Aquarius Bar & Grille

USED to be a fun local spot with good music. Sunday I was overcharged a few times. Had THE WORST margarita of my life. It was something completely different and all some weird juice. I told the bartender and he wouldn’t change it. I had to order another drink. Got a piña colada and was charged $30 for it while my three friends were charged $50 for all three. I would have tried to rectify this with management but my husband and I both got sick from the burgers and had to leave. They also charged a cover fee for my friend’s INFANT she was carrying!!!!! Over $100 for food poisoning and being ripped off. Only upside is the music.

Great vibe, live music, cheap beer, strong cocktails. Aloha burrito was great and had tons of fish it. But I really have to put my foot down when it comes to bad tortilla chips. This is criminal, we are not at a minor league baseball game in central Pennsylvania! Or a bowling alley in Wisconsin! Or any other place where it is acceptable to serve these garbage circular tortilla chips. We are in San Diego, their are plenty of sources for proper tortilla chips. Step up your game guys, for real 🙄

I went here to see a local band that I know, the atmosphere was very laid back and inviting. Everyone was welcoming and the staff were very nice. There was plenty of outdoor seating and tables and lots of parking along the road, and the sunset was amazing. Our only drawback was that the music was too loud for such a small space.

Nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile! Fun Grateful Dead Bar🔥⚡️💀 Excellent food, drinks, staff, and fantastic live music! Cant wait to go again and again 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Very fun place near the bay. I can tell local people love this place. We came in on a Saturday night, people dancing, drinking and there is a live band. The entry cover is $5 per person, and it’s reasonable. The food here is pretty decent, I had a Taco Salad, it is giant and delicious. The service is fine, the staff is friendly here.

First time and I was disappointed. The food is good, the band was good and the people mostly seemed nice. But there were two people on the dance floor who should never be allowed back. A tall man with a red, white and blue wrist band and woman with dark hair wearing a baseball style hat. These two acted like they own the place, pushing people away and even yelling at a couple of 70 year olds who just wanted to dance together. It was disgusting. The woman physically pushed me and my friend, telling us that we were in "her" spot. Even after she walked away, she came back and told us to move. We paid the cover charge and bought food and drinks. Neither of these two obnoxious people appeared to buy any food or drinks. I'm shocked that two adults could act so infantile. We won't be back.

We always have a great time the I recommend checking the music line up. Mahi tacos are good and not too heavy.

Relaxed music place. Food is just okay. The drinks are generous, the service is fast and friendly. Usually a 40 and over crowd.

One of the best place for sunsets and live music. The fish taco is amazing, and the bartender is generous with liquor. What more could you ask for?

Probably a good place for casual drinks and if you happen to be hungry they have food too. It wasn't really a relaxing lunch spot. Service (at least in the afternoon) is very low-- one bartender that takes your order. The Mahi burrito was good but nothing to rave about. Beans and rice lacked flavor. The outdoor seating (which is mostly what they have) is pretty dirty and worn. Just a strange place, hard to tell what they're going for, but not bad.

Loud noisy horrible band played and ruined the nice location. Service was ok but you have to leave your table to order. $5 cover at noon ??? Really???

Went with a bunch of girls in a country western night really fun packed! A mixture of aged! Bar was very crowded! Fun place for live music!

Very Chill Dead music on Sunday Excellent Fish Tacos by far. Atmosphere and staff wonderful!!!

Very fun place near the bay. I can tell local people love this place. We came in on a Saturday night, people dancing, drinking and there is a live band. The entry cover is $5 per person, and it's reasonable. The food here is pretty decent, I had a Taco Salad, it is giant and delicious. The service is fine, the staff is friendly here.

Very cool place that was clean and very spacious. Band played outside and the service from front door to bartender and owner was very welcoming! Two stages with one inside and the other is outside. We missed the kitchen for food. Lots of palapas outside, cute lites in patio and inside. Prices were definitely lower than expected.

Too many dogs!!! OMG..give me a break! I was there recently. 5 dogs. I am highly allergic and people don't seem to care about their customers, the human ones. The food is expensive, drinks ridiculous and dogs everywhere. My face blew up the next day and I was miserable. NOT worth it.

Has great service and the wife and I enjoyed the music and the vibe as well as the food. The beer is great, would recommend the Alpine Duet

I was iffy about this spot because it looked dead. The bartender was so friendly. I got a burrito and I again was iffy but it had sooooo much taste to it. I loved it! The ambience was chill and they had live music.

