As a neighborhooder, I expected my first visit to Aroma to live up to the good press and recommendations by friends. However, I was slightly disappointed. Though the atmosphere is top notch and the food is above par (Pappardalle Piemonte was excellent), the service is a glaring weakness. We waited too long for every stage of our meal. In a small party (two, in this case), forgetting a drink order is an egregious mistake. Forgetting two is fatal. Worth another shot, but starting a few steps behind next time. read more

Atmosphere: The sophisticated interior and sizable bar are nice, but the patio seating is the best by far. Not as private outside as some other local options as you sit right next to the sidewalk, but the neighborhood is nice so the difference is minimal. Service: This is always dependent upon who you have, but our waiter was one of the best I have ever had. Knowledgeable, personable, and made excellent recommendations. The hostess also did an excellent job of communicating when our table would be available. Food: Simply put, outstanding. They have an incredible selection of charcuterie and cheeses. We ordered the Fritto Misto as well and were not disappointed. For dinner, the lobster raviolis, which I am often hesitant to order, were excellent. The sauce was perfect and there was no shortage of lobster. My girlfriend had the beet salad with grilled chicken. It was solid and delicious but not a unique or must-have dish. Dessert was exceptional as their pastry chef made amazing cheesecake bites. The same chef works at Cafe Aroma as well which is up the street on Elmwood Ave, and I would recommend visiting there as well just to get some more of her sweets! read more

I met a group here for brunch and it was good, not great. The waiter didn't tell me about the coffee and pastry table, luckily someone else in the group knew about it and let me know. On the plus side, there's a serve yourself coffee and pastry table! I got a breakfast flatbread. The bread was chewy and delicious. The filling was ok, but they forgot the cheese so it was a bit dry. We got a pitcher of mimosas for the table and the other breakfast drinks looked tasty. I liked that it was busy but not overly crowded. We could hear each other and didn't feel rushed. read more

I have eaten here many times. For brunch, for dinner, for restaurant week. Every time I go, I am not disappointed. Great wine selections, typically good beer selections and a good wait staff. Their brunch is one of the best in all of Buffalo in my opinion. Always great specials to choose from, but the constant pasta and meat dishes are top notch. My only complaint about this place is when I go there just for drinks, they just seem extremely too expensive. The mixed drinks come in tiny glasses for around 5$, so I come here for dinner but no longer for social drinks. read more

Never disappointed with Aroma's brunch. I've been here a handful of times for brunch, never for dinner so please do take that into consideration with this review. Let's start off with the Bloody Mary list. It's not crazy long, and they don't contain any "super" crazy ingredients, but they kick ass when it comes to tomato juice and vodka. I've had them all, and the Buffalo bloody is definitely my favorite, made with Frank's and Gorgonzola (a nice alternative to your standard blue cheese). They also have some nice drinks made with Prosecco however I'm just more of a spicy drink kinda girl for brunching. All of the menu items here are wonderful. They have baskets of fresh muffins and pastries you can grab for the table, along with coffee, tea & juice. The mini cannoli are not only cute, but very decadent. Most recently my mom and I were here for Mother's Day and we both ordered the steak and eggs. The steak was topped with this delicious herbed-butter and my meat was cooked perfectly. I also strongly suggest a side of either a fresh biscuit or the grilled focaccia toast. If you haven't been here for brunch - GO! It's a tad bit on the pricey side, but as I always say, you get what you pay for. read more

Comfortable atmosphere. Walked in and we were immediately greeted by Eric, our server. He was friendly and personable, but also super professional. Eric had an extensive knowledge of the food as well as wines. He was so pleasant and helpful. As for our food... The Caesar was delicious... Old school equipped with anchovies. The arancini was the single tastiest thing I have ever eaten. It was crispy on the outside, creamy and flavorful on the inside. Our entrees were perfect portion sizes and wonderful as well. We ordered deserts which were tasty and balanced, paired with dessert wines by Eric and the perfect end to our dinner. Food came out quickly, but not overlapping the previous courses, dishes and silverware promptly removed and water glasses filled. Best dinner in along time. Too bad I forgot my leftovers... doh !!!! read more

I was pretty turned off by the service at Aroma, which felt pushy to me. That is my single biggest issue with the restaurant. The food is good, but felt over priced for what we got - I wanted a lot more flavor from the bucatini dish I got. The arancini was delicious - if I came back, I would come back just for wine and appetizers. read more

