Aromas Cafe & Catering

Delicious. I stumbled upon this gem while I was in Charlottesville for business and so glad I did. I was debating heading back to the hotel and ordering room service but the smell of the food when I was walking by made me decide otherwise. The baba ghannouge was delightful and the Moroccan ratatouille with couscous was so fresh and favorable. The service was friendly and on top of it. Atmosphere nice but laid back. I’ll definitely be back next time I’m in town.

Hidden gem! This place is super cute and convenient located in Barracks shopping center. Plenty of easy parking and a bigger restaurant then I thought for being tucked away in the shopping center.
I just came here to meet some friends last night. I ordered the beignets dessert thinking it was going to be some pastry type of thing. However, it ended being like balled up plantains? Sweet and banana-​ish. Kind of on the pricier side, 8 bucks. Definitely interesting and tasty. Service is great at the place too.
Next time I’ll come back for real food!

One of my clients sent me here and I am going to shake that mans hand! Simple menu packed with classics and a good selection of daily specials. Flawless service in a very comfortable setting!
Good beer selection. I had the falafel then the special of lentil stew with beef and lamb merguez!
Total winner!

Fantastic food and service! I eat here often for lunch. They have everything from wraps to fancy specials. Everything tastes fresh. Outdoor seating as well. Highly recommend.

My friend and I both got the salmon with orzo special, and I also got a cauliflower soup. The salmon was pan seared and the skin was crispy and well salted. The salmon itself was also a good balance between flaky and too sturdy. The red and green sauces that comes on the side also act as decorative elements to give the plate an elegant look. Just two things though — the salmon itself was not seasoned or salted enough, and so both of us had to add salt and pepper to it. Which is fine given the quality of the salmon, but I wish they had given it a more solid flavor. Second was the cauliflower soup, which again was not salted enough, making it bland.
It also seems like the salmon on orzo is not a «special» as our server described — on Unilocal I see quite a few pictures of what we got.
Service was attentive and who I think was the owner or manager came to chat with us.

After looking at the reviews I thought of giving it a try
But it turned out be bad. It’s not authentic and even the taste wasn’t that great. I had the lamb tagine and would never recommend it to others.

It’s a little expensive but the food is really damn good and fresh. The owner is a friendly and funny guy but he doesn’t take shit from anyone. Even the lesser expensive lunch options just kind of exude quality.

Never knew this restaurant was here but we had a delicious and fun dinner here on a very busy night. We were in town for the Elton John concert and didn’t have dinner reservations. We wanted something we could walk to from JPJ arena, so the location was perfect. The owner was great. He gave us a table and the most efficient service you could possibly imagine. We must have had 4 or 5 different servers making sure our waters were full and that we quickly had beverages, food, etc. Everyone at our table enjoyed his or her food. I had the Chicken Marrakesh and it was perfect. So tasty — totally hit the spot.
Try this place. You won’t be disappointed.

Great place, food and atmosphere!
Staff is fantastic — they are polite and helpful. The owner is always around to assist and welcome their customers.
Food, I liked everything I’ve tried! Also — amazing Turkish coffee:)

The best Mediterranean Restaurant in Charlottesville, VA. A must for lunch while shopping or dinner pre-​game.

The food here is always great and the service too! The prices are a little expensive. Thats the 4 – 5. I love it here but wish they had a lunch menu.
The owner and manager are very friendly and the staff is as well. Great Mediterranean dishes. Try the chicken markesh !

If you asked me what the most salient aspect of my visit was worth the five stars, I would say the staff here. The owner and wait staff are truly superb. From the moment I made my group’s reservation to our dining experience they were polite, attentive, available, and seemed to care a great deal about their work. For each dish that was served it was followed up with an inquiry as to how the guests were enjoying it. For one of our diners who had to leave early, Hassan personally took his order to the kitchen and brought the dish out in moments to accommodate for the diner’s time. I was very impressed. I could tell that Hassan cares a great deal about his restaurant and taking care of his customers!
In addition to the excellent service, the food was well prepared with attention to detail. I ordered the dolma which came out warm which was a good change to how I’ve had this in the past. The warm filling worked quite well with the acidic grape leaves. It was very good. I also ordered the meatball dish which was large, decadent, pipping hot, and extremely flavorful. Be aware that some of the spices may be overwhelming for a palate that may not enjoy heavy flavor but for those that do; highly recommend!
This is the kind of restaurant that would be great for small parties, dates, and celebratory gatherings. It has just the right intimate feel with bright paintings contrasted against dark wood décor that makes you want to linger and have that extra espresso.

