Cafe Aion

Have had great dining experiences at Cafe Aion - friendly service and delicious food. We particularly love the beet salad, hummus plate, and crispy cauliflower (with saffron cumin yogurt).

Cafe Aion was a cute small place for fun cocktails and really good food. It's expensive, so I do recommend going during happy hour at 3-5 pm. I did go with a large group and they had set aside an area for us which was very sweet and worked for what we needed. We called ahead to make sure they could accommodate us. It's definitely worth trying if you are in Boulder CO

Such a gorgeous place to eat whether you’re indoor or outdoor. You can tell they put a lot of thought into the atmosphere. I had the shakshuka and it was amazing. Great service as well. Definitely will be back.

Was OK the food was somewhat glorified and pretentious, pertaining to be actually better than what it was, but OK nonetheless, the salmon was overcooked and small portion which was disappointing. The salad was very much basic shop bought quality

I popped into Aion on a whim. I was looking for a nice place to sit, read my book and have a cup of tea. This smaller intimate restaurant really made me feel welcomed and cozy. The waitress was so kind and caring. They even offered me the fireplace seat, which was so helpful to warm myself. The food is tapas style, I order the marinated olives and hummus as well a cup of tea. All items were absolutely delicious! The olives had a nice kick of spice to them and the pita that came with my hummus was so warm and crispy. You could tell all the food was fresh made and flavorful! 10/10 experience I can't wait to return and try more delicious food

First of all, the food is awesome. But that's not what this review is about. We were staying at a hotel next door, having dinner at Aion with our dog back at the hotel. The dog needed attention and we had to leave before our food came out. The staff were so helpful, packaging everything including our sangria. We wish we could have stayed for dinner, but the whole experience was amazing because they made us feel comfortable

Even though I moved out of Boulder a couple years I still come back to this place because it’s so good! The drinks are fantastic, and the fried cauliflower is awesome. Plus the service is always great, and I love its location- how it’s almost tucked away on the hill. I highly recommend this place.

Ran across this little gem looking for something different... everything was amazing! Definitely gotta try the fried cauliflower with the saffron yogurt! The house paella and seafood paella were PERFECT! Paired with the cava rosé and a beautiful friendly server the whole experience was awesome!

Amazing Paella! Great apps and the Tempranillo wine was outstanding! Love this place!

We came here for a girls' night on a Saturday. Cute and cozy, we were seated next to a window, which was nice. We ordered lots of tapas (patatas bravas, fried cauliflower, hummus) and the XL seafood payaya. Everything was delicious! Our server was patient and on top of things. Truly just a great experience from start to finish. Only critique is I felt the cocktails were a bit pricy for what they were. A cute date spot or place for a slighty "elevated" dining experience while still maintaining Boulder vibes.

Tasty combination of French and Middle Eastern flavors. The high point of the dishes we tried were the roasted carrots. I'm not sure how they got the delicious flavor to soak into the entire tender carrot, but it was very tasty. The beef Bourguignon was also very tasty. The hummus was good and I especially liked the candied nuts in it, but it could've used more garlic. The tortilla Española was OK but a bit flat on flavor. Cauliflower was also good but not great. The chicken Shawarma was very tasty. I would say my only complaint would be the cocktails (cranberry margarita and empress thyme gin) were pricey and quite bland.

It was a Thursday and we were the second table to sit inside. It was only 6 p.m. We ordered the papas bravas (tasty); the Moules Marinieres (delicious--mussels, great white wine broth, and fries); a baguette to sop up the broth in the mussels dish (very pricey for a baguette); and we had wine and spritzers for the three of us. The food was delicious. Nice indoor area that was not busy. The server was extremely slow to get to us for refills on waters or wine. She took awhile to get back to us so we could order our food. She was nice, but not attentive. And last a service fee of 20% was added. It was surprising for a table of 3. I know that larger tables can be a hassle and that sometimes larger tables do not tip well, but for a table of 3, I didn't think it should have been added and the servers lose the incentive to actually pay attention to the tables.