There's a reason why Trattoria Aroma is busy even on a Tuesday night. I had the duck pizza with gorganzola and pear and it was delicious. Salty duck, pungent cheese, fresh pear - you can't really go wrong with this flavor combo. There was a good portion of duck confit, and it was nice and tender. The toppings were homogeneously sprinkled across the crust so each bite was complete in flavor. The crust was a 12-inch crispy thin crust - not the best I've ever had but still good. And then there's my friend's roasted rack of lamb, one of the daily specials. Even lamb haters could enjoy this dish, since it was not particularly gamey and so incredibly tender. This dish blew me away. And the portion size was quite hefty! There was something like 8 lamb chops on the plate. While the food was excellent, the cocktails were less than stellar. I first ordered a scotch based drink with grenadine and sweet vermouth, and I kid you not, it tasted like cough syrup! It was suspiciously pink, you could not taste the scotch or peat at all, and was frankly the worst cocktail I've had in the last 5 years. I sent it back and re-ordered the house Manhattan, which was surprisingly not sweet and mostly just rye with a little bit of sweet vermouth and bitters served on a large rock. Not exactly a well-balanced cocktail, but maybe the bartender took the hint and gave me a nice big pour or rye. Haha, I'll take it! Bottom line? I don't recommend the specialty cocktails here (maybe stick with wine and beer?), but you absolutely must go for the food!! read more

I think I ordered the wrong dish, and came on an off-day, or my expectations were just too high. After reading all of the rave reviews, and also hearing them from several friends of mine, I was surprised at how 'meh' my first dinner experience here was. Even for a busy night, the service was slow. Long periods of time passed between each visit from the waiter (who was a plenty nice guy), and dinner took about 50 minutes after our appetizers to arrive. The waiter never even came back to ask if we wanted another round of beverages. The 'Spaghetti E Pollo' wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. It had about as much flavor as an Olive Garden dish, or something I made at home with minimal effort. The sauce, described as creamy on the menu, was water. Not watery; water. Overall, the dish lacked flavor. Having said that, I tried bites of the rest of the party's dishes, and they were pretty great. So maybe I got the short end of the stick. The gelato was awesome, but credit for that goes to Sweet Melodies, not Aroma. The atmosphere is great...that's essentially where my 2 stars are going. I'll be back to give it another shot, based on everyone else's feedback. But for now, Aroma, I raise my eyebrow at thee. read more

Trattoria Aroma - The Great, the Good, and the Bad What was great: 1. The Entrée - Entrée Homemade pasta zucchini, squash, mussels, shrimp in a lemon cream sauce 2. The outdoor patio - Great on a nice summer day What was good: 1. The dessert - Chocolate Gelato with fresh espresso poured on top with whip cream The Bad: 1. Service - The resturant was understaffed, this isn't the servers fault but rather management 2. Appetizers - Two scallops that were ridiculously small for the price ($12) In all I would be back for sure because the star was the entree. I will avoid the appetizers like the plague and hope for better service. 3.5 out of 5 but I will round up because I would go back again read more

The best place in downtown Buffalo for hearty and well-prepared Italian dishes. Excellent wine list and fun ambiance, suitable as much for a date as for a business meeting. The parking lot is handy. Tried Osteria 166, which is fine, but I prefer Aroma. read more

Brunch is a must here, being that it's my first time it sure will not be my last. Once I discover the unlimited bake goods and coffee I couldn't have asked for more. The coffee is good and the mini pastures were delicious. Overall the good is good. Call ahead and reserve if you're lucky enough to enough the beautiful summer morning out on their patio. Others the dinning room is good too. read more

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Went here for lunch with a group as part of an interview. Great atmosphere! Delicious food! Very attentive waiter! We started sampling different house salads and they were all really tasty and delicious (and I'm not a salad person). For the main dish I had the featured pasta of the day, which had pork. This was kind of spicy, but Nothing you can't handle. For dessert I had an awesome Chocolate! Yes!! All the deliciousness you are expecting just from reading the word CHOCOLATE!! Oh! And I must not forget the amazing cappuccino! Would definitely go again when i come back to Buffalo. read more

