I came back to try the Qlwa Beef with spinach which had a spicy tangy tomato flavor, the egg silsi which was less sour and had nice hint of spiciness, and the Enjera Fitfit which was their sour bread sautéed with beef -- this was more sour than the others and all of these dishes were spiced with Jalepenos. It seems like overall Eritrean food has a similar sour spicy profile which I enjoy. I look forward to coming back to eat their enjera fitfit and try their lentil or minestrone soup. The place was homey, service was good though we could have used more water refills! Overall my favorites are the: - kitcha fitfit (cooked dough with spices, I noticed some folks put honey on it) - qlwa beef with spinach (nice tomato sauce with spices) - egg silsa (nice egg with spices) read more

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We have been to Cafe Aurora many times for breakfast, but our recent visits have left us much to be desired. While the staff are very friendly, there's usually only one person who mans the front, taking parties' orders, making coffee drinks, and dealing with the register - if you're looking for a quick meal, this is definitely NOT the place, as you'll spend at least 1.5 hours. We usually stick with their French Toast, the Omelet, and the Fuul - the food has been inconsistent, as the French Toast, while usually prepared perfectly with the slight crisp edges, has been mostly soggy. The omelet, in which we requested all the ingredients to be included, has been missing cheese. The Fuul's portion has gotten smaller, and the request for extra jalapenos and sauce has always fallen on deaf ears. For coffee, I've usually stuck with the mocha, which, even when requested to be extra hot, hasn't been so. The place can be extremely loud from specific patrons/parties, and there doesn't seem to be any consideration for other diners. The inconsistency with the food, the long service times, and the high volume of some of the patrons doesn't warrant a repeat visit anymore. Plenty of parking in the shared plaza lot. +inconsistency in the quality of the food served +slow service +very loud patrons/parties read more

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Excellent attentive service. Tasty food, great coffee, and cute little cafe setting. What more do you want? read more

Cafe Aurora - Cafe Mocha - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

This was my first time trying this type of food, and it was absolutely delicious. I highly recommend giving the tea a try! When I walked in, Sesen assisted me and gave me a great walkthrough of what to try and eat. She didn't disappoint. I hope to visit this area again and will definitely be back to try more! read more

Cafe Aurora - Tea - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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Delicious food and a large menu. Portions were large and filling. The cafe itself is very small and cramped, leading to a less-than-private feel to dining as the table next to us was so close it felt like we may have been dining with them too. Service was a little slow but we weren't in a rush so there was no reason to speed through lunch. read more

Cafe Aurora - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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Coffee Shop No. 382 June 17, 2024 Cafe Aurora Alexandria, VA The Land of Commin Sense. Any cafe that sells coffee obviously has common sense in my book. Cafe Aurora is an Eritrean cafe tucked in the back corner of a small strip mall. The smiling lady at the counter said, "No cortado, but I make a delicious cappuccino." How could I turn her down? Not only did the woman make a visually beautiful cappuccino it tasted good too! If I wasn't a cortado fanatic this cappuccino might have swayed to Team Cappuccino. Luckily, I sat next to a lovely young lady named Eden and her family is from Eritrean. She graciously told me about Eritrean; which is a country I had never heard until today. The world is full of friendly amazing people and cultures. I hope you meet someone new today who is as friendly and as beautiful as Eden. read more

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Delicious breakfast and lovely staff! I would recommend trying Cafe Aurora if you are in the neighborhood. read more

Cafe Aurora - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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Incredible. Folded eggs were amazing. Breakfast Balance sampler was amazing, so if you don't know what to get, start with that! 10/10 coffee

Excellent, everything was excellent the food, the friendly service ,and ambiance. Every time I've visited this restaurant, the quality of the food and the service have been consistently the best. I always come out happy, so does the rest of the family. read more