We had a birthday to celebrate and were excited for a nice tapas dinner, at what used to be one of my favorite restaurants. The place was empty, we were the only diners, and felt hurried along to eat and leave from the minute we walked in. Even telling them it was a birthday did not warm them up. Even worse, someone forgot to tell the chef he was cooking Spanish food. The tapas came out all together on a big plate instead of on traditional little individual plates to pass around. The tortilla was basically a thin egg omelet. We thought we'd ordered the wrong thing until one of us found a piece of potato. The paella was an almost inedible mush. We did not order dessert because it felt too awkward staying any longer.

Always great food. Friendly service. Cozy atmosphere. Perfect for dinner before theater.

3 1/2 stars The atmosphere always brings me back to Café Aion when I miss the Mediterranean vibe. And my last visit reminded me of the previous meal we had there, a pleasant dinner but the food and drinks could have been better. The sangria was refreshing because it came very cold, but tasted more like a mediocre red wine adorned with an orange slice, no fruity taste at all. We ordered the baguette with butter, it came warm and crusty, but we couldn't not resist joking how Europeans would be shocked to pay $8 for a piece of baguette that comes automatically for free in any café. But we are not in Spain...The tortilla Española would have been good, except for that fishy flavor that we could not figure out what ingredient it was coming from. I love cheese, but the mushroom's gruyère was overpowering. I was excited to see merguez sausage on the menu and they tasted perfect, but only 3 small meatballs were on the tapas (usually they are shaped like sausage, I've never seen meatballs ones before). For dessert, the flan was fine. As far as service goes, our waitress was very friendly. So, overall nothing was bad (well, the sangria was borderline) but half our tapas were disappointing, and that's a shame because it wouldn't take much to make it great.

We've been here a number of times before, as a place to dine before a show at CU. Food: Amazing paellas. One served four hungry adults just fine, with a couple of sides thrown in. If you like group-shared eating, this is a great place. Drink: Excellent cocktails. Service: Earnest and positive but spotty, Things sometimes look longer than expected. Ambience: Eclectic casual. A lot of steps to get in. Biggest challenge at the moment is getting to the place, as the street in front of it has been converted to outdoor dining space, causing Google to take us down a few alleys to get there. We'll be back.

Even though I moved out of Boulder a couple years I still come back to this place because it's so good! The drinks are fantastic, and the fried cauliflower is awesome. Plus the service is always great, and I love its location- how it's almost tucked away on the hill. I highly recommend this place.

Charming little place. I think the owner served us. (Gorgeous woman with dark hair & gray glasses) I thought we were having lunch but we only had appetizers. (Party of 8) We we're there dine on a family member's pottery from a class at CU. We had cauliflower over a sauce of yogurt & saffron. The cauliflower was coated in a seasoning that was delicious! So was the sauce. We had the truffle fries which were also very good but nothing extremely out of the ordinary & the portion was teeny. Sad face. Our third option was humus & pita. It was scrumptious! I do not know what the humus was made of but I want more!! Unfortunately we live in FoCo so we won't be back soon. I wish we could. Their entrees sounded so good. They have a very unique menu. I saw Spain, France & maybe the Middle East represented on the menu. They have paella!! One of my favorite dishes! Just know that paella takes 50 minutes. I highly recommend this charming place with delicious food!

The ambiance was nice as was our server though she rarely came to our table. BTW we were the only diners in the place. I ordered an ice tea and never received a refill nor was I even asked. The glass was a small juice glass of maybe 4 ounces so this equated to $1 per ounce. I guess iced tea is expensive in Boulder. Also when others from our table finished their drinks our waitress never asked if they would like another drink. We ordered appetizers which we all enjoyed but My biggest disappointment was the price of the small plates and the automatic 20% added gratuity. The menu states the gratuity charge and even indicated that if you desire you can add an additional tip.....geez I won't return

French Onion soup was really good! Great food overall. A little slow on service otherwise it's good food in a quaint neighborhood. I missed getting the Paella which friends of mine said was good. Next time.

