AJA Channelside

290 S Meridian Ave, Tampa, FL 33602, USA

Related:	primary night club
Related:	primary nightclub
Address:	290 S Meridian Ave, Tampa, FL 33602, USA
Phone:	+1 813-695-7964
Rating:	2.8
Working:	Closed Closed Closed 10PM–3AM 5PM–3AM 10PM–12AM Closed

Location

Photos 53

Reviews 4

TrOuSahSnaKe

I was told by so many people not to go to this on top of all the bad reviews on here and other places but my wifes coworker wanted to throw her party here so I decided to make the most of it. The venue itself isnt bad and its located in an awesome spot for parking. There are 4 primary spots to hang out- outside, main floor, a vip-looking area behind the main floor (it wasnt vip though), and an upstairs area. It was a Saturday night and they were having a 90s theme going on so it was pretty cool seeing all the Kangol hats and jumpsuits and women dressed like TLC backup dancers. They have hookahs...best hookahs I ever had..ever! The people in charge of the hookah here dont mess around. The price is $35 for one but its very large and mine lasted for more than 2 hours. I was still using it at 3 am when it closed. Every 20-30 minutes someone was coming over and putting on new coals at the perfect time. The music was awesome on the inside and outside and my group enjoyed it the whole night. The only reason I had to remove a couple stars is because the night was not without a couple things that could have been better. 1) This club likes to do the whole "let one person in at a time and pretend like there are a lot of people inside." Its pretty annoying when you show up with a party of three and they only let you in one by one, closing off the rope each time and spending about 2 mins per person stalling. 2) No military discount. Not a big one, but when the cover is $10 its kind of off-putting that they cant lower the price especially with my next con.. 3) The drinks here are extremely expensive and honestly not worth it. I ordered a Single Jack & Coke and a Double Jack & Coke and the price was $33. I expected that since it cost so much, she might have actually made it an actual Double but I could barely taste any Jack. I ended up sticking to Corona after that experience. I hate getting hosed on drinks. 4) The area that I mentioned earlier that looked like a VIP area but wasnt had a LOT of cigarette burns all over the couches. It was very noticeable because the couches are white faux leather so they looked like semi-burnt marshmallows. To sum it up, I had a good time. I drank, I danced, I smoked hookah and there were more women here than men which is always great. With all of my cons listed I just have one thing that would have made all of these cons a lot less noticeable - price. The night before I went to Franklin Manor and I spent a total of $33 for valet parking, 2 very strong margaritas and a Jai Alai (Cigar City). There was no cover and the venue and atmosphere were superb. They even had live music! I pulled out $40 thinking that I could budget similarly at Club Aja but that couldnt happen with the parking at $3 (not bad), cover at $20 for me and my wife, $33 for two drinks, and $18 for 3 Coronas. The hookahs are a huge plus but overall Id have a better time knowing Im not digging into my pockets so deep for a good time. I like to drink cocktails when I got out vs beers but the price will change your mind. Id like to see this place succeed it has the potential if they can address a few of these things.

A Private User

Pros: Head of security was nice and understanding. Gave two kids water bottles after they told him about the issues. Short hair, light skinned, big guy. Otherwise this rating would be 1 star. Cons: Night of 03-09-12, White, husky male bartender with short hair flicked off multiple customers including myself (Was told later that he was "New", definitely not an excuse) Other two bartenders downstairs were a young woman and a man with dreads, who were both a tad nicer. Same bartender that flicked off customers, demanded tips for WATER after I handed him five dollar bills multiple times just 30 minutes before, as a tip for two shots, which costed 10$ EACH. He also rejected other customers who asked nicely for water and was willing to tip thereafter. This is a health violation. The cover charges were 15$ for 21+ and females (Which was why it was a sausage fest, literally 4 to 1 male to female ratio) and 20$ for everyone else. NOT WORTH IT. Also, the floors were always dirty. I am a resident of a nearby city and in my opinion, there are MANY MANY other clubs in the same area for much cheaper and better quality service. They need new bartenders or more experienced ones as the drinks were badly mixed, asking for two shots will literally get you two shots of the worst tasting vodka. I drank vodka for the last 10 years, I know when its cheap. I spent 300$ that night. What I shouldve spent was 10$ for a cab ride to a better club.

Dino Cox

Do not attend events promoted by QC. If Marquise or Chris from QC are involved, your experience will be one of lies and deceit. They have multiple people promoting their big events and WILL give you inaccurate information about costs. I paid for a section that was supposed to include two bottles for 600. When I got to the venue, I was told that I would only get one bottle. They would not return any money that I paid and I was forced to either take what they gave me or leave. It was a classic bait and switch. So I spoke with one of the main promoters and she promised to honor what I was advertised. So after waiting another 15 minutes, I was told that they would upgrade my section and provide the bottles for the trouble. When I got to my section, 40 minutes went by before someone took my bottle order. It was 10:50 pm by this time and I got there around 9:45. They told me I had a limited selection to choose from and cornered me into selecting unfavorable brands. There was no empathy for the miscommunication, only excuses and please dont do business with THESE people. They arent professional at all.

A Private User

Dont Go to Aja!!! I am a 28 year old 114lb female veteran. All I was doing was drinking my last drink of the night and saying goodnight to my girls when the female bouncer came up to me and snatched my drink out of my hand. She did not identify herself as staff at all. When I picked it back up again she bushed me hard then got on top of me. The male bouncers broke us up and carried me outside. I was telling them to let me go and that she pushed me first... they said they didnt care. They start fights just to get excitement. Outside (even though she started it) the bouncers held my arms and called the cops. Three bouncers pushed me down and where on top of me. I was screaming for my life and no one would help me. Mind you I cannot do any damage to these 200lb men. They are overly violent. DO NOT GO TO AJA!!!!! I have called the club several times and no one calls me back. I even tried to get a lawyer, but because there is no video of the event they will not take my case. I am telling you now dont go. It was over priced anyway. There are better places to go. BOYCOT AJA!!!