I like my titles to be clear and concise and tell you exactly what the post is about…that isn’t so hard is it? I could have easily named this post…cold coffee rage...I guess that would be mysterious.
Shannon and I seem to have the most opposite schedules in the world. Everytime I come back to VA she is just leaving…everytime she is leaving…I am just coming back. Our schedules normally correlate for about 2-3 days so it’s always exciting when we get to hang out.
A couple of weeks ago we decided to hit a café called Aromas located in Newport News, VA. (Also one in Williamsburg). That being said, it was about a 30 minute drive because google maps and siri likes to take us on the scenic route. Not a big deal though because we always have plenty to catch up on.
So arriving at Aroma’s we noticed the restaurant was very centered around the coffee. The café was cute and had a lot of pinterest signs with humorous coffee quotes. Not only do I almost always try restaurant coffee to begin with, but if that is one of their main claims to fame then I have to try that as well. Being a plain jane, I like to get normal coffee. I don’t get their fancy mocha X,Y and Z with a hint of this and a swirl of that.
So after debating what to order I got their specialty house salad with added chicken and a cup (20 ounces of coffee) equating to about 15 dollars. A little expensive for me but that is fine.
So first the salad. It was presented extremely well. It had all my favorite things: pita, feta cheese and some actual vegetables for good measure. However, I payed an extra 3 dollars for chicken and there wasn’t much chicken added…The salad itself was good though.
If I had read the menu better I would have noticed that the dressing was some sort of honey mustard flavored. I don’t exactly care for mustard but it wasn’t bad and I obviously still ate it.
My final verdict: The salad was good but could have used more chicken and been bigger overall for 15 dollars. I had a second lunch a few hours later which was fine.
Moving on to the coffee. I don’t normally rail into coffee because I’m not too particular as long as it’s warm and I can add cream. However, this was a coffee shop and when I went to go fill up my cup from one of the five pots, four were empty and the other was cold. So that’s that. I didn’t finish my coffee and that is saying something for me.
My final verdict: Would I go back? It’s about a 30 minute drive from my house and honestly if I hadn’t had such great company I might have written a harsher review. I wouldn’t drive the 30 minutes again back and if I was in the area and hungry at the time I would honestly probably try somewhere new. It’s not bad by any means, but it isn’t a favorite in the LOLZ book.
*I don’t get payed, sponsored or compensated for my review services and all thoughts and rambles are my own.
Questions for you:
Best restaurant coffee ever?
How do you judge a restaurant? Food portion or taste? Atmosphere? Your Company? My restaurant reviews (well that is obvious).
Dunkin’ Donuts has the best coffee ever. Period.
Sometimes I’ll yelp a restaurant but I usually go off of total experience (atmosphere, food, service, decor…).
I can’t get into Dunks coffee. I’ve never had anything that I enjoy. What do you get there?
Just a regular black coffee, nothing special. I’m also a coffee-addict. When I was an exec assistant in a council office, I would but Dunks coffee for the office! 🙂
PS: I’m starting my posts about my Europe trip this afternoon. As I was gone for 2 months and went to 8 countries, it will be a multi-part series!
Almond biscotti coffee sounds amazing. Why would they have 15 dollar salad?! Nuts!
I recently moved to VA and am in love with WAWA coffee…best ever!!!
What part of VA and Wawa is hands down my favorite.
Alexandria : )
That is expensive for a salad! It looks good, though! I like Dunkin’ Donuts and Panera coffee.
Sounds like a fun despite the fact that the restaurant was as good as you had hoped. I pretty judge a restaurant by the taste of the food (this being the most important quality obviously) and also the atmosphere makes a difference to me too.
I’m not a coffee drinker, but people around here seem to LOVE Tim Horton’s coffee. I usually judge a restaurant by the quality/taste of the food, the quality of the service (this is huge for me), and the atmosphere. I have a thai place near me that I love, but the service is TERRIBLE, I’m talking waiting an hour for food terrible, but I keep going back because the food is that good, and when you’ve waited that hour it always comes out fresh and hot.
I am picky about my coffee. I like strong coffee with whole milk, period. I’ll take cream if that’s all there is and I’ll do 2% milk if I must but I won’t be very happy. If I go to one of those places with self-serve vats of coffee I will be the pain in the butt who asks for a new pot if it’s cold.
I like the coffee at Luke in downtown New Orleans, because they bring you a little French press pot and just leave it at the table. Unlimited coffee makes me happy!