What a delicious meal with gracious service and delicious food. My husband and I went here for dinner last night, and I was thrilled to get a table by the fire to lend a cozy romantic atmosphere to our dinner. We immediately ordered the baguette with butter for an appetizer with a glass of house wine. The baguette was hot and delicious while we looked over the menu. We decided to order the Moules Frites with garlic, butter, white wine and fries as an appetizer. So tasty, hot, and the fries soaked in the white wine sauce were amazing! The sauce was not too garlicky or winey. It was well balanced, and my only wish is that there was more broth (but then I would have eaten more). For dinner, we ordered the Beef Bourguignon, and it was savory and flavorful and oh so yummy on a cool night. We took the leftovers home and ate them tonight for dinner. The beef was perfectly cooked. While I would have enjoyed more carrots and mushrooms, I know that is just my personal preference, and I enjoyed every bite. We were full but since there was creme brulee on the menu, we couldn't resist - it is my all-time favorite dessert! It did not disappoint with the crunchy top of burnt sugar and the creamy vanilla custard underneath. I would order all of these items again and we will definitely be back - especially since they require vaccination proof. Thanks for a wonderful meal and experience after a looong day of driving back from TX!

Great local cozy place with great service. I recommend the burger and shakshuka. Really stands out from other restaurants on the hill.

we have been eating here since the restaurant opened and always enjoy the food and service. on our last visit we asked for a piece of bread to eat the large amount of sauce from the mussels. The chef sent the waiter out and told us they had no bread. That was not true as I had bread with my dinner and they serve sandwiches. we Asked a second time and were refused. was a real turnoff.

Came here on a Wednesday before a show. They were completely reserved but had seating at the bar. It was a pretty busy night--could hear them apologizing to everyone for the wait for their food. My party only ordered entrees (no apps) and all the dishes were just OK (the duck, the beef bourguignon, the mussels, and the coq au vin). I ordered the duck --some parts were salty and it was a little overcooked and not flavorful. We all really wanted the paella but were told it takes 45 mins. I might come back to try that, and hope it's delicious! But for now it was an alright meal and relatively slow service for mid week.

Went on a Saturday evening to celebrate my son's birthday. First off, parking is always going to be an issue. It's a quaint little restaurant. We had the cassoulet and Coq au vin -- unfortunately both dishes were just OK and nothing to write home about. I thought they needed to be a little bit more seasoned and a little bit more savory. We also had the truffle fries were which were pretty good - small portion and the baguette. We didn't actually have a waitress or waiter and we weren't checked on at all. There was a larger party at the table next to us, and they seem to have all the attention from the hostess(hostess had dark shoulder length hair and glasses). I got the impression that they were maybe friends or family of the hostess as she spoke with them in Spanish, and spent a lot of time with them and even sat down with them for a little while. This was very disappointing as we were totally ignored the whole time we were there. I guess a party of two doesn't get the same attention as larger parties. When I had made the reservation, I let them know that it was my son's birthday and I thought that they would recognize that or pay a little bit of attention to us. When we were done, we had to ask for and then we waited about 30 minutes for the hostess to bring us the bill. There is a service/gratuity fee attached to the bill of almost 20%- so I did not leave a tip. There are several reasons I didn't leave a tip - one- I didn't know who our waitress was and two- we were never actually waited on. We ordered and the food was brought up to us and that was pretty much it. The person that brought us our plate, just set the dishes on the table and left. She never looked at us or asked if we needed anything else. Nobody ever checked on us or asked us if we needed anything throughout the evening. So, the total cost was $120. However, when I checked my bank account this morning I was charged $130 so I think there was a tip inserted after all. I am a little angry about that. All in all, the food was average and the service was very lacking. I was there as a mom to celebrate my only son's birthday and it was not at all an enjoyable experience. We were both very anxious to leave and celebrate on Pearl Street and we did. We were thinking about going back and trying to paella, but I don't think I'll be back again, nor would I ever recommend this establishment. Overall, so disappointing and a lot to spend on a totally forgettable dining experience.

Best paella I have enjoyed in a long time on a recent Boulder Farmer's Market visit. Located on the north side of the BCFM Food Court, this is a strong recommendation. Lot for your dollar, healthy, heaping portion of chorizo paella with a fried egg on top. So good! Priced well, good customer service, they take plastic, and there is picnic table seating about 10' away from their spot.

