Raízes - Healthy and Vegetarian Cuisine — Restaurant in Loulé

Unhygienic... be careful!

Sat down outside, got menus, and waited for a very long time until I could flag down the waitress. We just wanted drinks, but after almost half an hour I got up and went inside to see what was going on. I went at the perfect time to see her making our drinks: the waitress grabbed ice with her BARE HANDS and put it in a glass before pouring my smoothie into it. I was like... Seriously???

And after I asked if her hands were clean, the other waitress said they are constantly washing their hands. Look, I am a barista, I understand you wash your hands constantly, but you CANNOT just grab ice and put it in someone's drink like that. That is completely unhygienic, ESPECIALLY after I saw you make other drinks! That is NOT ok. If they are fine with that, what other unhygienic practices are they ok with? I was excited to enjoy this place but as someone visiting, this made us feel very unwelcome.

Also, the coffee was made with instant coffee and frothed milk, seemingly not from the espresso machine. If it's not working, why are you charging people €3 for a...

Wonderful place to go if you’re vegetarian/vegan, or as in my case, if you’re an omnivore and like great meat-free dishes. Milk shakes are wonderful, I’m not sure if they’re permanent flavours or change seasonally, but a smoothie each, one with loads of herbs and greens, another with lots of different berries and one with different types of zests (orange, lime..) and carrots. I tried the berry ones and had the green one myself. They were very fresh, and I liked the fact that they didn’t fill the whole mug with ice. It had the exact amount of ice to keep it cool and refreshing and not go crazy with ice.

Food was cooked very quickly even though it started to pick up for lunch. It was delicious, light and yet filling.

Staff were friendly and explained things to us easily and thoroughly.

Another (I think permanent) member of the team was a super friendly cat chillaxing in her bed, and up for a pet and rub. She stayed for a while and went to another part of the restaurant.

Highly recommended, will definitely be...

Great location, near the beach. Lots of vegan options to choose from. The staff was attentive for the most part. They were not to familiar with what was in all of the ingredients. For example, we asked what was in the soup and the answer we received was vegetables. But I understand, maybe because the soups always change, it may be more challenging to know all that is included. The tofu bowl was simple, lots of butter and oil in the rice. The salad was raw veggies, in all honesty it didn't seem like the vegetables were washed properly, we did not eat all of it. Great options for vegans in the area. We did try a fresh juice, that we noticed was pre blended separately in the fridge, then added with the other aforementioned fruits. Still good, but fresh fruits would be nice. I can't speak for all of the dishes. For the experience we had, what I'd recommend. Have lots of patience with the staff, be mindful of what you eat, before you eat it. Just ask, the staff is more than willing to help and...