Caffe Aroma is a nice cafe located within Elmwood village with a European inspired feel to it. Here, you will find many of your standard cafe favorites like paninis, wraps, coffee, expresso, et al. However, some of the menu items have a twist or are simply not what you would find in your average american cafe such as wine and cheese platters or particular ingredients.
I personally got a prosciutto panini which was delicious and a sun-dried tomato salad side that came with it, which was rather tasteless - especially compared to the panini ($7.50). My friends who ordered mango smoothies were also impressed by their drinks. Although I have had limited experience with their food, based on what I had, I would venture to say their food is both tasty and fresh (with the exception of maybe their side salad).
As a student, I'm always interested in the studying environment of cafe's. The outdoor seating area is nice and relatively quiet, especially now that it's the summer and we can begin enjoying the sun! As for the interior, it's cozy, but perhaps a little too dark to study in, unless you are studying exclusively from a laptop. From what I saw, there was a pretty good availability of sockets around to plug devices in. The wifi is not really "free" in the sense that you have to be a paying customer to use it (which I personally think is normal/courteous), in fact I saw two students asked to leave the premise because they refused to purchase anything. I have also heard that wifi is only available for 2 hours, so that may not be the most convenient things for students who plan to pound out an entire day studying.
Otherwise, it seems to be a great place to enjoy a book, relax, or just meet up with friends.
On the corner of Bidwell and Elmwood Avenue, Caffe Aroma is the perfect spot for people watching in the village. Seating is close, but you can usually find a spot somewhere--and if the weather's good, you'll want that spot to be on the beautiful patio. While I'm not the biggest fan of the house coffee, the espresso-based drinks are delicious and the venue offers a nice selection of beer and wine. Salads, sandwiches, and pastries are also available. All are high-quality offerings and there are generally good VEGETARIAN options (yay!). Attached (with interior access) to the wonderful Talking Leaves bookstore, it's the perfect place to pick up a book, meet friends, do a little work, or just relax.
Review Source:Strongly disliked the 2 hour limit on their Wi-Fi; we need a code that gives us 2 hours of access... what's up with that? Very discouraging for students.
Otherwise, this cafe have gave me the typical hipster cafe vibe. It is relatively small, so it can be a bit of a challenge to find a seat, let alone one close to an outlet. They have a small patio outside which I imagine would be amazing to enjoy the beautiful weather & ambiance that is Elmwood.
Still... spOt triumps!
I discovered Caffe Aroma over 2 years ago. Â At that time I would have rated them a solid 5 Stars. Â A true European Caffe in the middle of Buffalo's hottest sections of town. Â Beer, Wine, Coffey, Food, Desert etc. Â A place to relax and unwind after a busy day at work. Â
Unfortunately the past 4 months Aroma staff have been BITTER, Â RUDE, NASTY and many times they REFUSE to serve customers. Â Staff will think nothing of making a customer wait a good 10-minutes (all the time they are fully aware you are there) to place your order. Â I've seen countless people just give up and walk out.
If you are one of the lucky customers who are there at closing time fasten your seat belt. Â Minutes before the scheduled closing time the music is turned up and BLARING (to drive you out) and the wifi is turned off. Â Tables are thrown around (one night an employee threw a table across the floor which almost hit me - had I been a few inches closer he would have) chairs are slammed and the employee's start throwing tantrums. Â
It's sad to see that a few BAD EMPLOYEE'S have ruined this oasis in the middle of Buffalo.
STAY AWAY. Â Support local businesses who treat their customers with respect!
I'm very torn on how I feel about Caffe Aroma. By far, it's my favorite place to write in the Village. There are plenty of outlets to plug my Macbook into, free WiFi, and  a large crowd of patrons pursuing similar activities. It's cozy and intimate, allowing conversation to flow easily even between strangers, but it rarely becomes loud enough to prove an obstacle to my work. I love the monthly poetry readings and often participate (They're the first Monday of each winter month).
Still, as an actual caffe, I find it lacking. Drinks and food are overpriced. While the drinks are usually tasty, as are the cookies, dinner fare is typically lacking. It's clear that a lot of thought has gone into the menu, as, on the surface, it looks very well-rounded and complex, but it always fails in execution. The pasta salads are tasteless. Each dish features many different, supposedly high-quality ingredients, but they are generally bland, unsalted, unspiced ones that result in a filling, boring meal. The paninis, wraps, and pizzas look great behind glass, but I always have to watch the grill myself, because whenever I don't my food is burned to a crisp before being handed to me.