I want so much for this place to succeed because it's the last fine-ish dining outpost on the Hill in Boulder but a recent experience left quite a lot to be desired. The red sangria came with a strongly acid/tannic flavor profile and a measly orange slice. The only way to get that acidity is to use really bad wine as the base for the sangria. We tried doctoring it with sugar but didn't really create an acceptable drink and the waitperson never came back to ask if it was okay or if they needed to replace the drinks. And really? In fresh fruit season some strawberries, watermelon, raspberries would have gone a long way. The moules frites were disappointing as well-without a broth the mussels really needed to have been drizzled with butter to keep them from being dried out and shrunken. The cassoulet was acceptable but not in the Toulousian mold, but there's lots of variation in cassoulets so that was okay. Service was spotty and a 20% tip is mandatorily included in the check. Go here for lunch and order the burger and you'll be happy, evening out, not so much.

came here last minute to do some work on my laptop, the ambiance was calm and the music was relaxing to get what i needed done! The restaurant was clean and food was fresh. It's a spanish french place that serves quality food. It was my first time and I will be back ! I believe they have brunch and lunch too so i will be back to try that! I tried everything blindly and I was not disappointed.

Best flan I've ever had. Mussels & frites are stellar, and I'm definitely a seafood snob from the Maine-coast. They also make a delicious house ginger-lime-aid that makes this alcohol-free gal crazy happy. Thank you for another amazing dinner as my family celebrated meeee on my birthday last night

Cafe Aion is a nice spot to checkout if you are around The Hill neighborhood of Boulder. They offer a varied menu ranging from tapas to burgers / sandwiches and all the way to a 2-3 person serving size of paella. An additional bonus is that this restaurant offers a handful of vegetarian dishes, if that is something that you are looking for. I enjoyed my juicy and nicely booked Aion Burger with a local micro brew. The large sweet potato fries on the side were a perfect side dish. I would not be opposed to getting this burger again, or checking out the veggie burger as my friend had it and enjoyed it thoroughly. Beyond these dishes, the Vegetarian Tagine was a little more underwhelming. It was bland and lacked needed spices. All in all, I think Cafe Aion is a worth wile spot to check out for lunch or dinner should you find yourself on The Hill.

This is our office go-to. I could happily eat my weight in their cauliflower appetizer. Best in town.

A go-to in Boulder! Phenomenal food, drinks, service, and atmosphere. I especially recommend the Crispy Fried Cauliflower, Coq au Vin, Truffle Fries, and of course, the Aion Sangria! If you're on a budget, the happy hour is unbeatable for both drinks and food. I can't recommend Aion enough!

took me awhile to actually come here but it's a super cute little restaurant sort of hidden away on the hill. lots of gluten free options which was amazing for me! we started off with the fried cauliflower and it was so so good. then i shared french onion soup which was made gluten free as requested. i ended up getting the veggie eggs benedict which was pretty good. not a whole lot of flavor seasoning wise but the potatoes were delicious! pricing is decent and atmosphere is great.

The salmon nicoise salad was the best I've had in my life. Truly perfect. We ate outside and had fun watching the students all dressed up for parties. My husbands mussels were fine ... except the "crispy" french fries were unfortunately dropped into the mussel sauce leaving them soggy instead. But I'd be back just for that amazing salad!!

This is your best choice for a quiet place to get a nice dinner on the Hill. If you come here you should order the paella and some wine, and you'll be all set for about $25-30 per person. The vegetarian burger is house-made and serviceable, but the regular burger is only OK. The seating and ambiance are nice, and the staff is great.

I can't believe I haven't been to this place before. The service was fabulous (I think the owner waited on us, she was so attentive!), the food was amazing and the portions were just right. This was the perfect spot for an intimate brunch with cozy vibes. I was really impressed and surprising I hadn't heard this recommended before. I got the espresso martini and veggie Benedict. It was spot on!

Excelent cusine with Marocco and Spanish fusion. Generous portions. Good wine. Attentive and frendly service. I ate very well and I had a good time. Better imposible.

Had brunch there today--outstanding! The food was delicious and the staff were lovely! My friend and I were planning to split Shakshuka and a kale salad. We were expecting to handle the splitting. We mentioned we planned to share. The server brought it on separate plates. She was delightful. As a side note, we were going to go to the Teahouse, but the wait was more than an hour. So glad we could walk right in to Aion.

The salmon nicoise was good, if you don't mind salmon cooked medium well. But the house paella, was over salted to the point of being almost inedible.