I was super excited about a Sunday afternoon/ late lunch date here after hearing good things from friends. There were probably 8-10 other customers at the bar with full drinks, and a group of 5 at a high top by the bar. No worries. We grabbed spots at the end of the bar; it took the 3 girls behind the bar over 10 minutes to greet us, offer us menus or anything to drink. One of the girls, (who obviously had some status- she had the key to the liquor room clipped to the top of her dress) for the entire 3 hours we were there, refused to make eye contact with us or acknowledge our presence, but would send another girl over to us if she noticed we were obviously in need of something. The other 2 girls spent most of their time drying glasses out of the dishwasher, looking at their phones, talking to their friends at the bar, ignoring customers and letting food sit waiting to be delivered to customers. In order to place our food order, we had to stack our menus on top of a napkin holder to get their attention.... this was after we had been looking at the menu for almost 30 min. A male server spent most of his shift hanging out around the staff entrance to the bar, chatting with the bartenders, watching videos on their cell phones and talking about how much fun the disco was the night before. The hostess was absent most of our visit, and several groups (small groups of 2-3 people) waited awkwardly at the hostess stand to be greeted. When she was at the hostess stand, she was on her cell phone, chatting with waitstaff, sharing photos and videos, again discussing the disco the night before. So- we order food. My bf orders the biscuits and gravy, I order the breakfast bowl. They are both advertised to come with broccolini. Asparagus comes instead. It comes in a reasonable amount of time from the time we order, but my eggs were cold. Also, this is probably my own perception of what a "bowl" looks like; I think an instagram worthy açaí berry bowl, or tuna poke with bright colors, or at least something that begs to be devoured. This was nothing like it. I can't believe I didn't take a picture. The eggs (cold) were a weird brownish grey color, obviously overcooked. It was difficult to distinguish some of the potatoes from the eggs, not exactly appetizing. The bf liked his biscuits and gravy, despite the fact it was a red gravy instead of a traditional white breakfast sausage gravy. One of the 3 bartenders left around 2, leaving the other 2 girls with 6 customers at the bar. This leaves key girl and other bartender. The key girl is still ignoring everyone, and the other bartender grabs her jacket to go have a cigarette before asking anyone seated at the bar if they need anything. We flag her down, and ask for our check. The people seated next to us do the same. She acts annoyed that she has to deal with us before her break (btw, the place closes in 30 min). She's outside smoking on the front steps with her friends when we leave. I'm a professional chef, and I've never seen an establishment with employees with such blatant unprofessionalism or lack of customer service. I actually don't think I've ever eaten somewhere where I've seen more than one employees cell phone. The entire experience was awkward and somewhat uncomfortable, and certainly not worth the almost $70 it cost for our 2 bloody Mary's, 1 beer, and 2 entrees. read more

Had to make a quick trip to Niagara Falls so I took my wife an has lunch here. Food was excellent and service was fantastic. Great in house made desserts as well. read more

Aroma On Bryant - Cannoli dessert. Yummy. Toasted pistachios and chocolate chips. - Italian Near Me - Buffalo, New York

First time for dinner with excellent service. We had the penne alla norma and tagliatelle. Both were excellent and great vegetarian options. Would absolutely recommend and can't wait to come back read more

Love this place. The bartenders are awesome. Great spirit, and tons of love.. I'm a regular and will continue to be one. One love

Great brunch and super reasonable price. The egg Benedict is so yummy!

My family took my very picky Mom here for Mother's Day dinner. It was a very good experience. Our waiter, who was an older gentleman, was patient and knowledgeable, answering all of my Dad's questions on the menu. We ordered an antipasti with the famous homemade goats cheese which certainly lived up to expectation. I ordered the mussels with a wonderfully cooked mushroom risotto (perfect al dente). My Mom was very impressed by the lamb she ordered. Overall, it was a wonderful experience and I would definitely go again. read more

I have to give 5 stars to my #1 brunch spot in Buffalo. I normally get the breakfast risotto with pancetta. It comes with an over easy egg in top and hits the sport every time. I enjoy the Italian 77 drink (gun and lemon juice). Also, the complimentary pastries and coffee/tea table is a nice touch. read more

Had Valentine's Day dinner on Monday evening. Brittany was our server, she was very attentive. I'm so thankful when I go to eat and you get someone really good, it makes the evening that much more enjoyable. The food was out of this world! Timing was appropriate. I ate off of the specials list and my boyfriend had the chianti braised short ribs and we shared the creme brûlée. The espresso and chocolate martini was outstanding! We will be back again! We will be recommending aroma! The atmosphere was really comfortable, modern with historic detail. Go there read more

Aroma On Bryant - Espresso/chocolate dessert martini. (Not the name but is in their cocktail menu) *So delish!* - Italian Near Me - Buffalo, New York

I dined at the Bryant street location this evening, it was a horrible experience. The waiter was rude, we were sat by the door to the patio (cold), and the food was terrible - between the 2 of us we had the salmon entree and the bolognese, it couldn't have been any worse if they tried. We were highly disappointed. The salmon was over done and salty and the sweet potato gnocchi was over done. The bolognese was dry, cold and flavorless. Needless to say after a $100 bill we will not be back and not recommend this restaurant. Sent from my iPhone read more

Consistently good! Get the penne aroma... best penne ala vodka you'll ever have...! White wine still could have been even colder, but that's just me. Frito misto could've been fresher and is helped with the addition of salt and fresh lemon. Great wine list. As always, love this place. Great staff, and consistently good... relaxed, casual, sophisticated, local, all good...! :-) read more

This place changed a lot since 2010, when we lived in Buffalo. It used to be our favorite restaurant. The lady who greeted us basically yelled at us for being late last night, not knowing we were traveling out of town and stuck in slow snow traffic. read more

I just had a drink at the bar. The older man was very nice but the young bartender was not very friendly at all. Would not return.