I hate to complain about staff, as I worked at customer service jobs while in high school and college and know how terrible they are. But, while the staff is extremely friendly and sociable, I always get the vibe that they are under-trained. The food, as mentioned, is great in concept, but fails in execution. I've altogether stopped ordering the chicken pasta because the meat is never fully-cooked. One night, I had to wait an uncomfortable 3 minutes before ordering because the barista was making out with her boyfriend behind the counter. I've received the wrong food on at least a half dozen occasions. While they all seem like very sweet, nice people, I feel like there is little motivation for them to deliver high-quality food products and excellent customer service.
Still, the point remains that I continue to return. In the end, the overall atmosphere of the place always lures me back, but I've learned to eat dinner before I go.
I can't say anything about the food--I've never had it, but as far as coffee, it's my favorite in Buffalo. Just delicious! So much better than Spot or Starbucks or Coffee Culture. I love it. Most of the coffee snobs I know agree that this is the best coffee in Buffalo. It's just delicious and flavorful, perfect intensity. Plus, it's right next to Talking Leaves. I just wish there were more seats open. Generally it's pretty crowded and it's small, so you're sitting very close to your neighbors, but I won't dock them for that because their coffee is THAT good.
Review Source:I love this place because it is the closest thing we have to a "European" cafe here. Â Food, coffee, AND beer/wine. Â Where else in this city can you sit at a table with a book and drink a glass of wine? I'm certainly not going to do that at a bar or restaurant - I would be fielding sympathetic looks all night from people thinking "oh that poor girl must have no social life."
And yet in Europe that is the norm!!! We need more places with this concept. Â Most nights I don't want coffee because it keeps me up and yet I'd like to be out around other people while quietly reading a good book.
True to the "European" feel, this place has a very vibrant "futball" scene. Â When the world cup is on, the windows are wide open and people standing as far back as Elmwood Avenue are crowded around the building watching the flatscreens.
I also very much approve of their coffee drinks and their regular coffee. Â I'll take it over Starbucks, Spot or Timmy Ho's any day.
Only downfall to this place: not nearly enough seating, especially if it's too cold for the patio.
We need more corner cafes with liquor licenses! Get on it, Buffalo! Bring some Europe to our fair city!
Ah, so happy to have Caffe Aroma be around the corner for me! This cafe advertises itself as a 'European-style' cafe and it's definitely cozy enough to feel like one. Aroma serves beer, wine, cheese plates, soups, panini's, frittata's, croissants, wraps and salads. For breakfast, if you're sick of frittata's and croissants, I suggest going to Ashker's across the street for a more varied breakfast menu (but also heavily egg-based).
As the oldest independently owned cafe in Buffalo, Aroma has cemented itself into local consciousness as a hangout spot for many locals. If you spend a few hours here, even in the whee hours of early morning you will soon find the cafe come along with activity, banter and locals greeting each other. It's a true gathering spot and not a bad place to people watch either.
As far as the interior, it's pleasant, cozy and intimate. The place is pretty small and it can get pretty crowded at times, with people reading, browsing the Internet and chatting. There's also a big plasma TV, which they sometimes turn on for various sport events and that adds a whole other dynamic to the cafe. Since they serve beer and wine, this is also not a bad place to grab a drink after work for their selection of beers is pretty varied. It can also be a good place for a first casual 'coffee-date' (or in this case you can make it a beer date!). Good non-threatening environment to talk and find out a little more about the person.
As far as the food - it's good! It's casual cafe fare and it stacks up pretty good against the other local options..not much more to say about it.
Good healthy food, and non healthy food selections are available. I like getting the muffins here the most when I do go in here. I am not much of a coffee drinker even though I've started recently a tad bit, and this place makes a great cup of whatever you would like!
It's pretty small inside, and you'll find a lot of people studying and working on laptops a lot of the time. Relaxed atmosphere with friendly people on staff.
I should say I only stepped into this establishment last night due to convenience: it was near a friend's house, and they were open until midnight. Convenience aside, I don't think I am impressed by this cafe.
My low rating of 2 stars mainly has to do with the food that they serve. I once walked into this cafe a year ago, during Buffalo Garden Walk, wanting a quick eat or something. However, the things they have on display at the counter were so off-putting that we decided to step back out and try somewhere else.
I had the same experience last night. The cakes they had on the counter looked horribly neglected. There was a lopsided cake, where one side totally collapsed and was truly unappetizing. The other pies were not better. Good thing I already had dinner, and was only there to have coffee and tea with a friend.
So yes, I find it hard to comprehend why this place seem to be teeming with people. Maybe it's because they serve beer and wine, unlike other coffee shops? I don't think I would head here for food, given the way they present things, food doesn't seem to be too enticing here, that I'd rather stick to tea.
