Delicious breakfast and lovely staff! I would recommend trying Cafe Aurora if you are in the neighborhood.
Surya J.
Excellent Eritrean breakfast of Egyptian Fava beans with yogurt, chopped onions, toasted buns, tomatoes, and herbs. The taste hit the spot. The café also has cakes and other fresh bakery items for purchase. Service was quick and attentive. Prices are okay. The location is off Duke Street in an office mall. Plenty of parking. I had a blood test at the LabCorp nearby and was famished for breakfast after a long fast. The food hit the spot. Nice pictures of their country on the wall, regular tables and clean restaurant.
Matt C
Expensive and a 20% gratuity was included without mention or warning for an omelet and a tea.
Andrea A.
Cute place! We stopped by here for a nice coffee after work. The biscottis paired delightfully with their latte and cappuccino, and the flavors all spoke for themselves. This is a hidden gem!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Ali Atia
Great place, hidden away in an Alexandria strip mall. Try the Qulwa Lamb with a side salad for a filling dinner at a reasonable price.
Nathan Abraham
Definitely coming
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alex B.
I got the breakfast balance and a cup of coffee while dropping my car off nearby. The staff were incredibly nice and the ambiance of the restaurant was very welcoming and calming. I asked the waitress to tell me what was on my plate as I'd never eaten Eritrean food and she was so excited to do so and was informative. The food was so good! This place will definitely be seeing me again.
Besma M.
The service was super slow and took forever to do everything but overall food was great and staff super friendly !
Shawn K.
A nice, little cafe with very kind servers where you can be left alone to eat spicy food for your soul and drink tea or coffee, all for a reasonable cost. Yep, it is very slow, but don't go if you are in a hurry. Go to a fast food place that will sling your pseudo-food at you in 5 minutes.
Hannah H.
We have been to Cafe Aurora many times for breakfast, but our recent visits have left us much to be desired. While the staff are very friendly, there's usually only one person who mans the front, taking parties' orders, making coffee drinks, and dealing with the register - if you're looking for a quick meal, this is definitely NOT the place, as you'll spend at least 1.5 hours. We usually stick with their French Toast, the Omelet, and the Fuul - the food has been inconsistent, as the French Toast, while usually prepared perfectly with the slight crisp edges, has been mostly soggy. The omelet, in which we requested all the ingredients to be included, has been missing cheese. The Fuul's portion has gotten smaller, and the request for extra jalapenos and sauce has always fallen on deaf ears. For coffee, I've usually stuck with the mocha, which, even when requested to be extra hot, hasn't been so. The place can be extremely loud from specific patrons/parties, and there doesn't seem to be any consideration for other diners. The inconsistency with the food, the long service times, and the high volume of some of the patrons doesn't warrant a repeat visit anymore. Plenty of parking in the shared plaza lot. +inconsistency in the quality of the food served +slow service +very loud patrons/parties
I brought my car in for a quick service appointment at a neighboring car dealership, and wanted a cup of something hot to drink and a place to sit. Cafe Aurora sits in an unassuming plaza off Pickett Street, and was a welcome oasis. Their menu is expansive but I wasn't hungry. After reviewing the hot drinks, I settled on an Eritrean tea accented with cinnamon. It was presented beautifully, in a glass cup and tray along with an individual pot for refills. The staff were so pleasant in explaining its ingredients and tradition. I will definitely go back and try the menu later on.
Chuck Gutensohn
We decided to do something different than traditional breakfast and we're glad that we did.We were immediately greeted with smiles, service was phenomenal, cappuccinos were delicious, and food was excellent. My wife commented that the French Toast was the best she had EVER had.We plan on going back for dinner sometime soon.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: French Toast, Baklava, Fu
Yohannes Tekle
Bad service. They included a 20% tip at noon for a three person party. They feel gratuity is their entitlement.I would't come here again.
Roger L.
I didn't read the reviews before coming in and was pleasantly surprised. The staff was fantastic and the food was delicious. I was not expecting the East African flair, but the music, language, and menu created a vibe unlike anywhere else.
