Bokampers Sports Bar & Grill, Fort Lauderdale — A Masterclass in Decay
Bokampers is not a restaurant. It is a case study in neglect, an unfiltered glimpse at what happens when management surrenders entirely and leaves both guests and staff to flounder in the wreckage.
The “experience” begins in a cloud of cigarette smoke at the front entrance, where guests must endure a gauntlet of chain-smoking patrons before even reaching the door. By the time you step inside, your clothes already reek. If this is their idea of a welcome, one shudders to imagine what passes for hospitality behind the scenes.
A hostess, to her credit, seated us quickly. That fleeting courtesy was the high point of the evening. Our booth looked out to the Intracoastal Waterway — a potentially pleasant view that was immediately obliterated by noise so deafening it bordered on physical assault. Televisions blasted at full volume, sound bouncing from wall to glass until it became a punishing roar. Conversation was futile; shouting was required. To complete the atmosphere, drunken patrons at the bar periodically toppled from their chairs, collapsing onto the floor in scenes that would embarrass even the sloppiest fraternity house.
Service was glacial. It took twenty minutes before our server appeared, and another twenty-five before food stumbled out of the kitchen. The table was sticky, as though “cleaning” consisted of dragging a filthy rag across its surface. When the food finally arrived, it was insulting. A pretzel appetizer was overcooked, rock-hard, and tasted like something reheated hours after abandonment. Burgers were flavorless and joyless, the fries soggy beyond recognition. A simple request for mustard was met with a cheery “I’ll be right back” — and then complete disappearance. The only item they managed to serve correctly was a glass of water, which, tragically, became the highlight of the meal.
The restroom was the nadir of the evening, though in a sense, it was perfectly consistent with the rest of the establishment. The men’s room floor was coated in paper and urine, a patron openly relieved himself against the wall, and others shuffled out without washing their hands. The space was less restroom than bacterial incubator — a Petri dish of filth and indifference.
When the check came, it did so with astonishing speed, the only efficient act of the entire night. The price was laughably inflated, demanding a premium for food and service that wouldn’t pass muster at a roadside gas station. As we left, we were forced once again through the wall of smoke outside, emerging into the parking lot with ringing ears and a lingering sense of disbelief at how bad a restaurant could possibly be.
Bokampers is slated for demolition, and it shows. Management has given up entirely, content to squeeze the last dollar from an establishment already circling the drain. Its eventual destruction cannot come soon enough.
Zero stars. A disgrace to Fort Lauderdale dining. Disgusting, degrading, and unforgettable for all the...
Read moreI had to rate them 3 stars bc the first time they had excellent amazing service, the second time it started out great but then our food took over an hour to get to us but the service was still really great, they tried their best even though they were so busy but this last time we came in we had a really interesting server, I would rate them a 1 if it was based off her service. We came in through the dock as usual and it took awhile to get a table which was weird bc when you come in through the dock they’ll usually seat you right away but maybe we’ve just been lucky but that wasn’t the weird part. The server took our drinks order and we also placed orders for appetizers. We ordered spinach and artichoke dip, macaroni and cheese bites/balls, wings and calamari and when the food came they accidentally also gave us some egg rolls, which looked really delicious, but I mentioned to the server when she came back that we never ordered them, so she took them and said she would find the correct table for them, and my friend told her if she wanted to leave them we would take them, she didn’t mention we would pay for them (honestly we were kinda disgusted that she would find the correct table for them, she had no idea if they had been touched or coughed on, breathed on etc) but the server just looked at us weirdly and said no I need to find out whose these belong too. So we left it at that but it just struck me as odd, even before the pandemic if an item was accidentally left at your table they would either leave it for you or take it back to the kitchen and throw it out. It would have been smart on her part to leave them bc what if we would’ve fallen in love with those egg rolls and come back just for them, I mean maybe it’s just me and I expect too much customer service..I’m not sure what to expect anymore. We love the convenience of parking the boat at their dock and eating there but that threw me off a little. The food that we did eat was yummy and the drinks are not half bad, you should give them a try, hopefully you’ll have a great experience. We’ll be back but not sure how soon, there’s a lot of places to eat in ft. Lauderdale with a...
Read moreUPDATE September 2025: I decided to give Bokamper's another try, since it's been three years since my last visit. That was not a good decision. The food is really no better than before (tolerable is about the best I can say of it), but the drinks today were TERRIBLE. Both my rum drink (Key West Sunset) and my husband's watermelon margarita were completely watered down. When I finished, I opted not to get another and switched to a Pepsi which was ... also watered down.
The service was very nice today, however, and the setting on the water is nice. But it wasn't crowded at all - then again, with this kind of food, I know why. It was the same price as last time - $150 for 2 people. So really nothing has changed.
I'm guessing that I won't be back in another 3 years.
ORIGINAL 2022: I've been to Bokamper's before, but it's been several years; I was looking forward to returning. I was rather disappointed with our experience.
The menu is very limited now, and terribly uninteresting. I honestly expect more from a sports bar. Nevertheless, we all found something we wanted to eat. The wings were decent, if very expensive; the fries were simply tolerable. The fish special was also fine, but nothing special. I had the mussels, and they were just passable. The broth was bland, and the available hot sauce was, honestly, terrible.
To top it off, when we asked for flatware, we were given the cheapest of plastic utensils. It's possible, however, that was due to a very lazy server as I was, after some searching, able to get metal utensils.
Finally, the drinks - all of us had the dragonfruit margarita, and it was quite good - but that's the only think I can really recommend.
I realize these days (May 2022) that things are getting more expensive. But when I spend $150 on a meal for two, I still expect good food. Isn't that a reasonable expectation?
We won't...
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