Always has been a relaxed early morning spot to enjoy coffee and a pastry.
Now that they have a beer tap, it's difficult to avoid getting a beer whenever.
Like the long bench in the back, however, laptop dufus' need to learn to not hog entire tables to themselves.
If you have a laptop, be courteous, sit at the bar, the window ledge, or logically share tables. There is no reason you need to take over an entire table as if you're Joseph Donnelly. Â
water dish for dogs outside.
Very good drinks and decent food, but all are overpriced and portions keep getting skimpier. Last I knew they were up to something like $10 for a panini with only mushrooms, a small amount of cheese and some gourmet mayo spread, no drink or side included. Staff is hit or miss with friendliness like most coffee shops, location is very good but seating is limited. I prefer Spot 100% over this place - the only advantage this place has it is (I believe) locally owned.
On an aside, more often than not you will get snob all over you listening to the conversation. Example: one gentleman loudly brought up that college should never be subsidized in any way, because poor people are less worthy than other people to be educated and their kids won't turn out to be anything anyway. When I argued that my poor, farmer parents produced me (who graduated with a 3.89 from my BS and masters - both semi-subsidized- Â and has an IQ of 140) he argued that we need people to fill crappy jobs people like him and his kids (who are entitled to better because their ancestors WEREN'T broke) don't want to do, so we should keep poor people in a permanent underclass to fill that void. He's a semi-regular customer, along with a lot of other people who can't shut up about their opinions long enough for me to enjoy a drink and read my book. It seems more and more the urban yuppie population behave like the suburban population, who don't think a dime of their tax money should go to anything to help the less fortunate and look down on people who don't live their lifestyle. Have whatever conversation you want, just don't involve me - you won't like my (usually) unpopular opinions.
I generally enjoy my time spent at Aroma. They were serving a drink today called the honey bunny (espresso, cream and honey) that was pretty awesome. I also like how they are right next to Talking Leaves, but I do not like the layout inside of Aroma at all. The space is so tight that I feel as though I'm constantly hitting someone with my bag and I can hardly ever find an outlet.
I wonder if it would be more functional to replace the awkward tables with one large family style table.. maybe with outlets in the middle or something. I saw something similar in Starbucks and it seemed kind of neat.
Let us be honest. Caffe Aroma is over priced. The food is not great, though it tries hard to be. The bread is obviously stale and from the day before. The muffins are bland. Why then, is this a place I love?
Because of summertime. Sunday morning. Sitting outside Caffe Aroma with your dog at your feet and a fresh cup of coffee in front of you. This is when you rest and watch the action on Elmwood, knowing that, no matter what happens to this city, there is beauty in the environment and the people that make up the town. It's a coffee shop with a bookstore attached. It's a place where the hipsters sit with the old men arguing politics. It's a place where a sense of serenity takes place.
Buffalo needs places like this. They have my dollar.
Caffe Aroma's not the best coffeeshop in town, but it has a few good things going for it that others don't:
- It's right across from the Elmwood-Bidwell Farmer's Market, making it a great place to start your Saturday in the summer.
- It's also right at the beginning of the action on Elmwood, so a perfect place to meet up before a shopping session.
- It's near Talking Leaves bookstore, so you can get a cup of tea before you wander through the stacks on a Sunday.
- It's a rare coffeeshop that has sports on TV, so you can sit at the bar with a beer and catch the game while eavesdropping on intellectual conversation between two college professors behind you. I love this.
- It has beer on tap! (And wine, too.) Thus you can't beat it for a crowdpleasing option when no one can decide what direction the night's gonna take.
This may be my favorite thing about it: it's that rare business that benefits from being a jack of all trades, rather than being a master at one. It may sound like I'm damning it with faint praise, but in a town as diverse as this, it really does work.
I want to love it here. Â
So, Aroma always looks so cool. Â There are always hipsters with hip dogs and academia looking types sipping coffees and wine on the patio. Â I want to love it here. Â The problem is that it is iffy at best. Â
1. Who ever is on the cash register is usually slow and clueless: 'Did you say croissant? Â Uh - yah, man (for the 3rd time)'. Â
2. The barristas are questionable. Â I now know what barristas actually do have a clue. Â Most do not. Â And they seem to turn over fairly often. Â If you happen to hit a good time and land a barrista that knows what's up - you're in luck. Â If, not, your three dollars just went down the drain. Â
3. The set up is kind of weird. Â You walk in, order, and then have to slither past on-comers in a too-narrow-for-two lane. Â It's awkward. Â
4. The food is.....um...boring - the same old wraps and frittatas everyday, some pasta or whatever salads. Â And it all has that not-so-fresh look sitting in the glass casing all day.
