Community Dinners at Aqus Café
Building Community, One Dinner at a Time:
In an era of digital connection but limited face-to-face interaction, Aqus Community Dinners offer a simple way to build real relationships. People with shared interests gather at Aqus Café to eat, talk, and connect—no planning required.
Guests make name cards and are invited (but not required) to change seats every 30 minutes, helping everyone meet multiple people. Dinners run from 5–7 pm, with flexible arrival times. There is no fixed price; food and drinks are available for purchase.
It is important to bear in mind that Aqus Café remains open to the public during these dinners.
Our Community Dinners, which are usually midweek, are organized around different themes:
Interest Groups: Gatherings are themed around shared interests such as Peace Corps Volunteers, Metal Workers, Programmers & Makers, Park Docents, Ex-Pats, Climate Professionals etc. These dinners allow people with common passions to connect and collaborate.
Languages: We host dinners centered around different languages, including Spanish, Italian, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese and many more. These events offer a space for language learners and native speakers alike to connect and socialize.
Location-Based Gatherings: These Neighborhood Community dinners are based on locale - residents of a chosen street or neighborhood. Everyone is invited and often find themselves sitting alongside neighbors they may not have ever met before. It's heartwarming to witness conversations like, "I think I recognize you. Don't you live two doors up the street from me?" or "Aren't you the person who lives in that nice house with the green shutters on the next block?" The atmosphere is wonderful as people start to connect and get to know their neighbors better.
Organization-based Gatherings: We also host "Org Night" community dinners where members of a certain organization are invited on a very casual basis to gather and build community within the organization. It gives people an opportunity to connect with people they wouldn’t ordinarily meet.
Causes & Readings with Presentation: We can host dinners with a short presentation and Q&A. As Aqus Café remains open to the public, presentations cannot begin earlier than 6:30 pm. With prior agreement, the group may stay until 7:20 pm sharp; however, kitchen and bar service end at 7pm.
The core idea behind these Community Dinners is to foster a sense of community, and what better way to achieve that than by sharing a meal together? Whether you’re connecting with neighbors, practicing a language, or meeting people with similar interests, these dinners offer a unique and enjoyable way to build social capital in our community.
Don't see one that's for you? Let us know if there’s an interest group, language group or street/neighborhood gathering you’d like to see at Aqus.
*Note: Everyone is asked to make themselves a name tag and encouraged (but not required) to switch seats every 30 minutes. This makes it easier to connect with more people!
Find your niche or choose your theme and join us. Friendships happen here!!
Check out the calendar for the next community dinner.