Ambiance outdoor with live music Great happy hour could live music outdoor with great temperature

WOW- I have never had an experience like the one I had at Aquarius. My party and I were repeatedly harassed by their aggressive "security" for literally existing in the SMALL venue space. If you love to be bullied arbitrarily, yelled at, consistently antagonized and preyed upon by an ego-maniac security guard(s), this is the place for you! Btw the way, the owner not only supports this behavior towards her customers, she hires & encourages- check the other reviews since their opening and you will find this is a systemic issue at this venue.

Cool! It's a cool place since everything is cool about it. It's in mission bay yet one can park car without wasting an hour. At some point, you might get the Coronado feeling. There are screens showing current sports. Music in the patio that attracts the passerbys as well. Seating is plenty. Not anytime is a boring time here.

If I could give 0 stars I would. I've NEVER been treated so poorly before even entering an establishment. Attempted going in for a drink with a group of 6 girls, was very rudely told we were not allowed to bring refillable water bottles in after being on a boat in the heat all day. Fine, no problem, we won't go in. Was then told we were not allowed to stand in front of the establishment (on public property) to wait for our Uber. Went around the corner and the bouncer FOLLOWED US to kick us off their "property" again. Quietly sitting not bothering anyone. Also note there was hardly anyone there, way to lose hundreds of dollars and gain horrible reviews. No one should ever come here BOYCOTT AT ALL COSTS.

Went here for the first time on a Taco Tuesday plus Karaoke. Very friendly staff. Fish tacos were delish. Very fun group of people.

I've been to Aquarius twice. It's hidden, and even if you live around Mission Bay you probably won't know it's there. Anyways, I've only been going because my BFF sings in a rad collective called "The New Brown Sugar Band". It's a bunch of funk, soul, and disco covers. I keep trying to get them to play punk rock but it doesn't happen. Anyway, let's just say, they set the tone, and the vibe for this place. A lotta older folks were "gettin down", there, and definitely later on as well. As far as food goes, the nachos are pretty good, so are the hot dogs. The salads were massive. But the pretzel balls are where it's at. Also the dude working the entrance and the bartender are cool dudes.

Love this place and they consistentantly have DEAD music playing outside. They do a nice pour on the liquor and prices are fair. Food appears to be good although I've never eaten there.

Seems reviews are being cleaned out for not being positive. I have read the Yelp Content Guidelines, so I have revised my review accordingly. Please read the following keeping in mind I give this establishment a solid 1-star. This is all based on my personal consumer experience. And surprisingly, more than once. Sarcasm may or may not have been used in the following. When I arrived at the establishment I was greeted by ID-checkers who were sunnier than the weather. They very politely took my ID and welcomed me with polite gestures towards the bar. After wending my way through a very hip crowd, I inquired with the bartender about drinks. The bartender was very accommodating with my reasonable and brief queries, and smiled throughout filling my order. Since this review must be positive, I will not say I overheard the owner/manager griping about customers. Goodness no. Everyone associated with this establishment is amazingly courteous to their customers. After all, they're in customer service.

I have not tried the food here. I had a margarita and it was really good. There is a lot of seating but when I went on a Saturday night for the band, it was hard to find a seat. I ordered my drink at bar so I wasn't served at table but bartender was friendly

Thank you to the owners Debi, Tim and staff for creating this special, unique, and full of good vibes place. The food is yummy and a good value. The music is fun and appropriate for this small a venue. They even had sax and trombone in the band. Earlier, the piano player had me up and shaking my groove thing to Jonny B Goode. Thank you to the security staff for keeping us safe in these violent times. I get a strong sense of Boomer hatred in some of the negative reviews here. I'm not sure where that is coming from. But the day I was there, there were a good number of people there under 30 enjoying themselves also. Let me add that it is very dog friendly, at least for smallish dogs. There must have been 6 of the little babies in there at 6pm on Saturday. All well behaved. They seemed to enjoy the vibe too. I believe human children would be welcome too.

Still a secret spot. I had a blast here today. There was a live band and everyone was dancing and enjoying the sunshine. It was like Mission Beach, 20 years ago. I had a spicy cucumber marg and enjoyed the vibe. Kept thinking if everyone in the world could be here now, we'd have world peace. Yes I was sober, by the way. Been a few times for fish tacos which are large and underpriced. Totally recommend.

