Aria Mediterranean Cuisine

I think this place is a solid 2.5*. Hubby and I tried Aria tonight for a casual Friday, end of the work week dinner. Next to the dining room is the takeout case, where many of the salads and foods are displayed — this was the first hint that dinner here is not made to order, but is cooked in advance and served to you in the dining room. That’s fine, especially at these super-​reasonable prices — but just be aware that this is VERY casual restaurant.
Pluses: the side tabbouleh and greek salads were fresh, generous, perfectly citrusy and authentic tasting. I love tabbouleh (tiny bulghar, curly parsley, scant tomatoes, scallions — lemon — yum!!!) and this was the best tabbouleh I’ve had outside Center City! A note about the greek salad that others have written about — yes it’s got celery instead of cucumbers, plus red onion, peppers, kalamata olives and lots of feta — it’s awesome. I didn’t miss the cucumber. Another plus was the complimentary char grilled, fresh pita that came with a smoky mixed bean hummus, and the smoky baba ghanouj. The minuses: there was WAY to much salt in the hummus and baba ghanouj. I love well-​seasoned food, but this was almost inedible for me. I did mention this to the owner (chef?) afterwards — he said he didn’t pre-​taste these and may have mistakenly put double the salt (!) in the dishes. He apologized and asked me to hit him in the head next time if it’s salty :). He was very sincere, and this made me want to give Aria another try next time.
Hubby had the curried lamb stew and enjoyed it. I had the lamb moussaka and was disappointed that it was a square of heavy, pre-​prepared casserole-​like cut. It was also microwaved (tell-​tale hot and cold spots). The bottom was a potato layer, the middle was potato and eggplant cubes, and the top was some thick bechamel like topping. This wasn’t the moussaka I was hoping for. The portion size was very generous, however, and it came with a grilled red ripe (delicious) tomato half and plenty of long-​grained basmati-​ish rice. I love rice and was very happy with the rice. It was NOT rice-​a-​roni and had no pasta noodle things (as someone else here claimed).
Dessert was a very large square of baklava, which I adore (when it’s made the right way!). This was decent but sadly not as good as homemade. It lacked the hallmark honey, butter, lemon and cinnamon notes.
Bottomline– stick with the basics here, ignore the décor or just do take-​out, and you likely won’t be disappointed. The salads and pita are the real deal. I’ll be back to give the smoky baba another shot.

We ordered take out from here last Saturday during the Fine Arts Festival. Let me just say that the baba ghanoush was out of this world. The hummus is also highly rated. The only downside was they made our gyro with onions when we requested they not, and they forgot to give us our salad side dish. When we returned, the speedily rectified this error.

This restaraunt absolutely rocked. My meal was $ 7.50, and I don’t think I have ever spent money in a better way. The food was high on the delicious scale, the menu was varied, and the service was fast and pretty good. The best thing about this place was the fries which were killer. I highly recommend Aria for anyone who is hungry for Mediterranean cuisine and tasty fries.

By far the best option in Swarthmore. I’m confused by the negative reviews here, but to be fair, I’ve only had their lamb kebab/​chicken kebab sandwiches and platters, both of which are incredible. The rice in their platters stands out. Someone commented on the lack of cucumber and addition of celery in their greek salad-​they definitely do have a unique greek salad (think less lettuce and a variety of other veggies), but I actually like it more than any greek salads I’ve had elsewhere. The owner’s also incredibly friendly. My only complaint is that I wish they did delivery.
I am going to note that they swiped my credit card for more than the price of an takeout order once, but the owner was extremely apologetic and gave me back my money.

Great. Delicious food. Friendly guy who owns it/​runs it. Definitely try it. Was fantastic.

Because the owner is such a nice guy, I would like to recommend everything at this restaurant but as someone who is familiar with middle Eastern food, particularly from Iran and Afghanistan (the owner is from Afghanistan) I can only recommend the hummus and cucumber salad (from what I’ve had). The Afghani rice and chicken kabob weren’t terrible but I’m afraid it wasn’t great either. The rice, as another person on here said, was not «some kind of rice-​a roni style mix», it was a nice long grain basmati style rice with Afghani flavorings (cumin I think), but I prefer simple white rice with butter and a little saffron (being Iranian) and the chicken Kabob was just not fresh. And the jolabi desert (sort of like funnel cake) was stale and almost not edible. Also he offered (free of charge, which was very nice) a soup he called Persian «aush», which he said everyone loved. It first of all was not «Persian» at all. It tasted like watered down spaghetti and meat sauce with some frozen vegetables thrown in. But the owner is an incredibly nice guy (very gracious and friendly) and I sincerely hope it’s better next time.
Here’s my constructive advice to the owner: Stick to making actual Afghan food. Make the place an actual nice (not expensive) sit-​down restaurant rather than deli/​market stand/​restaurant that it is. I request an Afghan favorite my friends make called bolani… its the best and I’m sure Americans will love it!

Easily the worst falafel I’ve ever tasted, that’s including falafel from a mix. The rice was some kind of rice a roni style mix, with tiny pieces of pasta masquerading as rice. The hummus was on point though.