1.5 stars
Arguably one of the worst lunches I’ve ever had. If you’re a meat eater, they pretty much only have chicken on the menu and some fish but expect to pay about $ 30.
Then the server comes over and lists off about 7 specials with details down to every rice kernel and raisin scrap but of course not the price. Exhausting and awkward. I hate that shit more than anything and it’s always a sure sign you’re about to be overcharged for underwhelming food.
I tried to pick the least ass rapish dish in the menu and came up with the vegetarian Moroccan. The server recommended it over the chicken shawarma and that it was «well-​received». It was artfully described with a list of veggies and hummus served with bread for $ 13. I thought it’d be a vegetarian platter of some sort.
Turns out it’s $ 13 for two thin slices of oily eggplant between two slices of stale Walmart wheat bread. When I asked for clarification because I didn’t realize thats what vegetarian Morocco was, the manager was extremely confrontational and gave me dirty looks while arguing that it clearly stated that it’s a sandwich on the menu. I don’t argue and decide to eat it and go as soon as possible. Then he walks over with the menu, showing me where it says «served over wheat bread». Sorry but that does not mean it’s a sandwich. The description should state eggplant sandwich because that was what it was. All that came with the sandwich was a tiny cup of dry Cous cous with a spicy sauce. As I was walking out after eating the sandwich in 1.5 minutes and paying $ 13 for two slices of dry wheat bread with two slices of oily eggplant, the manager once again confronts me about the menu. Instead of being helpful or nice he tries to argue about how it was my fault I misunderstood the description. I didn’t argue and walked to Sedona Taproom where I had a $ 6 steak with mashed potatoes. With French press coffee my meal is less than $ 10 and so much better than the sandwich from Aroma.

Came I for a quick bite and got the mezza trio (hummus, baba ghanoush, and grape leaf wraps with pita) starter as my meal. The food came out very quickly, and service was fast and attentive without making me feel rushed.
The good: The baba ghanoush was smoky and on the smoother end I consistency. The dolmata (grape leaves) had excellent flavor with just enough acidity and juiciness.
The not as good: The pita was very forgettable, it was thin and not crispy (reminiscent of the kind that comes on the side at the new fast casual salad restaurants). The price point was also a little high — ended up paying $ 22+ with tip for three grape leaves, the two small bowls of baba/​hummus, and the accompanying pita.
Still, the food was good, the ambience was casual, and I enjoyed my meal. I recommend, especially since there aren’t too many similar restaurants in C-​Ville.

Great food, but too expensive. I came here with a group and was shocked when I saw the prices on the menu.

Moroccan in Charlottesville, my bags are packed! ! !
Moroccan Food is one of the Three (less common) Cuisines I search for when moving to or visiting a new Territory! This is an EASY 5 star Review!
Soup
I think it was Soup of the Day Tomato Something (that was not the name of it) This was the only disappointing dish of the evening and it was Good! EVERYTHING Else Exceeded My Expectations and that happens so rarely!
Lentils
When I think of Moroccan Food I think of Spice Blends BEYOND the ordinary! This food made me say «This is exaktly what I hope for in this Dish!
Beans in a Bowl
Presentation! Everything was presented Beautifully! Nice for Photos, more Importantly was how delicious they were!
Moroccan Meatballs
Beautifully Served in an Iron Skillet! I have a lot to say about this Dish and do not know how to tell you so I’ll jump in … I had studied the Menu and the ingredients days ahead of time! I had seen photos and by the description knew this was a Dish MeatBall Dish that also included Eggs… Before Ordering my eBay Bride asked if I was aware this dish had very obvious Eggs… I have also learned from my Bride to see how I like a dish the way the Chef usually prepares it AND that is how I ordered! We split this nice portion entrée! This was my first time having Moroccan Meatballs (like this) See photos ! This was my first time eating a Spicy Moderately «Hot» Moroccan Dish or it was the ONLY Moroccan Dish I have eaten that was beyond the spice spectrum of «complex» ! While the Spice «Heat» surprised me, it was relatively easy to eat with a little water to drink and a few bites of Salad (saving most of the Salad for the Pre-​Dessert palette preparation (if that is possible)!
Salad
Lettuce (I usually do not want ANY Lettuce)
Cucumber
Tomato
Olive
Dressing
I ate every bit (e) of this Salad to Cool off my mouth and prepare for Dessert!
Dessert
Baklava the Pistachio, Shredded Dough of top of Yogurt with Pomegranate Reduction, I nice blend of Flavors, my Bride is part Moroccan so she is used to the GREAT Flavor Combinations!
Dessert
Moroccan Coffee
Another Version of Arabic Coffee cooked individually Filter-​less, listen to me FilterLESS! Some say it will put hair on your chest, unless you have hair, then it will take it off (I prefer Duct Tape but that is another story)… Here is the Moroccan Difference = Rose Water, Nutmeg and Cinnamon instead of Cardamom that is in some Lebanese and Turkish Versions!
If you Care about Service (last thing on my list, as long as the Food is Great, the Order is somewhat Korrekt and served or or the appropriate temperature, the Staff can treat me anyway they feel like)! Service is Top Notch here!
Looking Forward to all their other foods! If I had known they were OPEN for Lunch I would have been here earlier in the Month!

