crowd was people heading to the Parrot and Rigby's because they couldn't take the 20 minute lines for drinks and chaos. Perhaps the potties out back just grossed out enough people, too.
Later, L Bar and even Rigby's was jammed.
Great place for drinks while you're enjoying time in Rehoboth. However, this past visit found me and my friends eating there, which was a first for me. We were there late so it wasn't a problem getting a table. We ordered nachos and calamari to start. Â Both were fine, nothing great, but also not horrible. I ordered a burger, which was well cooked and pretty big, with fries. I think the most surprising element of dining at Aqua was that the prices were very reasonable. Â Of course, the staff is very friendly and nice.
I'll definitely be back for drinks, but I'd also be happy to eat at Aqua again.
A GREAT PLACE WITH A SIMPLE MENU
I had some lunch/dinner here with a friend. Â I hate some places who have huge menus, that are hard to figure out what to get. Â They always make you wonder how much of the food is fresh and how much was frozen when I ordered it. Â Not a problem with Aqua. Â
We started with the Guacamole. Â It was great and just what we needed on the hot day we went. Â I continued on with the Aqua Blue Burger, it was cooked to perfection and tasted great. Â
Overall the food was not too expensive and just what we were looking for. Â I'm sure you'd enjoy it also.
Never ate here, but did stumble here with some friends on a Rehoboth Beach gay bar crawl the other night. Â Being straight, I always find it hard to review night spots that, well, aren't there for ME. Â Not to say I don't enjoy them, but I don't necessarily fit the target crowd.
It was a good time though. Â The bartenders seemed to be on top of everything despite this place being PACKED. Â Drinks came quick, as ordered and with a friendly smile. Â That's about all you can ask for from a stop for a few drinks while out on the town!
The crowd was friendly and seemed generally pleased with their evenings here at aqua. Â A good time all around!
Favorite bar to go to at the beach because of its outdoor oriented space. Â Lotsa room to walk around and seating when you are there with friends and you want to talk. Â Wait staff is attractive (and walk around shirtless) and friendly, although a few of them last year would chat with you in a way that seemed to be borderline hustling (they are mostly "straight", which adds a bit more seediness to it) . Â But thats okay...part of waiting tables at any establishment is borderline "hustling" so I cant entirely fault them for that. Â Would love for them to keep the indoor area open past the summer but it might not be equipped for that. Â Cant wait for the season to begin! :)
Review Source:I really liked this place. Not your typical diner by any means, but the food here is surprisingly delicious- we came here really late and still got great service from Sherry, who was super awesome and really took care of us. When we got there we realized they had a very limited food selection so we mostly got turkey sandwiches, some nachos and fruit but the sandwiches were imaginative, fun, and huge! Also very very healthy- they had avacado on there, too!
I'd definitely eat here again
I used to love Aqua but tonight the food wasn't as good. This year when I got the crab cakes they were deep fried ala Red Lobster or something. Didn't feel too healthy. Also, the asparagus soft, wrinkly and over-cooked. I heard they got a new chef this year. The wait staff however, was super nice. We got reservations and quick service, even though they were really crowded on a Saturday night.
Review Source:If you want amazing drinks and food, this is the place to be here at Aqua Grill! After spending time at Poodle Beach and people watching we both wanted to eat and have some drinks. I have been coming here for years and you won't be disappointed at all if you like amazing service and great servers. We always tip the servers well. They have improved in the way of the restaurant furniture as well the last few years and also added the flat screen TV's for the music videos. You could also dance inside when the DJ's are there after 8P on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Great patio for sitting. People watching to the street/eating and drinking.
Get there by 5P during happy hour on Friday, Saturday or Sunday and the servers will serve you the big girl drinks OMG! After 6P the drinks go back to regular prices so drink as much before then to get the best value.
Our server Nickola (Serbian Server) Beefy guy  was the best with Blake and Justin a close second. You will not go wrong with these three attractive men. The drinks were amazingly, cold and they had another round of drinks ready once we were done.
I sampled the food and the ones that were amazing are the Surf and Turf slider burgers. (2 Beef burgers and 2 Crab Cake burgers) These burgers will melt in your mouth. Yummy for my tummy. Also, try the 10 Pack Abs (Baby Back Ribs) They are great and better than Cloud 9 in my opinion with more flavor and sauce. Very tender indeed. Try the Man O' War which is a choice of Steak, Baked Potato and Steamed Vegetables. We had the Fillet Mignon (Medium) This will make your mouth water. Mmmmmmm!!!
On Sundays they have Sunday Brunch there and you could order specials that they have and Bloody Mary's are included with your meal when you order the specials or from the Menu. You could eat healthy here if you want. There are a few items.
I would highly recommend this place for a group/s of friends! Ask for Nickola (The Beefy Serbian) or Blake/Justin if he is not there. Travis is also another young one soon to be a weather man. Byron is also a nice guy as well. These men are so attractive that you won't be disappointed when you order from them.
Overall, Aqua Grill is the place to be seen on weekends. Don't miss out! Aqua also has Lunch Specials during the week as well and an amazing Sunday Brunch.
Amazing drinks/food! Great prices and the servers are as well when they have there shirts off/on... Â Y'all have fun!!!
We were out of steam from walking around Poodle Beach and people watching on the pier (how many pounds of fries do you think she's going to eat?!) so we decided to find a place with a patio and cold drinks. Â Aqua Grill? Â Bingo. Â
When we arrived we were one of three tables but by the time happy hour came around (the drinks don't get any cheaper, just BIGGER) there was a fun crowd forming. Â Our server, Alex, was extremely attractive AND good at his job. Â We asked about the evening crowd and he said that it gets packed to the point of not being able to move. Â I'd like to be there for that next time! Â Alas, we had to head back to Annapolis since we were without lodging for the evening. Â Next time.
We didn't sample much food but we did get an order of the sliders, "surf-and-turf" style (2 beef burgers, 2 crab cakes). Â They were both good but I'd stick with the straight-up burgers next time as they were the best. Â Smoky!
Just an aside, a shirtless Serbian server showed up right before we left and, for those of you who like the big, beefy eastern Europeans, I'd highly recommend a visit. Â
Drinks were strong, cold and quickly served. Â
The only thing that knocked off a star was that Dane went to the bar to get a dollars worth of quarters for the meters in front. Â We had already gone through 3 or 4 dollars worth and just wanted to stick around another hour. Â No dice. Â The bartender said he "didn't have any" and our server said he didn't have any either. Â I was more apt to believe our server, Alex, since he wasn't walking around with a cash register but the bartender? Â How about you order some extra quarters, Aqua Grill? Â If you had some, you could have made an extra few bucks off of us!
Anyhow, overall decent prices, fun place with a lot of friendly patrons and good food and drinks!
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