Review: Aroma Restaurant Rome

We had a great time in Europe this year, but much like your pointless life, our trip eventually had to come to an end. For our final night in Rome, we decided to blow the last of my fantasy football winnings on one final meal at a fancy restaurant the likes of which we won’t be able to visit again anytime soon because honestly this trip was so expensive please be more responsible with your money than I am.

Eriko got dressed up in her new Sara E Luka jacket and I wore my shoes & cardigan from All Saints, and we left Hotel Santa Maria to catch a cab to a Michelin-starred restaurant that may have one of the best views of any restaurant ever in the history of anything.

Arriving at Aroma Restaurant in Rome

Aroma is a Michelin one-star restaurant that is connected to the Palazzo Manfredi hotel, just a short walk from the Colosseum. There was very little traffic, and we got there incredibly early, so we bummed around outside a bit first and took pictures of the nicely lit-up Colosseo. I don’t know much about the hotel, but judging from the pictures, its main attraction, like that of Aroma, is the close view of the Colosseum.

There’s not much going on in this neighborhood (you’re not going to find a konbini or anything to wander around in while you wait), so even though we were quite early, we went up the stairs and inside.

The lobby and waiting area at Aroma

Aroma Restaurant Rome Italy Waiting Room Ceiling Mirror

The restaurant is mostly separate from the hotel, but the staff wasn’t put off by the fact that we were so early. They showed us to a dedicated waiting room with sofas and books and artwork with little descriptions of said artwork and art books about the artist who arted the artwork. We had a nice little chill time in there. It would have been cool if someone had offered us a drink or coffee while we waited, but that didn’t happen. The staff was mostly absent, possibly because the actual restaurant is on the top floor.

Aroma must have quite a reputation because of its view, but I think people must not also realize that it’s a high-end restaurant, because while we were waiting, at least three other groups showed up without a reservation and asked for a table, only to be turned away. That brings us to the big question mark about going to a place like this: are they going to serve good food, or are they just charging good-food prices for standard grub and leaning on the view to bring in customers?

Once it had passed our time to go upstairs (they were running a bit late), we went to the old-timey elevator (think Diamonds are Forever) and went to the top floor, then ascended the staircase to the restaurant. There were only maybe ten tables, but I genuinely think we were shown to the best one, because man oh man look at that view.

Our table, its incredible view, and the menu

Aroma Restaurant Rome Italy Colosseum View

The view did not disappoint. The Colosseum was brilliantly lit at night, and there was nothing obstructing our ability to take many, many photos and marvel at what evil we had to perpetrate in order to be able to eat here. The service wasn’t fast or pushy, probably because they know you want to chill and soak it all in. The servers were all pretty nice - every table was occupied by a tourist couple, and we overheard the servers giving travel advice to some of the other couples.

The menu is a tasting menu, but unlike the other Michelin-starred restaurants we’ve visited, it wasn’t a marathon 200-course extravaganza. There are only five courses to the main tasting menu, as well as vegetarian, meat-based, and fish-based tasting menus. For most people, this is probably fine, but after a long trip, we couldn’t fit that much more food into our bodies, so we went with the “Smart Menu,” a slightly cheaper option that allows you to pick any two dishes from any of the tasting menus, along with a dessert. This was great because we didn’t have to pick from only one tasting menu: I got two dishes from the meat menu and the dessert from the main tasting menu, while Eriko got a course from the fish tasting menu, one from the main, and the dessert from the fish menu.

I understand why restaurants like this can’t really do an a la carte menu, because they couldn’t possibly turn a profit if everyone just came in for the view and ordered one thing. We really appreciated the existence of the Smart Menu that was basically an a la carte menu that forced you to get three things. It was a nice middle ground between a normal restaurant and a Michelin-starred food-a-thon.

If you go to Aroma, please remember that they have the Smart Menu. I say this because the couple at the table next to us clearly did not read the entire menu. They didn’t realize this restaurant was going to be a tasting-menu type of restaurant and filled up at lunch, but ordered the regular tasting menu anyway. They then complained about how much food it was the whole meal, and the young woman asked the waiter if he could give them their meat courses in a doggy bag to take home, which is not something you do at a place like this. Keep flipping the pages until you see the Smart Menu. It’s there.

Also, the fella in this couple next to us was a former child actor who talked at length about which celebrities were nice and which were total jerks. Eventually, I had to put my finger in my left ear so I could concentrate on what my wife was saying and stop eavesdropping on his stories about how nice Paul Rudd is.

Appetizers and bread at Aroma

They brought us a small amuse-bouche, some sort of foam in a cup, but honestly we don’t remember it because all we remember is the bread. They brought so much bread: rolls, crisps, focaccia, breadsticks, slices of bread with olive oil, and some little crunchy doodles. Every single one was delicious. The focaccia was particularly memorable. A basket of nice warm bread was exactly what we wanted in that moment. We devoured this bread. They could have gotten away with just one kind, but they wanted to spoil us.

