Ronnie was attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable about the menu. He took the time to explain the different dishes and made recommendations based on my preferences. He checked in regularly to see if everything was to my liking and refilled my drink promptly. Overall, his service was top-notch and really enhanced my dining experience. I will definitely be returning to this restaurant thanks to Ronnie's excellent service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rudy Barbara
5/5 service! My waiter RAY was phenomenal and going above and beyond for my first time experience at Aura Cocina! Very warm and welcoming and I’ll definitely will be coming with my family. Amazing establishment. Thank you RAY and all the staff.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Skirt Steak
M Desanges (Queen For Life)
The appetizers were very small portion. The calamari was soggy. I ordered the Perking Chicken. It was a half of uncooked nasty chicken. It tasted like boiled chicken with no color or flavor. The rice and noodles taste like Chinese food, very bland with no spices. The drinks were weak, barely any alcohol in it. The atmosphere gave off a Cuban restaurant, but the food being served was not. I bought my chicken home to re-cook it, because I didn’t wanna embarrass the guest that I was eating with.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 4
Adam Giladi
It’s always a good time when I’m out in East Williamsburg and this spot was no different!We were loving the eclectic Cuban Asian fusion menu, the live salsa music and the beautiful space that is perfectly Instagramable. The music starts at around 8pm and that’s when the party starts — all the people around us getting up to dance, it was giving a night in Havana vibe!Good spot for date night or even for a group birthday bash.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Davis Jules
The music was nice but loud.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Mercedes R.
My Friends and I had such a wonderful experience at Aura Cocina! The drinks made by Jose were absolutely amazing! I arrived with a party of 7 and we had sangria, lychee martini, passion fruit mojito and porn star. All tasted delicious and they are not cheap with the liquor. The ambiance is romantic , upscale and very chill. The decor was Beautiful and the live band is such a treat. The food was also very good! For Appetizers: Calamari (they were ok, not crispy) spicy crab guacamole (amazing but spicier than expected for my tastebuds), oxtail dumplings (very good) For Entrees: sushi (delicious) , salmon and white rice (delicious), Ropa vieja with noodles (amazing), Churrasco with veggies (delicious), pork chop with mashed potatoes (lacked flavor). I'll definitely be back! Highly recommend! Great for a date night or ladies night out
Mel R.
Yesterday evening (3/30/24), I went to Aura Cocina with some of my friends, and it was a great experience overall. We had made a reservation for 7:30pm and were greeted warmly by the hostess upon our arrival. The ambiance of the place was lively and upbeat, with a live Cuban band playing. We started off with some appetizers, which were amazing. We ordered the calamari, crab cakes, and dumplings. I decided to try their margarita, which was refreshing and with a kick to it. Our entrees arrived quickly and my pork chops "encebollado" was delicious. Additionally, the restaurant has room to dance, which adds a nice touch. The atmosphere is upscale, but friendly and the waiters are on point. I would definitely recommend checking this restaurant out!
kelly colmenares
Felt like I was back in Miami. Performance, food and service was great! Can’t wait to try brunch.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Natalie Vazquez
Jose Mario y Ruben Best (waiters) if you want to be in a diverse culture with the best experience in the world. I greatly appreciated, not being rushed or being kicked out! I absolutely loved these guys their hand off was warm and absolutely a great experience in New York.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Skirt Steak
Vanessa Jimenez
Atmosphere is fun, but food is nothing special. It was overpriced for the quality it was.
The ambiance and staff were was excellent. I had my retirement dinner there and was happy with the attention I received especially from Jessica. The music was great. I highly recommend aura cocina ??
George Fesser
3/27/24: We just had dinner at Aura this evening and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the food, was delicious and very creative. I highly suggest you give this spot a try, I especially enjoyed the curry calamari, the Lechon Bao was creative and delicious! The mojitos are very well done. There was only one waiter on the floor, which would be okay of he had the help of a bus person and food runner to help him, but he did not so this slowed down the service a bit. When you walk in, the space is set up more as a dinner club (more emphasis on the club) so if you are coming for dinner, you are missing the cozy feel that would round off the culinary experience for patrons.I am looking forward to coming back on a Friday night, to enjoy the live music with my friends, and eat this delicious food and dance the calories away.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 4
Eduardo Zerbe
Great service, food, and ambiance! The live band is so good and the drinks are incredible. Will definitely come back to try their brunch
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Madeline G.
