Aroma Bakery & Cafe

I come in every Monday morning for breakfast. I look forward to going to Aroma because it’s quick and yummy. I get a plain toasted bagel with cream cheese and veggies. Anywhere else, I would never think to get a veggie bagel but this place uses alfalfa sprouts ! I LOVE alfalfa sprouts. It’s so refreshing and filling too, just right to get me through my day. The guys are always super sweet and they practically already know what I am gonna order since they see me every week. It’s conveniently located on the corner of Franklin and 19^th.

I’ve been back in California for 7 months now and I am still so incredibly spoiled when it comes to NY-​style breakfast sandwiches! Having set those babies as a standard has proven difficult as no one seems to make them as amazing as my former Brooklyn neighborhood bodega did. I digress… I came here for an egg, cheese, and avocado breakfast sandwich on croissant and it was very lackluster. They don’t actually cook the eggs. It was similiar to the egg they use in a Jack in the Box or McDonald’s breakfast sandwich. They also didn’t toast my bread either. It was disappointing given how stellar the reviews are on here.
However, the pastries looked really good. Definitely want to go back and try a few and oe of their sandwiches. The ingredients look really fresh. That’s always a plus!

I’m really trying to like this place because of the reviews but every time I order a sandwich or bagel the people making it seem to either 1) not know what their doing, or 2) not really be interested in what they’re doing or being there in the first place. Maybe I ordered a sandwich they don’t specialize in? I don’t know.
The rest of the place (cashiers, etc) seem fine, but I mainly go in there for the sandwiches so… meh.

Decent coffee with freshly made sandwiches. Cookies are the highlight though with lots of flavor choices. Breakfast switches to lunch around 10am, but come early before they run out of croissants.

Had an incredible cranberry scone ($ 1.75 for a small) — so fluffy, had the texture of a buttermilk biscuit. The other pastries they make looked equally amazing.

Just got done with my dentist and feeling great! No pain when I simply drink a hot cup of joe or a glass of cold milk. I wanted to do both when I walked out of my dentist.
These people are so nice and easy to give you a smile along with whatever you order. The place is clean and they have great window seating to do a little people watching while you sip your coffee if you’re into that.
I ordered a double espresso and a maple glazed donut with cream in the middle. I know you can’t screw up espresso but it was good and enjoyed sipping it without pain while I watched people walking by. The maple donut was a nice surprise. Soft donut and the cream inside was very good and not too over the top «sugary». Which is a turn off for me.
I’ll be back event time I visit my dentist. It will be my «sticker or toothbrush» prize after I’m done with him my visit.

The sandwiches at Aroma are excellent, same with the baked-​in-​house cookies. Most of the employees are okay too. However, one of the three sandwich-​makers is consistently unpleasant. So, getting in the sandwich line here is a little like Russian roulette. It starts when she snaps at you for your order. She then proceeds to ignore it. Every time I order a hot sandwich from her she pretends not to hear the request and makes it cold (making it cold is a lot quicker). She also will tersely demand to know if you «want everything on it.» Try asking for something different and see whether you get it. Usually not. Don’t dare correct her, though, because then she really starts throwing off the attitude. Like today, when she slammed down the salt and pepper shakers after I asked for salt and pepper on my tomatoes. I should have known better. The key to minimizing the unpleasantness is to just take whatever sandwich she hands you and eat it. Or just go somewhere else.

Hmm… where do I start with Aroma other than how much I love it! The food is great and the service is even better (which is hard to top because they have one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had)! I usually get a vegetarian sandwich on dutch crunch with pesto for less than $ 7 — It is so delicious for that deal!
I’ve had them cater a 60 person lunch meeting once and they give a good deal, plus all the guests loved their sandwiches (turkey, club, veggie, ham, roast beef) & black iced tea and tons of cookies baked fresh each day (the oatmeal chocolate chip is to die for). I can also recommend their lattes, pasta salad and breakfast bagel sandwich. NOM.
Overall, great food/​drink for an amazing price downtown. It’s my favorite lunch spot in Oakland, and it’s not just because of the convenience of working a block away.