Always enjoy dining here. The owner Hassan, will greet you and give advice on what to order as well as wine to pair. My all time favourite are: morrocan mint tea (sweeten is better, not over powering sweet but a hint of sweetness to compliment the tea). Chilled blend gazpachio is awesomeness in a bowl. Then chicken swarma and falafel wrapped (hassan makes tahini sauce and his own sauce that is to die for), my mouth watery as i wrote this review. For desserts we always have greek yoghurt with almond stick and pistachio, also they sometime have orange with basil. Great dining spot all time

Lets start with the good:
The special of the day braised lamb was pretty tasty and HOT when brought out to the table. But all in all it was 4oz of lamb and small amount of uninspired risotto. It could have been better. But the meat was cooked well and delivered pipping hot.
The Meza Trio platter (hummus, ganoush and dolmas) hummus was good, the unexpected winner of the day was the Baba Ganoush. Slightly smokey and perfectly tart undertones made this a real hit at our table. Unfortunately the 3 tiny pieces of Kroger deli quality Dolmas left a lot to be desired.
Everything else about this experience was VERY SUBPAR. The Beef Kafta was presented well. In fact it looked beautiful. But was so dry it was nearly inedible.
The waiter did a great job of selling us all kinds of stuff. But the sale was far better than the actual product. I will say he had great table side service, when he was at our table. However he paid almost all of his attention to a couple sitting several tables away and our needs went unmet for most of the time we were there. Even when he came to the table I had to ask for refills on our barren water glasses. He wasn’t going to refill them intuitively. Nor were they refiled quickly after being requested. But his pitch always sounded so good that we were fooled and kept ordered more. Sadly this lead to us ordering ordered orange glazed baklava instead we got orange slices with some syrup on it. Massively disappointing orange slices at that. We ordered dessert from our waiters verbal menu, as we did with the lamb dish. We explained what the mix up must have been and were brought some baklava that was indeed as good as the Baba Ganoush. However we were still charged for both.
When the bill came we were SHOCKED that the special that night was twice the price of anything on the menu. We felt bamboozled. Add to it bad service and a poor sale of goods and we left disappointed.
1 Star reviews are tough to give. But this experience really earned it in our book.

This place was good, but a total ripoff. The food is way overpriced for what portions you get, especially because it was just typical Mediterranean food.
I went with my family for graduation weekend, and we were charged $ 75 for a bottle of champagne, with out being told how much it was beforehand. The appetizers were skimpy, and the owner hassled us about not having a reservation (the place was mostly empty).
I only gave this place ²⁄₅ because the falafel was pretty good

A hidden gem in C-​Ville! This is THE BEST Mediterranean (technically moroccan) cuisine in Charlottesville. A well appointed dining room is eclipsed by an attentive and friendly waitstaff who understand that the all guests are there responsibility, not just their tables.
The cuisine was delicate, thoughtfully prepared, and portioned right. The Mezzi platter, a sampling of Baba Ganoush, Hummus, and Dolmades (warm! Finally!) was terrific. The moroccan meatballs were outstanding. The perfectly cook overeasy eggs brought a creamy relief to the acidic spice of the tomato.
The desserts are terrific and the well selected wine listed guarantees a good pairing.
Drop what you’re doing and go now. Hassan, we thank you!