One of the best dining experiences I’ve had. 10/10. (So good that it compelled me to write this review!)
Walked in without knowing much and ended up booking another reservation the next night. I’ve got plans for many more meals here with the insanely high quality of food, service, ambiance and cocktails. This restaurant alone has changed my perspective on dining in Idyllwild. (By the way, if there’s a Chef’s Special of any kind…order it!! The staff and owners are super knowledgeable with cocktails, wine and food pairings and overall menu creativeness.)
Shout out to Riley on her 1st day - unbelievably natural and skilled with customer experience and good energy. (Kendall was a great teacher!)
Shout out to Jacob who was our awesome server on our second night back. So knowledgeable and gave great recs.
And the biggest shoutout of all - the dream team - the owners Eric and Addy!! You’ve created a gem and you should be very proud.
VeganInPHX
Cafe Aroma offers several vegan options. Although I was unfortunately unable to eat my meal at the restaurant, I was able to order takeout (heads up: they said they do not offer takeout when really busy). I really enjoyed the Cashew Fauxfredo. Very flavorful! The portion size was perfect, too.
Lynn Strong
If all you want is atmosphere, this is the place for you. It’s a gorgeous setting; beautiful patio dining and the indoor seating has character and charm but it pretty much ends there. The cocktails were trendy and weak. The trout was an over cooked and salt bomb and our server was curt and low on friendliness. For the price we paid I expect ambience, good food, and welcoming, friendly service. We won’t be going back.
Cal Iseminger
Stumbled upon this gem passing through town. Amazing food, cocktails, service and ambience. A classy but not stuffy nice restaurant in a cabin nestled in the woods. Highly recommend!
gaea woods
Loved it. So cute and such great vegetarian tofu dish. Went for a bachelorette dinner. So fun.
Naomi Carmona Morshead
We sat on the patio with live dogs. One came over, sniffed and started to attempt to lick our food. We were not told we were sitting on the patio; it is covered and indoors. Food is great, but we'll never choose the patio again.
Adrian Twombley
Amazing resturaunt, great menu, the owners and staff are remarkable and the cozy setting is priceless!!!
Willie Garcia
I’ve read so many positive things about this restaurant but unfortunately my experience was different. We waited until our last day in Idyllwild to have dinner here. I ordered a ribeye steak medium rare and when I received it, it looked promising. Unfortunately when I cut into it, it was cooked well done. It must have been a busy night because it took quite some time for someone to come and ask us how our food was. Eventually I was able to tell them that the steak was overcooked and they offered a replacement. The unfortunate part is that my wife basically ate alone as I was waiting for my replacement steak. If she had waited for my new steak to come out then her food would have been cold. When you order a premium item from the menu, you expect them to get it right the first time. Having to wait for a replacement ribeye definitely killed the mood for us. It would have been nice for a slight discount due to our inconvenience, or at least an apology from the manager, however we got neither. Out of my 4 day stay in Idyllwild this was definitely the only bad experience. I’ll definitely be coming back to this beautiful town but not to eat at this establishment.
irplonk96
Super impressed with the quality and care that went into crafting the vegan items on their menu. I wanted to try everything, but I ended up just eating the free bread and garlic olive oil and the gochujang tofu on a bed of veggies. The sauce for the tofu was so good, and they give you a thick slice. I ate half of it to save room for dessert, a vegan creme brulee. This might have been the first time since I went vegan that I have eaten creme brulee, and it was exactly how I remembered. In addition, they had live music. Truly a must-go if you are in the area. Vegan or not.
IslandGirl565
If you want to do a sit-down dine in for dinner, this is the place for you. They have delicious and unique vegan options that are clearly marked. You can also make them gluten-free. Just make sure to ask your waiter.
Always to be counted on for wonderful food!! One of Idyllwild‘s best restaurants!
Amelia McMahon
One of Idyllwild’s best restaurants.
dhall22
I went with a large party for a birthday and we tried almost all of their vegan options. I got the Rojo Dragon pasta and it was incredible. The vegan desserts were great, especially the raspberry tart. Prices were a little high but the vegan options were cheaper than the meat which is good to see. The staff were very knowledgeable.