One of the best brunch places in Buffalo! Get the caprese biscuit. Tender flaky biscuit, egg done perfectly, and the most amazing pesto and arugula. Coupled with on point breakfast potatoes, yum! Their cocktail list is sure to suit any palate. Best of all--coffee, tea, and pastries are on the House! If you have a lighter appetite, you can pay $8 and just have the coffee, tea and pastries. read more

The pasta is very good. I do not recommend the pizza's. My party ordered a variety of pizzas for appetizers, and were were all very disappointed. The atmosphere is nice. We take special applicants for my company to this restaurant regularly and we haven't had a complaint yet. read more

My boyfriend and I don't get a chance for Sunday brunch too often, so coming here was sort of a big deal. We didn't call ahead for reservations. Initially they were going to seat us by the bar, but there were so many open tables they brought us to the dining room. We went about an hour after they opened. The waiter was great. He was attentive, kept our waters filled, and took our orders promptly. He let us know about the pastry and coffee table that was complimentary. It was an interesting set up. In order to have our coffees refilled, we had to walk to the other side of the restaurant. It felt intrusive to all the other parties having their meals. I honestly would have rather paid, but not a huge deal. The reason for the two stars was the food. It was surprisingly terrible! We both ordered the Aroma Benedict with grilled salmon. Thought grilled instead of smoked was kind of weird, but we went for it. Where to even start with this meal? First, the salmon we paid extra for, where was it? It was hidden within the egg, maybe 1.5 ounces of salmon? It was barely distinguishable. Next, the house made biscuit was extremely cold. On top was supposed to be a poached egg, but what it looked like was the original poach broke, so the cook attempted a second egg and that wasn't in its correct form either. There was about a tablespoon of hollandaise drizzled, not enough to distinguish if it was homemade or not. It came with a side of home fries, those were barely warm. The food didn't take long to come out, so I don't understand why it wasn't proper temperature. The home fries had no crunch, they were hard as if not cooked long enough. Point blank, the cook just did a lousy job. Maybe they're new, had a bad day, but the meals were just barely edible. I was kind of surprised the waiter didn't ask how everything was because both of our plates were pretty full when he took them away. It was definitely not worth the $40 bill and not sure if we would ever return. read more

Wound up here after striking out getting s reservation at many of the top rated restaurants in Buffalo. So glad it worked out this way! Good atmosphere, excellent service, outstanding food. read more

The best bread ever!!!! Love the glossary on the menu. The aesthetic is very clean and cozy.

Can't beat the 5-6 1/2 off special including beverages, salads, pizza, and pasta! Must try the salad and shrimp risotto! Our waiter, Terry, was also very attentive and gave us really great suggestions. Great environment in the bar and on the patio. Thanks!! read more

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You cannot beat this happy hour! And when they say happy hour they mean literally an hour. Certain dishes are half off if you sit in the bar area between 5-6. Servers are, understandably, a bit slow given the rush at this time, but it makes the food fit in my price range, which it wouldn't otherwise. Of all the dishes I've tried at multiple happy hours there the "vulcano" pizza is my favorite. It does have a kick, so watch out if you're not ready for that. All the pizzas are almost too big for their plates and definitely enough to be able to split or take half home, making it an even better deal. I had the bolognese last night and was not as fond of that as I had been other things - would have loved to add some parmesan on top, but it was still good quality, just a bit bland. Everyone else loved their dishes so I'm keeping this on a nice treat occasion list for when I happen to be in that area. I know, another Italian place - exactly what I need when I should be gluten free. :SMH: read more

