Great place to eat locally. Can feel a little like a school canteen but fast service. read more

I have had a really enjoyable time at Aroma. Having only had the buffet food it has always been warm, freshly topped up and very tasty. The range of food available caters for everyone there is even an incredible choice of desserts. Whilst I could only manage one plate of food, my boyfriend returned to top his plate up around 3 or 4 times and nobody complained. The price of the food is reasonable but the drinks are a bit expensive. I think you're paying for the choice more than anything but the price is clear when you enter the restaurant so you are not surprised when you sit down. Staff are happy and willing to let you stay as long as you feel like. I have never felt pressured to leave as you do in some restaurants. I will be returning to Aroma and taking the family!! read more

The food here is good and very reasonably priced. The buffet option is particularly impressive because for around £15 you can eat good quality chinese food in nice surroundings. It is usually very busy during the weekends but persevere with the queue because it moves quickly. The staff are friendly and do not pester you throughout your meal. They are quick to serve drinks and the pay as you exit strategy works very well. The food is kept hot and the buffet is topped up regularly with fresh food. It is next to a cinema, night clubs and bars and there is plenty of parking space available. Suitable for children, couples and big groups of people. read more

Always enjoy my visit to The Aroma on Festival Leisure Park. Usually go on a weekday lunch time for the all you can eat buffet for a fixed price. Excellent choice of starters, main meals and desserts. Staff very attentive and quick to clear away your plate, when you have finished with it!. Much better now the smoking ban has come in, as in the past smoke smell would drift across the dining area. Always busy but never had any trouble getting a table. Buffet's are ideal for fussy diners, as they get to choose exactly what they like. Plenty of free parking. read more

http://www.thearoma.co.uk Aroma Basildon is my favourite of the chain so far (having eaten at Braintree, Stevenage & Shepherd's Bush). It's an excellent value for money Eat as much as you like restaurant and although the seating is very "school canteen" the food more than makes up for it. We normally eat there just after opening (5:30pm) on a Saturday night and there's always a good selection of food on the buffet. The choices range from starters such as prawn toast & spring rolls to the usual takeaway mains of beer in black bean sauce, noodles & fried rice. The main reason for going though has to be the Peking Duck & Pancakes, it's worth the price for this alone! In addition to the standard takeaway style food there's also a range of deserts from cakes and fruit to jelly, ice cream & fritters! For me though the tepanyaki grill is the main reason to head to Aroma (apart from the fact that I can eat my own weight in duck!). Here you get to choose from a selection of raw ingredients and have them cooked for you by the tepanyaki chef. The choice normally includes chicken, salmon, king prawns, beef, mushrooms, peppers, courgette and noodles. It's great if you're watching your weight or are a fussier eater because you know exactly what's gone into the dish and you can choose to eat as much or as little as you want to. All in all excellent food and excellent value for money. Dinner for 2 with 2 large bottles of sparkling water cost £32! read more

I went here on my first date with my husband so may be I am somewhat biased but this is such a fantastic chinese restaurant. It is a buffet style restaurant nd costs only about £12 per head. There is such a great selection of foods including all your favorite chinese dishes. The foo is always new and fresh and it is never low. The drinks are cheap and the staffare friendly. It is a huge restaurant so you can always get a table. They also offer a lunch time buffet which is about half the price. They have a tepanyake where you can choose your food and watch it being cooked which is a really great advantage. I would really recommend this to anybody. read more

this place offers everything you would expect from a chinese restraurant. It has the option of taking the buffet for those who are on a budget and also provides a menued option for those who know what they want. The food is usually always good and the service usually matches. all of this is in the middle of a family field leisure park with cinema and bowling alley included. all with plenty of free parking. All in all aroma sits well whether you are in a couple on a nice night out, with your family for some family fun, or with your friends just for a laugh. I would always recommend aroma as a starting point in the basildon area read more

I love eating at Aroma. The food is absolutely fantastic! It is the best chinese food in basildon, possibly essex. There is so much choice as well that you are bound to find something you like. It's a large restaurant so you can just walk in and normally sit down straight away, there is no need to book. The only time i have ever queued to get in was a saturday night around 7pm, however, we waited in a queue of 10 or so people for less than 5 minutes. There are four stands with around 12-14 dishes on each. One has the starters such as duck pancakes, prawn toast, prawn crackers, seaweed, satay chicken. Another has mains, rice, noodles, crispy beef, garlic chicken, muscles, prawns etc. Another is dedicated to desert, chocolate gateaux, strawberry gateaux, orange slices, strawberries, ice cream, jelly. And the last has raw food to be cooked at the Tepanyaki. Prawns, lamb, beef, salmon, squid and a variety of veg cougettes, peppers, beansprouts. etc, then this is all cooked in front of you by the Tepanyaki chef. How much freshly cooked can you get? The school canteen style seating layout is a bit dodgy but helps to create an informal, fun, lively, chatty and friendly atmosphere, kids are welcome, its a real family restaurant, with fabulous food. Hmmm, i'm hungry just thinking about it! The prices? I went on Saturday night and paid £13.80 for dinner (all you can eat buffet) and £11 for a bottle of house red which was also very nice. Bargain. read more

Aroma chinese buffet is located in the Festival Leisure Park in Basildon next to the cinema - so ideal for a pre or post film meal. The service is excellent in here - there are loads of waiting staff. The buffet is well laid out and the selection is absolutely amazing, starters, mains, sides, desserts. There is also a teppenyaki counter where you can watch your food being cooked before your eyes. I think the price is reasonable for the selection of food you get and as usual with buffets, you can go up and help yourself as many times as you like - so an ideal place t go if you are feeling ravenous! read more

Cheap, cheerful and good atmosphere. Perfect to fill up before cinema

Much like Moza, great place to meet and have lunch if you're with friends, food is good, reasonably priced, haven't been in a while, I miss it. read more

Aroma is a bargain place to eat chinese food. We usually go there for our annual christmas staff outing and is popular with everyone as there is great service there. read more

Easily the best Chinese restaurant ever! It covers all possible Chinese dishes you could thnk of and includes a range of cultural drinks too as well as English food and drink. The price is great and the lunchtime buffet is the best feature. Unlimited to help yourself at the buffet which is constantly being refilled with hot fresh delicious food. Food 100% desserts 100% drinks 100% service is friendly and there is a bus happy environment. I would definitely recommend the aroma to anybody. It's great for family meals, couples dinner dates and birthday parties. read more

fun restaurant and reasonably cheap, not the best food in the world but good value

clean, cheap value for money have fussy teenage daughter she loved the food able to try all sorts without it costing me a fortune she discovered many chinese dishes thought wouldnt like. friendly atmosphere read more