rOOTS — Restaurant in Municipality of Thessaloniki

I came here and started with an appetizer of the zucchini rolls, which weren't bad, if you enjoy getting a huge mouthful of cream cheese that is, which luckily I was in the mood for because I hadn't eaten cheese in a while. I feel like many people may not like these though. But I didn't dislike them...they weren't bad, but I got 5 rolls for $5 Euro's...thats 1 euro per roll...and were they that good? No, definitely not. I would not have ordered them if I knew what I was getting at that price.

Next I ordered the mushroom risotto. This came out instantly after my appetizer, when I was taking the very first bite. This right here tells me two things: 1.) The risotto wasn't cooked for nearly long enough, because my appetizer had taken less than 10 minutes to come out. So the risotto couldn't have taken much more than 10 minutes to cook....and risotto takes at least 20 minutes to cook, oftentimes 25 or 30. And it also tells me that 2.) This restaurant does not know how to send out and serve food. Any restaurant worth the prices this one is charging should know to wait until the customer is done with their appetizer to send out the main course...otherwise one of the two dishes is going to get cold while the customer eats the other. Since my zucchini rolls were a cold dish, and the risotto was hot, I figured I'd better stop eating them and start eating the risotto.

What I got when I took a bite of risotto was rice that was like little wood pellets. It was completely undercooked and impossible to chew. Each bite took between one and two minutes to chew. I took two bites just to make sure....but that was all I could stand. I sent it back and told the waitress it wasn't cooked enough.

She brought it back five minutes later and it was still barely cooked, because of course another 5 minutes was not enough, as any real chef should know. I tried another two bites and they were equally hard to chew and took me another minute plus each. However now the uncooked rice was starting to cause me stomach cramps (and another thing a chef should know is that undercooked rice is very bad for the stomach and digestive system). So I sent it back and asked for the bill, because not only could I not stand to try to eat any more undercooked rice, but I also couldn't stand to sit in their terribly uncomfortable chairs anymore. Just 15 minutes in those chairs was giving me a back ache!

However at this point the waitress proceeded to argue with me about how to cook risotto! She told me that all her customers like it that way! Which may or may not be true, but it certainly shows that this is the type of standard this restaurant has, it was not a one time mistake the chef made, and it also shows that they cater to people who do not know the difference between properly cooked and undercooked food. I had to sit there instructing her on how to cook risotto before leaving. And by the time I had was eating my last zucchini roll I was having trouble getting that down too, just too much cream cheese. I had to leave not only still hungry, but with an aching stomach and back. What a joke, this restaurant is an embarrassment to vegetarian food and restaurants everywhere, and I hope they can change their ways and learn how to cook and serve...

TLDR; Probably the best vegan restaurant in this part of Greece, great food and service, diverse menu and not too expensive. Highly recommend, best for couples and small groups (4ppl~) I went here one and came back because the food was so good, first I’ve had the fava dish and it was brilliantly made, clean and smooth, very tasty and I must say I didn’t expect much but was very impressed with the dish. Secondly I’ve had the vegan gyros which is a local Greek food, very tasty if you like meat substitutes. For the dessert I’ve had the passion fruit cheesecake and it was incredible, big portions on all of the dishes and very tasty (I ate the whole cake by myself but I’d recommend it for 2 ppl to share)

For the second time I’ve started with the eggplant spread, it was good but i personally prefer it hot compared to cold serve, which is nice to eat outside since there isn’t much shade outside during the day (no fans to cool you off either, I’d recommend to sit inside if you’re sensitive about that). The spread comes with two breadsticks but you can ask for more bread. The bread is great and very tasty. For the main dish I’ve had the poke bowl and it was one of the best poke bowls I’ve ever had, fresh, ripe and a great balance of contents, almost perfect but I’d say there are probably too many sunflower seeds inside. For the desserts I’ve had the crème brûlée and the pineapple milkshake, both are incredible, very fresh and sweet, I’d also recommend the dessert for two people or one very hungry person. The desserts wasn’t as sweet as I expected and it was better for it.

I’ve given 4/5 stars because of the outside seating not having more shade and fans to possibly cool people down while seating outside, the indoor space of the restaurant is fantastic and pleasant. I hope they improve, would...

seasonal salad was large and fresh (plenty of baby spinach) - I should hope so at €7. however: the caramelised hazelnuts were too much like the caramelised peanuts you get on the street. the mini granola bars work, and the dressing is nice. will have that again, but €5 would be more realistic pricing, I think. to justify the €7 tag would call for rocket, and perhaps one or two other herbs.

the gyoza was a disaster - watery, dough tough in places; content was lukewarm to literally cold, and the sauce was just wrong and unpleasant. such things shouldn’t happen.

asked for plenty of sugar in my greek coffee, but it tasted as though there weren’t any.

the place is handsomely dinky, crockery and cutlery are modern and handsome, and clearly a hit with both bohemian locals and visitors, and the staff are friendly and relaxed. I want to like the place, but it seems to me that a sustained effort on standards of delivery of food is called for.

Today - 25.03.18 - was my first time at rOOTS, and I’ll give it another go or two - maybe today...