I really like this place and the food is quite good. The woman owner is lovely. I first met her more than 20 years ago at their grand opening. I left Virginia for a number of years. Now that I am back and was so near, I stopped in for a Saturday brunch treat. The menu (and there is a QR if you like to order on your phone) is not huge but provides enough choices with many breakfast items and drinks. This is a great place for vegetarians and even has some vegan offerings but also some traditional meat dishes. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I had the breakfast dish with eggs, Kitcha fitfit, and fu'ul. It was delish and ample. I also had the organic flaxseed drink (smoothie with soy milk base) to go. I asked for it without the honey and it still tasted so good. I saw people next to me eating french toast and it looked fluffy and super delish. The only down side to this place is that there is so little seating and it is lively -you will be sitting close to others and hear a bit of their convos even if you don't want to listen. That shouldn't be a deterrent, though, because the food is worth it and the ambience is still nice and friendly. I would say there is table seating for about 25 people plus an additional 10 barstool seats at the counter. Everyone up in the joint while I was there was probably Eritrean or Ethiopian with a couple of exceptions, including me. I say that in a good way, because it means people are going there because the food is authentic and good. If you are not familiar with Eritrean food, I highly recommend it. This cafe is a bit of fushion, bringing together American and Eritrean fare that has something for everyone (vegetarians, vegans, and carnivores). Besides breakfast/brunch items that are offered all day long (yay!), they offer salads, soup, sandwiches, pasta dishes, pastries, and traditional meals (veggie only or chicken, lamb, fish, or shrimp based dishes). The have a nice drink menu that includes a variety of coffee items, traditional tea with cinnamon and cardamom, and the organic flaxseed smoothie which I recommend. I would give this place 4.5 stars, because it is tiny and can be crowded during peak times. It's too small to have more than one waitress with the owners assisting. I am not criticizing anyone for that -it's just a small business. It's casual with a good ambience, clean, enjoyable, and the waitress/owners are nice. More importantly, the food is very good and it is clear the owners care about healthy and tasty meals. I highly recommend for breakfast, lunch, or a casual dinner... and for take out. Lovely cafe and I wish the owners another 20+ years of business success. Great addition to the neighborhood. read more

Best Food in the area! The breakfast is a hit. Also, very family environment and nice hospitality.

I've been to this place a few times and really enjoy interesting breakfast dishes. I Normally like egg silsi (scrambled eggs, tomatoes, spices,) Today I tried Kitcha fitfit (Eritrean bread, red pepper, spices, beef with yogurt), which is pictured below. This is a very small establishment. Unfortunately, mask requirement posted on the front door was not enforced. Staff was wearing masks, none of the patrons who walked in and out if the restaurant was. It was packed, tables were not distanced. This place is so small, they'd have 2 tables if they distanced. So I'm surprised they are not "take out only" for safety. However, I ordered take out, stood outside till they waved me back in to pick up. Given the distancing issue inside, I'm surprised they don't have a pickup table set outside vs. Making me come in to the restaurant. I'll definitely continue to order delivery and support this small business that produces flavorful authentic dishes. Staff was very kind as usual. read more

Cafe Aurora - a take out container of chicken wings - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

I brought my car in for a quick service appointment at a neighboring car dealership, and wanted a cup of something hot to drink and a place to sit. Cafe Aurora sits in an unassuming plaza off Pickett Street, and was a welcome oasis. Their menu is expansive but I wasn't hungry. After reviewing the hot drinks, I settled on an Eritrean tea accented with cinnamon. It was presented beautifully, in a glass cup and tray along with an individual pot for refills. The staff were so pleasant in explaining its ingredients and tradition. I will definitely go back and try the menu later on. read more

we sought out a cafe close to the library while waiting for it to open and shared a salmon and scrambled egg dish with beans and avocado. flavors were delicious! coffee was bold as it should be which is hard to find! service was lovely. feels like a true community spot! read more

It was great to try a new style of food. The staff was very helpful and explained the menu.

The food is amazing! I ordered the QLWA beef and it was flavorful! They bring out the Enjera bread which was a super-soft tortilla-looking bread. The service there was great! We had a little one with us and the server (I'm assuming may be the owner) was very accommodating with making a meal for him. She offered him some rice with shiro b tzahli. Also, you must eat with your fingers! Eritrean food is mostly eaten with fingers! Will be definitely BW visiting this place again! read more

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May have found my favorite Ethiopian breakfast spot!! I meannn when my Ga'at came out in a star shaped form I was impressed. It was so good, just what I needed! It honestly felt like home. A group of 7 of us came for brunch one afternoon, the place is a bit small, so don't go too crazy with the invites. The service was great. Our food came out in a timely manner, we ordered about 12 dishes....not lying. My favorite dishes: Ga'at, injera fir fir, and the full! We all left happy and full! I'll definitely be back. Also, be sure to grab a latte or cappuccino. The coffee is amazing! read more

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A nice, little cafe with very kind servers where you can be left alone to eat spicy food for your soul and drink tea or coffee, all for a reasonable cost. Yep, it is very slow, but don't go if you are in a hurry. Go to a fast food place that will sling your pseudo-food at you in 5 minutes. read more

I didn't read the reviews before coming in and was pleasantly surprised. The staff was fantastic and the food was delicious. I was not expecting the East African flair, but the music, language, and menu created a vibe unlike anywhere else. read more

The server was very friendly but for Saturday morning breakfast they only had 1 person working the front and I'm assuming 1 cook so it was sloooowww. The food was mediocre and lukewarm and the hot tea was a generic cheap black tea (think African version of Lipton). The ambiance was authentic Ethiopian/Eritrean and unique. read more