I'm from north county and found myself in the area wanting a quick lunch and cocktail to unwind from a stressful situation. After scanning yelp and reviewing a handful of places, a friend and I landed on Aquarius. Boy are we glad we did! The atmosphere is just bougie enough, with a wicked cute dance floor/performance space inside, while maintaining a very chill tiki like vibe outside, with palapas, outdoor heaters and a variety of seating from lounge chairs, to picnic tables, and high tops. The music was chill and on point. They even have corn hole! We were happily surprised to find it was happy hour and it was perfect! $5 for 1 delicious slider! Got that and a generous basket of chips and salsa along with a perfectly made cocktail for just over $15! Feeling like we stumbled upon a hidden gem! Spoke to other patrons who were also here for their first time and had a similar experience! Seriously, this place is a great find and I will definitely be saving it to my favorites and coming back again! I will give you a heads up, it was very much a seat yourself order at the bar kind of vibe, which I don't mind at all but thought I'd post the heads up!

The first tacos are amazing The live music will get you up dancing. Best of all, it is outdoors

This place was a perfect lunch spot! My boyfriend and I stopped here after kayaking at aqua adventures. We weren't sure what to expect so we just stopped to look at the menu but it had a little bit of everything so we decided to eat here. The mahi fish tacos were amazing and even better they were on the happy hour menu for $5. My boyfriend had a burger which was super good but we both agreed the tacos were superior. We also asked the bartender for a sweet cocktail and he made me a pineapple margarita! SO YUM! It was only the bartenders 3rd day there but he was so friendly and helpful in deciding what to eat. Definitely will bring people back to this cute little food spot.

Went to Aquarius Bar and Grill on a Sunday afternoon to see a live band. I really liked the outdoor set up. There was plenty of room to dance for those who were so inclined to do so. Plenty of tables for the folks who wanted to enjoy some food. The only problem was the lack of staffing. All the staff were friendly, there just wasn't enough of them. Packed house on a Sunday, yet only two bartenders trying to take care of everybody. The lines got pretty long. They did a decent job of keeping, but a third and maybe even a fourth bartender would've really sped things up. Fun venue to see a band. I'd go back.

This is one of my absolute favorite places to go to listen to live music . The atmosphere is amazing, the service is great, the drinks are reasonably priced and the food is pretty good.

Great vibes here! I would recommend a cheesy burger, honestly one of the best burgers I've ever had(multiple times at that!). Live music everyday? Count me in! Family friendly as well which is a huge plus for me. The staff is also really friendly.

Food was lousy and service was good. It's a good place to hang out and listen to music.

Very casual and laid back. Not really what I expected but people looked like they were having fun.

Visited 6/6/2021 After being in lockdown for over a year now it was definitely nice to get outside and enjoy a few cocktails, dancing, and a snack. Some good friends of mine with the band emergency exit we're playing Sandy afternoon 4:30 p.m. till 7:30 PM here at Aquarius on their great outdoor patio. Security was good the staff very friendly cocktails were not bad although a tad pricey. We tried the chili cheese hot dogs and they were OK and not bad for a snack. Not much social distancing going on and masks we're not required at least anyone could tell them they were vaccinated and didn't have to wear any. I must say it was nice going somewhere after over a year and feeling a bit of normalcy. I am fully vaccinated but I have a feeling there were plenty there that wasn't. That being said it was a personal choice to be there for all of us. And that's what life is plenty of personal choices. The Band EXIT was amazing as always and it was fantastic to see my old friends play their music and put smiles on so many faces. This was a very nice place to spend an afternoon down on the bay across from Seaworld. I will definitely come down here again in the future to relax and listen to some music and just unwind. There is plenty of free parking across the street as well in the large parking lot. I give this place a solid 3 1/2 To 4 Stars for atmosphere. Till next time have fun.

This place is dope. Stopped by with a friend and had a fantastic time. Very established crowd, live music every night, great strong drinks.

Live music, outdoor patio, fish tacos and tasty cocktails! What else could you ask for? Great little place for chilling on the weekends. The bartenders are really nice and give great service. I've been here during holiday weekends and they get packed, fun crowd.

The bands and the food are good. The reason I took off one star is not because it's outdoors, it's because they have no heating lamps! It was super cold at night.

