Photo: Stephen Clarke
Situated smack bang in the middle of the Seven Mile Beach corridor is a classic Caribbean beach bar. And although you may not quite have your feet in the sand – pesky roads – the vibe at Aqua Beach is legendary.
Anyone who’s been to the dancefest of Friday nights will recognise the mass of smiles and shaking booties that goes with a truly popular experience and with the venue now under brand new management the daytimes look set to pick things up a couple more notches, too.
The popular bar has now introduced a great new menu on which the burgers are particular stars – obviously, I went for one called The Big Jerk. It was great; the burgers are made on site and you can specify how you’d like it cooked.
In fact, all of the food is made on the premises and ranges from light bites to a selection of entrees for the evening crowd. Not much of a surprise when you consider that manager Steven Fanning has had a long culinary history as a chef across the world, including in Paris. Incidentally, he opts for the Fun Guy burger, which as you can imagine comes with a mushroom. The menu reflects the attitude and in that sense we are pleased to say that it’s lively, funny and done with the customer firmly in mind. But there’s one revelation that pleases us more than anything else.
“We are now opening for lunches too,” reveals Steve.
Exciting atmosphere
He adds that since the management company changed to those behind such Cayman success stories as Jet, O Bar and Attic, the atmosphere at Aqua Beach has been that of excitement.
“This is a fun place, a family-friendly place then we have Fridays and on Sundays we tend to get a lot of the local bartenders and chefs coming here for a Jager, Everybody is welcome,” he says. Also being reintroduced are the popular Thursday night jam nights; the stage is ready to rock once more as Seven Mile Beach comes back to life.
“The potential is huge,” says Steve, “And we already are feeling the vibe; it’s a fun-loving, cool, casual, friendly place. We are doing things properly with food and service and having fun too.”
Amongst some tweaks to freshen up the venue there’s new lighting based around the resident palms, new tables and chairs for the patio and outside area, plus – gasp – cushions for the seating inside the bar area. Small touches, perhaps, but important after a hard night’s dancing.
Perhaps most excitingly, the jerk stand has been fully refitted, bringing another note of the Caribbean to one of Cayman’s standout laid-back and professional venues. This stand, in the past, has been recommended to me by taxi drivers – always a reliable indicator of quality.
All in all, there’s a positivity about the atmosphere that is hard to resist; Aqua Beach has recaptured the excitement and friendly attitude that Seven Mile Beach is famous for. And now featuring great burgers that look set to become famous in their own right. Get your feet wet. WH
For more information, contact 949-8498.