Say adios to Starbucks — there’s an outstanding alternative to expensive coffee and an underwhelming selection of food choices. Israeli-based Aroma Espresso Bar delivers customers premium brews and healthy, wholesome Mediterranean cuisine. With four New York locations (SoHo, Tribeca, Midtown East, UWS), Aroma caters to New Yorkers all over the city. Aroma changes their menu seasonally, and we had the opportunity to try out dishes from their new menu.
For a place known for their amazing coffee, it was sure surprising that the quality of their food was on point. They offer a good selection of salads and sandwiches, as well as some pastas, and pastries that are to die for. We started off trying two of their salads — Kale ($8.50), made with kale, cherry tomatoes, grilled portobello mushrooms, parmesan cheese and served with lemon olive oil dressing and the Warm Garbanzo ($8.50), made with garbanzo beans, hard-boiled egg, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, homemade garlic croutons, tahini sauce, parsley and served with a lemon olive oil dressing. If you are into kale (who isn’t these days), then you will really enjoy the kale salad. It is simple, but tasty. The warm garbanzo salad is a real winner — completely unique, refreshing for summer, and truly delicious.
Next, we tried some of their sandwiches. Their new California Chicken ($6.50) is sure to be a best-seller. Made with chicken, avocado, mozzarella cheese, lettuce, fried egg and Aroma sauce, this sandwich packs a punch. A surprise standout is the Halumi ($5.90), made with grilled halumi cheese, cream cheese, pickles, lettuce and tomatoes. Halumi cheese, which we had never even heard of before, is probably one of the best things ever to touch your taste buds. We highly recommend trying this sandwich if you’re looking for something a little different and full of flavor. And we all know that often the bread can make or break a sandwich, and Aroma’s bread does not disappoint.
The pastas are a new addition to the menu and we had a clear favorite, but others enjoying the menu tasting disagreed. We loved the Pasta Cream ($9.90), made with whole wheat pasta, seasoned cream sauce, parmesan cheese, green peas, roasted cherry tomatoes, portobello mushrooms and turkey bacon bites. It was creamy without being overly creamy, and the turkey bacon added a nice flavor to the pasta. While it was not our favorite, others loved the Pasta Tomato ($9.90), made with whole wheat pasta, tomato sauce, fresh basil, parmesan cheese, olives, chicken and shredded mozzarella. A great quality of these dishes is that they use healthy whole wheat pasta as opposed to regular, and use healthy and fresh ingredients.
Now if you’ve got a sweet tooth, then the pastries, which are baked fresh multiple times per day, cannot be missed. Seriously. A delightful savory pastry that will go well with your meal is the Bureka ($4.90), a Bulgarian pastry filled with your choice of feta cheese, potato, or spinach. If you’re asking us, we’d say go with the potato! But if you’re hankering some sugar, there are just too many wonderful options to choose from. You cannot steer clear of their Cookies ($2.70), whether it be chocolate chip with walnut or double chocolate, nor their Brownies ($2.70). But if you are looking to get your hands on something out of the ordinary, Aroma’s Halva Pastry ($2.90), Alfajor ($2.70) and Rugelach ($1.75) are really something. We’d be surprised if your mouth isn’t watering just from the photos.
So now that you are likely starving (and salivating), head to the location nearest you and try Aroma Espresso Bar for yourself!
