Aqua Lounge

If i could put 0 stars i would. First of all… What kind of bar now a days doesn’t take card? 2^nd i asked for black label and sprite and she gives me 7up! At least give me a heads up… Hey no card only CASH! And then no sprite only 7up at least i know! And after everything she gives me attitude!

I have no idea why this place is rated high.
It’s not a dive. it’s not a lounge. and it has like tv screens to watch games. But it’s not a sports bar.
The drinks are middle of the road. nothing that made me go wow to be honest. It’s pretty much the same thing as the Onyx next door (in fact the bathroom is in Onyx).
No thanks… this is not my scene.

The food is good. The bartenders are greatI feel so sad for this place. It just never gets bumpin. It’s such a great spot and fun décor. I blame it on the fact it faces down and out

At 9pm on Wednesday, this place was pretty dead, but AJ behind the bar was fabulous. Wonderful drinks, great food, and a neat vibe. I hope when I return they invest in some Captain Morgan or Sailor though. :)
My friend loved her burger and I highly recommend the Waffle Wedges. Breakfast and booze, what could be better? :D

Cool vibe, food was good, drinks cool, service great. Thanks to our bartender AJ! We’ll be back.

A. J (kissy face) you are the best ! Got my shrimp shooter made my night! Talk about going above & beyond. Great place, great ambience, A. J makes great drinks make sure you order From him. Really enjoyed my «Helen of Troy» & the spicy garlic fries are yuuuuummy! Also onyx lounge is literally next door (that’s where we started) just hopping back & forth. Def will be back

Decided to celebrate my birthday here because it seemed like a cool spot with good music. The service is terrible and was charged an 18% gratuity fee when most people in my party were ordering straight from the bar because the waiter was terribly slow. To top it all off I had to pay a $ 2 fee per slice to cut the cake. Even when I took all the necessary utensils etc… even then Aqua would charge the $ 2 fee. Next time I would skip this place.
FYI: Avoid on hot days… place does not turn on the AC.

Probably won’t be coming back here again. Went here with some friends on a Thursday night and it was pretty dead. It was only our group and another group. You would think that means great service, right? Wrong! I got there a little bit after the other girls so the server had already taken orders. So when I was ready to order, it took forever to get his attention. He even made eye contact with me but completely ignored me. I would understand of the place was super busy, but it wasn’t. I heard that he wasn’t supposed to be working and was working overtime since the other server didn’t show up. I’m sorry, but that’s not our fault so no reason to disregard your customers.
I eventually got my order in and the drink was good. We also ordered some appetizers. The potato croquettes were really yummy. The seafood platters (forgot the name, the one with the oysters, scallops, mussels and shrimp) took forever to come out. Not sure why a cooked dish comes out before the raw dish. =/​
Maybe we came on the wrong night, but the service (or lack of) turned me off of this place enough to never want to go back.

Now this is more like it. A traditional lounge, with shades of bright blue and running water being the primary motif for the interior design. Owned by the same proprietor of the Onyx Lounge — I like this bar, I like it a lot.
Closed 3 days out of the week (Sun, Mon, Tues), Happy Hours are all day Tuesday and Wednesday thru Friday from 6PM to 8PM. $ 5 for sparking wine and red/​white wine by the glass or $ 4 beers. The main spirit of choice is wine, therefore a champagne bar is the best way to describe it. Although, they serve all sorts of adult beverages in accordance with the going rate in Downtown LA.
The setting is inviting and the aqua lights really stand out for some odd reason. With an inviting menu featuring champagne and sparkling wines by the glass or bottle, it’d be wise to partake and see what’s in store. Like I mentioned in my review of the Onyx Lounge, double swing doors separate the two venues so that patrons can move about freely. (
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Sorry folks, but there are no reservations and seating is on a first come first served basis. Assuming, you can get a few of your clique to take custody of one of the long tables in the back, you’re bound to have a good time and comfy seating to accompany that as well.
Cheers to a safe night and a better evening.

I came here super early after work on a Friday. We were originally going to go to the Onyx (whose entrance is at the back), but we weren’t feeling the vibe there, so we decided to just stay at Aqua. The light blue décor must have kept us interested, hah.
It was fairly empty. The bartender was friendly and showed us their extensive drink menu. However, they only had a few cocktail options. I got the Jade Dynasty, which was pretty strong. I didn’t taste much lychee, it was mostly cucumber and sake. So strong. My friend either got the Yang J or CC Broadus… I can’t remember, but it was fruity and sweet and delicious. I usually get those types of drinks, so it felt odd. I would have liked to switched, but whatever, I dealt.
The bar is pretty, since it’s clear and lit blue underneath to create the water effect… Definitely creates a cool ambiance. We sat on the couch area after, which was pretty comfy. It was just so early in the evening, so I’m not really sure how the vibe gets later in the night. They had great music selection though, playing lots of hip hop. Was not expecting it, but I dug it.
Will def go back. Rated 4 stars instead of 3 because the cocktails were a little cheap for downtown and the music rotation of Jhene Aiko, Drake, Wale, etc. Hah.

