Aroma Coffee & Cafe — Restaurant in Davenport

Review Date: April 10th, 2017

Aroma = Amora.

Aroma backwards is Amora and Amora means ‘love’ in Spanish. I do love some good coffee, but do I love Aroma?

Yes. Aroma was fantastic. When driving to it, it was a bit hard to find due to it being tucked in with a placed called The Green Thumbers, which is a pretty nifty gardening store in itself. So aside from being attached to a gardening store, it is a full-fledged cafe/coffeehouse on it’s own.

Upon entering, the staff was super nice and struck up a conversation and asked what I was doing today. Told them the boring part of my business reasons for being in the area, but also the fact that I like to try new coffee places while out and about.

They offer a large variety of coffees, lattes, frappes, baked goods, sandwiches, salads and more. I ended up just getting a specialty drink called ‘The Tuxedo’, which was hot espresso and milk with white and dark Mocha added to it. It sounded pretty good and it did not disappoint at all.

In their display of baked goods, they had a chocolate peanut butter cookie that was calling my name… or my sweet tooth was calling for it. Either way, I requested that along with my coffee. The barista even offered to warm it up. I tell you, this may be one of the best cookies I have ever had. I’ve had some of the best across Illinois, especially at Insomnia Cookies, and this place may rival them on the cookie level.

The interior is very formal with out being too formal. It felt cozy but modern. Everything was gray/white/black with nice furniture and some wall decor. But the best part? The two stuffed bears in there. One was about 5 feet tall and there was a baby bear on the other side of the chair, holding a coffee cup. You can see them below. They aren’t taxidermy bears mind you, but stuffed plush bears from the store it is attached to. This is the second coffeehouse I have been to with bears in it, the first being Thirty-Thirty Coffee Co. in Peoria, IL. Bears and Coffee go together like Peanut Butter and Jelly… maybe?

No bear puns yet? That’s un-bear-able!

Overall, Aroma Coffee is Amora indeed! The coffee was great, the cookie was beyond amazing and getting your photo taken with the bear is an added bonus. Aside from it being a bit hidden so one could easily drive by, it is worth hunting for. The coffee/cookies that is. Not the adorable...

1/2/2023. My wife and I were traveling for the holiday weekend and needed a spot to stop for brunch before we started home. We searched through google and called multiple spots before coming across Aroma. They weren't the top rated spot in the area, however they were open and offered a fair menu of both breakfast and lunch items. Let me pull in the parking lot. We had a hard time figuring out where to go since there were multiple entrances. Go with the middle entrance and youll be in the right spot.

Once inside, we could smell the aroma of coffee and sandwiches cooking. We were a total group size of 5 and ordered 5 drinks, 3 sandwiches and a scone. We were told to find a spot in the dining area and our orders would be delivered to us. We sat down and within a couple minutes the first order of the scone and three drinks were delivered. A few more minutes passed, a total now of about 10, and our hot ham egg and cheese arrived along with our Landscaper. The pictures show all. The bread was perfectly pressed and grilled. The filling on the sandwiches were hot all the way through. The plating of the lunch however was lackluster and looked amateur. The worst part was though that the girls working forgot to make our last two drinks. After eating half our food and waiting 20 total minutes our drinks never arrived so we had to go up and ask for them to be made.

The saving grace was that the sandwiches were both tasty and filling. The scone was warm, soft, and buttery. The drinks were delicious. The Brady Street is as good as advertised. If you're in the area swing by and check it out, however I wouldn't drive out of your way though. Based on my experience, I will probably try other coffee shops before returning...

A coffee shop in a garden center? Wouldn't have thought this would be a thing, but it sure is. Even after being told it was inside Green Thumbers, I had trouble getting into the place. Turns out if you're coming from Brady, you kind of pass it, loop back around to Dubuque Street, then there's a clear entrance and parking, as well as signs telling you where to go.

Turns out a cafe and a garden center go together well. The really chill vibe permeates both, making the whole experience of a hot beverage and getting gardening supplies all the more relaxing. Not that I had gardening supplies to get today, but I can envision this come spring.

The cafe and dining areas have weathered looking wood laminate throughout with an earthy gray drywall running both spaces, as well. The ceiling is a textured drywall surface with recessed lights, as well as additional accent and suspended light fixtures, which keep the overall lighting warm and not harsh. A fireplace to the side of the dining space adds further visual and (likely) actual comfort, as well. I'd come back to sit by the fireplace in one of the comfy chairs to sip a hot chocolate.

On this trip, however, I opted for a cherry pineapple kombucha and a cookie, both of which were fantastic. Aroma is supplied by Blue Sun Booch in DeWitt - I personally love their kombucha to the point that I get a growler every Saturday from the Freight House Farmer's Market during the summer. If you haven't tried it and you like kombucha, you owe it to yourself to try it!

I'll be back in the spring for herb plants and soil. Now likely I'll be getting some kombucha with that too. Thanks Aroma! I'll see...