I will say that I've been very excited to come to this restaurant, because my family and many of my friends, frequent here and it's very sad to say that I was incredibly disgusted and disappointed by this place.. the lack of detail and the lack of hospitality here is always going to overshadow the quality of food every single time.. and I will never come or recommend this place again, for I am afraid of being embarrassed again how I was last night in front of my family .. the waitress sienna totally ruined my mom's birthday dinner so much that we only got drinks and appetizers and had to leave because it killed the birthday plans and dinner we were so excited about .. and the fact that they were so afraid to bring me a Manager it's more concerning How often this probably does happen... the waitress was incredibly rude and pushy. We had a reservation for 715 which I called for to push to eight which was not impossible. And that's OK. I had no problem with that. The waitress said that there was a 15 minute grace. Period so 730 to be seated or even 745 would be fine. As long as we call the restaurant ahead though we didn't need to because five out of six of us were there on time .We were a party of six and five of us was there I was the last one to arrive due to being stuck in traffic they didn't want to seat them for I don't know what reason when all five out of six was of us was were present and when we finally got seated, which was around 8 o'clock we were told we only had an hour to drink eat appetizers, eat dinner and get a dessert for a party of six AGAIN FOR A BIRTHDAY DINNER When I arrived at 8:10 I was greeted with very sad and disappointed mother, which it was her birthday, and it completely broke my heart to know that her anticipated experience she was excited to have at this establishment was completely ruined, and our birthday plans for her were also. When I asked for the manager, I was spoken to by a host that assumed the responsibility and didn't do absolutely nothing to mediate the situation and all she kept saying is "it's OK. I don't know why you guys leaving you guy want to leave you have till 9 " so you're saying we only have an hour for party of six to get through three courses and a dessert. And drinks When again, you didn't want to seat the table until about almost 8 PM ..I've worked in hospitality for 10 years and still currently work in hospitality in Midtown Manhattan and it doesn't matter the quality of restaurant. This is unacceptable in any standard of any restaurant, a time limit of one hour and 10minutes for a reservation of a birthday for a party of 6 .. I usually don't write reviews unless I had an incredible experience or a very bad one. For the ambience disestablishment trying to promote and quality of food. The staff is not up to par of that. And is actually promoting the opposite.
Takidra Young
Made an anniversary night not so great. We love the food here and we can't take away from that overall but the atmosphere brings this place down a bit unfortunately. I wish they just went full on club or worked to find a better balance with everything they try to incorporate in this space. Dinner, live music, dancing, bar.. sounds great ideally but it's too loud to have any kind of romantic dinner or even light conversation, please come prepared to yell across the table at your date all night (I promise I'm not just an old person complaining either, haha- i'm 28), it starts feeling claustrophobic when they encourage patrons to get up and dance in the already small space with small tables and small room between each table.. It's so cringey to have people bump into you continuously while you're trying to have dinner. The final criticism we have isn't a normal occurrence but really made our night suck so it must be mentioned.. We had a 8PM reservation and at the same time the restaurant had already sat a party of 30. Yes, 30. A party that clearly should've been privately catered or banquet style.. but great revenue for the restaurant so I get it but it made the service absolute hell. It was going well at first, drinks came out then apps maybe 10-15 mins after the drinks.. our entree's took an hour to come out y'all... an hour. The staff was apologetic and definitely let us know it was the large party that slowed service down but my god.. it became so annoying given the incessantly loud and crowded atmosphere coupled with our hunger. Now again, the food is pretty damn great.. we always get the miso salmon which is amazing but I'd honestly save yourself the hassle and get it to-go if you want to just enjoy some good food. Now if you're looking for a literal party in your dining experience then this is the place for you. I wish they had a little separate area for folks that are trying to have dinner and conversation while still being able to enjoy the music (IN THE BACKGROUND) because even though it's outrageously loud it is still great music.
