aroma indian cuisine

we visited here with a tourists group from india and were totally at awe with the taste and ambience which reminded us of home. it is very important to find a home away from home in the form of food. very royal interiors! the location is also perfect as it is kind of a food street where you find several other outlets as well serving various cuisines. very beautiful area ro hang out at.

i would recommend everyone visiting this area to try out this restaurant. a special thanks to mr. ali who cooked the wonderful menu comprising of chick peas, basmati rice, malai kofta, beans & potatoes, gulab jamun among others; and gave us a warm welcome !

great food, bargain prices. indian cuisine is one of my two favorites (lebanese is the other), and this restaurant never lets me down. the sauces and seasonings are outstanding. my sister's seven-member family recently ate here, and she and her husband told me that their family was talking about how good the food was for the next three days!

my favorite dish is the baingan bharta.

i was one of 3 tables in the entire restaurant and the service was painfully slow. portions were average size. table cloth was dirty. i would not reccomend.

i visited this place last evening with family. wonderful service and food. i wish i had eaten here in my last visits too. their dal makhni and tandoori roti was heaven in dc. staff was extremely courteous and generous.
i'd definitely recommend this one if you enjoy savoring on indian delicacies and like a pleasant ambience.

my favorites below ... salmon puff pastry $20.99 one bite and you will be indulged in comfort. the salmon is seasoned with lime juice and a blend of indian spices then baked in a delicate puff pastry with spinach. it rests on top of a bed of mashed potatoes. this was the epitome of a comfort dish - i wouldn't hate eating this on my couch wrapped in a blanket in front of a fire.

aroma held their first media night last tuesday, providing a vip tasting of selected new winter menu items and i was honored to be a part of it. executive chef madan lal, and his culinary team prepared the night’s delights just how he always does any other night, with fresh, local ingredients, mixing western food (spoiler alert: salmon and lobster) with sultry indian spices.

there are new winter menu items (including dessert!) ready to be served at aroma, an indian restaurant located in shirlington (arlington), virginia. of the many new winter menu samplings, my favorite ‘must try’ items include:

apple puff pastry

1) chicken corn soup: made from scratch, this thick chicken stock soup was bursting with fresh corn, chicken bits, and topped with hints of nutmeg.

2) masala lobster: generous pieces of lobster marinated overnight in yogurt and garam masala. the butter does not overpower the flesh of the lobster and sprinklings of cilantro offer a nice herbal counterbalance. i’ve experienced overcooked lobster plenty of times, and i’m relieved to say aroma’s version does not fall under this category.

3) apple puff pastry: my absolute favorite dessert of the night; a baked apple pastry meticulously shaped into a rose, laced with apricot jelly and sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. it wasn’t too sweet and left me wanting another…and another…

hats off to pastry chef ravi verma for his delectable creations at aroma.

the other new winter menu items include:

    polenta fries: spiced and baked cornmeal fries with fresh chopped jalapeno peppers
    vegetarian mulligatawny soup: mulligatawny (vegetable soup with indian spices) that translates into “pepper water”
    tava meen: pan seared tilapia in a citrus beurre blanc sauce, served with a quinoa salad
    khatta meetha baingan: eggplant marinated in red wine, seared on a grill, layered with potatoes, topped off with coconut milk sauce and indian spices
    kandhari lamb chops: marinated overnight with fresh herbs
    salmon puff pastry: lime-seasoned salmon baked with indian spices into a puff pastry with spinach, served with mashed potatoes
    chicken banjara kabob and lemon chicken kabob
    shahi paneer: homemade curd cheese served with green peas, onions, tomatoes, yogurt, and of course, indian spices
    roasted cauliflower- steamed cauliflower that is sautéed with tomatoes, potatoes, and, you guess it—indian spices
    dal makhani: lentils cooked with spices in a special iron wok
    fresh fry okra- fresh cut okra that is sautéed with onions, tomatoes, and a variety of indian spices
    chocolate mousse: served in a creative tulip-shaped flower
    bread pudding: served in a chocolate cup, garnished with a strawberry
    blueberry panna cotta: cooked cream with sugar, rum, vanilla, and layered with blueberries

so, next time you’re craving indian food in the arlington/shirlington area, make sure to swing by aroma and check out their updated menu. and if the weather permits, you can bring your furry companion and sit in their dog-friendly outdoor seating area in front of the restaurant.

-ehy (elina)

very affordable, even to a fairly poor college student! atmosphere was nice. i had the palak poneer (indian spinach and cheese curds) and it definitely exceeded expectations. spicy and full of flavor, i'd definitely go again to try other things!

great food, great service

not really. it was a beautiful sunday evening, and we were headed for the mexican joint but seeing the food and the outdoor seating, someone had a change of heart. i rolled with it but .... afterwards i regretted the decision.

when we walked by, there were two empty tables outside and so we were able to sit outside. once i went inside it was almost completely empty. there were like 3 tables being used inside. let's face it, this is a mediocre restaurant.

the food is not that good. the flavor is just not there. the poori was oily and sort of gross. the prices are high and the portions are small. the service is mostly inattentive. but sitting there outdoors we enjoyed the evening air and that made up for the mediocre food, it was a nice dinner.

2 stars - the only reason to eat here is because there are no other tables available outside at the other restaurants.

the food is very spicy which i consider a plus, however several people in my party could not enjoy the meal dr to spice level...mediocre at best in terms of overall taste.

i only say that i don't like aroma because i have very high standards for indian food. their food was good enough, but not great. nowhere near spicy enough. sadly, also, the service has not improved at all since the last few comments either. i would not recommend. :(

great. we- two couples- ate dinner at aroma for the third time. again we founds the food to be wonderful and the service to be good. we especially love the tandoori salmon! all other dishes have been great.

food was good. service slow and only 25% full. charged for extra rice for our curry.

buffet at aroma. we went for a buffet at aroma on father's day. the food was excellent but i did not like the idea of adding 21.5% for the service charge, specially for a buffet.

yum. aroma is wonderful. i especially like the lunch buffet. i have tried almost all of their vegetarian dishes and they are fantastic. i especially recommend the butter chicken.