Royal Aroma

Two couples on a Thursday night in the lead up to Christmas. As Sidney locals, we try a new restaurant whenever we get together. Royal Aroma has become our favourite for a number of reasons: we want to be able to talk with each other and the noise level here allows that, we don’t want to pay for parking and we’ve always been able to find street parking on Beacon or close by on one of the side streets, the restaurant is family owned so service is attentive and customers are treated as if they matter, the bathrooms are clean, but most important is the food. We keep coming back for the food. Everything we have ordered has been delicious. There are lots of options for vegetarians, gluten-free, seafood, meat lovers. Every dish is served at your degree of spiciness. The meals seem to be made from scratch and are nutritious. Whenever we are unfamiliar with an item on the menu, the server is happy to explain. I have never felt any pressure from up selling or feeling that I have to order alcohol. Dinner portions are large enough that even with sharing we still end up taking some food home for the next day. If just my husband and I are eating together, we don’t get an appetizer because we find it’s too much food but when we are two couples together, we will get an appetizer. We don’t usually get dessert because… It’s just too much food. The desserts look really good, however. (Lunch specials are served on a traditional metal tray that has spaces for each type of food. Quite a good deal if you are in a hurry and want a nourishing, hot lunch.) Although we have not ordered takeout from this restaurant, while we are dining in, we see a steady stream of people coming to pick up their takeout. We’ll eat here again? Yes, absolutely. Will I eat lunch in here on my own? Yes, I certainly will.

Gluten intolerant diner was well steered towards appropriate dishes to eat.