Ronnie was attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable about the menu. He took the time to explain the different dishes and made recommendations based on my preferences. He checked in regularly to see if everything was to my liking and refilled my drink promptly. Overall, his service was top-notch and really enhanced my dining experience. I will definitely be returning to this restaurant thanks to Ronnie's excellent service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
5/5 service! My waiter RAY was phenomenal and going above and beyond for my first time experience at Aura Cocina! Very warm and welcoming and I’ll definitely will be coming with my family. Amazing establishment. Thank you RAY and all the staff.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Skirt Steak
The appetizers were very small portion. The calamari was soggy. I ordered the Perking Chicken. It was a half of uncooked nasty chicken. It tasted like boiled chicken with no color or flavor. The rice and noodles taste like Chinese food, very bland with no spices. The drinks were weak, barely any alcohol in it. The atmosphere gave off a Cuban restaurant, but the food being served was not. I bought my chicken home to re-cook it, because I didn’t wanna embarrass the guest that I was eating with.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 4
It’s always a good time when I’m out in East Williamsburg and this spot was no different!We were loving the eclectic Cuban Asian fusion menu, the live salsa music and the beautiful space that is perfectly Instagramable. The music starts at around 8pm and that’s when the party starts — all the people around us getting up to dance, it was giving a night in Havana vibe!Good spot for date night or even for a group birthday bash.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The music was nice but loud.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
My Friends and I had such a wonderful experience at Aura Cocina! The drinks made by Jose were absolutely amazing! I arrived with a party of 7 and we had sangria, lychee martini, passion fruit mojito and porn star. All tasted delicious and they are not cheap with the liquor. The ambiance is romantic , upscale and very chill. The decor was Beautiful and the live band is such a treat. The food was also very good! For Appetizers: Calamari (they were ok, not crispy) spicy crab guacamole (amazing but spicier than expected for my tastebuds), oxtail dumplings (very good) For Entrees: sushi (delicious) , salmon and white rice (delicious), Ropa vieja with noodles (amazing), Churrasco with veggies (delicious), pork chop with mashed potatoes (lacked flavor). I'll definitely be back! Highly recommend! Great for a date night or ladies night out
Yesterday evening (3/30/24), I went to Aura Cocina with some of my friends, and it was a great experience overall. We had made a reservation for 7:30pm and were greeted warmly by the hostess upon our arrival. The ambiance of the place was lively and upbeat, with a live Cuban band playing. We started off with some appetizers, which were amazing. We ordered the calamari, crab cakes, and dumplings. I decided to try their margarita, which was refreshing and with a kick to it. Our entrees arrived quickly and my pork chops "encebollado" was delicious. Additionally, the restaurant has room to dance, which adds a nice touch. The atmosphere is upscale, but friendly and the waiters are on point. I would definitely recommend checking this restaurant out!
Felt like I was back in Miami. Performance, food and service was great! Can’t wait to try brunch.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jose Mario y Ruben Best (waiters) if you want to be in a diverse culture with the best experience in the world. I greatly appreciated, not being rushed or being kicked out! I absolutely loved these guys their hand off was warm and absolutely a great experience in New York.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Skirt Steak
Atmosphere is fun, but food is nothing special. It was overpriced for the quality it was.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Skirt Steak
Restaurantji Recommends
The ambiance and staff were was excellent. I had my retirement dinner there and was happy with the attention I received especially from Jessica. The music was great. I highly recommend aura cocina ??
