Janae E.
Yelp
I would give 0 stars if I could. This place is chaotic, inhospitable, and not worth it whatsoever.
First of all, the place is unnecessarily difficult to find. It's located down an alley/corridor away from the street and there are no street signs whatsoever. I walked up and down the block trying to find the place and eventually had to go into another establishment to ask them where the place was. When I arrived I mentioned that I got lost and the hostess says "oh yea we usually send a video so people know where it is", which made no sense. Why not have street signage so people know where to go?
My friend had not yet arrived so I was told I could sit at the bar until he got there. I sat at the bar (which was COMPLETELY empty) directly in front of the bar tender. He ignored me the entire time. Literally not even eye contact. I asked him if I could order a drink while I waited for my friend and he flatly says yes, but never brings the menu and never acknowledges me again. After about 10 minutes I get up and walk back to the front door and just stand there awkwardly. The hostess comes to me and I explain that I'm not sure I can order a drink because the guy is just ignoring me even though there's no one over there. She says "ok do you want me to sit you at your table?" Yes, that would be nice!
Now for the space itself - I understand that it's in a warehouse basically so the high ceiling makes it feel super drafty and not intimate whatsoever. Tables are spaced out awkwardly and just feels unintentional, the music was incredibly loud and then when the live band started, there was still music playing on the speakers simultaneously so it was impossible to hear anything anyone said. The microphones on stage were going in and out and creating so much static sound which was incredibly unpleasant. Random guys who were clearly not guests (I'm assuming owners?) were standing around in a huddle in the middle of the floor just talking and taking up space. It doesn't feel like a comfortable environment. So much empty negative space between the door and the rest of the restaurant.
The decor is weird graffiti/paintings on the walls, cheap tables and even cheaper flimsy chairs, and no cultural cohesion for a latin/asian fusion restaurant. Why are you offering hookah in a place like this? It seems like they don't really know who they want to be yet - no identity. Just throwing things together and trying to see what sticks.
I was finally seated and given water, but sat there for 15 minutes without being asked for a drink order, just had someone point to an old dingy sticker on the table with a QR code on it. No waiter ever came to the table, which was in an awkward place right in front of the bar (again, the lay out of this place was just weird and haphazard with tables spaced out randomly right in front of the bar). I was basically ignored the entire time, even though there weren't that many people there. By the time my date arrived, I told him I just wanted to leave. I didn't get the chance to order ANY food or ANY drinks, so I can't comment on that.
Aura Cocina is chaotic and unorganized. The staff are unprofessional. The decor is random and thoughtless. They can't even bother to put a sign on the street so their potential customers can find them. Other reviews mention the terrible food but fortunately I didn't get that far. I would never come here again and would deter others from coming here until they get new management and temporarily shut down to get themselves together.