Aqua — Restaurant in Naples

Our family was really looking forward to trying Aqua Naples, but unfortunately, the experience was a terrible letdown from the moment we walked in.

As soon as we entered, there was a strong, putrid odor throughout the restaurant, possibly sewage or trash that’s been hanging around for too long. It was overwhelming and made it very difficult to enjoy the atmosphere. Despite that, we tried to keep an open mind since we were with kids and everyone was so hungry.

Once seated, the smell became worse. I lost my appetite and decided not to order, while my family went ahead with drinks. We didn’t want to ruin the night for everyone, especially the kids who were so hungry. The drinks were another disappointment: my mom’s mojito was not bubbly but watery, and my husband’s margarita was clear and had an off-taste. We returned the drinks. Even the water tasted and smelled off — like something was wrong with the pipes or filtration. The server, who looked disheveled and clearly didn’t want to be there, only added to the uneasy vibe. All adults were looking at each other at this point but no one wanting to admit reality.

The final push for us to leave came when a woman brought the margarita to our table. She walked over in what looked like flip-flops and a bathing suit-style outfit, and without any professionalism or warmth, simply yelled out “Margarita!” as she stared at us for one of us to yell back. It felt incredibly sloppy — nothing like the elevated dining experience that had been advertised online. At that point, it became clear that this place wasn’t at all what we were expecting, and we decided it was best to leave despite having just placed our order. If everything is smelling and tasting foul already, then it would be naive to think the food would be any better.

Before leaving, I wanted to at least give a heads up of the situation. Perhaps somehow it could be improved? If not this evening maybe next time. I approached a woman (possibly a manager or owner) to privately let her know about the odor and the poor quality of the drinks, thinking she would appreciate honest feedback. Instead, I was shocked by her immediate hostility and defensive attitude. Rather than thanking me or apologizing, she told me she didn’t smell anything and that we were wrong for wanting to leave. Verbatim she said “YOU ARE SO WRONG”. We were taken back. My parents thought she was being apologetic at first and saying that it’s so wrong we had that experience. No WE were wrong. There was no professionalism, no accountability, and definitely no interest in improving the situation. This is evident when you see how the owner responds to criticism on reviews.

For a restaurant with upscale pricing and a seafood/steakhouse menu, you’d expect a great environment, quality service, and clean surroundings, none of which we experienced. Some staff wore outfits that looked more like bathing suits, and the lack of cold air conditioning only intensified the smell, making it incredibly unpleasant.

We ended up dining at Ocean Prime, which is just steps away down the street, and the difference was night and day — clean, fresh-smelling, professionally run, with excellent service and a beautiful atmosphere. The staff were incredible and I recommend it to anyone looking for great meal with outstanding service. Our server Juan was a 10 out of 10. Our family had a great night.

Aqua Naples could learn a lot from their neighbors. I wouldn’t return here or recommend it to anyone unless major changes are made to cleanliness, staff training, and how management handles...

Last night , had a birthday dinner for one of my closest friends and one of my friends had suggested aqua on fifth. When we got there is was a nice set up , the gentleman that helped us to our table was very welcoming. Everything went well at first, the service was alright just not what you expect when dining on 5th ave. Reasons for that is the server was just terrible . Her name is Crystal . She forgot to bring a couple of drinks to the table for start. Didn’t even bother offering us more water so we basically had empty cups throughout dinner. After our entrees, I had politely asked for two to go boxes for our food. She nodded her head and said she will be on that and proceeded to carry the plates away. 15 20 minutes passed still no to go containers but brought out the cake. So we asked her about our to go boxes. Her response was a paused look of confusion and asked what boxes ? We then told her that we were waiting for our packaged food that was leftover. She told us oh I threw it away already I didn’t hear you. Meaning to say that we ate a tiny portion of it but yet paid the full price for it ? Doesn’t make sense. But before that was even asked. She always went to the bar to chat and hangout and completely ignore us basically the whole time. I mean how could a server say oh you guys are my last table for the night and give us crappy service ? Like how would you personally react .... just saying Crystal really needs better training or work somewhere else because obviously she’s not qualified to be a server. Last night was supposed to go perfect but to be honest it was a nightmare. I already spoke with the gentleman that helped us in the beginning, found out he was the owner. Was very frustrated at the time. So I suggest not dining there anymore even though it was our first time there. Bad experience just because of the server. Hope there was a better solution then just having her pay me back the tip that was already taken out . Just really upset. And I never complain but wow just had to full warn other diners...

My fiancée and I came to this place for a couple of refreshing drinks. We first questioned why there is political signage all over the place and the staff from bartenders and waiters carry that same messaging. We had two drinks a piece and were charged $64.00. The drinks were not anything close to top shelf. We complained to the bartender who was rude and told us, "conservatives like it here". We are neither a liberal nor a conservative; we are simply patrons looking for a good drink, in a nice atmosphere, at a reasonable price. The staff at Aqua was far from nice and $16.00 drinks are outrageously priced. We were also rudely treated by the manager when we spoke to her about our issues. When questioning the high price of the drinks, the manager stated, "we have to pay for the high rent for this place!" I was astounded by this response.

I did ask for the owner. However, was never given the name nor an opportunity to speak to that individual. Upon our exit from this place, the bartender made faces at us and continued to antagonize us. I pointed it out to the manager and she indicated she would address it. I doubt that occurred. Since the ownership has labeled and messaged this place as a conservative bar, one would like to believe their political messaging would carry over to the offering of a nice place to enjoy conservatively priced drinks and food. This is far from the brand they are trying to emulate.

I did tell the manager that we are well connected in the Naples community and would pass the erroneous messaging this establishment is trying to portray and recommend they no longer patronize Aqua. My prediction is this place will not last very long with their attitude, poor service and overly priced drinks/food. I would highly recommend avoiding this place. There is so many more options on 5th Avenue in Naples that treat dignified people with respect, exceptional...