Best French toast I've had in a long time! So crispy and not greasy at all! My friends loved their Breakfast Balance meal. So much food! Good service, not slow. Woman was so nice. It was freezing in there and they turned up the heat. Btw, coffee was an Anericano. Not sure they have regular American style drip coffee. It was good nonetheless. The tea was yummy too! Recommend! read more

Cafe Aurora - French toast w eggs and coffee - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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Mildly infuriating experience. The two of us were seated immediately upon arriving. After about about a minute, a group of six came and were seated next to us. The waitress that seated us promptly took their drink orders. After a few more minutes a different waitress came over and took our whole order. And we opted to get our drinks with our food instead of before. A long wait ensues. -The table of 6 got their food way before us despite us being seated and ordering food first. -We had to remind the waitress about our drinks after receiving our food and we were already halfway through eating before actually getting them. -My food wasn't as hot as I had hoped (warm scrambled eggs are inferior to hot eggs...) -Our waitress was very sweet and nice and our food tasted delicious. We got the panino and the breakfast balance. Hot chocolate was good but they forgot the whipped cream. Americano was fine, but they didn't offer cream/milk. read more

The food was unique and flavorful; however it was not hot. Also there was only one server taking care of all the tables in the restaurant so needless to say the service was a little slow. The server was sweet though. I'd go again. read more

Came here craving Ethiopian/Eritrean breakfast. The foul and kita fir fir were delicious! Large portion size and good quality for the price. The service was lackluster, we had to wave our waitress down to ask for drinks, the check etc. and her overall demeanor was a bit cold. This is a fairly small restaurant, tables are pretty close together. read more

Cafe Aurora - Ful - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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Excellent. We had an amazing meal here. I've had many experiences with Ethiopian food but this was my first time trying Eritrean food. Their coffee specialties are well made and delicious. We tried the Qlwa (Nay Begie'), Fu'ul, and Egg Silsi. Each dish was delicious in its own unique way. The Qlwa had tender pieces of lamb tossed with different spices. It comes with Enjera, which was well made. The Fu'ul is fava beans goodness. They purée it and top it off with yogurt, tomatoes, diced jalapeños, feta cheese, and diced red onions. The fava beans are so smooth and light. This dish comes with French bread or pita if you'd like. Dip your bread in the Fu'ul and you've got yourself a breakfast fit for a champion. The Egg Silsi is equally as delicious. It's scrambled eggs in a tomato sauce with spices, onions, and jalepeno peppers. This dish also comes with French bread or pita. When you enter, seat yourself. Depending on what time you come it can get very crowded in here. The place isn't very big and seating is tight. I love the ambiance. It has a laid back cafe type feel. The employees are super sweet. Service is on the slower side, but it just adds to the laid back ambiance. This isn't somewhere you want to visit if you are in a rush and need a quick bite. There aren't any restrooms inside the restaurant. The closest restrooms are in another building, look for the door between the cleaners and barber shop. Go down that hall and turn to your left. The restrooms are a bit hidden. Another great meal, thanks to Yelp and the Yelp Family. read more

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My favorite place for Habesha breakfast! I love doing take out or eating in. It's not a big place so it can be challenging getting a seat sometimes, but I've never waited long. I also have done work her because they do have outlets! It's not the best place to work because people are usually talking to each other in there, but still have done it. My favorite items to order are the egg silsi and the ful. read more

Excellent Eritrean breakfast of Egyptian Fava beans with yogurt, chopped onions, toasted buns, tomatoes, and herbs. The taste hit the spot. The café also has cakes and other fresh bakery items for purchase. Service was quick and attentive. Prices are okay. The location is off Duke Street in an office mall. Plenty of parking. I had a blood test at the LabCorp nearby and was famished for breakfast after a long fast. The food hit the spot. Nice pictures of their country on the wall, regular tables and clean restaurant. read more

Hidden gym. Worth the drive for sure. Best macchiato I've had in forever. You have to eat with your hands (Not really but it tastes better that way). And try fuul. read more

Cafe Aurora - Macchiato - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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I got the breakfast balance and a cup of coffee while dropping my car off nearby. The staff were incredibly nice and the ambiance of the restaurant was very welcoming and calming. I asked the waitress to tell me what was on my plate as I'd never eaten Eritrean food and she was so excited to do so and was informative. The food was so good! This place will definitely be seeing me again. read more

The service was super slow and took forever to do everything but overall food was great and staff super friendly !

