the root cafe

My favorite coffee shop in the world, and I've been in a few.

A true institution. Neighborhood coffee shop with plant based options. Very hip.

Such a perfect atmosphere, great tea list. Sells adorable local goods

My favorite little spot for brunch in Lakewood. Very delicious and creative vegan foods and a very warm, helpful staff. A lot of great options on the food and beverage menus.

My favorite coffee shop. I’ve been coming here for decades and it’s a true gem.

I'm not sure how it took me so long to find out about this place! Vegetarian restaurant with a hipster feel/decor, perfect for working (good free WiFi) or just meeting with friends (plenty of seating!). The menu clearly calls out the vegan and gluten-free options available. I recommend the vegan breakfast bowl for a vegan breakfast option - it was very good and filling. The side of baby reds that can be ordered separately is huge! Fair warning though I was happy about it because they're delicious. For lunch/dinner options the soup of the day comes with a side of bread and the vegan calzone is very tasty! Bakery case has fresh treats daily and even day-old treats for sale. My one gripe is that they upcharge for non-dairy milk (pricey, $1.15 for a 12oz beverage) - they do have a homemade nut milk option that I could see costing more but for packaged nut beverages? Come on now.

Waited an hour for mediocre food with cat hair in it. We would have left but the food/tip was already paid for. If a wait time was provided at check out I would have said forget it from the beginning. Never going back.

I'm a Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free individual. Typically I love diner food, asian cuisine, and tacos (,of course!) However, I do like eating at a restaurant that I know takes certain precautions for those with dairy and wheat allergies, while staying healthy.

So, I'm prefacing this review with that, and the fact that there aren't a lot of Gluten-Free specific options in the city.

Pros:
- The food was good, and cooked well. Drinks were lovely! (Better than the food tbh)

Cons:
- I'd ordered a breakfast item, I can't eat spinach because I'm on Warfarin, so it did limit my menu options since it's quite spinach and kale heavy. I actually love spinach, so it was difficult to pick something. I also didn't want to be judged by saying 'hold the spinach'. So I picked an egg dish that had toast and fruit compote, (I went with hold the toast instead) with a breakfast side of sweet potato fries. Well, I thought I'd ordered sweet potato home fries. It turns out Roots has two sweet potato side dishes. Lunch and Breakfast.

The cashier/barista didn't ask my preference. So I was stunned when I got eggs and these big wedges of barely seasoned sweet potatoes, and NO fruit compote.

I asked for the compote, and got what looked and tasted more like fruit ketchup. (Which would've been great on toast! But it tasted horrid).

That's not compote, compote is a whole fruit mixed/mashed with some type of sweetener in a light reduction (not quite Jam or Preserves, but not a 'ketchup spread consistency) so perhaps you should rewrite your definitions more clearly in the menu.

- Because of this experience I did ask for a refund, of the difference, between the values in the items. Something I'd never done before.

The Barista said she couldn't refund the difference, just the whole meal. Which I thought was fine. Because I'd felt so guilty I ordered two drinks, for me and my friend. One of the advertised drinks wasn't in stock, but they'd already rang me up for the item without checking their stock if this item.

So why was it advertised??

- When I got the refund for the meal, it wasn't for the whole meal like the Barista implied, but for one of the menu items I'd ordered.

Advice for Roots:
- Train your baristas better, make them more assertive. It's okay. That's what makes a good restaurant. They can ask clarifying questions of customers without seeming rude. (I got the impression they were walking on tiptoes with most customers, perhaps even their boss to some extent?)

- Make your menu more clear. If you have two side dishes using the same ingredients, make sure you give them different names. Feel free to get creative!!

-Finally, if you're really good at one thing (Drinks) and you also slap on food items, don't make it a full menu. Perhaps make it a lighter menu then you have now and focus on drinks until you get better at food.

It's not everyone's strong suit and it doesn't have to be.

That's all.

25 bucks for a sandwich and latte. The charged extra for milk in a latte.... not a sub milk but just milk.

Delicious Whole Food plant based dishes and great coffee / Tea! Best place to get work done and run into a few friendly faces. Also they have a community fridge 🙏