Aroma Espresso Bar — Restaurant in Toronto

OmG, this was one nasty way to start off an otherwise perfectly nice Sunday. 😤 Seriously though, no rage. No acting out. Just a sad but necessary review of what we were served. When my cohort suggested drive-thru fast food to hold us over, I began to extol the virtues of the long established Aroma cafés. I loved their sandwiches when I worked in an office tower at the Eaton Center; considered them even worthy of lining up for 3x a week if timing permitted. Terrific breads, fresh avocado and what-have-you, and presentation matched the colourful, flavourful combinations. But time may have eroded the pride with which they used to roll? Let's just say my friend may not easily trust MY brunch suggestions again! Both sandwiches were thrown together using ends. Turkey BLT: 2 ends of slightly hard green tomato (1 slice had a hole where the stem was cut out....really?), one 'white and brown' piece of Romaine that was so bitter, and the first reason we even deemed to look inside. Thin hard-fried ham (or smoked pork) that was dry and tough - reminiscent of a couple of greasy matchbook covers! When we asked for goat cream cheese (chêvre) on the smoked salmon, the cook was unable to accommodate the trade for regular cream cheese but was prepared to give me feta?, not even if I paid extra. The sweet gal taking the order meant well when she suggested the Grilled Chicken instead. It was not only cold, it looked dirty, lacked in flavour and natural texture. As a formally-trained chef myself, I would have defied anyone to identify what it is, in a blind taste test. So guess what happened? If you said, "you went to drive-thru fast food after all", you'd be 100% right-on-the-nose ....and it was on ME! 🤑😕 Save your $$$. I'd have much rather remembered them as I did before that most recent "Sunday...

Disappointing Experience - Lack of Transparency

I visited the cafe today on a beautiful Autumn Sunday with gorgeous weather. The patio was half closed as chairs and tables had been stacked up. They only had half patio open not even in the full sun. I was expecting to enjoy a fresh, real fruit smoothie, as there was limited choices due to my dietary restrictions. Unfortunately, my experience was far from what I had hoped for. I had specifically asked if the mango smoothie I was ordering was made with real mangoes, and your staff assured me that it was. However, while waiting (for over 5 minutes), I saw the kitchen staff prepare the smoothie using mango juice from a jug, diluted with water.

This is unacceptable. If your staff had been transparent from the beginning and informed me that the smoothie would be made with mango juice rather than real fruit, I would have chosen something else. Misleading customers is a quick way to lose trust, and in this case, the product did not meet even basic expectations. What I received was not a smoothie but a watery mango drink, and for $7.95, I expected much better. I would clearly go to a competitor to pay for $14.00 smoothie with real fruits. I had no choice but to donate the drink. Even the person I donated the drink said it is all sugar and threw it out. We didn’t even get to enjoy the patio or a decent drink.

Overall, this was clearly the wrong café for someone like me, who is health-conscious and expects transparency in the products being served. I hope management will address these issues to ensure that customers are not misled in the future.

Clearly this will be my first and last time visiting this franchise in Canada. Stay away if you want real fruit smoothie and...

I would like to address this message to the owner of Aroma, urging them to read it carefully. Customers are a crucial aspect of any business, and I have encountered a particularly troubling experience at Aroma. The staff have shown rudeness and lack of experience, and notably, there was no manager available to address their inappropriate behavior towards customers.

My experience at Aroma was disappointing, and I have reached out to the headquarters to file a complaint regarding the staff's behavior, urging them to look into this matter. The store not only has unfriendly staff but also lacks managerial oversight concerning customer relations.

In particular, a staff member with Asian features and blond hair presumed I had limited English proficiency, even though I am Canadian with a strong command of the language. Her assumption was not only incorrect but also unprofessional. I paid for my coffee and cake but decided to leave because I could not tolerate the employee's hostility. Unfortunately, there was no manager present to resolve the issue, compelling me to file a formal complaint at the headquarters.

Regardless of appearances, it is unacceptable for any staff member to comment on a customer's language skills. I am disheartened by this encounter and by the manager's failure to manage the situation, leaving a paying customer dissatisfied...