Aurelia - Honest Food & Drink, Chagrin Falls OH

I had the walleye, and my wife had the chicken. Was the food from a box?

The walleye: I am not sure it was walleye. No flavor, nothing that I would expect. It reminded me of fish out of a box. The hush puppies are the same. They tasted like the Pillsbury brand out of the box. The slaw was a mess of onions. The fries were the only good part of the meal; not great, but good.

The chicken: Dry, just plain dry. The outer edges had to be cut away. As far as the sauce: sweet chili and tamari sauce, not sure where the chef was going with this, but it was not on a good road to the table.

We will not return. Chagrin Falls has much more worth while restaurants, and now we know why it was easy to get a reservation here.

Our all time favorite local restaurant in town. We LOVE this place! The food and the service will never disappoint. & Mick is a superb bartender. You can not leave this place but in a better mood.

We went to Aurelia for the first time last night. I really wanted to love it, and as it turns out, we weren’t too keen on it. First of all, there are far too many tables packed into the small space. You really are eating family style with the folks sitting next to you, which is not what I want in a date night. The servers were actually the highlight of the night. Very knowledgeable, attentive, enthusiastic about the food and worked well as a team. I usually hope when I walk into a small restaurant, with people packed in and more tables in the space than is desirable by most, that the food must be great. Wrong again- we got brussel sprouts and they were dripping with sauce, so much that you couldn’t taste the Brussels themselves. We then got fish, and while it was cooked well, it was very bland. The whole dish was super bland and needed 1) more veggies and 2) a sauce to pull it all together. Kinda bummed, as we spent over $100 for our meals and really didn’t enjoy the space or the food. We left wishing we had spent half the money and gone to Yours Truly a few doors down, where we know we could have had a good salad and veggie omelet.

Since offering this review, I got a response from the restaurant, which is shocking, unprofessional and offensive… so I lower my restaurant score even more. Personally attacking me for giving an honest review is not only emotionally reactive, but unprofessional and childish. I think your response to my review speaks for itself about the integrity and volatile nature of the establishment- that’s pretty telling for showing the public who you are

Great food, great service! We've been back several times to try the changing menu. The drink and cocktail selection is excellent as well, and I've never seen a better quality or quantity charcuterie board.

My Mahi bowl was so good EXCEPT the Mahi was way too salty
Otherwise food and drinks were excellent

Heard great things about Aurelia so we decided to give it a try. My meal was delicious, but a little heavy on the salt. Our server was very good and attentive. I got the duck based on her recommendation and it did not disappoint! It is a bit pricey. My friend loved her spicy paloma cocktail.

Great flavors, poor execution. Serious draft from the door.

The sweet chili brussels were very tasty, but the distribution of sauce was off - some bites super gloppy and too sweet. I wasn’t asked what temperature I would prefer on my duck breast and it came medium well. The server was really nice about it, I asked for medium rare, it came back super rare - which I like and excepted but it isn’t my preference. But who wants to send sliced duck breast back a second time when your partner is half way done with their meal?

Service wise, friendly, but I felt sort of slighted by the end of the evening. Our waitress had a bigger table and prioritized them. I understand that, and I also noticed there was only one other server - but a smaller dining room to run. Mixed bag service wise - assuming the temp of the duck breast, ignored water, and longer wait time for drink reorder, check, and entree order.

Excellent martini. I would go back, but I would sit at the bar. Ambiance, and the menu were great.

The best place to get a sense of community and great food is a bonus. This is what independent restaurants are about at their very best.

Truly a local gem. We ate at the bar and everyone seemed to know the bar tender and one another and were very friendly. Make a reservation if you want a table, they get very busy! We enjoyed a flat bread, cauliflower and salad. Everything was fresh, tasty and high quality! Service was fast, friendly and attentive. A perfect spot for a bite to eat after the Chagrin Film festival. Upscale, lively and delicious!

What a perfect experience. Perfect food- perfect service! Simple menu executed beautifully! Amazing drinks and delicious entrees. We will defiantly be back!

Was very disappointed in the strip steak. It was very tough, chewy and grisly. For the price of the entree, I would expect better quality cut of beef. My boyfriend got the salmon salad and the salmon had a very strong "fishy" taste to it. Quality and taste of the food not worth the price.

Menu is small, but diverse. Nearly everything (except the seafood) is locally sourced and tastes great! Ambiance is casual and modern. Staff is super friendly. Highly recommend giving it a try

This restaurant deserves 6 stars. Every time I have dined at Aurelia with my partner it has set the bar higher for all the other restaurants I have reviewed.

The atmosphere is cozy and accommodating, with professional, smart, familial and warm service, and the food arrives surprisingly quickly.

But it's the food that sets it galaxies apart from any other restaurant i have ever dined in. The quality of the ingredients and their source, the artistry of their composition, and the palpable love that is put into every dish is unmatched.

Bravo

Tasty and healthy food. Excellent wait staff. 2 top seating is very tight. We asked to sit a seat over from the only table in the restaurant and were told no. The table next to us left because the host refused to give spacing in between tables when many tables were available (more than half the restaurant was open). I completely understand reservations but better planning would allow for alternate seating upon opening.

Dinner at Aurelia on Saturday was fun and delicious as always. I post today, at lunch, after eating my dinner partners left over Mahi-Mahi. Saturday, my scallops on a bed of rice with duck was delicious!
The Mahi-Mahi was a step above delicious. Even, reheated at work, in the microwave, the fish is moist and flakey, the couscous over spinach served alongside was in the sauce with the fish. The buttery, lemony taste was superb! Thank you James Balchak, for a good time and a great meal.

Disappointed! The tables were so close together it was uncomfortable. The girl at the next table took a hair off her sweater and attempting to drop on the floor it ended up on our table. My fish had bones in it and the skin was on. Lazy move on the chef. One waitress in the whole place. She did an amazing job!

Can't thank Karen enough for making my wife's birthday a perfect experience. Great food, great service will come back soon.

This beautiful restaurant has quickly become a favorite. My partner and I have been twice and both times have provided us with exceptional service, libations, and a culinary experience that can only be described as art. Not only has the food been phenomenally delicious, the portions have been able to satisfy, which is a rarity in a fine dining atmosphere. Food arrives quickly and disappears as fast. The love and attention to detail and staff diligence to ensuring a beautiful experience is remarkable and something that will not be soon forgotten. 10/10, would recommend. Very grateful for this gem to be just around the corner.

I wish I could say this restaurant provided a wonderful experience celebrating my graduation and my brothers birthday but I will never know. The restaurant canceled my dinner reservation for 8 people less than 4 hours before I was expected to arrive. I understand Covid and staffing has been an issue, but to cancel the day of was very disappointing and unprofessional. If staffing has been an issue at this establishment the restaurant was already aware and should have provided adequate notice or made arrangements to accommodate customers. I wasn’t even able to make alternate dinner arrangements due to lack of notice. I will not try to patronize this business again.

AMAZING! If I could give 100 stars I would in an instant! Amazing cocktails, appetizers, and meals. We were very impressed. Attentive staff and perfect service. The owner, James came over and we spoke with him for a little while. What a wonderful person and passion for what he loves. My favorite restaurant, hands down. Will be back very very soon.