Aura Modern Mediterranean — Restaurant in Hampden Township

My first foray into Aura Modern Mediterranean Restaurant came with a mix of anticipation and curiosity, drawn in by the allure of its well-acclaimed cocktail offerings and an enticing menu that promised a contemporary twist on Mediterranean classics.

We began with drinks. Mine, a Spanish G&T, concoction recommended by our personable waiter, featured Botanist Gin, Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic, grapefruit, rosemary, and juniper. While the presentation was a visual treat, the overabundance of ice diluted the essence of the ingredients, leading to a rather underwhelming experience. My wife's choice of the Winter Spiced Sangria, though slightly more flavorful, unfortunately, didn't live up to our high expectations either.

A surprising departure from typical fine dining norms was the absence of complimentary bread prior to our entrees. Although our waiter was cordial, his attentiveness was lacking, which made it difficult to request clarifications or additional items.

The culinary aspect of our visit shone brighter. My order of Lyulya Lamb Kabobs, served with mini pitas, house-made tzatziki, and fresh basil, was pleasingly executed, delivering a good but not extraordinary taste experience. The star of the evening, however, was the Shrimp Pappardelle chosen by my wife. The dish, a harmonious blend of saffron poached shrimp with black garlic pappardelle, zucchini ribbons, and shrimp cream sauce, was a testament to the chef's prowess in marrying flavors and textures.

As the evening drew to a close, we were presented with the option of dessert, yet the lack of enthusiasm in description or recommendation from our server led us to decline.

Reflecting on the overall experience, it's with a sense of missed potential that we ponder our return. Aura Modern Mediterranean Restaurant, while shining in moments through its culinary offerings, particularly the Shrimp Pappardelle, fell short of creating the memorable dining experience we had hoped for. The journey through the menu was a testament to the kitchen's capabilities, yet the overall ambiance and service left us wanting. In the competitive landscape of modern Mediterranean cuisine, it's the finer details that elevate a good experience to great. Unfortunately, Aura didn't quite reach those...

My mom and I tried it tonight. We went to the Cork and Fork there often. We were pretty disappointed. We sat at the bar; the service was not good. Sat there waiting for one of the three bartenders (bar seats maybe a dozen or so) finally got drinks, looked at the rather pricy menu for probably 20 minutes, had to look up a few things on Google to figure out what they were, because we had horrible service from the bartenders and couldn’t ask questions. Finally, because I was right beside the pizza oven, pick up spot for the servers, I saw a bowl of mussels. They were not on the menu. So I finally flagged down a bartender, asker her about them, she mentioned specials, and said she’d try to fine a special menu for us, we were like, please?! Yes we want to see the specials for Pete’s sake. We each ordered mussels; absolutely awful. So undercooked (or over cooked??) half hadn’t opened, the others just fell apart. Fortunately, the gentleman working the pizza oven and I’d say the expediting area gave us some attention and he was great. Took them back and we ordered calamari, which was an A+, as was he. I had a hunch he might be an owner-we asked his name. Anyway, we left and went elsewhere, and my mom paid the bill (mostly comped, fortunately) and gave him the tip and said the bartender did nothing, no tip for her. We asked his name and John Walsh, the executive chef as it turns out (I looked him up after we left) definitely saved our experience from being a total bust. At NYC prices, the service should be impeccable here in Camp Hill (or anywhere, really). I might go back and try the pizza, but only because John Walsh was so professional and super nice. Heck, I’ve done a ton of restaurant work, he was the nicest executive chef I’ve ever met! So try it, I hope it’s a better...

I’m still in shock by our experience. We booked a reservation for Mother’s Day dinner as the reviews were fantastic. We were seated promptly, which was much appreciated as we had our 2 year old son with us (they knew our kiddo was joining because they called to confirm). Everything went downhill after this. We waited almost 15 min for a server. Turns out a different server had to let ours know we were at the table. Our server came over and said hello, he didn’t apologize for walking past us several times, he just asked what we wanted to drink and let us know it was still happy hour. When he brought us waters he placed a glass tumbler full of water in front of my 2 year old 😂. I commented I’d just go get his water bottle from the car, to which he then realized and offered us a plastic cup. We placed our entire food order at once since we’d been sitting for over 20 min now. A table that arrived after us received their appetizers before we got anything. Fast forward 40 minutes, our food finally arrives, they did not send out our son’s buttered noodles early which was very surprising to me. Thank goodness for snacks and an iPad 🤦🏽‍♀️. We ordered the crab croquettes as an app, the halibut, and the short rib. Halibut was fine, short rib was not fall off the bone tender and it was very fatty. The haricot vert were great! When we were nearly done with our dishes our server asked how everything was, and we let him know we never got our appetizer/crab croquettes. The kitchen sent them out 5 min later…after we finished our meal. We didn’t even get an apology! This was a very disappointing experience given we heard such great things. Needless to say, we won’t be back and I wouldn’t consider this place...