I don't know. Â There is something still about Aroma that makes me keep trying it. Do I love it here for the location? Â The hipsters? Â Do I hate it for the case of nasty looking wraps and the annoying cashiers? Â I don't know. Â I guess I just want to love it here.
The upside? Â They do have some of my favorite beers here. Â And a decent wine selection. Â Italian reds and La Fin Du Monde. Â I'll take that at a coffee shop any day. Â And last time I was in grabbing a coffee, I noticed that they got a few taps. Â Now that IS COOL. Â Maybe I do love it here.
I love Caffe Aroma. Â I love the location and I love the people. Â They have delicious vegetarian frittatas in the morning, too.
I always get the same thing here, drink wise, and depending on who is working it always tastes different. Â I wish there was a better way to have consistency with the syrups (some of them free pour like the world is going to end!) but I almost always get a decently pulled shot.
Oh! And they have, hands down, the best cappuccino's. Â Foam = love.
Whether I'm unwinding after work or stopping by with my devilishly good- looking date (!) after wandering around the Albright Knox, Caffe Aroma can always provide a lovely atmosphere. Â Giant pitchers of water are always welcome on hot summer days, and the cappuccinos and Americanos, as well as iced coffees are always flavorful and nicely textured. Â Aroma has both indoor and outdoor seating with a view of Bidwell's grassy area. Â Service is always super-friendly.
Review Source:Okay, I'm taking a deep breath. Â I can still remember the first time I fell in love with this place. Â I was sitting there typing an email to some friends and all of the sudden I looked up and realized that there was a black & white film with subtitles playing on the flat screen on the wall, Sigur Ros playing overhead, and wonderful smells and smiles filling the place. Â I had never been sitting somewhere where so many wonderful things were happening at once.
The people who work there are always super friendly. Â There's always some kind of paninis and pizza that you can get. Â And you can get just about anything to drink from coffee to iced tea to a glass of wine. Â None of the coffee shops on Elmwood are cheap and this one is about the same as the others...
I really want this place to be better. It is so close to my house. It has excellent outdoor seating and it is right next to Talking Leaves bookstore. But every time I order food here it goes poorly.
My brother got a wrap that was so small I really thought they only gave him half. Other things we've gotten have been really dried out. I tried a cookie last time thinking they couldn't mess up a cookie --- I think it must have been old because it was stale and between 4 of us we couldn't bring ourselves to finish. So great place, decent coffee, but skip the food.
We visited Cafe Aroma and the adjacent Talking Leaves Bookstore twice, of which the last time was on a Sunday afternoon in early 9/03. Â The coffee was delicious (we got chocolate & peanut butter lattes the second time and they were *heavenly*!). Â The atmosphere was very pleasant and that's also our favorite neighborhood in Buffalo.
Review Source:I LOVE this place. I love coming here early in the afternoon or late in the morning to grab a cup of coffee or hot chocolate, use the WiFi and surf the web or get some work done. The staff is always pretty friendly and the outdoor seating is great. Grab a book from Talking Leaves and park yourself on the corner of Bidwell and Elmwood and chilllll out! They have a greaaaate Vegan pizza!
Review Source:One of the unusual things about this cafe is its liquor license. Â I've heard rumor that there used to be a bar there and the building owner required them to keep the license current. Â
Whatever the reason, the upshot is that you can get some nice coffee-liquor drinks.  Some nice evening, sip a caffè corretto on the patio and watch Elmwood drift by.
I have had some great sandwiches here. Â There are vegetarian options. Â I normally do not drink coffee or latte type stuff but I split a latte with someone and it was delicious. Â It is small inside and almost always crammed. Â They have outdoor seating and window spots for people watching. Â Really friendly place and prices are not outrageous.
Review Source:We stop here once a week or so for breakfast (bagels, scones, and muffins) on the way to work. Â The scones are the best in Buffalo (at least since the old Solid Grounds) and the coffee is excellent. Â It can be crowded and noisy in the mornings, but that's what happens with a place where the regulars really enjoy spending time.
Review Source:Cafe Aroma on Elmwood is the spin off of the one on Main street. This place rocks! Â It is connected to Talking Leaves Bookstore so you can grab a paper and head on in for some coffee or maybe a gourmet pizza slice. I had the luxury of trying one gourmet slice with no cheese, zucchini and eggplant - YUM!
Coffee is pretty damn delicious and they have a nice rule of no cell phone. Gotta love the rule. Â Plus, free wifi! Â Outdoor seating looks over Elmwood on the Talking Leaves side and Bidwell Park on the Cafe Aroma side.
Staff is nice too.
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