Though we have lived in the area for 20+ years and Arooji's has been around most of that time, we had never been in...until last evening. We have missed out! Between the impeccable service and the flavorful food offerings and the delightful atmosphere, Arooji's has impressed. In addition, they have a fine wine menu. The table placement allows for private conversation, some places are so crowded. My only very minor complaint is that the decor looks a little tired. I strongly recommend a visit to Arooji's. read more

I recently went to a Arooji's with a friend of mine and lovvvved it. Joel made me a fantastic drink at the bar and after our pastas the chef came to ask our meal was -- what a sweetheart! I had the Lobster ravioli and the server recommended adding shrimp -- to die for, seriously. He also told me to try the Gavi (Italian white wine I guess?) and it absolutely brought everything together. My friend Kate had the Bolognese (I did sneak a bite or two). Seriously -- just order this and a glass of red wine -- you will be blown away. -M read more

Aroojis Wine Room - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Aroojis Wine Room is absolutely delicious with wonderful service. We especially liked the rigatoni bolognese and the risotto with shrimp. The ambience is lovely and of course the wine is delicious. A hidden gem in Charlotte. read more

Aroojis Wine Room - Risotto with Shrimp - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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Burned food and bad service! The server took our order, and then we never saw him again. The host brought our entrees, which took over an hour to arrive. I said the crab cakes looked burned and host with a big smile "yes, we deep fry 'em and then bake 'em." Um, what? We flagged him down and pointed out the charred black food. He took it away and promised another. Smiley returned and, for our trouble, offered a free dessert that he clearly expected all three of us to share. My other 2 visits were just "meh." This one took the cake. I'm done! read more

Delicious food and the service is fantastic! We we a large party as wall in's and they did great accommodating us!

Rudest service I have ever encountered, took me aback and being new to food allergies, I did nothing while the manager yelled at me. I had called ahead and asked if I could bring my own pasta so, I could enjoy their sauce. Everything was very nice, my husband and I were enjoying a table outside, some wine, a nice salads. Then the manager came out with my meal and told me NEVER to do that again and chastised like a me like a child. I just sat there and felt like crying, I didn't say a thing back and I regret it now. I never told him I called and asked before if I could bring my own pasta, and that they could charge me the full amount for my dish. I just wanted to enjoy the evening. Everyone has an off night,even though In the public eye you should suck it up for paying customers. The way you treat people says a lot about you. read more

I won't come back. Rigid policies with Groupon. By coincidence friends came to the Restsurant at the same time. They would not honor our Groupon even if we sat at separate tables. I do NOT recommend this Restsurant to anyone who uses Groupons. read more

I have been to Arooji's once previously for wine and appetizers. So, on Friday night, we spontaneously decided to stop back in to enjoy a bottle of wine (or three as it turns out) with some friends after dinner. The weather was nice and we opted to sit outside. There were serveral other tables of guests outdoors and the ambiance was relaxed and welcoming. They have a great wine list! read more

Laughed at Jordon O.'s comments- SUCK ON A SPOON review. His comment was the pasta tasted like metal. I actually agree. After the Penne a la Vodka, that metal taste was awfully strong! Listen to Jordon. He is spot on! read more

SUCK ON A SPOON! My wife and i were in the mood for some italian but didn't really feel like going out so we decided to order some to go. I ordered the chicken Alfredo and my wife ordered the lobster ravioli. What a disappointment. the portions were tiny. My pasta tasted like metal. It was like sucking on a stainless steel spoon. Their to go containers are those cheap aluminum containers and i guess it reacted to their food but i had a few bites and threw the rest away. My wife's ravioli didn't have as bad of a metallic taste but she said the ravioli tasted as if it had freezer burn. Can't say much about the inside and maybe its just their to go service that stinks but with all the options we have in Clt. It might be a pretty long time before i give them another shot. read more

