The Root Cellar Cafe & Catering — Restaurant in Chapel Hill

i’ve never left a review before but felt compelled to say something about this place. bordering on gordon ramsay’s kitchen nightmares material. first impressions (judging by the machine full of crusty mac n cheese right next to the cash register, and the cashier swirling a serrated knife in a plastic cup of gray water while we waited to order -- both things you totally want your customers to see right before they eat) was that this is a place that doesn't care, cuts corners, and isn’t worth its high price.

second impression was that the root cellar is pretty disorganized with its operations. before we visited the restaurant we were actually going to order online for pick-up. the online menu said the sandwiches came with complimentary tomato basil soup, which sounded awesome tbh. but we changed our minds and decided to eat at the restaurant instead. when i ordered the side of tomato soup in person, the cashier told me that even if they had tomato soup, they absolutely do not offer it for free with the sandwiches, and that the employees aren't in contact with the people who control the website so she had no idea what i was talking about. i thought i must've been mistaken but nope. i just double checked, and the website offers a free cup of soup with each sandwich.

i guess i was swindled by the attractive logo, the solar panels, and the commitment to “quality” and “scratch-made” sandwiches their website boasts, but tbh it tasted like everything was stale, off-brand food lion groceries slapped together.

the BALTO bacon sandwich was seriously over-salted — and i have an extreme tolerance for salt so this is saying something; the sourdough had to have been a store-bought imitation/fake loaf and wasn’t toasted or anything like the social media photos; the spinach was slimy; the BALTO was missing the O (no red onions); the slight smear of avocado had tough and stringy brown bits; there was one little slice of tomato per sandwich half that was mealy as if it'd been stored in the fridge; and the 2 pieces of bacon were chewy instead of crispy, like they were cooked a long time ago and refrigerated.

we ordered a $3 side of tater tots and it was literally 8 cold tots that tasted like they were cooked in old oil and covered with the hidden valley ranch dry seasoning mix you get in those packets.

my dude said his italian grinder was "...edible", but the sandwich didn't match the menu description -- the balsamic "vinaigrette" looked like gray mayo and the ciabatta wasn't grilled. this guy will eat anything and love it but he wouldn't finish my BALTO!

i wouldn’t expect fresh, gourmet-level food…except for the fact that their own website and restaurant signage uses those words haha.

i will say the patio was quite nice (the reason for 2 stars instead of 1), but there were signs on each table saying to please clean up your own "dirty dishes" -- y'all couldn't have said "please bus your own tables" or something? nit-picky perhaps but it just added to the overall careless vibe of the place, like we were filthy burdens lol.

anyway, we got two sandwiches and the side of tater tots, no drinks (they didn't even ask if we wanted water). worst $30 i've ever spent and hopefully i never have to write a bad...

Catering team saved the day. Food was outstanding. Customer service par excellence. Prices were extremely fair.

Our wedding was displaced from WNC due to the aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene, and we pivoted to a small celebration for 30 people in Chapel Hill in a family member’s yard. Naomi and Tina took incredibly great care to help us secure a menu for both our wedding day and the night before. In spite of the short time frame, they made themselves accessible and communicated consistently.

We enjoyed three comfort food casseroles on Friday—chicken pot pie, beef shepherd’s pie, and baked ziti. On Saturday we served the large Southern appetizers followed by house and Caesar salads, sweet-tea-brined fried chicken, pork BBQ, mashed sweet potatoes, and roasted green beans. All of them were scrumptious and left nothing to be desired; Naomi arrived on time—at the perfect time!—and set everything up beautifully even though the buffet tables we prepared could have allotted more room…we weren’t expecting how generous the portions would be. We ordered for our head count and still had leftovers (although we did double up on meats for the main). We had a 45-minute cocktail hour, and the food stayed hot and fresh in the chafing dishes with sternos provided by Root Cellar.

We originally planned to have an ice cream sandwich truck at our wedding, so keeping with this idea we ordered a few cookie platters from Root Cellar and purchased ice cream elsewhere so guests could build their own. The cookies. Were. Huge. And blissful to eat.

From two Food & Bev industry vets… amazing work, gang! No stone left unturned. What more could we ask for? Thank you so much for helping us make our wedding memorable even though it became quite different from what we originally planned. Root Cellar… chef’s kiss… we can’t wait to return to Chapel Hill and eat...

The Root Cellar is one of those places that I wanted to like more than I actually did. On paper, it has a lot to offer, but it also leaves room for improvement in a few areas.

Though the name may suggest a cozy café, The Root Cellar is decidedly not that. This place is huge with plenty of seating and space. The restaurant/bakery occupies the front half while wine, beer, and a few grocery items for sale can be found toward the back. While you’re unlikely to be left waiting to find a table, it can get a bit loud in here.

For a breakfast/lunch place, The Root Cellar’s menu offers a good amount of variety. Go for a pastry, egg plate, or smoothie in the morning or a salad, sandwich, or wrap later in the day. The sandwiches show a variety of global influences, the pastries are made in-house, and the coffee uses Joe Van Gogh beans.

Ordering is a bit chaotic as lines approached the register from two different sides with no indication of which was the correct queue. The cashier, while not rude, very much seemed like she would rather be anywhere else.

Wanting something light to tide me over until lunch, I opted for a green smoothie and an herb cheddar biscuit. I didn’t have long to wait for either. The smoothie was a bit sweet, and, at $8.50, no bargain. On the other and, the biscuit – warm and savory – was delicious and a much more reasonable $3.

I wouldn’t rule out returning to The Root Cellar, but it’s not a place I would go out of my way to visit during future Chapel Hill...