Amazing meal. We'd been drawn in here a few weeks back for a coffee/dessert which was amazing. Flourless Chocolate cake with a hint of chili is amazing. So we'd planned to come back for dinner and we were not disappointed! 3 of us enjoyed French Onion Soup, an appetizer, and 3 entrees (steak frites, Beef Bourg., duck confit) - all were done to perfection. And of course, we shared the above dessert. This restaurant is casual dining, on the hill, but the food is so amazing - really it's on par with the best in Boulder without the attitude to go with it. Great service as well. We will be back!

The happy hour was great, delicious fried cauliflower, and moule frites, an outstanding vegan burger with quinoa and yam. Service was great, music playing was great. Heavy pour on the glass of rose.

It was a cold night so after a walk my GF and I stopped in at 8:45pm for a drink like a tea or hot chocolate. We were greeted by a very friendly woman from Mexico who began to seat us. They close at 9pm but all we wanted was a hot drink. The restaurant had at least 15 people eating in it. As we were walked to a table a blonde woman ran out saying they were closed. We explained we did not want food, just a drink. It did not matter the blonde woman called the shots and refused us service even though closing time was still 15 minutes away and there were lots of people seated and eating. This sort of bad treatment of customers causes me to not want to ever return. Why spend my money with unfriendly people?

Wow, realized we hadn't updated our review after a middling review forever ago. Especially during the pandemic's worst, Cafe Aion was a "go-to" for us. Have loved the service and the food for many years. A gem on The Hill in Boulder.

This place is great! I'd never been here before, but I went on parents weekend and they have really good food and prices. The steak frites were delicious! The ambiance is really nice.

Sweet place. They offer one of my favorite burgers in town. I also loved one of their egg dishes (cazuela?) but I think they dropped it from the menu. I love the patio on a summer afternoon.

House Sangria, Mussels & frites, House Paella and Flan - the MOST DELICIOUS evening of food since we moved to Boulder in 2018! This is a very talented chef, seriously very very talented! The house paella which includes chicken thighs, house smoked chorizo and mussels was absolutely outstanding. We wanted to scrape the pan it was so good. A perfect evening! Reasonably priced, great service, best restaurant in Boulder!

Went with my son & a friend for a pre-Buffs game brunch. Short wait to get in, only because they were so understaffed. The food was fabulous. My son & I shared the weekend special baked egg dish with meat for the table. It could have easily fed the 3 of us, and was a bargain for $18. Enjoyed it, but decided next time will get the veggie version with a side of bacon, as it was too much meat for me. It had eggs, potatoes, french fried sweet potatoes, and plenty of meat. Bacon, sausage, and who knows what else, blended into a tasty dish. My friend's burger was excellent, and you would expect that from a $15 burger. The atmosphere of this Spanish themed restaurant is European, with water brought out in wine type bottles, and coffee served in a French Press. A nice touch, though it does make bottomless coffee slightly more expensive than usual. But, it's also fresher, and stays warm in the insulated stainless steel presses. The one complaint is the service. And it's not the servers fault. They were woefully understaffed. I think there were only 3 people to take orders, serve, tend the bar, clear tables, etc. To get anything, you needed to literally stop someone as they were going by. Though at one point after we had been served and had everything we needed, someone stopped by to check if everything was OK and if we needed anything. All in all, a very good experience, and convenient walk from my son's residence on the Hill.

Do not go on a hot day. It was baking hot outside and no cooler in restaurant. Not okay for a restaurant that charges such money. And it took 35 minutes to get our drinks, which came after the food. The food was solid, but the experience became unbearable. And it was so loud, even half full, that we couldn't hear each other at our own table. Close the windows and doors and put some air on. Won't be back in the summer.

extremely poor service from ian. couldn't even pour our sangria or water. saw him once in an hour and a half. said no words to us, no "how's everything" or simple "thank you." had to ask the other server for our check. sangria alone wasn't enough for us to come back.

We showed up early for our 5pm reservation and was quickly guided to our table without any hesitation... much to our surprise it was still happy hour! The menu is chocked full of special treats, including Paella (make sure you have 45 minutes for the deliciousness)! Oh, and they serve OZO Coffee too! A must, must... especially for those visiting CU families!