I would give 3 1/2 if that was an option.... Ok, this place has all the right elements. It has all the potential in the world! It is dimly lit, rustic/old-world decor, intimate, live music, extensive wine list, neighborhood gem, etc. It sounds perfect, right? Well, all of those things are the pluses. But I am not only looking for the atmosphere...I am all about the food..... I would say the food was OK. It wasn't amazing and it wasn't puke-worthy. The bread was fresh and had crunchy crust, which is always a good thing in my book. I loved the canneneli bean dip they serve as well. It was very tasty. I ordered the pasta fagiole and a salad, the rest of my dining partners ordered chicken parm. My salad and soup were just okay. The soup could have easily been out of a can but it wasn't bad. The chicken parm was okay as well. The pasta it is served with is very light on sauce and the little that was on there tasted like chef boyardee. I wanted a past a dish but I honestly didn't see one on the menu that looked worth the $20 they were charging. I mean, even the Penne Vodka was $16. I was told it was very salty so I didn't risk it. All the other pasta dishes had too much going on...shrimp and sausage and mussels, etc. I just wanted a good old fashioned pasta dish or even one that was served with marinara but that was nowhere to be found. We didn't try the desserts but they looked good! However, we were told by our waitress that the canoli cream was not made in-house. I am doubting that very much was made in-house. Overall, it was just an okay evening. The service wasn't spectacular, the food was mediocre and the prices don't seem necessary. However, the gentleman singing and playing the guitar was awesome. His voice was soothing and he was extremely talented. IF I came back it wouldn't be for dinner. Maybe some wine and appetizers while soaking in the tunes of what sounded like James Taylor! :) read more

My wife and I have been to this restaurant a number of times over the years. Our meal tonight was the worst dining experience we have had in a long time, and it wasn't all because of the food. Our server, a blonde in the cocktail area, was oppressively attentive. We were looking forward to a relaxing meal, but it seemed like she came by every couple of minutes or so. It got to be so irritating that we couldn't wait to escape. It was doubly annoying because I have some issues with my voice right now and have to write things down on a sheet of paper and she was STILL asking both of us how things were going every 3 or 4 minutes. She asked my wife if she wanted a to-go box while were both still eating. I haven't left anyone a 10% tip in many years. I am sure she is a nice girl, but she needs to learn how to read tables a lot better. We made it quite clear with our body language and my wife's one word responses to her questions, that we really wanted to be left alone. Do her a favor and teach her the right way to do things. And when you only have two specials, she should try to memorize them rather than read them off a piece of paper. One more thing: I ordered the spaghetti gamberi, which is described on your menu as being sauced with garlic and olive oil. What you served was essentially a thin sauce of crushed cherry tomatoes. I didn't notice any olive oil. I pointed this out, but she basically told me that it was correctly done. I didn't feel like arguing. read more

Dinner: Terrible service and even worse food. Cold and obviously microwaved. Would not recommend. Lunch: Totally different atmosphere. Salads are good and service is fast. read more

Beautiful decor and delicious food, dirty bathrooms. When we arrived there was only one other table in the restaurant. We let them know we had reservations and they put us right next to the other party. Conversations at both tables could be clearly heard. We should have asked for another table. Our waiter took our drink and dinner order and brought bread. We asked three different employees for more olive oil before someone brought it over . The four dinner orders were delicious but our server didn't return We he did come back we declined dessert and he brought over one check. We asked for separate checks and he said he would just split the bill between the credit cards. We said no, we would like to have our own bills. He was able to accommodate us then once again didn't come back to get the credit cards. I got up to use the bathroom and told another employee that we'd like to pay our bill. We wound up being here for 2 hours. This was my first time here and I probably won't come back. read more

Awesome place! Great food and service! The chef is super nice and accommodating! I am an Italian from NY and really appreciate this restaurant! read more

I was going to give a 2.3/3 based on appetizers alone. Excellent wine, but otherwise.... First off let me say that I came in on a Sunday evening. The place was place fairly empty, but the waiter was not very attentive. The calamari was good very good. I had the fish they called branzino. Now I've had branzino and chilean sea bass many many times before they were calling the sea bass branzino. It was just OK. I've had much fresher, such as at Upstream and many other places in NY. My wife had the salmon: it was very mediocre at best. Definitely was not fresh. We were not impressed and will not go back. I'm glad we used a groupon to defray this overpriced dinner. read more

I have been here twice. First time the service was excellent. I got the lasagna and it was delicious. Second time it wasn't that great of a experience. We waited forever to be seated. They were seating inside and outside so the staff was going in and out of the doors and not one person told us they would be right with us. Finally someone came and walked us to a table. The bread is good with the bean dip. I got a pasta with steak. Steak was tender but very small. Sauce was flavorful. My fiancé got the salmon dish and thought it was good. Server was nice but you can tell he was overwhelmed. read more

