Aromalicious Bakery in Rahway, NJ
So many treats to nom...
Right before Christmas, Aromalicious, a Portuguese bakery, opened up on Cherry Street right in downtown Rahway. I’m a big fan of supporting local businesses, especially now. Times are hard, Cherry Street is not the most beautiful area of the city so I salute these entrepreneurs for opening a new store! If more follow their footsteps, downtown Rahway can be the fantastic city center most residents long for. More after the jump.
On Rahway Rising, the ultimate online source for locals, the general consensus was that the downtown needed something like a bakery or cafe, with late hours, that could provide a place for residents to hang out and grab a cup of coffee. Aromalicious is this place. The inside is inviting, well lit, and is fitted with comfortable couches, tables, and chairs. The store screams, “Come in, relax and have a pastry!”
Aromalicious has a wide array of pastries to choose from, not all of them Portuguese. In fact, only a few were noticeably so (their catering menu, on the other hand, is very Portuguese). Everything from cannolis, eclairs, cheesecake, tarts, croissants, and various breads are available. Being a Portuguese bakery, I was disappointed to not see any malasadas. Perhaps they will add them later. Berliners, however, do make an appearance.
What’s for breakfast?
I asked one of the owners what they would recommend for breakfast and they pointed me in the direction of a Portuguese roll. I figured sure, this bread looks good. Oval shaped, nice crust outside, chewy on the inside. Then she said something that just made me ecstatic, “You can turn it into a sandwich. Like with ham and cheese?” Yes! Sandwich it up!
The sandwich was made and it was placed onto an electric panini press. While it cooked, she showed me they have other meats to put on the bread, such as prosciutto. It was at this point I ordered a coffee and stood off to the side, sipping away.
The man in the white apron
Out of the back came an older gentleman wearing a chef’s cap and white apron. He walked over to me and placed a cream puff on the table. “Please try,” he said. Evidently, the puff wasn’t to his standards, so he happily gave away the “mistake”. It was delicious. He then walked out to the main floor and handed other “mistakes” out to a group of people that were sitting, drinking coffee, and enjoying some very buttery and flaky croissants. If you’ve ever been to Rahway, it can appear to be devoid of people. It’s moments like this, when the city feels like a community, when I feel like good things are happening, that I smile and say it’s good to be here.
A few minutes later, I was headed home, paninis in tow. I don’t have any pictures of the sandwich itself, but it was fantastic, delicious, and in total, I ordered two ham and cheese sandwiches, a small coffee, and an eclair for around $8. Totally worth it.
If you’re in the area and are looking for a place to have a small bite, something sweet, or just a place to chill, check out Aromalicious.
Aromalicious
85 East Cherry Street
Rahway, NJ
