Root25 — Restaurant in London

We’ve been to Root25 a few times now and it’s a wonderful addition to the area. It’s a non-profit cafe that supports a human rights charity called Restless Beings.

The cafe is in an unusual space, formerly a funeral parlour I believe, which has been made very cosy with bookshelves and sofas. The cafe sells books and other craft items and gifts.

Food is pretty good and quite distinctive among the cafes in the area. They also do a lovely masala chai. I like the samosas as well, although I would suggest serving the tamarind sauce on the side, as pouring it over the samosas makes them soggy when you receive them.

On each visit there have been some small issues with the service that keep it from being a five star recommendation, but I want to mention just the first visit (10th Oct 2021) in particular:

We discovered that the chicken Malacca Melt is extremely spicy but that this isn’t mentioned on the menu. There should be a warning about this. It’s a two or even three out of three chilli spice level on a standard menu.

We waited a long time to get served tap water after the chilli experience of the Malacca Melt. Had to ask for it twice and it still didn’t arrive for a while, even after making it clear that we needed the water because of how spicy the food was. Staff were more interested in clearing tables and cleaning mugs and glasses.

The cafe was busy at the time but an issue like this needs to be treated as a potential health issue. You have a customer sitting in your cafe in pain waiting for you to provide some relief. It speaks to a skewed sense of priorities among the people serving, and if I had some health issue that might arise during my visit, I would be concerned about the staff’s ability to provide...

I love the initiative of this place, and the people that run it. But honestly, this place is quite pricey and what you get for it doesn’t feel worth it.

The coffee is really good, but the cups are so tiny compared to the price you pay (I paid £4.50 for a mocha half the size of a normal mug!)

The sandwiches are quite pricey £6-£9 or more and they come out quite small. Once I got the chicken and pesto sandwich and it was basically a processed chicken slice you get from the supermarket with lots of mayo. I was hoping for the price it would be real chicken.

I got the ‘French toast’ recently but it was basically lightly toasted plain bread with two strawberries and Greek yogurt with no sweetness at all - I only ate half of it because it tasted of nothing. Their plates are also super tiny so it’s very awkward to eat and not get food everywhere.

I love that they are a charity and I will fully support their work, but constructive criticism is important too. I’ve been let down by the food and the prices quite a few times so this place probably won’t be my first choice because of the food and drinks. The atmosphere is lovely though and they have a prayer space which is great. I Hope some of this changes as I used to come a lot a...

Whether it's for a catch up with a friend or just to take time out on your own, Root25 has all the vibes. The decor is lovely and the concept is great - it's a not for profit venturr with everything going towards Restless Beings which is a human rights charity.

The service was great as the staff are friendly and attentive without being intrusive. The food is different to your typical coffee house hangout and with a selection of savoury and sweet dishes, there's sure to be something on the menu for everyone's taste. The vegan options are the best I've tried without compromising on taste and quality. Root25 hands down serve the best vegan hot chocolate that I've had. It's rich & full of flavour with an option to add syrup if you prefer a sweeter hot chocolate. My overall experiences both times have been extremely pleasant and I'll definitely be doing detours on my journeys just so I can visit again especially for the...