I’ve worked in the area for three years and occasionally get breakfast and lunch from here. Their lox bagels are excellent as well as the breakfast croissant sandwiches. Plus it’s cheap, a little heavy, but worth the amount you pay for it. Highly recommend going there on Tuesdays for the Cuban black bean soup, but hurry cause they run out quick! The BLT with avocado I order is never skimp. Always packed with bacon and a full avocado half goes into it. Then to top it off, they’re cookies are like crack. And surely sell like it. If you want quality service and quality food, head here. I haven’t seen much of a turnover when it comes to the staff so it would be right to assume they all love what they do. Love you guys!

Great service and my order is always fast and ready when I need it.

Finally found the sandwich spot. I made the mistake to associate the Harrison location with this one. I like the Harrison location but not a fan of the foccacia pre-​made sandwiches. So I assumed this was the «main» location doing the same. Has taken a year to fully realize why this place is awesome. Nice décor. Great sandwiches and selection. I got the Tuna/​Avacado on a fresh Sourdough roll. Great portion for $ 7.00 and made to order exactly how I wanted. Next time trying the cookies and pastries and maybe a bagel in the morning. This is the «spot» IMO for a sandwich or wrap. Looks like it can be busy but moves along.

I ordered a turkey sandwich on line, and had some special requests​.ie. very very little mayo (just enough to wet the bread) add Alfalfa sprouts and avocado.
When I got there, 15 min later, I still had to wait a few minutes for the sandwich but had a line that was 10 person deep, so I understand. The manger acknowledged me while he and his cashier both apologized. I really appreciated that.
The sandwich was exactly the way I ordered it, and it tasted fresh. The bread was soft, the turkey was moist, the veggies were fresh and the taste was great.
Keep up the good work Aroma staff. You make my lunchtime in Oakland a pleasure.

I have been here more than a handful of times now and I feel it is deserving of a review now.
Every time I have come in here, I’ve greeted with smiles from the owner and staff. I have only come here during lunch, probably their busiest time. There is always a line for the sandwiches/​wraps/​salads. I’ve placed online orders twice. Both times, they were efficient … Took the order/​receipt (I printed it at work-​but it’s not necessary, as long as you have the name of the person on the order). Take the receipt to the counter, pay for it and wait until they give you the order. We were able to pay for our orders separately, even though we placed one order online. Thank you for accommodating us!
Everything is good, tastes fresh– the bakery, goodies… you can tell its baked daily. They offer Bundt cakes, yogurt, variety of drinks, coffee, lattes… al of which you can for at the register to the left of the entrance. They even offer a freshly cut fruit cup :) I’ve had their coffee, latte and it’s great–
Keeps me up and tastes good!
Today, I ordered the chicken and cheese wrap, adding avocado to it (.50 extra). It comes with mayo, honey mustard, onions (I excluded), lettuce… and I believe there are a total of three wraps you can choose from — I chose spinach. I cannot begin to tell you how fresh and delicious this tasted. The picture does it absolutely no justice. It comes with a pickle and cut in half.
Food is consistent every time– these guys have it down. There staff is friendly, courteous, just great people. These are the small businesses I like to support. These are the small businesses I worry about in times of riots…
Not to mention I had the BEST snicker doodle ever in my life!!! I know it sounds silly, but it was unlike any other snicker doodle I’ve ever had — freshly baked, soft, just perfect. And I honestly don’t evening snicker doodles! I prefer chocolate chip :) goes to show how much I truly enjoyed this simple pleasure.
I will be back as long as I work in Oakland!!! You’ve won me over :) Thank you for your service! And thank you for the great food you serve!

This place makes a great latte, great mocha, great sandwich, and all these at great prices. I’ve ordered sandwiches online for pickup and it’s very convenient.

my go-​to sandwich place.
so it’s not as «gourmet» as other options in the area (the lunch box, ike’s, and stag’s come to mind), but for a decent price, you get a solid sandwich with all of the fixings. love the french roll.
the coffee and cookies are good too! and the people behind the counter are really nice.

Forget Starbucks! This is the go-​to spot for breakfast/​coffee in the Uptown area.
This place is most definitely a neighborhood fave. Lines all day! (Well, not ALL day…) Fresh pastries, cookies and breakfast items — you can get a breakfast croissant made-​to-​order with the meltiest cheese you’ve ever had. They also have a bagel with cream cheese and bacon, yes, BACON. If you have not tried that combo, you must!
The coffee and coffee drinks are all very good and the service is always amazing. I am not a big sandwich person, but I have heard from lots of people, their sandwiches are delicious (and this is evidenced by the lines they have here during lunch). If you want to order ahead, they do provide the service online and over the phone. Just be aware this is the location on Franklin (and there is another Aroma’s on Harrison).
Prices are very fair for the area and less costly than Stabucks.