This is definitely the place for a girls night out! They have a great selection of champagne from my opinion and the mixed cocktails are very yummy! Since we had so many girls, we ended up ordering a bottle of champagne and hanging out on some comfy couches and chairs.
The ambiance is solid but the bartender was a bit hit or miss. I’m all for making friends behind the bar, but if you’re not packed solid, I shouldn’t have to wait 10 min before you acknowledge me standing there wanting a drink.

This was my second time coming and really liked the food and specialty drinks, but half way through our meal my friend saw a cockroach under her plate!!! So gross!!! The bartender comped her plate but not mine. Not his fault, but an establishment especially a lounge downtown needs to keep their place
fumigated and clean. No manager was in sight, but I know after that I’m never coming back.

I’m not a fan of frequenting DTLA spots at night but I was here recently for a birthday party and it was pretty cool. I like the look of the place. It’s got a nice, calming fung sh way type of feel. Small menu, but the food is good. They have a full bar but not too many red wine selections. I don’t like how you have to go next door to use the restroom or how people can walk in off the street into your private party and no one is controlling this situation at the door. I would suggest a suited guard at the front door, it’s pretty crowded down there at night and a lot of homeless people

Came to celebrate a friend’s bday on a Sat.
It’s DTLA, so parking is bit of a hassle… Well, it wasn’t too bad, there was a public parking about a block away.
For a Saturday night, it was not crowded, which I liked. We were able to sit comfortably. But there was only one bartender making drinks, so it took a while to get his attention, but no biggie, he was busy! Going to the bathroom was a little inconvenient. We had to go to next door, which was Onyx, and walk through crowd of people just to get to the bathroom! Onyx was jam packed!
We did not try their food, we had dinner before we got there, so I can’t rate on their food. Overall ambiance was nice, service was good, friendly bartender and waiter.
Will like to come back here again on a different night!

Why? Oh why, oh why? Why did I think it would be a good idea to order a rum punch bowl after 2 hours of gorging on food and beer from Gorbals???
The punch wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t worth for $ 80, including tax and tip. Their bathroom is in Onyx, but the door leading to Onyx opened onto Onyx’s dance floor. That definitely was dangerous for tipsy girls to make their way through hah!
Also, with the competing music from Onyx, I have to admit, Onyx had the better playlist. Aqua was a bit depressing.

Aqua Lounge was a bit tacky.
— The playlist consisted of top 10 hits from a decade ago.
— The bartender was really friendly and attentive. No complaints here.
— The champagne cocktails ($ 9) weren’t undrinkable but weren’t my thing. The 24KT (Don Julio anejo, oloroso, ginger) was nicely smokey but felt like a diluted version of something better. The Candice (vodka, strawberry, mint) was very sweet.
— The table of contents indicated that champagnes and sparkling wines by the glass would be on page 2, but page 2 was missing.
— The place was pretty empty for a Saturday night. There was a table of people getting a bit rowdy in the corner, but most of the bar stools and tables were unoccupied.

Very nice drinking spot for a weekday or chill weekend night.
The bartenders are EXTREMELY friendly and cordial.
The watering blue lights provide a nice atmosphere to your evening as well.

The space is great, however a tad small. So finding a place to sit becomes a competition with other patrons on a Friday night, but it is DTLA and space is limited. The décor is really nice, seats are comfortable and the ambiance is soothing. So a good place if you’re looking to lounge or just chill
The drinks were good, I had the tropical yang, for 9 bucks they served it in a wine glass opposed to a flute. So kodos on that if you’re trying to get your swerve on, or ball on a budget.
I’d for sure go back, hopefully this place keeps it’s charm

champagne
champagne
champagne
A new champagne cocktail bar in DTLA, just on the corner of 5^th & Spring.
David, the owner of Onyx, opened what used to be the Stray Cat Café into a super sleek and pretty (aqua light bubble displays galore!) champagne bar, it’s the perfect place for a perfect champagne cocktail. He truly puts a lot of thought into his concoction creations and it shows!
My favorite drink is the Candice = brut champagne, vodka, strawberries, and mint.
And as a fan of non-​syrupy fruity drinks, I recommend the Yang J; it contains mango and coconut. I like how this is not fake-​syrupy sweet, and just the right amount of liquor/​fruit juice.
I’m really excited to come back here to try the other champagne cocktails. They also serve delicious light bites like sashimi and ceviche.
Liquor in my brut is always a good idea.

Wow! Beautiful lounge.
I ordered a selection of three cheeses and a champagne cocktail. Service is great.
I ordered the Candice cocktail and it was very good. I thought the selection of cheeses were great too.
The name is definitely fitting. Lots of blue light and a wall of bubbles behind the bar and in the lounge area.
One thing I don’t get about this place is the popcorn machine. It’s a small space and the smell of popcorn is inescapable. I also don’t like popcorn.
It’s definitely a classy place compared to Crocker club and the Down n Out across the street.
I would definitely come back.