Ari’s Kitchen

I’m in there at least once a week for breakfast, my wife is always pissed when I don’t bring her with. Have never had a bad meal, fresh ingredients, fast friendly service from Ari himself, this place can’t be beat.

What a wonderful little joint for some good homemade food options! The outer aesthetics are very unassuming and I couldn’t find a website or menu, so I was skeptical to spend my hard earned/​precious lunch break at Ari’s. However, I relied upon my fellow Unilocaler’s reviews and was pleasantly. Oh, and I found the menu in their Facebook page.
The wonderful Ari, greeted us and was our server. He is really awesome! The inside is rather quaint, but space is optimized pretty well. However, it gets pretty crowded during peak weekend brunch hours, so be prepared.
As for the food, my husband ordered breakfast and I ordered from the lunch menu. We had the best of both worlds and it everything was really good. Each item deserves an individual description:
Pancakes: They’re HUGE (almost as big as the plate) and fluffy/​tender. Might be at the top of the
list for good pancakes around here.
Hash browns: Delicious! I usually like the shredded hash browns, these are not shredded and I love them! They are homemade, kinda chunky and cooked perfectly. You can add toppings like onions and peppers as well.
Corned beef hash: Best hash around here… again, made in house from scratch.
Chicken fingers & fries: Yummy! So, the chicken fingers are very different from typical pre-​frozen fingers your get from a restaurant. These are straight up homemade fingers, so there is no thick breading. They’re lightly floured and seasoned… what I prefer. The fries are fresh cut and yummy as well.
Soups: we had potato soup and Ari gave us a free bowl of chicken tortilla soup to try. Both tasted great. I usually don’t get tortilla soup, but I would definitely buy it when I go to Ari’s. It’s really good!
So, there you go… just visit Ari’s if you’re in the area and looking for a not typical, real food option.

OMG! THis place is kinda a dump, and we love it!
The owner comes around to see if you have been there before and, if you have not, then pretty much explains the menu, how things are made and makes recommendations.
The food is exceptional and very plentiful. Made to order. Very crowded weekend mornings. We were there on a Sunday and hit the sweet spot so didn’t have to wait.
Highly recommended.

This place is our favorite family place to come for breakfast on the weekend! Food is amazing and the service is outstanding too! I haven’t tried any of the lunch items because breakfast is so good, but I will someday as they look delicious! My favorite is the breakfast panini with a side of fruit (a giant serving every time). Try this place and you will become a regular!

What a great little spot! Thank you Unilocalers for directing us to this place when we found ourselves in Aurora at breakfast time. Ari is the one who served us and he has such a great personality in addition to serving up some damn good food! And for such a small place he really has put together a great menu with plenty of options for breakfast & lunch. We loved that you can choose between a small or large version of many of the egg breakfasts (for example, 2-​egg or 4-​egg omelettes). And he has what I consider the «perfect» Greek omelette or skillet with all the ingredients I want in addition to the eggs: tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, spinach & feta. Most places that have a Greek omelette/​skillet have all of those ingredients but one, varying on what is missing from place to place and I usually end up ordering the missing ingredient to be added. Plus you get your choice of side with many of the breakfasts so if you don’t feel like hash browns he has several other options (but his hashbrowns with green peppers & onions are FANTASTIC). There are also many bread options if your breakfast comes w/​some kind of bread — we highly recommend their homemade biscuits which are huge and delicious. You also get some of their homemade orange marmalade (wow!) & homemade strawberry jelly (it was okay, but not as amazing as the orange) in addition to butter with your bread choice.
The place is decorated with a bit of a hodgepodge of homey-​stuff but it works for them. We felt like we were visiting our Aunt’s house for breakfast. Could the place use a bit more organization, perhaps, but that’s part of their charm. My only real suggestion was they should make it a point to wipe down their ketchup & mustard bottles thoroughly each day because ours were quite grimy.

Excellent. Ari is very friendly and the food was top notch. I had and omelette with corn beef with feta. Excellent. Get the fresh fruit, he puts dates and pomegranate in it. The pancakes melt in your mouth.

Like HOME!!!
Great food and great atmosphere.

I’m always on the lookout for a new breakfast place. Me and the small group went last weekend. We had to wait about 15 minutes which was fine because it seemed as though the staff was turning the tables pretty quickly. They were very welcoming and friendly when we arrived and we took a look at a menu while we waited.
There are a lot of options to choose from. Everything looked as though it was prepared there. I can’t go so far as to say anything was stand out. I ordered an omelette and my friends ordered skillets or regular breakfast items. I will say that I thought the hollandaise on my friends eggs Benedict was pretty good. I’m pretty picky about my sauces.
Again, everything was fine. Good. Just not great and not very memorable. The prices were average and I would view it as an OK value for my money. I probably wouldn’t choose to go back here over other places that leave me remembering something that stood out.
The bathrooms were clean. You can see into the kitchen area and everything was pretty spotless even though they were fairly busy.