Very disappointed with our meal. The chicken was dry, how can chicken thighs be dry. Too much rice, Greek salad??? When does Greek salad have no cucumbers and loads of celery and a few tiny bits of feta. Sorry, but would not recommend this «restaurant» how can this place stay in business? The chicken FILO was so dry also, could not even taste the creamy dill sauce. So happy we did not invite our friends to join us. After reading the review of a former employee, wish I would have done so before we went. Disgusting about the owner removing mold from the food and picking food out of the trash. Needs to be closed. UGH.

I had very high expectations for Aria (from reading the other reviews), but I was not impressed with our first visit. I’m being generous with my three star rating only because you can’t give 2.5 stars.
Can we start with the fact that the GREEK SALAD had NO CUCUMBER in it. I mean, that’s like, one of the key ingredients for a Greek salad. ADDITIONALLY, it was PACKED with CELERY. Celery? Are you kidding me? I was so perturbed by the fact that there was a large amount of celery in my salad that I actually spent about 20 minutes on Google looking at various Greek salad recipes. Nowhere did I find any recipe that omitted cucumber and added celery.
ANYWAY, beyond that, the food was just OK. We got the chicken and lamb kebab platters. They gave you about 2 tablespoons of tzatziki, which was the consistency of water. It was pointless to have it. There was also about 3 cups of rice and one serving of meat. The platters basically came off as being dry and the flavors weren’t exciting.
I would go back one more time to get a gyro sandwich and to try the grape leaves. The food wasn’t bad, as a whole, but I was definitely expecting more.

Food is really delicious and very unique. the owner/​chef explained to us about what foods he thought we would enjoy and what foods might we might not be able to eat due to our food sensitivities. he was really gracious. The atmosphere is simple. There are interesting cultural decorations on the walls. I would definitely return to this restaurant and I’m so glad I found it.

Literally the worst restaurant in which I’ve ever eaten! Trying to choke down my meal was torture. No idea how they stay in business. Only edible item was the hummus and pita bread served before the meal and even that was mediocre at best. I took the food home as a treat for my dogs who are not by any means picky eaters and they wouldn’t go near it. Yuck, yuck, yuck!

Great take-​out deli/​restaurant, pricing very attractive. The food is good and seems very authentic. Be prepared for the Tzatziki sauce being a lil minty (could have just been my 2^nd visit). VERY friendly staff willing to make you happy with minor requests and substitutions. The free hummus appetizer will whet your appetite greatly.
Loved the corn salad and all the entrees I have tried.
Its décor is definitely not Le Bec Fin [neither is Le Bec Fin anymore :) ], but its quaint and serviceable. Wouldn’t take a new-​er dating partner there, but would love to show off its taste and service after you reach that comfortable sweater/​jeans stage. Being in Swathmore is a bit geographically undesirable for me, but I still made the trip and would again.

The food is amazing! I really liked the eggplant dish called «roasted eggplants» and the beans dish called «3 beans salad». Small and simple place but definitely a restaurant to visit just across Swarthmore college.

Delicious food-​prices are reasonable.
Cucumber salad-​awesome
tabouli-​awesome
their homemade humus is the best I’ve ever had
If you like Middle Eastern food-​give this place a try-​you won’t be disappointed.

See my check-​in for review! You can’t beat this place for Lamb kabob, curry and moussaka.

Wonderful. I would kill for the palak paneer.

Not a fan. I ordered a gyro sandwhich and tabouli salad. The gyro was like that fake gyro that you get at a diner. The Tabouli was below par. I do wonder how the falafels are… maybe I will give it another try.

Unsure why the few mediocre reviews for Aria exist. I will attribute those reviews to the entitled and sometimes affluent nature of most of those who go to the college. Aria is just off the main drag and its next to the Co-​op food store. If you are here looking for a downtown, 5 star (Stephen comes to mind) type of experience you’ve come to the wrong place. And Yea, they could improve the décor but then the price would go up !
You enter through an area that can be crowded because of the large takeout business they have. Once you are seated the food can’t be beat and it is super cheap for not only Mediterranean but for this area– Swarthmore.
Last night I was served pita and fresh hummus before my entrée of Lamb curry which came with a side of Taboula. All for $ 9.99. There was enough to take home for a second meal .
This is the 4^th or 5^th time I’ve been there and I can say the service is good, the food good and cheap. I’ve never had a bad meal here.

Amazing. Great food, super cheap. I have yet to have a bad meal from there.

I have been here three times now, and was hoping it would be a great alternative to Sahara Grill in the city. Unfortunately, that was not the case. As a college student looking for ways to get some good eats without taking SEPTA, I can’t complain about its location. However, the only thing that I have had that was good was the hummus dip. Sandwich and platters are so-​so, but what really brought this place down was the deli assortment.
I’ve tried a few things, but truly nothing is more disgusting than super oily eggplant salad that makes you feel afraid to eat any more because of potential stomach issues. Also, their stuffed grape leaves are usually half-​solid from being too cold.
I am extremely disappointed in this, as the proprietor’s market stall at the local farmer’s market was one of the most popular and delicious. Then, it was worth the money; now, I see my money sadly thrown into the trash can. I can only hope this place improves with time.