Lisa Eats: Caffe Aroma (Elmwood)

source: Caffe Aroma facebook page

Surrounded by papers and a computer, a young man sips on his coffee while glancing over a textbook. Dressed in a nice salmon button down shirt and jeans, he sighs and puts away the book in order to relax and enjoy the last couple sips of coffee before heading back to class.

Most college students have their own oasis for unwinding after a stressful day. Some retreat to their dorm room as their respite, but for most a bar or coffee shop does them justice. Nothing can calm the nerves more than the smell of freshly brewed coffee or espresso.

There’s a small recommended getaway located close to campus that not only fills the air with a rich aroma of coffee but serves delicious food as well. Caffe Aroma, located on the corner of Elmwood Avenue and Bidwell Parkway, is known for being one of the longest running and locally owned coffee shops on the Elmwood strip.

“We have been in business for a little over 15 years,” commented manager Michaela Schmidbauer. This European style cozy café attracts a great deal of regular customers who have been coming since the beginning. “As a manager, I could walk into the dining room and know a majority of the customers by first name.”

The menu, which is updated daily, is written on chalkboards and gives the café a homey atmosphere. With a variety of different food, from Panini’s to wraps and salads, there is always something on the menu to make your mouth water.  In addition to being a nice place to grab a coffee on the way to class, Caffe Aroma boasts outside seating located in the heart of Elmwood Village. A coffee will help anyone unwind, but their new beer, liquor and wine selection can take the edge off of anyone’s long day. With the new late hours (open until 12am), students can go and relax on a nice day outside (unfortunately there won’t be too many more of these as winter approaches) while enjoying a glass of wine or beer.

Michaela mentions that compared to a Starbucks, which is located directly down the street, “we are more personable, offer cheaper prices, and you are supporting a local business.”  With personable service and a relaxing atmosphere, in my opinion, there are few better place to unwind than Caffe Aroma.