Why do you Unilocal?For good food? At a good price? Great service? Hidden gems? Then Ari’s place is the answer to your Unilocaling! I had a ham, tomato, onion, and feta cheese omelette with HOMEMADE pancakes. My hubby had Country Style biscuits and gravy with eggs and HOMEMADE hash browns! Delish and HUGE portions. If you are a lighter eater– go with the smaller portions.
Another bonus– Ari, the owner, is a funny, intelligent, warm, and generous host. His love for feeding customers good food is evident and we felt welcomed. The restaurant is a humble and homey place in a strip mall. And Ari’s heart for his business is the hearth of this place!

Last Sunday I decided to take my kiddos out for breakfast and I wanted to try some place new. I remembered someone telling me how great this little joint was. So off we went to Ari’s.
We arrived at around 10 and there were 2 groups ahead of us. The place is so tiny there really isn’t anywhere to stand and wait. It was chilly out so waiting outside was not an option for me. We waited around 15 min to be seated. We were offered menus to look over while we uncomfortably stood next to the other people waiting.
We were seated at a booth which I was glad for because I noticed that the tables are all very close together and in some cases you could end up sharing your table with strangers. The place itself is cute, nothing fancy at all, very cozy and no frills. The waitstaff was all teens and the person taking the orders is the owner himself, Ari.
We were brought over glasses of ice water with cucumber, very nice touch, I love cucumber water. I also ordered coffee which was very much needed and it was nice and strong.
We waited about 10 minutes for the owner to finally make his way to us and take our order. I went with the chilaquiles with chorizo. My son got the brunch burger which came with a fried egg and bacon and home made fries. My two little ones got the Mickey Mouse pancake. My daughters and I got our meals at the same time but my son had to wait about 5 minutes later to get his meal. My chilaquiles were served with a side of sour cream and they deposited a huge jug of fresh salsa. For my daughters they served the pancake with a can of whip cream.
Eating out meal was a bit tricky because our table was so small that our plates and glasses hardly fit. I had to pile plates on top of the condiment tray so that we had enough room.
My meal was good, very flavorful, the chorizo was good and the salsa have it a yummy touch. My girls were happy with their choice. The big winner was my son, his brunch burger looked AMAZING!!! He is a burger fanatic and he was quite impressed with this burger.
The food was ok, portions were big, I didn’t like that there is no waiting area, the restaurant is a bit congested and having to wait around for the owner to go around every table, taking orders and payments made our time spent there a bit on the long side. After I packed up my left overs we waited about 10 minutes for Ari to come back to our table to take our payment.
Overall, I really wasn’t impressed, not with the service or the food. I think that I will give them a try one more time but I will go for lunch. There were a few things on the menu that sounded very appealing to me.

Excellent food and service. I ordered eggs, pancakes and bacon, and the portions were large! The kiddos had waffles and they loved them. My husband got the burrito and it was massive (and very tasty!)
Very pleased, and we will be going back!

This is my favorite place to eat! Love everything I have tried! Today I had the salmon with mango salsa and veggies. It tasted amazing, it was a generous portion and only $ 11! Pumpkin pancakes (side item) are so good I don’t even need syrup on them, the Cuban sandwich is delicious, and don’t get me started on the fresh soups… Ari makes us feel welcome the moment we walk thru the door and never charges us extra when we want to add an ingredient to our omelets!

My wife and I had the day off to tend to some errands. Kid free, we decided to treat ourselves to a nice brunch and I couldn’t wait to give this place a try. It was a Tuesday around 11:00am and it the place wasn’t that busy. Most of the tables were taken but it is a relatively small place. We went through the menu looking at what to feast upon. A quick minute later we were greeted by Ari himself. Ari is the heart of this place, and you can tell how much he stands behind his baby. He welcomed us and went over a few things on the menu that we might be interested in. Everything sounded so good and after a few more minutes we finally placed our order.
My wife went with a breakfast panini that was loaded with bacon, sausage patty, over easy egg, cheddar cheese, and sourdough bread. She got a side of fruit which is beyond generous. She loved the sandwich. It was enough to feed both of us, and honestly, I have never seen a side of fruit with such variety and portion! I went with the biscuits and gravy. It came with a side of hash browns. Ari asked if I wanted green peppers and onions added to the hash browns, uh yeah! Everything was decedent. It was so fresh and you could taste that it was all made from scratch (which Ari confirmed). My plate was loaded with 5 fresh from scratch biscuits drowning in a thick country gravy that was perfectly seasoned.
This has set my expectations to a whole new level when it comes to brunch food. Honestly, unless I physically am unable to make it to this place, I won’t be going anywhere else!