Jimmy Google
* update * I’ve noticed the bad reviews I’m referring to (Janice) 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 professional would.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
megan malone
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.
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 b
One of the best dining experiences I’ve had. 10/10. (So good that it compelled me to write this review!)
Walked in without knowing much and ended up booking another reservation the next night. I’ve got plans for many more meals here with the insanely high quality of food, service, ambiance and cocktails. This restaurant alone has changed my perspective on dining in Idyllwild. (By the way, if there’s a Chef’s Special of any kind…order it!! The staff and owners are super knowledgeable with cocktails, wine and food pairings and overall menu creativeness.)
Shout out to Riley on her 1st day - unbelievably natural and skilled with customer experience and good energy. (Kendall was a great teacher!)
Shout out to Jacob who was our awesome server on our second night back. So knowledgeable and gave great recs.
And the biggest shoutout of all - the dream team - the owners Eric and Addy!! You’ve created a gem and you should be very proud.
Cafe Aroma offers several vegan options. Although I was unfortunately unable to eat my meal at the restaurant, I was able to order takeout (heads up: they said they do not offer takeout when really busy). I really enjoyed the Cashew Fauxfredo. Very flavorful! The portion size was perfect, too.
If all you want is atmosphere, this is the place for you. It’s a gorgeous setting; beautiful patio dining and the indoor seating has character and charm but it pretty much ends there. The cocktails were trendy and weak. The trout was an over cooked and salt bomb and our server was curt and low on friendliness. For the price we paid I expect ambience, good food, and welcoming, friendly service. We won’t be going back.
Stumbled upon this gem passing through town. Amazing food, cocktails, service and ambience. A classy but not stuffy nice restaurant in a cabin nestled in the woods. Highly recommend!
Loved it. So cute and such great vegetarian tofu dish. Went for a bachelorette dinner. So fun.
We sat on the patio with live dogs. One came over, sniffed and started to attempt to lick our food. We were not told we were sitting on the patio; it is covered and indoors. Food is great, but we'll never choose the patio again.
Amazing resturaunt, great menu, the owners and staff are remarkable and the cozy setting is priceless!!!
I’ve read so many positive things about this restaurant but unfortunately my experience was different. We waited until our last day in Idyllwild to have dinner here. I ordered a ribeye steak medium rare and when I received it, it looked promising. Unfortunately when I cut into it, it was cooked well done. It must have been a busy night because it took quite some time for someone to come and ask us how our food was. Eventually I was able to tell them that the steak was overcooked and they offered a replacement. The unfortunate part is that my wife basically ate alone as I was waiting for my replacement steak. If she had waited for my new steak to come out then her food would have been cold. When you order a premium item from the menu, you expect them to get it right the first time. Having to wait for a replacement ribeye definitely killed the mood for us. It would have been nice for a slight discount due to our inconvenience, or at least an apology from the manager, however we got neither. Out of my 4 day stay in Idyllwild this was definitely the only bad experience. I’ll definitely be coming back to this beautiful town but not to eat at this establishment.
Super impressed with the quality and care that went into crafting the vegan items on their menu. I wanted to try everything, but I ended up just eating the free bread and garlic olive oil and the gochujang tofu on a bed of veggies. The sauce for the tofu was so good, and they give you a thick slice. I ate half of it to save room for dessert, a vegan creme brulee. This might have been the first time since I went vegan that I have eaten creme brulee, and it was exactly how I remembered. In addition, they had live music. Truly a must-go if you are in the area. Vegan or not.
If you want to do a sit-down dine in for dinner, this is the place for you. They have delicious and unique vegan options that are clearly marked. You can also make them gluten-free. Just make sure to ask your waiter.
Restaurantji Recommends
Always to be counted on for wonderful food!! One of Idyllwild‘s best restaurants!
One of Idyllwild’s best restaurants.
I went with a large party for a birthday and we tried almost all of their vegan options. I got the Rojo Dragon pasta and it was incredible. The vegan desserts were great, especially the raspberry tart. Prices were a little high but the vegan options were cheaper than the meat which is good to see. The staff were very knowledgeable.
* update * I’ve noticed the bad reviews I’m referring to (Janice) 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 professional would.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
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.
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 b
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Loading...