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Photo by Zachary Schwartz
Chef Mario at work at Aroma Cafe
To most Northeast Ohioans, Aroma Cafe is shrouded in mystery. Curious first-time diners will find no online menu, no social media presence, and no advertising. Its listed hours—a vanishingly brief window on certain weekdays—aren’t accurate. Fewer than 50 reviews appear on Google, though they’re all five stars. The friend who tipped me off about Aroma Cafe was unsure if I could get a reservation.
When I did, I discovered one of the most charming restaurant experiences in town.
The Italian restaurant (not to be confused with Cafe Ah-Roma) celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Its proprietor, Mario Marotta—“Chef Mario” to his regulars—is from a small town in southern Italy. He carries a strong accent and intense gaze, which is often broken by fits of easy laughter. Apart from a dishwasher and, occasionally, his son Manny, Mario runs a one-man show. That means tables are limited (there are only 20 seats total), and reservations can be hard to come by among those already in the know. That’s because Aroma Cafe has developed a near-religious, if small, following in Cleveland. “I have to come here once a month to nourish my soul,” a fellow diner told our table.
Finding Aroma Cafe is a small odyssey in itself. The restaurant is hidden on the top floor of a nondescript office building in Rocky River. After ascending in a rickety elevator, you follow the murmur of Italian ballads like a siren’s song until you find the restaurant. Chef Mario greets you and shows you to your table, where you gaze upon an astonishingly romantic view of Rocky River’s milquetoast skyline.
Everything at Aroma Cafe is highly orchestrated. There is only one white and one red wine each evening, hand-picked by Mario. Orange slices infuse the water. Before you’ve parsed the menu, Mario has shoveled onto your table heaps of unordered crostini, cheese, and dried fruit—compliments of the chef, of course.
Aroma Cafe focuses on Italian classics: veal parmigiana, pork tenderloin, chicken, steak, seafood, and a wide variety of pastas. Lunch can be ordered using a standard menu, but dinner seems to depend on Mario’s whims: On one visit, we ordered from a small, handwritten menu (which didn’t include prices); on another, all diners were served the same prix fixe five-course dinner. Chef Mario explains it this way: “I scan the diners, I see what they may want, and I decide the dinner based off that.”
On one visit, the filet mignon was served on a medallion of butternut squash and smothered in a creamy gorgonzola mushroom sauce. The Orecchiette Florentine pasta, which gets its name from its “small ears” shape, was doused in a fragrant spinach-and-cream sauce (and paired with a visual demonstration of how to knead the pasta). Standout appetizers included the seafood bisque and grilled jumbo prawns in a delicate oregano-and-white-wine sauce. Dessert was a deliciously light raspberry mascarpone, fizzy and flecked with pomegranate seeds.
These dishes are good; some of them, including the succulent lamb chops, are great. But where Aroma Cafe really shines is the experience. Nearly all dishes are served with a helping of history. As Mario delivered our crostini, he took a moment to explain its humble beginnings as an aperitivo, as well as its differences from bruschetta. As he served a pasta, Mario delved into the history of an obscure, 14th-century horse race from the same region—and then pointed to that very race’s flag hanging on his wall. He may even bless your meal and the Pope at the same time.
In his 60s, Mario is in the golden years of a career that began in Laurino, a small medieval town in the province of Salerno, Italy. At 14, he began serving in restaurants, and spent the next few decades working on Royal Viking Line Cruises and glitzy gigs in Europe, developing his theory of hospitality: “Service is all about talking to people, and the little things.” He speaks with great pride about serving public figures such as Mikhail Gorbachev, Ronald Reagan, and Carl Sagan.
In 1990, Mario moved with his wife to the U.S. and worked in restaurants in Miami and Pittsburgh. In 1996, he transitioned from serving to cooking, and in 1999 he moved to Cleveland. (Longtime Scene readers might recognize Chef Mario from a writeup 20 years ago of a similarly eccentric local restaurant.) Given his experience in both the front and back of the restaurant, Mario considers himself equal parts chef and host—which was the concept of Aroma Cafe, where guests could enjoy Mario’s food and unique service at the same time.
Hours slip by at Aroma Cafe. I was jolted out of my reverie only by the sound of chocolate-covered raisins rattling on my plate, signaling the end of the meal. Prices are variable: On one night, dinner for two—two entrees, two appetizers, and a glass of wine—cost $86. On another night, a more sumptuous prix fixe meal for two—stuffed mushrooms, broccoli florets, eggplant parmesan, jumbo prawns, two kinds of pasta, filet mignon, watermelon cuts, raspberry mascarpone, and espresso—totaled $122. Mario explains he is amenable to guest requests. Once a week, he even provides a “European lunch” for a certain discerning patron: “Four courses, two hours, and one bottle of wine,” he says with a veritable twinkle in his eye.
Upon our departure, my wife said that Aroma Cafe reminded her of an experience she had in Italy, of winding her way through some alley and into someone’s living room, where food was whisked to her table en masse and she was treated like family. Chef Mario is on a madman’s mission to ensure no guest leaves hungry—a true taste of Old-World Italian hospitality. He even handed us a box of extra cake on the way out.
Are there other good Italian restaurants in Northeast Ohio? Of course. But Aroma Cafe offers the undiluted slice of Europe. Mario himself describes his restaurant as a “way to leave the country without leaving the country.”
Mario usually accepts walk-ins for lunch, but only accepts reservations for dinner. It is best to schedule by text (440-570-9817), though dinner reservations may need to be booked weeks in advance. Dress nicely. Expect to spend around $40-60 per person (minus tip), eat multiple courses, and leave absolutely stuffed.
Anyone wishing to experience Aroma Cafe should do so as soon as possible. Mario plans to scale down operations within a year—“I may just keep this open on Friday and Saturday”—and focus on hosting private food tours to Southern Italy. Whenever he does decide to close, it will surely be a great loss for the regulars. To paraphrase one: other places in town have great Italian food, but they don’t have Chef Mario.
Aroma Cafe
20545 Center Ridge Rd, Rocky River
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