The man working the front at the time was amazingly nice, I came in with my grandfather and he politely treated us to some tea while we waited for our coffee which I wasn't sure about what I wanted and he told me don't worry I'll make you something good and low and behold he did legit one of the best lattes I ever had only thing I regret is not asking for his name thank you very much sir you made our day. read more

Why did I wait this long to eat at this magical place? Delicious eritrean foods AND truly excellent coffee! Niece and I ended up eating fuul (basically a hummus type dish that we ended up just spooning into our mouths versus scooping up with bread), qulwa beef with spinach (eaten with that spongy, sour-ish enjera bread: which, I like much better at Cafe Aurora than when I've had it at ethiopian places. Maybe because it's not so sour/fermented tasting?), and a plate of alfredo for my niece. Also, I drank all the coffee, which was truly excellent. The service is great and walked us through the menu, made sure we had drink refills when we wanted them, asked how we liked the qulwa (seriously, guys, it's amazing.) Pricing was very reasonable: we basically took home most of the qulwa and alfredo to eat for dinner as there was a LOT of food per order. Parking is pretty awful: we lucked out and found a spot, but it's a small but very busy lot Try to get here during off hours (we went during a saturday, around 11 am. and the lot was already full.) read more

Just had our third meal at this wonderful hidden gem. The Eritrean food is always delicious, the service is great, and the matriarch always makes time to greet us. Went there for breakfast for the first time. Ordered an omelette and an Eritrean dish which were good separately and great when combined. The owners were friendly and opened a conversation. I was invited back for dinner recommending the lamb, (one of my favorites). I plan to return for dinner to try the lamb and explore vegetarian meals as well. read more

Amazing amazing food. Cannot recommend highly enough. So so good. Lovely, casual atmosphere

The food was delicious! We ordered the Ga'at (traditional Eritrean porridge served with a spiced butter and plain yogurt) and I believe it was called the Qulwa beef tenderloin with spinach (served with Enjera bread and salad). Both were hearty and full of flavor. I would recommend sharing the Ga'at because it is a dense porridge and would probably be too much for one person to finish if only eating that. My cousin-in-law said the coffee was great too. They serve Lavazza. Our only complaint would be it takes a while for the food to come out. But the waitress is so pleasant and lovely to interact with and the food is great so no points deducted here. Next time we want to try the Egg Silsi since that seemed the most popular breakfast item. read more

Cafe Aurora - Ga'at - traditional Eritrean porridge w spiced butter in the center and plain yogurt along the side. Stodgy but delicious! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Wanted/Needed some coffee. First I thought of going to a big chain nearby, but didn't feel like driving just to get there. Quickly remembered this spot right next door to me & so glad I chose them instead. Caramel Machiatto soooo good. Staff is always pleased to provide service. This will be my go to coffee spot. Small, minority owned & family operated. read more

Our first time visiting Cafe Aurora. The owners were very nice and even gave me advise on how to rid my migraine. We ordered the Egg Silsi and it was spicy but good. We also had French toast which was cooked to perfection with a little crispy touch to heighten the experience. Definitely a great experience! read more

Cafe Aurora - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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This is my favorite East African restaurant. Their dishes always come out warm, delicious and fast. I tell everyone about this restaurant! Servers are the best! Love the owners even more. Definitely need to expand. read more

Cafe Aurora - Beef and veggies 2. Qlwa- Beef - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

I came here for a latte and I was disappointed with how flat and watery it was. I also tried the fava bean dish and honestly, I think I could make it better at home. But it was filling, different (the beans and french/italian bread combination) and nutritious. I don't think I will be a fan of Eritrean food but I would come back if I was in the area. Food only, no coffee. The restaurant is very small so I might call ahead to make sure there's room if dining with more than 2. Seems like parking is plentiful. read more

Came for breakfast. Small restaurant (8 tables) and a small bar. Located in a strip mall right off Duke Street (on Pickett). Service: 1 star. Definitely a lot of room for improvement. I guess it helps if you're a regular. No welcome from the sole server/bartender/barista/busser. She took the coffee order, then dropped a menu on the table. Took the food order, then brought the food without a word. Never checked back. While my order was filled accurately, I saw another table receive incorrect orders while I was there and she informed them that they had erred in their ordering, and took no action to make it right. I got it, she's working on her own, but there was zero attempt at customer service. Food: 3 stars. The fu'ul was good. Fresh chopped tomatoes and onions on top, along with some peppers and cheese. Tasty. The bread is more of an Italian bread, not a French bread, as it is crusty outside and very light/airy inside; fresh, served warm, excellent. Coffee was fresh, good, medium strong. I was never offered a refill. Overall, good food/drink, but nothing special. Parking: 1 star. Good luck finding a place in the lot. I parked across the street and froggered it over. Their signs indicating that additional parking is located in the rear of the building...are prominently displayed at your table, which you see after you're already seated. Bottom line: 2 stars. Not a bad breakfast, but the service would keep me from returning. The food, while good, wasn't good enough to make up for the service. read more