This is my husband’s go to breakfast. If he could, I’m sure he would give it 10 stars. They make the corned beef hash, jams, sausages, and more by scratch. He and my daughter are particularly fond of the corned beef hash. Ari is always friendly and takes the food orders personally. It is nice to have the owner put such a personal touch into their establishment. The wait staff is on the ball and is always there when you need something. The décor is eclectic and homey. Since it is on the small side, there does tend to be a line for this little breakfast place, but my family seems to think the wait is worth it and I have to say that the turnover is quick.
Today the kids had the Mickey Mouse pancakes, which did not look like Mickey, but were «awesome» and «tasty» according to them. I had the pumpkin pancakes and sausage. Both were good and there was more than enough. My husband had the hobo skillet, which he loved as usual. The prices were good for what we got. We paid less than $ 40 for a family of 4 with drinks and sides and we had leftovers for later.
Overall, if you are looking for a good little breakfast place that is a little off the radar, you will enjoy Ari’s.

They can do no wrong here! So darn good!
Theirs is the freshest, most delicious food out there! Nothing, NOTHING isn’t scratch made in this place!
The biggest challenge when I visit is whether I have breakfast or lunch, as they are both delicious and filling. The portions are enormous (see my photos) and the prices are very reasonable!
The service here is friendly and impeccable. You can’t go wrong with Ari and Barb. Now go!

When you walk into Ari’s, you are immediately welcomed by the owner and invited to sit wherever you like.
We stopped in for brunch, which started with a good cup of coffee. I had the California Skillet with avocado, bacon, tomato, and mozzarella. I also had the Rye toast with their homemade raspberry jam. The orange marmalade was good too.
Ari’s is a small place with a big menu; omelets, benedicts, pancakes, skillets, burgers, wraps — I’m sure you can’t go wrong.
Ari himself is jovial and friendly, constantly stopping to check on his customers. He offered extras to everyone — extra coffee, extra potatoes, extra jam… whatever you needed. I like the funky, mismatched coffee mugs here too, but those aren’t for sale.

So we’ve got a new breakfast spot.
Ari’s is awesome. Nothing fancy — and it doesn’t need to be. The food is tasty, hot and fresh, Ari is awesome, and all the servers are friendly.
The water came with a cucumber slice. You know, like a spa, except breakfast. After the night I had, I needed hydration. Slammed it. I don’t even like cucumbers, but I love cucumber water for some reason. And this was exactly what I didn’t even know I wanted.
I tried the Swedish pancakes previously (with lingonberries and a canister of whipped cream, which comes with the pancake accoutrement and is left at the table) and today I had the breakfast panini. Omg. I wasn’t actually THAT hungry and I had to stop myself from devouring the entire thing. It was that good. A panini with pesto mayo, bacon, sausage, cheese and an egg. It’s kind of a miracle my arteries cooperated long enough to let me draft a review. But that being said, I’m totally ordering it again next time.
Side note: They were super packed today and breakfast was taking a bit longer than usual — so Ari came over (unprompted!) with a bowl of fruit salad (watermelon, honeydew, blueberries, banana, strawberries, etc) and kept the child happy. This was just a cool move, and even though we’ve been here a couple of times now, that turned us into regulars. What a way to take care of your customers.
Ok, back to the food. Husband and child love the biscuits and gravy here. And they are picky about biscuits and gravy. The biscuits actually have flavor, and the gravy is solid (as in awesome, folks.)
They encourage substitutions so you can enjoy exactly what you want. Most of them are for no extra charge. They don’t rush you out. There’s a pepper grinder on every table. (A real one… not one of those cheap grocery store two-​pack dealios.) And did I mention they bring an entire can of whipped cream to the table for pancakes? Yes? Telling you again. Because awesome. Happiest kid ever with that one.
We found this place thanks to Unilocal so I’m paying it forward — because even if it gets more crowded due to all the Unilocal love, it’s still worth the wait.

I received the typical hype that’s pounded in your head reading Unilocal reviews of Ari’s Kitchen. Ari will kill you with kindness basically because he never gives up. He works overtime for your hospitality vote.
ARI will dazzle you with conversation until your head spins. This place is out of control with the comfort and comfy presentation that soon wears thin.
The egg scramblers and omelets are basically the same. Scrambled eggs should be lite, fluffy & buttery. My Scrambler was a spitting image of a dried out overcooked Omelet. However, serve a fresh fruit cup with a crisp blueberry… let the dazzle begin!
Ari is simply a magician in cooks clothing, and I believe that combination is mesmerizing and deceptive, because that’s what magicians do!
The best thing about this kitchen is the Pepper Grinder sitting silently on your table.