Henok
I had the Sunday breakfast combo. Food & Service was amazing.
Delicious breakfast and lovely staff! I would recommend trying Cafe Aurora if you are in the neighborhood.
Excellent Eritrean breakfast of Egyptian Fava beans with yogurt, chopped onions, toasted buns, tomatoes, and herbs. The taste hit the spot. The café also has cakes and other fresh bakery items for purchase. Service was quick and attentive. Prices are okay. The location is off Duke Street in an office mall. Plenty of parking. I had a blood test at the LabCorp nearby and was famished for breakfast after a long fast. The food hit the spot. Nice pictures of their country on the wall, regular tables and clean restaurant.
Expensive and a 20% gratuity was included without mention or warning for an omelet and a tea.
Cute place! We stopped by here for a nice coffee after work. The biscottis paired delightfully with their latte and cappuccino, and the flavors all spoke for themselves. This is a hidden gem!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Great place, hidden away in an Alexandria strip mall. Try the Qulwa Lamb with a side salad for a filling dinner at a reasonable price.
Definitely coming
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I got the breakfast balance and a cup of coffee while dropping my car off nearby. The staff were incredibly nice and the ambiance of the restaurant was very welcoming and calming. I asked the waitress to tell me what was on my plate as I'd never eaten Eritrean food and she was so excited to do so and was informative. The food was so good! This place will definitely be seeing me again.
The service was super slow and took forever to do everything but overall food was great and staff super friendly !
A nice, little cafe with very kind servers where you can be left alone to eat spicy food for your soul and drink tea or coffee, all for a reasonable cost. Yep, it is very slow, but don't go if you are in a hurry. Go to a fast food place that will sling your pseudo-food at you in 5 minutes.
We have been to Cafe Aurora many times for breakfast, but our recent visits have left us much to be desired. While the staff are very friendly, there's usually only one person who mans the front, taking parties' orders, making coffee drinks, and dealing with the register - if you're looking for a quick meal, this is definitely NOT the place, as you'll spend at least 1.5 hours. We usually stick with their French Toast, the Omelet, and the Fuul - the food has been inconsistent, as the French Toast, while usually prepared perfectly with the slight crisp edges, has been mostly soggy. The omelet, in which we requested all the ingredients to be included, has been missing cheese. The Fuul's portion has gotten smaller, and the request for extra jalapenos and sauce has always fallen on deaf ears. For coffee, I've usually stuck with the mocha, which, even when requested to be extra hot, hasn't been so. The place can be extremely loud from specific patrons/parties, and there doesn't seem to be any consideration for other diners. The inconsistency with the food, the long service times, and the high volume of some of the patrons doesn't warrant a repeat visit anymore. Plenty of parking in the shared plaza lot. +inconsistency in the quality of the food served +slow service +very loud patrons/parties
Restaurantji Recommends
I brought my car in for a quick service appointment at a neighboring car dealership, and wanted a cup of something hot to drink and a place to sit. Cafe Aurora sits in an unassuming plaza off Pickett Street, and was a welcome oasis. Their menu is expansive but I wasn't hungry. After reviewing the hot drinks, I settled on an Eritrean tea accented with cinnamon. It was presented beautifully, in a glass cup and tray along with an individual pot for refills. The staff were so pleasant in explaining its ingredients and tradition. I will definitely go back and try the menu later on.
We decided to do something different than traditional breakfast and we're glad that we did.We were immediately greeted with smiles, service was phenomenal, cappuccinos were delicious, and food was excellent. My wife commented that the French Toast was the best she had EVER had.We plan on going back for dinner sometime soon.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: French Toast, Baklava, Fu
Bad service. They included a 20% tip at noon for a three person party. They feel gratuity is their entitlement.I would't come here again.
I didn't read the reviews before coming in and was pleasantly surprised. The staff was fantastic and the food was delicious. I was not expecting the East African flair, but the music, language, and menu created a vibe unlike anywhere else.
I had the Sunday breakfast combo. Food & Service was amazing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5