I've always enjoyed Aquarius. Unfortunately, their food sucks. I complained about their nachos which consist of Tostitos, Velveeta cheese, some shredded cheese mixture, and some ground beef, which was supposed to be steak for approx $17. When it was delivered, we looked at it like we've never seen anything so ridiculous but we were starving and laid into it while we complained the whole time about how lame it was . I complained to management and they basically gave me shit for eating it and asked what was wrong with it. I said take one look at it, this is a handful of Tostitos with Velveeta cheese! Regardless, they did not budge, so I will continue to enjoy the free music & ambience but I will eat and drink before I go there again. They will not get another penny of my money.

Came in after a day hanging out in mission bay on a friend's sail boat. The atmosphere was cool and live music was great. Food was good enough, but the chips and "homemade" salsa were pretty underwhelming. The bouncer at the front was also pretty rude. He kept claiming it was against the law to bring in outside beverages. While I can understand it being the restaurant's policy, I'm 99% certain it's not against the law or liquor license to bring in an outside water flavored with mint and lemon. That guy gets a big thumbs down from me.

Best place to catch live music on weeksdays and weekends! I love the vibe here and this place has plenty of outdoor patio tables and almost always has people dancing and having a great time in front of the band! Also, beer is really reasonably priced here and you can order single beers or pitchers! I always stop by this bar after kayaking or water biking next door at aqua adventures! There's also plenty of parking in the parking lot!

The couple times we were there the food was ok and drinks were decent, so three stars for that. Interesting place to people watch but WAY too much of a boomer scene. And I say this as a 61 year old boomer who's kind of embarrassed by this scene. The bands that play here are pretty boring but I guess if you're into hippie dead head music you'll like them.

live music heaven! Love to vibe on the jetty? This place is awesome - love deadhead Sundays!

This place is for yuppies. Ordered a "monster burrito" to go which was supposed to have shrimp and steak. I have less than 1oz of meat in the whole burrito. It's effectively a vegetarian burrito at this point. You might as well just sneak into my house and steal money from my wallet. I will never recommend this place to anyone.

Horrible food. Our waitress had B.O. guacamole was rancid- stale chips. Bad attitudes. Overpriced shit hole. If you get rotten food like we did- call the health department.

This is an awesome bar. Just a heads up the crowd tends to be on the older side. 40+ The music and constant change up of bands is impressive. Definitely recommend the mahi-mahi tacos. They are the best thing on the menu.

Know before you go. This is not a white tablecloth spot (yet?). Sundays at noon features live music. The food is creative, don't miss the coconut rice with mango salsa! Also good are margaritas. Dancing for sure. Very casual.

Super fun spot; have been coming here for probably 20 years, since we called it Shack-a-deli. It's a unique beachy experience-- casual, live bands, dancing, drinks, food, sun, with the ocean breezes flowing through. Great place to come with friends. More about the live music, drinks and fun, but they do have casual bar food -- burgers, burritos, bowls, salads, tacos, apps, etc. they now have live music up to 6 days a week, a variety of bands. Always a great time!

Absolutely the worst food and service on the bay. I ordered a pork taco at the recommendation of the bartender and it looked like dog food. It was literally inedible. The bartender even agreed it looks like dog food and still refused to even replace it with another type of taco. Horrible service. Will never go here again. Go to Bahia or Barefoot bar this place SUCKS!!

Full bar, heavy pours, good priced drinks. Easy and plenty of parking. Next to water but no view of water. Great outdoor patio. Definitely a place to take friends

Awesome place for a great vibe for music right by the beach. Micheladas we're killer and my dog dug the puppy bowl. Russ t nailz was playing and they were awesome. Great with a crowd made our day enjoyable.

More like 1.5.... the only reason they got a 2 and not a 1 star is that they do have music (not when we went) We stopped by and just wanted a drink so I ordered an expensive sangria and it was so gross... I don't have any idea what they mixed with wine but it did NOT go together. So icky tasting. Almost like melon with wine. We ordered the nachos (again, way over priced) and it was stale chips with velveeta-like cheese dripped alL over it. It was so disgusting.... like something you'd get at Costco. So disappointed and very expensive. I asked for a dog water and they brought out an almost empty bowl of water-- I had to use my own bottle of water from my bike to fill my dog's bowl. So bad. Needless to say we will never go back. Bad drinks and horrible food.

The place over charged my card and charged for extra transaction that did not took place, I tried calling them but no one is picking up the phone, the bar tender was the guy. Dont go there , they are bunch of thieves. I have submit report to my bank and will have them charged back. bunch of thieves.

Fun music for dancing. The food is a rip off. Everything was too spicy. My first order they refunded because they realized they didn't have the item