The food was meh but the service was terrible. I went with some friends and will not be back. The leadership needs to train their staff better and this really reflects on poor leadership. Save yourself the hassle and go elsewhere.

Chris the Waiter Chris the waiter has no clue. Chris the waiter will take forever to give you your food. Chris the waiter will put all 9 peoples bill on one ticket, asking for the customers to write each others credit card number on the ticket, because he is one confusing dude. Chris the waiter will wait to take your order 10 times longer then he should. Chris the waiter gives your meals and other tables meals to random people, he's such a lewd with your food. Chris the waiter gives this pretentious abode a 2 stars rating. Chris the waiter 2 stars rating is only because the food wasn't horrible.... would have been better if atleast half of us would have got what we ordered.

The first thing that impressed me here was how warmly and cheerfully they greet you. It's like you walked into a friend's house. The interiors are cozy, tastefully decorated and add to the warmth and friendliness of the place. The service is cheerful and they take pride in explaining the menu. We ordered the fried cauliflower for a starter. It was crispy and delicious with the lemon and saffron yogurt. I had a vegetarian egg Benedict and my friend ordered the polenta with poached eggs. The Benedict was the most delicious I have ever eaten. Delicate lemony hollandaise sauce made me warm n fuzzy n melty. It was served with a green salad grown hydroponically. Crisp and delicious! The polenta was creamy and melt in the mouth texture. And the eggs in both the dishes were cooked to order . We also had the mint tea and chocolate croissant . Fresh mint in tea.. so so good and the croissant was flaky without being too buttery and has melty melty chocolate in it. Definitely going back for dinner some day.

The day before Thanksgiving and hardly a restaurant was open around Broadway and College. When we stumbled upon Cafe Aion after the Thai restaurant we picked up had closed early. It's a cozy cafe but really to me much better then a cafe. There's a bar and seated dining area with nice ambiance. The waitress was very attentive and the service quick. The Gin cocktail was tasty. Due to my Paleo diet they were able to accommodate my plate which made me especially happy. The short spare ribs I highly recommend due to the flavor and tenderness of the meat. A perfect sized portion.

We came to brunch this morning hoping to enjoy the nice weather outside, some drinks, and great food. Everything we ordered was delicious, however we did experience a few issues. As a group of 8, we obviously understood it would be a slow wait, especially after our waiter informed us that he was the only one working, which is also understandable. But there was also no one else sitting at the restaurant besides at the bar. First, a member of our party ordered a Bloody Mary, which came out extra thick and tasted like rotten salsa. After taking one sip and realizing it was obviously not good, she politely asked our waiter if she could send it back, and he proceeded to argue with her saying he would have to charge her even though she only had one sip, and his reasoning was "what am I supposed to do, give it to someone else?" After arguing with her, he finally said "what do you want then, a mimosa?" And walked away. He ended up not charging us for the Bloody Mary, however, he was reluctant to do so. And when bringing the new mimosa out, he rudely placed it down on the table without saying anything. :( After this, he was not accommodating at all and did not check in on us for over 20 minutes. One of our orders came out incorrect, and we were not informed of all of the upcharges beforehand while ordering. He also mentioned his tip multiple times after saying "I'm ASSUMING you all want separated checks, right?" which made it a little uncomfortable for all of us. We loved the drinks and the food, but we came to enjoy brunch as a group of newly graduated students all about to part ways for the summer; and this experience created a little bit of tension for everyone. For the money we were spending, especially with all of the other food options on the hill, we would expect a little better customer service than this. Probably won't be returning, should have gone to The Buff!

Yummy veggies. Delicious entrees. Friendly staff. Reasonable pricing. On the hill next to fox theater!

The appetizers were okay, the mimosas and paella were great. The flan tasted burnt to me, but the wife thought it was alright - so a pass on that. What I did not appreciate was the service. It started out okay, but the server spent way too much time chatting up individual tables, to the detriment of the rest. Between wrapping up our entree and ordering dessert, we literally waited 20mins or more, while the server swapped stories with one table. I believe a good server keeps tabs on all his charges. The wait quite spoiled the generally nice mood that had built up over the earlier part of the meal. Half considered reducing the tip - but figured that would reflect more on us than the sub-par service.