Pasta course at Aroma

Lobster Risotto Aroma Restaurant Italy Rome

First thing to note is that these servings were much bigger than your average tasting menu. Because the regular tasting menu at Aroma is only five courses, they can give you a bit more food with each course. It was nice, a sort of halfway point between the tiny plates of a tasting menu and the big honking mammoth plates of most other Italian restaurants.

For the pasta course, Eriko got lobster risotto. Those are some big hunks of lobster on there. She said it was good, and it looks well-seasoned and quite rich. But I’m writing this, so we’re going to focus on MY pasta, which was the quail-stuffed ravioli with seasonal truffle.

Oh, man. This thing was so good. Exceeded my expectations in every way. The quail was flavorful, the pasta perfectly cooked, the ingredients in perfect proportion, and that rich brown sauce was an absolute stunner. I loved every bite of it. If we had any worries that this place would underdeliver because it was merely a tourist trap with a nice view, they were assuaged after this dish. We spent three weeks in Europe, and that pasta continues to be one of the lasting memories I take from the trip.

Meat course at Aroma restaurant

Eriko’s choice for her second course was the Crepinette di San Pietro (fish, it was fish), with salad cress, caviar, and Champagne sauce. She loved it, and it was enough food to satisfy while still being nice and light. Eriko often gets way too full to finish everything at these nice restaurants (she’s very small), so having two seafood dishes rather than meat and pasta was definitely the way to go for her.

I, on the other hand, am a big fat piggy boy, so I went with the lamb, which came with beans and a cheesy sauce. The lamb was well-cooked and a decent-enough portion. But to be honest, after the pasta, nothing was going to compare. I don’t remember the lamb much. I just remember wanting 10 more bowls of pasta. I’m sure I liked this course, but it wasn’t the star of the evening.

Dessert at Aroma

Dessert Aroma Rome Italy Colosseum Mousse Apple

One of the major attractions of Aroma is the Colosseum, a special dessert that looks like… the Colosseum. I got this dessert, and it was really impressive when they brought it. It looked immaculate, and was a pretty good representation of the Colosseum, considering the actual structure doesn’t taste that good in real life. The ricotta and sour cherries paired wonderfully together. It’s easy to see why this is their signature dish. You really can’t come here without getting this.

Eriko tried the green apple mousse with mint peas and dill gel, another refreshing option that wasn’t too heavy for her. The portion sizes were perfect for us, leaving us satisfied and full after our three dishes. But if you think that was all, then you have never been to a Michelin-starred restaurant. They love giving you more food than promised, especially at dessert. And when you tell them it’s your anniversary? Oh, boy.

A special celebration for… everyone

Aroma Happy Anniversary Plate Rome Italy

Happy Anniversary Fireworks Plate Aroma Rome

I should note that it was, in fact, not our anniversary. Not even close. But when you fill out a restaurant’s online reservation form, it’s good to tell them it’s your anniversary because sometimes you get free stuff. In this case, we got a plate of small treats that said “Happy Anniversary” in chocolate. Not enough for you? Well, there were FIREWORKS on top of it.

The photo op was fun and impressive, and the treats were delicious. I particularly enjoyed the little peanut desserts shaped like peanuts. Could have eaten forty of those. We’ve gotten some nice little celebrations from restaurants when we “celebrated our anniversary” before, but never like this. Aroma wins.

I have a feeling we weren’t the only ones sly enough to lie about it being a special occasion, because from what I saw, every single table at the restaurant received a fireworks plate except for maybe one. Perhaps we aren’t as clever as we thought. No, no. That’s impossible. They must be copying us.

Verdict: is Aroma worth visiting on your trip to Rome?

Aroma has two services, one at around 6:30pm and one around 9:45pm. If you go earlier, you might be there for sunset, but we enjoyed the 9:45 service because the Colosseum was all lit up and there was no pressure from the staff to finish and get out of there. In fact, there may not have been enough pressure. Eventually, I looked around and saw that everyone in the room was finished eating and just sitting there waiting. We had to get up and walk into the next room to discover that the credit card machine was broken and had to be rebooted. Eventually we paid and left.

The relaxed service and casual vibes of this place definitely align with its one-star rating. This type of restaurant might be preferable to many people over the ultra-serious endurance challenges of two and three-star restaurants. This isn’t an insane once-in-a-lifetime meal like Alleno Paris or Cinc Sentits in Barcelona, but the food was good and we had a great time. Even though it might not have had as high of highs as Yam’Tcha or Le Sputnik, I think it was just as fun of an experience as those places. If you’re new to Michelin restaurants, this may be a good intro point that isn’t too intimidating.

That said, Aroma is an expensive restaurant for what you’re getting. We only had three courses each (plus all the free stuff), and the final cost was 400 Euro ($456.76 based on that day’s exchange rate). Compare that to Cinc Sentits, which was 429.50 Euro ($514.61 with tip) and gave us five times as many courses.

It’s true that you’re partially buying the view at Aroma, and I think that’s fair. What I would also say is that the view is worth the extra money, and that the food is better than it has to be considering the view. They go above and beyond, and they gave me that pasta, so I’d absolutely vouch for Aroma. I think anyone visiting Rome, if they have some extra gambling winnings, could find worse ways to spend it than a romantic meal to cap off an incredible trip.