Stopped in for happy hour this past week. My friend and I loved the new look. The bartender Mike was very cordial and answered any questions we had. A very nice wine list and cocktail selection. The food was outstanding and cooked to perfection. The service was impeccable and prompt. We will be going back this week. We have found a new home. read more

The service was beyond excellent and décor awesome but the food was very bland, my dessert of an apple tart was tasteless and burnt. The lobster bisque had no hint of lobster in it at all nor had it been anywhere near a lobster and tasted like tomato soup. Braised short rib was dry and no seasoning. Very disappointed in the food. Won't be going back anytime soon. read more

Our server was Kelly and she was wonderfully friendly and attentive. Everything from the Arancini and Prosciutto Burrata appetizers to the Beet Salad and Risotto were absolutely fantastic! Thank you for a wonderful experience! read more

I attended a dinner with some family members and was served by Stephanie. She was wonderful, and catered to the 7 of us that evening. The menu had great choices which we all loved. The atmosphere was current and delightful And i'm looking forward to returning for another order of the short ribs but may go with a different dish so to enjoy another tasty meal. read more

This was our first visit to Aura and we were extremely happy with everything from the quality of the food to our outstanding server, Erin. I can't remember the last time we enjoyed a meal in a restaurant that was so memorable. Erin was a first class server...well versed on the menu, offering input and making sure that we had everything we needed at just the right time. We weren't rushed, but drinks and the different courses were presented with perfect timing. Five stars for Erin! The chef came out to our table to to check on our meals which was wonderful. The food was all prepared with fresh ingredients. The mussels were exceptional and the steak was perfectly prepared. Also noteworthy were the desserts. We shared the Key Lime Pie and a Signature Chocolate dessert. They were both absolutely delicious. We were celebrating a birthday and Erin served complimentary champagne to us with dessert. The restaurant was clean and the tables were spaced out. I liked the decor which used a modern mix of finishes and colors of gray and white, kept a little of an upscale feel but still made it comfortable and not too stuffy. We highly recommend Aura. It was not inexpensive but stands out as a restaurant for a special dinner. We will tell our friends and family and will definitely be back. Thank you so much for the wonderful evening we had there. Kim Milikowski read more

We got there on a Saturday night just after 5:30. The bar was pretty full and noisy which was nice. We had High Hopes. Our first choice was tuna tartare which was very good or did it with extra chips. The bartender was very friendly and knowledgeable. We then ordered pasta fazool and cioppino. Both of them lacked flavor. We were disappointed. If you happen to be gluten free they do not have any bread or pasta that you can eat. We were actually told "HE" is old-fashioned and will not have gluten-free in his restaurant. I think that any new and upcoming restaurant today needs to serve the public what they need to eat. We probably will not return. read more

Met my wife for dinner at cafe aura last night. Parking was confusing with restricted areas marked by signs and chained off areas. Parked in the back of the lot. Walked towards the restaurant and a gentleman asked if I was going to Cafe Aura and I said yes. He then proceeded to explain that I couldn't park in the rear parking lot and he had orders to have my car towed!! I wasn't sure if his threat was serious or not, it was raining and there was no parking on the street within a reasonable distance. I decided to leave and not take the chance. (Went to Shady Glen, no parking issues). I don't understand how parking logistics were not resolved before the restaurant opened?!? The restaurant is in Manchester not downtown Hartford, parking shouldn't be an issue. The menu looked good, interesting. I'll get there once the parking is resolved. read more

We went for our anniversary and several times they wished us a Happy Anniversary and gave us a champagne toast to celebrate. The food was fantastic and the service was phenomenal. We will definitely be back! read more

Loved the feel and the coziness of this place , food is delicious and the service is great

My friend and I ordered the calamari, pesto gnocchi, and linguini carbonara. The calamari had a perfect crisp and was perfectly seasoned -- I find a lot of places over salt or the squid is chewy, but I have to commend Cafe Aura on their calamari! The pasta dishes were also exactly what we were looking for: rich and creamy and soul comforting. The shrimp was a bit overcooked in the gnocchi but the gnocchi pillows and creamy pesto made up for it. Definitely will be coming back. read more

Waited to be able to dine in and use a gift card. Tuesday night special is appetizer, entree and desert for $35. We each had the special. Very relaxing and. Attentive service. Chef came out to chat and ask about our meals. Nice touch. Salads were fresh and tasty. Both of us had chicken parmigiana with side of fresh pasta. More than enough quality food. The mouse and tiramisu were very good. A good treat and not a large bill as we did not have drinks. Would go back but not on a weekend. The $35 special is perfect. read more