After many visits, I've put Aroma in my Top 10 list of restaurants in the city. To break it down : Food - Creative and decadent with nice presentations. I've honestly never had anything I did not like. Pasta dishes are always full of flavor. I personally love the Rigatoni Aroma. I've also had the Pappardelle Piemonte which is also delicious. They get many of their ingredients from local purveyors which gets them points in my book, especially when this provides hormone-free and pesticide-free selections. The ever-changing specials menu usually provides something that will leave a lasting impression as well. The pizzas are decent but they are not the stars of their menu. They are thinly crusted with classic Italian toppings like tomatoes, onions and cheese. Aroma is also a great choice when it comes to brunch places in the city, and I'm not just saying that because they have an entire menu dedicated to Bloody Mary's and similar cocktails. Take note - alcohol is not served for brunch until Noon. Atmosphere - Great place to consider for a date night or any special occasion. The interior has a modern, trendy feel to it. The patio is spacious, however, due to the location, does not provide much of a view. Service - I have either lucked out or the servers deserve the credit, but I have never had a bad experience. Most of the staff is young and like any place you can run into your uneducated or pretentious personalities but for the most part everyone is very polite and accommodating. read more

Buffalo needs more restaurants like this! Take note Buffalo, seasonal, farm to table ingredients make all the difference in the world! Have only had dinner there once and it was amazing but ohhhhh their brunch is one of my favorites in the city. In addition to their changing seasonal menu, they always boast an amazing specials list, a great cocktail menu and even a pastries table that is complimentary with your brunch. The service is always great here and they are always attentive and accommodating to my gluten free diet, changing dishes whenever possible to make it safe for me. Best to have reservations for Sunday brunch, as it packs up quick, though we have gone before without a reservation and the wait wasn't too bad. read more

Had a great dinner and drinks at bar last night with friends. The food, staff and service was top notch

I have been here for brunch a couple times. Today I made reservations for 11, but the bar can't open until noon on Sundays so we ended up drinking coffee and having pastries for an hour before putting in our order. I had the breakfast bowl but substituted the bacon for chicken sausage and added banana peppers. It was good, but tasted like something I could make at home. Hubby had the burger with an egg on top. We did a pitcher of bloody marys. Nice brunch but not my top choice... read more

I had the beef ragu special, and my boyfriend had chicken parm, that wasn't so traditional. IT WAS DELICIOUS! My boyfriend is a picky eater, but he ate every last bite. I cant wait to go back! read more

My gf and I had dinner last night.. Great atmosphere, everyone from the bar tender, our waitress, and even the mgr surpassed our expectations. It was a really enjoyable experience and one I'd highly recommend. The aroma rigatoni is amazing as well as their signature cocktails. Once you visit you will be a customer for life. Highly recommended, the best dining in the elmwood village. read more

For any occasion, Trattoria Aroma truly is as good as it gets. I have spent many special occasions here within the past year, including my birthday lunch, Valentine's day dinner, and MANY brunches. Every area of this place is beautiful and vibrant-- even the bathrooms! The red walls in the dining room are striking and sophisticated, while the bar area shines as a warm, comfortable, polished watering hole. My girlfriends and I ventured out for "fancy dinner night" this past Saturday. Naturally, we decided that it was necessary to order cocktails while deciding on a bottle of wine to have with our meal. I tried the French Pear which is a blend of pear vodka, elderflower liqueur and prosecco. Delightful! We agreed that it would make a fabulous breakfast cocktail. Healthy mindset, right? Once we got the boozing portion of our dinner squared away, we each decided to order a pasta dish. I ordered the Spaghetti e Pollo, which is made with crumbled chicken sausage, lots of veggies, and romesco sauce. I opted to order it with pappardelle pasta rather than spaghetti. It was INCREDIBLE. I am not exaggerating when I say that it was the best pasta dish I have ever had. The veggies were cooked perfectly and the sausage was extremely flavorful. The best part, by far, were the big thick noodles. I couldn't help but eat the entire thing and my friends both did the same. We didn't have room for dessert, but we did have room for more cocktails! One of the perks of sitting down and eating at Trattoria Aroma is that you get 50% off drinks at the bar after your meal. We had no choice but to take advantage of this and continued to enjoy several rounds of drinks. Our evening there only got better when a live band started playing. Although my memory of the music itself is very fuzzy, I do remember that we all had a blast. If I hadn't of been so hungover on Sunday, I would have considered going back for brunch. Their brunch menu has everything from burgers to salads to eggs benedict, as well as bloody maries and mimosas. However, the highlight of the brunch is the generous complimentary spread of pastries, coffee and tea. Mmmm.... cannolis and croissants. read more

Review for BRUNCH only. I love brunch, and I love coming here for brunch! Love how you can get your own coffee and pastries. It is so pretty inside in the morning, it's a really bright atmosphere. You can even do the porch in nice weather. The eggs benedict and nutella french toast are tied for best brunch item. A traditional bloddy mary is also a must, but only if I'm not too hung over. Also a good idea to make reservations. read more