Bite the beaches

After 17 years of being known as ” Lips” they Closed, and was reborn as Aquaplex.

The venue was acquired by Michael Barrett and Jonathan Barrett. They also own the original location of Aquaplex Key West.

Driving up to Aquaplex Fort Lauderdale is like pulling into a tropical fantasy that… ran out of funding halfway through. You’re greeted — if that’s the word — by two heroic yet half-dead palm trees, bravely holding on like they’ve seen one too many drag brunches and just can’t anymore.

They stand there, one drooping dramatically, the other giving “I’ve had enough of this humidity” — it’s basically The Real Housewives of Oakland Park: Botanical Edition

renovation ? In one article, it is stated that under the previous ownership “for several years, [the venue] … ignored maintenance and put the day-to-day burden … on the queens” (i.e., performers). So: the baseline may have been quite run-down.

While claims of “major cosmetic and infrastructure upgrades” are made

Some patrons may feel that what was done appears limited to surface-level cosmetic touches rather than a full interior refit. It’s plausible that much of the existing furniture/fixtures remained in place (seating, tables, bar cabinetry) and what was changed were accent elements . That can give a sense of “used furniture / second-hand store” if the furnishings are older, mismatched or not fully consistent with the new vision.

Now on to the food and service

We came for the Aquanettes Drag Brunch — a dazzling $49.95 spectacle of wigs, lashes, and mimosa-fueled chaos. Our server was also part of the show — a glitter-drenched queen who served sass with a side of sequins. Honestly, she was the best thing on the menu.

With the brunch special, we were promised bottomless mimosas — which sounded fabulous until we met them in person. The “sparkling” part was… sparkling something. Could’ve been prosecco, could’ve been Sprite — we may never know.

Then came a pitcher of what appeared to be orange juice, though “orange” is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. It had the same shade as a traffic cone that’s seen better days and the flavor of Vitamin C’s distant cousin who dropped out of school to become a mixer.

Together, they formed a cocktail that tasted vaguely like optimism and regret. Bottomless indeed — because after the first glass, you start questioning how deep that bottom really goes.

I decided on the grilled salmon cakes, which I can only describe as… a cry for help in patty form. They arrived with what the menu called a creamy key lime sauce, though I suspect the “key” might’ve been to the janitor’s closet.

Let’s just say, the drag was high art — the food, not so much. While our server was lip-syncing for her life, my salmon cakes were gasping for theirs.

Now on to the show

Now, the show — thank goodness for the show. It was an absolute blast: high energy, high heels, and higher hair. The queens served up glitz, glam, and glittery chaos with the precision of Vegas headliners and the humor of your most unfiltered aunt at Thanksgiving.

There were multiple acts, each more over-the-top than the last, and by the second number, the crowd was living for it. Sequins flew, wigs defied gravity, and the lighting budget was clearly doing all the heavy lifting that the kitchen wasn’t.

Because let’s be honest — the food wasn’t the star of this brunch. The queens were. They turned what could’ve been a sad salmon Sunday into a full-blown sparkle spectacular. If laughter burned calories, I’d have finally forgiven those salmon cakes.

Final Thoughts

In fairness, the show is what people come for — and it delivers. The queens are electric, the energy is high, and the laughter is contagious. It’s dinner theater meets drag cabaret meets “what exactly did I just drink?”

The Aquaplex is less a full renovation and more a reincarnation — same bones, new wigs, and a healthy dose of glitter. It’s a place where you’ll have fun, make memories, and maybe reconsider ordering the salmon.

But hey, that’s brunch in Oakland Park: part performance, part mystery, and 100% unforgettable — whether you want it to be or not.