The GM, Joel Robbins, and his team do a great job with their food. The Sambuce with the special marinara sauce is very good. The lobster stuffed ravioli is also a winning dish. Our server, Angel, explained everything clearly to us and was quite attentive. We'll be back. read more

This is a great place. We have always had great service and great food. The atmosphere is great for a date or a low key dinner. Would highly recommend. read more

Very nice food and wine. I had sea bass and my husband had grilled lamb - both were perfect. Try crab and spinach dip, too! No kids menu, but you can order any half-meal or even a custom meal, which we did - our son enjoyed pizza made just according to his taste. Service was very good, Thanks Jeffrey :) read more

I think this restaurant is suffering. We walked in at 3:30 for a late lunch and were told lunch was over and an incredibly expensive menu of dinner items ($23 for most) was placed down. The exterior has large pics like you would see visiting Greece of food and sandwiches. I guess we missed the lunch cut off. Had stuffed mushrooms that were not as tasty as premade ones at Harris Teeter. My husband has the capeese salad with tuna salad, just basic for $15. I had ceaser salad with chicken for $16. No flavor on chicken which was over cooked and no flavor of any dressing. I had a glass of Maria Sauvignon blanc for $12 which typically is $7 around Charlotte. The owner needs to go eat and see prices at Illiois Noche. Plus the dust on the fake bamboo and chairs is gross. Maybe they can figure it out but I would not go back! read more

Placed a group order, and everyone agreed to not order from here again. The Penne alla Vodka smelled like those brown liquid on the streets in NY. Highlight of our order was salmon salad coming with only three pieces of greens. "She says just salmon" was what was written on the take-out container. Who's she? My manager asked. Who's she? I said. On the bright side, we got 24 pieces of bread for the six of us, so if you'd like a bunch of bread rolls, order from here. read more

The WORST FUCKING PLACE EVER. PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU GO IT WILL SAVE YOU MONEY AND TIME: When we first came in it seemed nice until it wasn't. The waiter was very sexist and made inappropriate jokes all night. The table of 7 that I was with was extremely uncomfortable. When I got my food, I was unsatisfied because it tasted like nothing. I added salt and cheese and it still tasted like nothing. I fed it to my friends for feedback and they agreed as well that it was awful. I politely wait to the waiter and tell him I was unsatisfied with my food.. he then proceeds to blame me for disliking it and starts asking everyone and my table if they enjoyed their food to justify why I possibly couldn't dislike him. He rudely asked me for what I wanted and at that point, I didn't even want to eat there anyone so I told him to take it back and eject it. He had a rude attitude all night after that. I read some reviews at the table and saw that this was a very common problem where workers get angry or offended when customers are not satisfied with their food. After leaving, I felt sharp pains in my stomach, as did two of my other friends. When I returned home the pain was so unbearable I tried to sleep it off, only to wake up at midnight from awful pains. From 12am-11pm, I was using the restroom. When I finally fell asleep I woke up and started throwing up. I call my friends and they have been having the same symptoms as well. I still have pains right now as I type, my body is so weak but I am fueled by anger right now. I call the restaurant and the manager essentially blames ME or my sickness and tries to downplay it!!!! They're more worried about their reputation than customer service. The food is absolutely gross and not worth the price at all. The wine bottles are over priced as well, when you go just look up the wine bottle you'd be interested in and you'll see that it is SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper at alcohol stores. WORST PLACE EVER. Charlotte has so many great Italian restaurants this one is not worth it, unless you like unseasoned pasta and mediocre customer service. read more

Arooji is an Italian maestro who was very attentive to our group! We had so many items off the menu and none of it was anything less than fantastic! Great family-owned hole in the wall! read more

