Cafe Aroma — Restaurant in Idyllwild-Pine Cove

Food was mediocre and overpriced. The mussels we ordered were very overcooked. Stopped eating them when one tasted expired 🤢 but the vegan queso and the strawberry salad were decent.

Environment is cute but feels very crowded. They are pet friendly(dogs preferred)

Daniel our server, 5 stars for his service but I cannot reflect that here

**PLEASE ESPECIALLY NOTE Immediately after we mentioned we were gay the man told us we “should just leave” which is a sad reaction when given that information. 😔

Make sure you have a res. Walk-ins are allowed but not encouraged. The couple who run the place and frequently enforce their power at the host stand, I feel, are not kind humans at their roots.

Don’t ask them if you can have a drink while you wait for a table. They will become very angry and confrontational over it. We witnessed other UNSEATED guests having a drink and standing/conversing in the restaurant.

It was made clear the intention was to make us wait for a table but might not give us one. They would not confirm if they would seat us at all while I observed them seat other “walk in” parties of 4-5 people right away. While we still patiently waited another 45min. Their younger hostess sat us right away when we asked about our table being ready. This was only after the rude couple briefly stepped away from the host stand. Very awful behavior from the owners which is what brought me to spend my time writing this.

Overall, in my opinion, definitely NOT the best restaurant in town as their owners will boast.

IN RESPONSE TO THE OWNERS’ REPLY:

Noticed other people waiting for tables, having drinks while standing in the outside area.

I mentioned you were pet friendly. No argument there. There were plenty of dogs throughout the restaurant that were barking and fighting with each other…but the quiet kittens inside an enclosed stroller are “not allowed” 🥴 The entire time we visited Idyllwild not a single establishment had any issue with this. In fact most staff would want to come up to interact with the kittens. The younger hostess and other guests at Cafe Aroma loved the kittens in the stroller when we asked permission about them coming in. You are unique in your distaste for kittens. We did not harass you at the hostess stand. My partner FIRST came up to ask for a walkin table, you were very rude/dismissive but reluctantly said it would be over an hour and we could wait. My partner only came back a second time to confirm how we would be contacted when a table was ready, a call or text. You were nasty/dismissive AGAIN, while my partner remained polite. Walked away still not understanding how we would be contacted. I was in the car waiting this entire time with the kittens. The third time my partner walked up and the FIRST time I approached your host stand was to walk past you and go to the bar and order a drink while we waited. I did not even approach you or want to interact with you…just simply wanted a drink while we waited. You physically stopped me with your arm and told me the bar was full. No sense of politeness in your approach. I asked if I could get a drink while I waited and you just said no, without explanation. I started to walk away and said (directly to my partner) I didn’t understand why we couldn’t buy a drink while we wait. The male owner stormed after me and harassed me, accusing me of coming up to the host stand three times but I was in the car the entire time. I mentioned we were a couple and this man said we “should just leave” 🥴 then yelled about the boundaries of the liquor license. We quietly waited for another 45min. NEVER RECEIVED ANY CONTACT WHEN A TABLE WAS READY. We had to approach the host stand to politely ask about it again 🫨

As for “cleaning our plates” I finished my small strawberry salad/vegan queso I said was decent. Left over 2/3rds of the overcooked mussels because my partner had to spit one out into her napkin when it tasted very EXPIRED 🤢 didn’t want to tell you about this bc we simply wanted no interaction with you again. We paid and left without a word.