We went for brunch. I ordered the Chicken & Waffles made with "fried yard bird", which was actually over-cooked chicken cutlets. My wife ordered the Guacamole Toast, but it came with wheat toast instead of the advertised rye bread. The restaurant ran out of straws (amateur hour). The service was excellent. I am giving 3 stars only because the manager offered to comp me for the misleading description of the Chicken & Waffles. read more

We went here for my brother's birthday in the beginning of February. We had a total of 8 people in our group, and we had made reservations. The place is beautifully decorated and spacious inside. The staff was attentive. Our waiter had a good sense of "how to read the crowd" and was politely humorous and engaging. I like this ability in wait staff. We had a few delicious appetizers. The octopus was cooked perfectly. This, I have found, is not easy to find. The meals were all delicious. The only complaint was from my husband who had the pasta - he said it was too small of a serving, and was hungry when we got home. We tried three desserts, I can't remember one of them but the others were tiramisu and cheesecake. I think the third was custard or creme brûlée, something along that line. They were devoured! We also had a pre dinner cocktail that was made perfectly, and an excellent bottle of wine with dinner. It was probably a little too fancy for my folks who like burger joints, but I will definitely be back. On a side note, we all wore jeans and looked decent, not dressed up. We were not uncomfortable or out of line with our attire. I wish I lived closer! read more

Well first of all the parking is horrible. The table arrangements put the servers butts in your face. Portions are small especially the pasta dishes. Service is fair and the menu is quite pricey. It was our anniversary which I indicated when reservations were made. No mention from the staff. There are much better places to dine in the area. My vote is to stay away! read more

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we didn't want to eat in a restaurant this Christmas Eve, so we picked up food from Cafe Aura to eat at home. It turned out to be a very disappointing meal. The Red Snapper Crosta di Patate was so bland and tasteless that my wife called a hospital food. Grilled asparagus and brussels sprout were partly brunt. The ratatouille dish was also very poorly prepared. We're not going there anytime soon. read more

Had an amazing experience at Cafe Aura during the opening week! My fiancé & I sat at the bar for a drink before our reservation and everyone from the hostess to the bartender to our server were so friendly and you can tell come from years of experience. We ordered the calamari appetizer, the short rib entree & the short rib ravioli and all were so delicious. I am excited for the future of this restaurant and can't wait to make ourselves regulars at Cafe Aura! read more

Parking is a nightmare at best. We had a 745 reservation but wanted to come early. I called and the hostess put me on hold several times to ask questions. I was told it was too busy. We showed up at 745 to a lot of open tables. We were seated in the back where you could hear the door slamming loudly several times. The table shook each time. We asked to move and were offered two tables over which wouldn't have helped the situation. My gnocchi was literally dough balls....uncooked. The hand cut pasta was thick and stuck together. For the price...not worth it. Drinks are good though read more

Four of us dined here over this past weekend. All agreed that the decor and layout was a huge improvement. It looks fresh, modern and clean and the tables aren't on top of each other. Bar area is well laid out too. Started with the burrata appetizer and the tuna tartar appetizer. Both were really good. Nice portions and very well prepared. We also split a couple of the grilled Caesar salads which were excellent. The entree selection was oddly heavy with seasonal fruit sauces (out of season fruit)...strawberry risotto, blueberry gastrique, peach sauce on pork chops. The grouper special which 2 of us ordered had the blueberry sauce - which seemed unnecessary as it didn't add or detract from the dish. The grouper was cooked well and we enjoyed the vegetables that came with it. Another of us ordered the short rib ravioli. Well cooked ravioli's in a sauce topped with shredded short rib was good, but could have used a bit more flavor Also ordered was the NY strip which was cooked perfectly. You can pick one side (asparagus were chosen). For $48 though 2 sides might be appreciated or at the least the sauce choice should just comes with it (instead of $3 for it!). We ordered an extra side for the table - the truffle creamed spinach which was good creamed spinach but again, lacked flavor (especially truffle!) We had a delicious piece of pistachio cake with a candle as a birthday was being celebrated. Service was excellent and all agreed that with just a little more finesse in the kitchen Cafe Aura could be great. This is a definite welcome and much needed addition to the area. read more

We went for the first time last night to start off the parking has changed from caveys somehow the new owners are unable to negotiate with the empty restaurant next door ( who owns the back parking lot). So you must park on the street Nd walk ... not a big deal !! Nice and new inside , but somehow lost the coziness of caveys .. first off the lighting is just a tad bright ( I don't likE to feel like I'm eating in my parents kitchen ) Good was good we just had a few appetizers .. the staff was excellent all around and the chef came out tO say hi !!! read more

I love this place! Food is honestly made with passion. Pasta is homemade and the chef is extremely friendly and knowledgeable. Thank you cafe aura! read more