3/27/24: We just had dinner at Aura this evening and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the food, was delicious and very creative. I highly suggest you give this spot a try, I especially enjoyed the curry calamari, the Lechon Bao was creative and delicious! The mojitos are very well done. There was only one waiter on the floor, which would be okay of he had the help of a bus person and food runner to help him, but he did not so this slowed down the service a bit. When you walk in, the space is set up more as a dinner club (more emphasis on the club) so if you are coming for dinner, you are missing the cozy feel that would round off the culinary experience for patrons.I am looking forward to coming back on a Friday night, to enjoy the live music with my friends, and eat this delicious food and dance the calories away.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 4
Great service, food, and ambiance! The live band is so good and the drinks are incredible. Will definitely come back to try their brunch
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I will say that I've been very excited to come to this restaurant, because my family and many of my friends, frequent here and it's very sad to say that I was incredibly disgusted and disappointed by this place.. the lack of detail and the lack of hospitality here is always going to overshadow the quality of food every single time.. and I will never come or recommend this place again, for I am afraid of being embarrassed again how I was last night in front of my family .. the waitress sienna totally ruined my mom's birthday dinner so much that we only got drinks and appetizers and had to leave because it killed the birthday plans and dinner we were so excited about .. and the fact that they were so afraid to bring me a Manager it's more concerning How often this probably does happen... the waitress was incredibly rude and pushy. We had a reservation for 715 which I called for to push to eight which was not impossible. And that's OK. I had no problem with that. The waitress said that there was a 15 minute grace. Period so 730 to be seated or even 745 would be fine. As long as we call the restaurant ahead though we didn't need to because five out of six of us were there on time .We were a party of six and five of us was there I was the last one to arrive due to being stuck in traffic they didn't want to seat them for I don't know what reason when all five out of six was of us was were present and when we finally got seated, which was around 8 o'clock we were told we only had an hour to drink eat appetizers, eat dinner and get a dessert for a party of six AGAIN FOR A BIRTHDAY DINNER When I arrived at 8:10 I was greeted with very sad and disappointed mother, which it was her birthday, and it completely broke my heart to know that her anticipated experience she was excited to have at this establishment was completely ruined, and our birthday plans for her were also. When I asked for the manager, I was spoken to by a host that assumed the responsibility and didn't do absolutely nothing to mediate the situation and all she kept saying is "it's OK. I don't know why you guys leaving you guy want to leave you have till 9 " so you're saying we only have an hour for party of six to get through three courses and a dessert. And drinks When again, you didn't want to seat the table until about almost 8 PM ..I've worked in hospitality for 10 years and still currently work in hospitality in Midtown Manhattan and it doesn't matter the quality of restaurant. This is unacceptable in any standard of any restaurant, a time limit of one hour and 10minutes for a reservation of a birthday for a party of 6 .. I usually don't write reviews unless I had an incredible experience or a very bad one. For the ambience disestablishment trying to promote and quality of food. The staff is not up to par of that. And is actually promoting the opposite.
Made an anniversary night not so great. We love the food here and we can't take away from that overall but the atmosphere brings this place down a bit unfortunately. I wish they just went full on club or worked to find a better balance with everything they try to incorporate in this space. Dinner, live music, dancing, bar.. sounds great ideally but it's too loud to have any kind of romantic dinner or even light conversation, please come prepared to yell across the table at your date all night (I promise I'm not just an old person complaining either, haha- i'm 28), it starts feeling claustrophobic when they encourage patrons to get up and dance in the already small space with small tables and small room between each table.. It's so cringey to have people bump into you continuously while you're trying to have dinner. The final criticism we have isn't a normal occurrence but really made our night suck so it must be mentioned.. We had a 8PM reservation and at the same time the restaurant had already sat a party of 30. Yes, 30. A party that clearly should've been privately catered or banquet style.. but great revenue for the restaurant so I get it but it made the service absolute hell. It was going well at first, drinks came out then apps maybe 10-15 mins after the drinks.. our entree's took an hour to come out y'all... an hour. The staff was apologetic and definitely let us know it was the large party that slowed service down but my god.. it became so annoying given the incessantly loud and crowded atmosphere coupled with our hunger. Now again, the food is pretty damn great.. we always get the miso salmon which is amazing but I'd honestly save yourself the hassle and get it to-go if you want to just enjoy some good food. Now if you're looking for a literal party in your dining experience then this is the place for you. I wish they had a little separate area for folks that are trying to have dinner and conversation while still being able to enjoy the music (IN THE BACKGROUND) because even though it's outrageously loud it is still great music.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Miso Salmon