AWFUL...

update * PLEASE read. (Janice) review with similar remarks about the the topic of homophobia has been removed!!! Owners really trying to control the narrative here. Check out Liam’s review before it’s too late. Below is my review:

If you’re looking for a place to eat in idyllwild I would definitely refrain from coming to this establishment. My experience here wasn’t very pleasant and based on some of the higher ratings I wouldn’t be surprised if the owners are asking friends and family to write some of these reviews. First off, the new owners are not very welcoming for walk ins. I was immediately shrugged off when I asked if there were any tables available and immediately got attitude from one of the owners and felt like I was not welcomed. Regardless, after waiting 90 minutes, I decided to still give it a shot even though I wasn’t greeted very warmly. But boy was that a mistake.. the food was very mediocre and definitely overpriced. My salad was very bland and the seafood tasted off. Pretty disappointed because I was told this place used to be pretty great when under previous ownership but it seems the transition has not been seamless for the new owners. The quality, in all aspects, has suffered. I will say that our waiter was wonderful and pleasant. That’s about it. There’s other great restaurants around the area with good food and atmosphere. This one might not be worth your time.

I will say after reading some of the lower rating reviews and what they are being questioned of I feel pretty justified by my review.

In response to owners remark

I can see that you are triggered. First indication of unprofessionalism from the way you bully in response to reviewers. There’s a reason why I posted a poor review. Besides the owner stating lies in his response that we “cleaned our plates” is actually pretty comical and I’m happy to provide pictures to prove that we indeed did not. In addition to that- I also left a poor review because of the lack of professionalism when dealing with an upset customer. I’m just happy that this is all for the public to see. If readers don’t believe me just look at the other reviews stating very similar experiences about the owners and this restaurant. ( Janice and Liam’s ) whom we are not associated with. That certainly says something. Last but certainly not least, he also lied about how we snuck our pets in. YOUR HOSTESS who I believe is your daughter approved it and was actually excited about the idea. We asked permission first as we always do bc we respect rules.

Anyway, I look forward to your next unprofessional response and your attempt to take down “hate speech” reviews which this is is clearly not. Try owning up to your mistakes…Like a true service industry...

Aroma cafe was great. The staff was very warms and welcoming, helping choosing a dish and wine companion. The restaurant was warm and inviting the local art on the wall was beautiful.

We had the ciabatta and garlic oil paired with pesto bruschetta. The simple ciabatta with the garlic oil complimented the tangy vinaigrette and tomatoes. The main courses were Stu’s Ragu, Filet mignon, and Alexanders chicken. The Stu’s Ragu was a beautiful red pasta with Ny strip and shaved Parmesan. The sauce had a nice acidic take with creaminess of the Parmesan. The Ny steak strips were just the icing on the cake.

The filet mignon was cooked perfectly, not red and bloody or ruined by well done but just a touch of pink. The mashed potatoes were rich and thick and the gravy may have been made with Cocain it was so tasty.

The Alexander chicken was cooked in a deep white sauce that kept with the pasta and chicken but not overpowering. The sauce had a rich flavor that went perfectly with the grilled chicken and its slight char.

The meal was wonderful but like anything here is the other side of the coin. One half of the cafe is partially outdoors. I have no doubt that anytime other than winter this would be amazing to sit and have a meal. Unfortunately we visited during the winter and were quite cold. They do have a plastics over the openings and infrared heaters but my shoulders and head were very hot, but my legs and feet were freezing. They have inside dining and private rooms but you have to call the restaurant directly to reserve a table.

The table had very nice silverware, linen table cloth, and cloth napkins. It had a beautiful candle and small decorated vase. However the table was a small plastic folding table and felt a bit for 3 people and I kept bumping the metal table legs trying not to send everything crashing to the floor.

The chairs were simple metal chairs that anytime other than winter would probably be just fine. Unfortunately, we sat next to the plastic screen and the chairs felt like they were definitely sucking the heat from my backside. I was definitely jealous of the patrons on the inside of the restaurant sitting on soft couches next to the fireplace.

Despite some problems with the seating, table and temperature I would return to the Aroma Cafe. The food, service and atmosphere were definitely on Par with the cost of the meal. I do feel cheated on the seating and temperature as I didn’t know to call the restaurant directly and request inside dining or a private room in winter. ( Now you do, your welcome)

If I return again and have the same experience with a better table location I will change my...