I lied. Arooji's is not really a 5-star restaurant, but it has something no other Charlotte restaurant has: the most romantic restaurant of all. Arooji's is a grotto, a cave for lovers. But it needs help. It needs to be saved, and it's going to take a massive community effort to get the word out. This is a place for lovers who seek a quiet intimate place to dine. You enter a cave or grotto: dark, softly lit with quiet glowing colors, private booth seating or tables for two - even a private dining room. The bar is small and initimate. The music is soft Italian love songs. Arooji needs to dedicate this restaurant to lovers seeking a quiet intimate night of long, slow, fine dining and quiet conversation spoken in hushed tones. Loud guffawing Americans need to be limited to take-out! But you need to bear with me. The food and service need some work. Service is confused - forgetful, disorganized, but pleasant and well-meaning. It's as if the owner isn't present. The menu is great - in fact, I'm not sure how it can afford the vast array of choices. The problem is the food is just OK. I asked for al dente pasta. My server said it's "...close to al dente." I knew what that meant, and I was right. We who crave a small quiet romantic Italian grotto with reasonably priced fine wine need to flock to Arooji's and save it from extinction. I pray you're as starved for that small, local, private Italian corner restaurant as I, and am willing to go back and back again hoping to let the staff know we're there to support the restaurant if each time we visit, we see improvement in quality and service. Arooji's is a worthwhile venture. We need to invest in it. Join me in shunning the plethora of corporate chains sucking the life blood from our community and teaching the next generation how to be loud and over-pay for mediocre food and diner service. Please post your agreement, and pitch in to save Arooji's for ourselves. read more

I went there today for lunch with my daughter. It's always empty when we go by which should have been a red flag. It was empty as usual except for one man at the bar. Shortly after being seated I looked over and saw one of the employees (I later found out it was the owner!) sitting with his legs propped up on a chair with his shoes off! Is that even ok in a restaurant? After the food came he got up, walked over to our table and told us we were being rude and loud on our cell phones. I should mention that we weren't on our cell phones. I tried to explain that to him but he started shouting that we needed to "respect the privacy of the other customers". Again, there was only 1 other customer and It's unlikely he went to a bar for "privacy". I discontinued trying to reason with him because he was either drunk or is mentally unstable. Do not go to this restaurant. The owner is unstable and there are just too many other wonderful restaurants in Charlotte that actually want your business. read more

Walked into a romantically lit and intimate space with relaxing jazz music playing after my dad chose this place from Groupon and got really excited for the evening to come. The walls are covered in wooden wine racks, but the ceiling is open and industrial. It's a comforting modern and rustic mash-up. I opened up Yelp to see what entrees are recommended and was so disappointed by the negative reviews I read, especially for the medium-high prices I saw on the menu. Oh well, Groupon already purchased so no walking out now! Maybe they heard me whispering about the reviews with my mom or maybe they've recently stepped up their game but the dining experience was very pleasant. The complementary bread was warm and the bean dip a unique twist to the usual olive oil and balsamic. I got a Cesar salad and the meatball soup and my mom ordered the crab cakes. Dad got salmon. Everyone was happy with their choices, but in my opinion every dish was noticeably acidic in a way that surprised me, but didn't totally turn me off to the point of dislike--especially the lemon salmon glaze. The service was excellent and attentive. They even shook all our hands on the way out. read more

My husband and I don't live close enough to Arooji's to go as often as we like but we jump at every opportunity we can to visit Arooji's. We are always greeted so warmly, as if we were family. The wine list is very expansive and there is always a great recommendation by the bartender- no matter the mood we're in there is a wine for that. The food is nothing short of amazing. We even threw our engagement party in their restaurant. The owners and staff worked with my fiancé at the time to develop a menu and wine pairings- my guests still talk about it to this day. The service was impeccable- never an empty drink and the personalized menu made us feel so special. I wish we lived closer!! read more

My wife, daughter, her boyfriend and I went there last night to celebrate daughter's 23rd birthday. We ordered several things from the menu. I ordered Filetto Alla Pompei and have to say without hesitation that every single thing we ordered including appetizers and sides was absolutely perfect. The manager, owner's Son and our server Ray took wonderful care of us and we couldn't have been happier. Will definitely put this place on our favorites list. read more

Have been going to Aroojis for years they have a great selection of wine to choose from and the food is always fabulous.. they also have great lunch special! read more