Its all about the atmosphere. When hanging with my peeps, its gotta be lively. When me and the wife go out, I like a nice soft atmosphere.
I judge by food, service, atmosphere, all of it…after working in restaurants for 11 years now…I tend to be a little pickier. I know good food when I taste it, I’ve seen amazing service and service so bad that I want to pull my hair out.
Ouch. I’d like to say that maybe you caught them at a bad coffee transition time, but if their focus is coffee, they should really be on top of that sort of thing. And 15 bucks for a salad is just insane. The most important thing for me when I’m eating out is, honestly, how accommodating the place is to my allergies. Of course the food, atmosphere, and service matter, but if they can’t cater to my allergy concerns, then I guess the rest doesn’t really matter.
When I go to Dunkin Donuts, I usually get one pump of some sort of syrup; otherwise, I love me some BLACK coffee. Actually, and I don’t know if this is because I’m a coffee snob, but I get mad when people say they like “coffee” when it’s about 3 parts sugar, syrup, milk, and cream to one part coffee. It looks more white than black. Maybe I’m a bitch, I don’t know. LOL Either way, I like my coffee black the most. And wawa, hands down, has the best coffee all of the time. I would have said something if everything was empty and my coffee was cold, to be honest. I mean, they should be up on restocking things!
I still think Starbucks has the best coffee. Next is Tim Hortons (influenced by my Canadian friends and family, lol).
Almond Biscotti coffee sounds good but I’m sorry to know you got a cold coffee. Ugh, no one wants cold “hot coffee”.
I judge a restaurant with everything you said plus service. If the service is bad, NOT coming back.
I’m glad you had fun with Shannon on your date :). I agree with you on the lunch thing, sometimes it’s more about the experience with the friend than the actual food so it can still be a good time even if the salad is overpriced and lacking. My favorite coffee is probably the Starbucks K-cup packs, the Pike’s Place Roast or Medium Roast. I also tend to drink a lot of gas station coffee, like you. I don’t go out much but when I splurge, I get Starbucks. I do like it slightly sweetened and maybe a little creamer (flavor is good too), but nothing too fancy.
So disappointing when the meal is sub-par. I get so mad and grumpy. But, when you’re with good company, who really cares, right? I love Stewart’s coffee. I have to get a 20oz. every morning at the Stewart’s down the road from my house or else I feel lost. Seriously some of the best coffee out there. As for restaurant coffee, there’s this little place in my town – it’s like a restaurant/WWII museum – called the Homefront Cafe. The coffee is spectacular. I’m not sure what kind it is but it’s just so, so good. I really appreciate a good cup – nothing froofy.
I’ve become such a restaurant critic over the years it’s not even funny. A place has to be reeeeally good to get my business repeatedly! I just get disappointed when I spend my money at a sub-par place; could’ve stayed home and made a better meal for cheaper!
My mom always says that you can judge how good a restaurant is by their bread. Lol.
Hmm this is a totally fair review of Aroma’s. I’ve only been to the Wburg one obviously but they also feature lukewarm coffee (fun flavors, yes, but who cares if its not warm), and it is defs on the pricey side. I do love their House Salad but I agree that it doesn’t really fill you up….in my opinion, their sandwiches are fantastic (especially the turkey sandwich on foccaccia), and their breakfasts and baked goods are what really shine. Any kind of cake they make is great, and their french toast is to die for! But that’s pretty much it lol. As for the best coffee? Totally Wawa. OOH, no….if you’re ever on the William and Mary campus, go to the Daily Grind. It’s a student run coffee shop and they also have really amazing scones, muffins, and grilled cheese sandwiches…and their coffee is LEGIT. so good. Never have I had better coffee in my life. Actually when I’m down there at the end of the month I’ll take you there!
I definitely like to get my moneys worth when I go out to a restaurant. I’m a bit on the cheap side so I usually judge a restaurant on its value.
Yeah I was definitely hungry after with my sandwich and was incredibly disappointed with the coffee… I wanted to try that almond one! this looked like a place to study and maybe grab a piece of pie or something. If we go back to that are I think we should try one of those other restaurants around they looked good. Broken Egg will always be my fav 😉
Cold coffee? Not OK! I definitely have more fun eating out if the company is good. Like last night, I grabbed dinner with one of my BFFs from college, and even though the food at the restaurant was good (not great), we still loved it and had a great time.
Portion is definitely important if I’m doling out a lot of money, but taste is more important. I would not have been happy about cold coffee and asked them to brew a fresh pot for me. That salad does look delicious!