Quick. Good. Fresh. Pleasant staff. Yum.
They have the best sandwiches in the area. They are pretty much sandwich artisans. You can tell they take pride in the construction of the layers of meat, veggies, condiments, and love. I’m a roast beef gal and I always get mine with sprouts and it’s always bomb dot com. For my bread, I switch it up, and they have choices – french, rye, wrap, spinach wrap, sourdough, etc. You can order online if you want to save some time, though I haven’t tried it. Their cookies are hella good too. Sometimes when I get the female cashier, she entertains with a quick trick involving a credit card flair. All the staff here are quite pleasant.
This place is where I go when I don’t feel like gambling on lunch and need a fresh, good meal and fast.

This is an excellent cheap takeout breakfast place. Decent coffee, friendly staff that remember your name, excellent sandwiches, but their specialty… the croissant breakfast sandwich.
So few things you need to know when ordering it:
1) You can get any kind of cheese (swiss, cheddar, pepper jack, havarti, provolone, cream cheese) I suggest swiss.
2) Pick bacon, egg, chicken apple sausage (or 2 or all 3)
3) Ask for it to be toasted or made in the oven (not the default microwaved)
The result one amazing tasty crispy breakfast for just $ 2.99! It still tastes okay in the microwave but they are happy to toast it if you ask and it tastes much better.
–1 star for running out of croissants 30% of the time (come before 9am and your usually okay) and for using Mr. Espresso coffee beans. It’s okay, but no blue bottle…

I’ve been coming to this place for a few years now. I stop sometimes after the gym. Today it was shades of «Soup Nazi» –glaring looks and surly attitude by the sandwich maker. There was no one else there, so I went straight to the register and ordered a ham/​egg/​cheese croissant sandwich. I paid, order was taken by the older, balder, gentle guy. The adjacent sandwich maker distinctly heard me.
But when I heard my sandwich being handed out, I went up and attempted to take it. All hell broke loose! Shooting a look at me like I was some kind of thief, this guy tells me it’s not mine. A little back and forth later and I realized I had to go in to the place, walk up to the sandwich guy, order there first, then pay. The gentle guy doesn’t talk to the other guy. No order is sent. You have to order first! Do not, repeat, do not make this mistake, even if you think this makes sense. Hell, you could order three sandwiches and tell gentle guy you ordered one, and you’ll be happier.
Guess what? The ridiculously priced ($ 3) sandwich is very delicious –good quality ham, eggs that are seasoned, etc. With a few drops of El Tapatio or Cholula at home and this is a delicious breakfast. Scones here are also good, esp the almond.

Never let anyone tell you that you can’t buy happiness. Here, you can purchase it for $ 2.75.
I’ve been coming here for years. My mother used to work in the area, and whenever I’d accompany her in the mornings (if I was on school break), this Oakland gem was our breakfast spot.
First of all, their croissant-​egg sandwich ruined the BK breakfast menu for me as a child. It starts at $ 2.50 for a one-​stuffing. However, but can get all four stuffings (ham, bacon, cheese, chicken sausage) for only $ 3.25. My go-​to sammich is their ham and cheese, the classic combination of delicious ham, gooey cheddar cheese, and egg, placed in a halved buttery croissant. Ohhhhh goodness! It is simple and maybe a bit heavy, but well worth the $ 2.75.
If you feel like just getting pastries, they have a decent selection of wonderful baked goods. I’m definitely a fan of their blueberry scones. The cookies are pretty good as well. I always need to remember to only buy a few snickerdoodles and walk away. Just want a taste and NOT a full-​blown addiction! Haha
I also love their Chocolate-​macadamia nut coffee. I haven’t been here in a while and forgot to ask if it was still on the menu when I stopped by last week. Hopefully they still offer it.
As I said earlier, this was my breakfast stop. I seldom came here for lunch because the lines were absurdly long, but I enjoyed the few times that I did. Their falafel wrap was pretty good! Killer falafel, fresh veggies, and that tzatziki sauce, in wrap-​form? Yes friggin please!
Anyway, I do love Aroma quite a bit and recommend you guys check it out too.

Snickerdoodle! nom nom nom nom…
Giant chocolate chip cookie! nom nom nom nom…
This place rocks!