Not a good experience. I took my mother and husband there for his birthday lunch. I was not greeted very well by the owner. It was like we were a bother. We were the only customers there at 2pm I requested seating in the wine room. It was all set up but told NO it was not set up and we could not sit there. I said please it is special occasion to some guy with an attitude again the answer was NO. I was planning on bringing a group of 10 back for a holiday dinner an sit in that room....not now...not EVER. The bread came yuk. frozen processed rolls. I can get better from the freezer at Cosco. I asked for some olive oil and balsamic vinegar to dip it in. They said NOo they only do that at dinner. Wow, it was a birthday lunch.. a little olive oil and vinegar would not break the bank. Instead we got pre-wrapped ice cold butter pats for the crappy roles. Right then and there we should have left. If we did not have my elderly mother with us, we would have. The food was a disappointment. Our mushroom ravioli was cold, the sauce was thin and tasteless, the ravioli was the frozen kind it was gummy and (once again) I could have gotten better at Cosco. The iced tea tasted like the instant kind (Nestea). My husband's spaghetti and meatballs looked like a child portion and the sauce was bitter. I did not complain, we were all very hungry, we had another appointment to go to after lunch, so we choked it down. There was another location in SouthPark that went out of business. I can see why. This was a waste of hard earned money and a very disappointing birthday lunch for my husband. I can't understand how they get away with this...maybe the people living in that area never tasted good Italian food? Lest not forget Ajoojis loves the word NO. So in the spirit of Aroojis..... will we return? NO...will I take my staff there for our holiday dinner? NO. Is the food delicious? NO. Are they accommodating? NO read more

Each time I have taken someone to this cute little place they have always been surprised that such a nice restaurant and such great food are located here. The wine selection is top notch, the service is always personable, and the food has always brought me back for more. read more

This was a great experience for the family. Food, service and atmosphere was top notch. Would highly recommend. We will be back, for a date night. read more

Cozy alfresco dining, excellent service, extensive wine list, great appetizers and meal selections

4 of us went to Arooji's in The Promenade on Friday night. We've been here 4 times since they opened and had only 1 good experience, which was the previous time we went. I doubt we will go again. Though I have heard that their South Park location is better. Most of their food is good. We ordered the crab dip which my husband thought tasted fishy. I thought it was good but a little too thick and creamy. A lighter crab dip would be better, where you could tast the crab more than what it was mixed with. I ordered the lobster ravioli, which I thought was very good and had a nice size portion. More ravioli than I have gotten elsewhere. My huband ordered the veal saltimboca. When he asked for pasta instead of the mashed potatoes, the waiter told him it's a $4 substitution charge. ($4! Is the pasta made of gold?) We also found out that the SouthPark location doesn't charge for the substitution. My husband wasn't impressed with the dish. Too much cheese. Our friend ordered a chicken dish which was very good. So, you want to know why I gave it a two...they had their special select wine list in which we ordered a Malbec . After we were half way through the wine and not impressed with it..we realized that the year was not the same as on the list. It was 2 years younger. We ordered another bottle of wine from the list and that too was not the same year as listed on their list. This just screams to me that they really don't care about the quality of their service or how they present themselves to the diner. We've had a problem with this before. Unfortunately, it's not just good food that keeps people coming back..it's great and courteous service. I really feel that the arrogance comes from the upper management and not the servers because they have always been very good. If I am going to spend my hard earned income than I want to go to a place that I feel appreciated and at this location I don't. So, get a new attitiude Arooji's (and it better not be fake)! I really am surprised this location has lasted so long. After I posted this, someone asked me why did I go after the 2 bad times..this does need some explaining. After the first bad experince, I wrote to the management and they sent me a gift card, that led me to go there the second time. Then a friend gave me a gift card which led me there for the 3rd time. Remember I like the food just not the attitiude. So, this 4th time was the Illios Noches was too crowded to wait.. and it was close. read more

Excellent dinner and ambiance!! Not to mention fantastic wine list! We enjoyed a great bottle of wine and dinner was amazing! read more

Aroojis Wine Room - Italian Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Great menu, quaint atmosphere . We had appetizers and a bottle of wine Calamari , caprese salad and crab cakes very good. Great service .... will come back read more

Great food and wine selection. Wait staff very heplful.

I used to love this place but when I was there the other day, I had a glass of Chardonnay. I drank about half and noticed a fruit fly in the wine. Really gross. We told the bartender and he offered another glass, which I declined. I was kind of turned off wine at that point. He had the nerve to charge us for the glass of wine with the fruit fly in it!! Unbelievable. I will never go back. read more

My husband and I went here this evening for date night we saw it was a new restaurant and thought we'd give it a shot. VERY BIG MISTAKE!! our food came out Luke warm even though they said it was cooked to order. I had pasta with broccoli and steak. The broccoli came out raw in my pasta, so I asked waitress if I could get some that was cooked. She was very nice and said it would be abound five minutes. So when she brings out new broccoli I can't believe that this is also raw. My husband and I left hungry and then went to portifinos which is where we should have gone to begin with. Stay away from this place. read more