In The Kitchen With Aroma Espresso Bar

Aroma Espresso Bar is the largest Israeli chain of restaurants with more than 120 in Israel and have expanded into the American market possessing four locations in New York, four in Miami, and one in New Jersey. The Montgomery Mall location is the first in the D.C. Metro Area, and there are plans to add another in downtown D.C. within the next year. Aroma recently acquired a full liquor license and now offers Happy hour from 4-6:30pm with $3 bottled beers, and half bottles of wine for $17. Beginning November 21st, Aroma is also offering a Live Jazz Night.

While Aroma serves Breakfast all day with a range of house-blend coffees that are better than Star Bucks and Pancake Bites (pictured) with 100% pure maple syrup in addition to dinner options, lunch is where it’s at. Aroma offers 13 varieties of sandwiches including the more traditional (and kid-friendly) Tuna and Egg Salad, diners can also enjoy Salmon, Halumi, and a Vegan Portabello. As part of their new Fall Menu, the Harvest Turkey Sandwich (pictured) features Sliced Turkey, Turkey Bacon, Sweet Potato, Cranberry Sauce and Arugula. And for those with a more Kosher awareness, it’s good to know that Aroma never serves pork or shellfish. Even the bacon is turkey.

If you’re not feeling sandwich-y, Aroma boasts a variety of ten salads, and a few oven baked pasta dishes. The new Fall Menu includes a Pumpkin Spice Latte, Peppermint Hot Chocolate (pictured), Apple Cider, Seasonal Flavor Shots, Holiday Soup, Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins, and the Harvest Turkey Sandwich. We definitely had some favorites from all across the menu, and think these should be your first-to-try choices:

• Harvest Turkey Sandwich combines all of the greatest flavors of Thanksgiving; both the sweet and the savory. The slightly charred, soft sweet potato on top of a generous portion of sliced turkey builds the base of this sandwich. Topped with a little cranberry sauce for added flavor, and another helping of turkey in the form of bacon, the sandwich is hearty, satisfying, yet light on the stomach and won’t leave you in a food coma stupor. 

• Sometimes peppermint ends up overwhelming the food it’s meant to enhance, but Aroma’s Peppermint Hot Chocolate is the perfect balance of chocolate to mint. The selling point is that it’s made with real chocolate that you have to stir into the warm milk. Don’t forget to lick your spoon afterwards. That’s the best part.

• Like most people, we have our favorite brands of coffee. I can’t fault you for loving Dunkin Donuts or Star Bucks, but if you’re looking at graduating to the next level of coffee consumption, make sure you thoroughly consider any of the House-Blend Coffees Aroma offers. With beans from Africa and South America, and then CT2 roasted in Israel, you’re looking at a coffee that is strong, flavorful, robust, and only a few steps lighter than your typical French roast. If you prefer a little flavor, for an extra $0.50 add a seasonal flavor shot. Choices include Vanilla, Hazelnut, and Caramel.

• California Chicken Sandwich made it onto our favorites list just for the sheer enjoyment one gets from eating a messy sandwich that requires a bib, and also regardless of the fact that it’s missing some turkey bacon. The sandwich is stacked with fresh chicken marinated and cooked in-house, avocado, mozzarella cheese, lettuce, and a fried egg. You won’t get that overly-salty flavor typically associated with a sandwich that included fried egg due to Aroma’s health conscientiousness and avoiding adding any extra salt.

• The Bureka Treat is something special, and a different option for those who want a sandwich, without going the traditional wheat/white/whole grain route. A flaky Belgian pastry filled with Feta Cheese, Hard Boiled Egg, Tomatoes, Pickles and Tahini Sauce is unique, filling, and affordable at only $6.25.

• The Ice Limonana is the perfect blend of lemonade and mint best served on a hot summer day. Surprised by the flavor and how well the lemon melded with the mint, before leaving we made sure it had been consumed in its entirety. We dropped a little suggestion that it might perhaps make for a perfect frozen cocktail. *Ahem* Lemonana margarita please!

• The Ice Hot Chocolate was voted by CBS New York onto their “5 Best Frozen Hot Chocolate Drinks” list this past August and is definitely a crowd favorite of both young and not-so-young. Available in 16oz and 20oz sizes, you’re sure to get your chocolate fix without feeling the effects of sweetness overload.

• Rugelach is basically a mini, denser version of a chocolate croissant. The flaky, light crispy outer part, and all that chocolate rolled into the pastry make for the perfect after meal dessert. Or heck, grab two or three since they’re small and oh-so-worth-it, and we promise not to tell a soul.

Aroma Espresso Bar earned a big thumbs up due to its convenient location, generous portions that won’t add inches to your belt, reasonable prices, and its Americanized ethnic flavor profile. We love that they’ve found their way to the D.C. area, and can’t wait to see where they pop up in downtown.

Aroma Espresso Bar
Westfield Montgomery Mall ( Entrance 4, near Old Navy )
Bethesda, MD 20817
301-312-6216

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About Rebekah (Editor)

Rebekah spent much of her childhood on the coast of Maine where she cultivated her affinity for local seafood. Her lust for traveling extended beyond her New England borders and so she spent time traveling to Nepal, Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico, and various parts of the U.S. before taking up blogging and spawn rearing as her full time gig. A transplant into the DC Metro Area, she has a newfound enthusiasm for gastronomy, and finding the best indulgences in the District. Rebekah's photographs and writing have been published by various media outlets, however her love of adventure would find her constantly on the go exploring new places and cuisine.

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