Awka Marine ????
 

I have been around the lake to the usual restaurant destinations by boat, and would folks opinion about Awkwa marine bar for lunch.

Also interested in Margate and NASWA for lunch ?

Plan on taking friends by boat !

Thanks,
Bidog

The NASWA is a very popular stop for boaters...I would call the food served there at the beach bar great pub food. There is also a more formal restaurant up on street level that I have not experienced.
At the very least, on a hot summer day there may be plenty of "visuals" if you get my drift...and the waitresses are usually pretty cute if that floats your boat...
Sand, suds, sights....that's the NASWA!
Enjoy!

I went there fathers day weekend by boat and there were some sights, some good and some bad! :laugh:

The upper restaurant is called the Blue Bistro. Food is ok, it's your basic fare like if you stayed at a Marriot Hotel. If we get up late and the regular spots (Weirs Diner, Union Diner) would all be packed, we go to the Bistro. It's a formal sit down breakfast.

The NASBAR is the beach name, drinks in a 10oz plastic cup, pub fare, eye candy, live entertainment on busy days and you can drink while soaking your feet in the channel. Expect the $10 mixed drinks and expensive IMHO pub fare to add up fast. 2 people, 2 drinks and nachos can make for a $80 lunch real fast.

The real upside is massive people capacity and free docking with a dock crew to help you. And once in a while, you meet big named folks although that's not my thing.

Akwa is a great little spot on the lake, cool bar and nice little tables, is is run by harts but IMO nothing like harts maybe better, great views and always a nice little breeze with a little music, it is one of my favorite places to stop and grab a bite

Naswa to me is way too loud and crazy, Akwa has just enough

Akwa has a nice view of the lake, but it is much quieter than the Naswa. I haven't been this year or last, so the food may be different, I did enjoy what we had the last time we were there. Drinks were ok as I remember. The docks can be HARD on your boat because of the wave and any wake action. Yes, this is even when using fenders, just be aware of it, as it doesn't bother everyone. What we do is park at the Weirs town docks and then walk up the hill to the Akwa, then I don't have to worry about my boat being banged up by the dock and constant rubbing of fenders against my fiberglass.


Naswa (actually the NazBar) is always fun! If you go to the beach bar after 5 PM you can also order off the "Blue Bistro" restaurant menu so you get more of a dinner choice, before 5 PM it's typical 'pub food'. I'm not crazy about their mixed drinks as it seems to me that most are pre-mixed and taste it to me, but IMHO you can't go wrong with beer or wine or anything else that comes out of a bottle. Sometimes the music is a bit loud (it depends on the day), so keep this in mind if you want to have a conversation with your friends or if they are "older". There are nice docks there and they are easy to get into and out of, with dock hands to help you.

Battle of the Beach Bars....
 

Actually, that is a misleading header, as they each have their own vibe.

Food is great at Akwa...considerably better than Naswa, in my opinion. Hart's has been managing the place for 2 years now, (nothing to do with turkey!), and they do a great job. Smaller than Naswa, but a great lakeside place to go for food and drink. The music is good and mellow-ish....not blaring rock. The vibe is comfortable and laid-back. If you go by boat, docking can be challenging, as another poster noted...you really need to use the dock that is perpendicular to the beach, but it has limited spots. The dock that is parallel to the beach really gets hit by the boat churn.

Naswa has great docking and plenty of it. Being in the Weirs channel, there is no boat churn to fight while docking. They also have dock attendants to help if necessary. Food is mediocre, in my opinion, although their lobstah roll is huge. Vibe at Naswa in my view is it's "where the beautiful people go" The place to see and be seen, (e.g., Gronk there last year)

Personally, I prefer the Akwa....better food and more of a laid-back vibe.
(Disclaimer: my daughter is now in her 3rd summer of waitressing there while in college, so I may be biased in my opinion :) )

I would rate them both as "Good", not "Great". Nazwa has more of a selection. Akwa seems to lack in the allergy friendly department. The manager has told us (even last year) that they were working on issue but nothing seems to have changed. Kids food choices are slim. Although Akwa has added a few new items to the menu this year, it's still pretty much the same. The Nazbar has some pretty decent nachos which Akwa does not. Anyone know of any other locations with good Nacho's?

I like the pork nachos at Patrick's. Never disappointed and priced right