I can’t believe I haven’t reviewed Ari’s Kitchen yet. This place is an absolute gem.
Looks can definitely be deceiving, but the quality meals that are served from the friendliest people (including Ari himself) here, are priceless. I read all of the great reviews on Unilocal and as a Aurora resident I was psyched to check this place out.
My husband and I came in for breakfast on a Thursday morning. Ari’s Kitchen is a pretty small restaurant, although the do have seating outside in the warmer months. There were about 3 or 4 other tables occupied in the restaurant when we were in.
I immediately loved the homey feel of Ari’s. The coffee mugs were all different, which reminded me of the collection I have at my house. The menus made me do a double take, because they are actually old hard covered cook books with the Ari’s menu pasted inside. Quirky and clever — I like it.
As for the food, everything looked and sounded amazing so it was hard to choose. I finally decided on the California Dreamin’ benedict. Anything with avocado typically wins me over, and boy it did. This benny was awesome!
I chose fruit and my side and let me tell you, «side» is a loose term, but I’m not complaining! The amount of fresh fruit that came with my Benedict was insane! I’m talking a whole banana was included alongside apples, grapes, dried fruit, pears — the works.
Other bonuses of this magnificent breakfast adventure? Cucumber water. Pitchers of fresh cucumber water are served at the table. Love it. Also, Ari will more often than not be your server! I think that is so cool and of course he has all of the knowledge of his own restaurant and what they offer. Ari is super friendly and is literally the definition of amazing customer service.
The hype is real folks, the hype is real. I can’t wait to go back to explore the rest of their menu!

Rarely do I choose a new spot suggested by Unilocalers and find they were wrong. Ari’s Kitchen proved this point once again! SCORE! We were headed to the Aurora Outlet Mall and wanted to try something different for breakfast. I read through a few reviews, ran a map and we were on our way to Ari’s. The map did cause some confusion with an unnecessary u-​turn, but we saw Ari’s up ahead and ended up ignoring the GPS at that point.
We walked up and saw a few tables set for dining on sidewalk. It was nice to know that this was an option. When we opened the door, we were immediately greeted by a server and allowed to sit wherever we wanted. At the table, we found cookbooks (that confused the heck out of my husband and son!), but since I had read ahead a little, I knew that I would find the menu inside. Ah, the menu… it is vast! And loaded with information. We wanted to try everything. It took us quite a while to make our decisions and when we finally did, here’s what we tried:
Homemade breakfast sausage patty — This was a fan favorite and we would come back based on this alone!
Mashed potatoes — I loved these! They were obviously made with loving care as they had a few little lumps, but were so fresh and delicious. An excellent choice if I do say so myself.
Farmer’s Skillet (I think) — Served over a healthy serving of hand cut hash brown potatoes, every bite of this disappeared. This was easily a successful dish.
Pancake (just one as a side, but look at the size of that thing!) — Huge! Obviously not a box-​mix or some pre-​made boring batter. This reminded me of my mom’s kitchen, but it was from Ari’s Kitchen and it was delightful.
Sausage gravy & biscuits — Share this, or get a half order. This was waaaay too much food, but the fresh biscuits were fantastic and the gravy was a winner.
Poached eggs & a side of hash browns — Eggs were cooked perfectly and the hash browns arrived with a cup of gravy (like you would imagine with mashed potatoes). These large chunk of fresh potatoes were so good that I had to snag a bite or two until my husband mixed the eggs in of course.
Turkey sandwich on white bread — While the turkey was obviously roasted and cut right off the bone recently, the sandwich was completely cold. I had not thought this through at all. I expected toast even though the menu didn’t stay toast, so that’s my fault for not asking for toast. The turkey had definitely been chilled in the fridge, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if it were hot instead. The quality was there, but I was the goofball imagining things the menu did not say.
Side salad — I chose the salad instead of the soup (surprisingly) because I wasn’t thrilled at the soup options. The salad was quite large and served nice and cold. The dressing was good and the cucumbers/​tomatoes were fresh. The lettuce wasn’t very thrilling — it’s lettuce and it worked, but this was probably the only thing that hit the table that wasn’t great.
The glasses were kept full, the restaurant was clean and had an open kitchen concept. We met Ari right away and he’s a really nice guy who’s hustling and bustling to make sure everything is up to par. For a Monday morning, the crowd was very diverse and there were plenty of customers to keep them on their toes. I cannot imagine a weekend morning here, but seeing as we don’t often have the opportunity for a weekday breakfast and we loved it so much, I think we will find out what a weekend morning looks like soon!
The parking lot is shared with a few other businesses including a drive-​thru. Don’t accidentally try to go the wrong way down the one way drive thru lane. Basically, you can only go out the same way you came in. So keep that in mind.
Bottom line… Ari’s Kitchen was awesome! Virtually everything tasted fresh, the service was impeccable and the food seemed like it was straight from my mama’s house. Check out this local gem!