Went for my birthday dinner. Very excited to try the food. Had 3 appetizers. The baked octopus was tough and chewy, the crab avocado mousse was just ok, The pork appetizer was very good but salty. For dinner the lobster ravioli was decent and the halibut was very good. I ordered the red snapper which came with mussels. The mussels smelled bad and made the whole dish taste bad. I had to return it. I eat gluten free and only 2 dinners were marked as gluten free. I did not want the other choice but they said they could make the lamb chops gluten free for me without the herb crust. Those turned out very good but I had to eat alone because everyone was done with their meals due to mine being rotten. When the bill came they made sure to tell me how they comped the rotten meal ($30 red snapper) and they charged me the full price of my 2nd meal ($48 lamb chops)They didn't comp anything. It was rotten and smelled bad. They should have done something since I was stuck eating alone after everyone was done. I spoke to the manager and he said sorry about that and that was his only comment. It was a $200 meal without a tip for 3 of us. The meal should never have come out if it smelled bad. There was no way the water and mussels didn't smell when they took them out. The waitress was good so I didn't want to shortchange her but we will never go back. read more

We were excited to try Cafe Aura! Parking was easy and the decor was very nice. Our waitress was nice as well. The food was very disappointing. The calamari appetizer was very rubbery and didn't taste right. The salads were good. We ordered 2 pasta dishes which were very small and one was not cooked through. The clams and linguine were okay but not great. I got scallops and a risotto. The scallops were delicious but you only got 3 and the risotto tasted like an entire cloves of garlic was in it. I love garlic but could not even eat the risotto. Overall we were very disappointed and will definitely not be back. read more

We checked out the new Cafe Aura tonight for the first time. I wasn't really sure what to expect based on the severely mixed reviews, but I was pleasantly surprised by the experience. With it being Valentine's Day and the restaurant being packed, the atmosphere was very relaxing even though it was packed. I was never in the previous restaurant, but am an interior designer and appreciated the design and details incorporated in the renovations made here. The service was wonderful and the food was delicious. We ordered the crabcake and burratta proscuitto as appetizers and they arrived very quickly and were so delicious that they lasted about 3 minutes before they were completely gone. We shared the Tomahawk steak for two which we ordered with the porcini sauce and Gorgonzola sauce on the side. The steak was delicious; it didn't even need sauce, but the sauce was so delicious that we had to use it for every bite of steak. The tiramisu was not the best I have ever had, but it was still a nice finish to our meal. The only thing that I would say would be a nice addition is maybe an al a cart side dish menu to go with the entrees, but considering that we went on a holiday - this may already be something that appears on the regular menu and not the holiday one if the menu was limited tonight. Either way, we live 2 minutes away and plan to come back fairly regular based on our experience there tonight. read more

Cafe Aura - Tomahawk for Two with Porcini sauce and Gorgonzola sauce. - Italian Near Me - Manchester, Connecticut

My wife and I have been avid patrons of Caveys Restaurant for the past 50 years. When we read that Cafe Aura was opening in place of Caveys we had to try it just to confirm that no restaurant would ever duplicate Caveys' excellence. We were wrong. Very wrong. Cafe Aura exceeded our every expectation. On many counts, it was better, as difficult as this is to say, than the old Caveys. The menu begins with a wide range of delicious appetizers with several -- like the grilled scallops -- that can be eaten as an entree. The second section of the menu, pasta selections, of course, are exceptional. The final section, fish and beef selections, list an appetite-filling selection of steaks and seafood. Here's a personal example of Cafe Aura's excellence. Grilled, rare, tuna is one of my favorite dishes. The tuna at Cafe Aura is so fantastic that the experience of eating it set a new standard of excellence for me that I doubt any restaurant will surpass. We had to try a desert. The tiramisu was indescribably delicious. A final note. Other reviewers have noted problems with parking. This situation has been fixed. Parking was not a problem. read more

We were very excited about the new look and feel of the old Cavey's in the opening of Cafe Aura. It's also wonderful to have an upscale restaurant in Manchester and very close to our home. We've enjoyed the homemade pasta dishes; specifically the preparation of the Carbonara made with eggs instead of cream. The Octopus appetizer was tender the second time we ate at Cafe Aura, but unfortunately the Calamari was still very chewy and overcooked with little flavor; hence my 4 star rating. For me, it's a dish that I enjoy when cooked perfectly, so hoping that the Chef gives this preparation his personal attention to improve the texture and flavor. Loved the Crabmeat Avocado Mousse and the Meatball with Sunday Sauce was delicious. The Staff is very nice and attentive to make your experience a great one. We plan to continue to dine at Cafe Aura, and look forward to being able to provide a 5 star review. read more