The Roots Vietnamese Restaurant — Restaurant in Johnson City

Arrived with our party of four about one hour before they closed on a Friday night when it was snowing. They were open and welcomed us to choose a booth or table. About 10 other people were already there ordering or eating, and I saw two people take carryout during our visit.

We didn't know how to pronounce most of the meal names, but we asked our waiter to pronounce them for us which he did. He was very straightforward in his recommendations for which dishes to order - and he was right on! We finished our entire dinner.

I recommend #13 and #15, and next time we go we're going to get #12 (it has one more item on the plate that #13 doesn't have). See photos. The liquid they bring with these two dishes has a slightly unpleasant scent, but definitely try it on the food - it tastes amazing! Just don't smell it before your food arrives.

If you like pho soup, our friends had that and enjoyed it.

None of the food we ordered was spicy, unless you put the spices on it which are provided on the table. See picture of the spices available.

The coffee sua nong hoac da (we ordered hot) was excellent. See the video of it. They bring you two cups - one is empty, one is half filled with sweetened condensed milk. The slow drip device is transferred onto the empty cup (it will continue dripping for a long time) and you can stir in the sweetened condensed milk that is at the bottom of the first cup. They will pour additional hot water into the slow drip device, which still resulted in a good tasting coffee. I highly recommend trying it. I'm told many people find it way too strong, but wow, it was so good. Order one cup to share if you're unsure.

One thing I would like to see on the menu is durian fruit. I think they have access to it, but it is not available. Had it been on the menu I would have ordered some for myself and our friends to try.

If you like any of these items: noodles, grilled meat, rice, eggs, lettuce, crispy egg rolls, peanuts, carrots, or cucumbers - just look at these pictures. You'll probably love the food and become a regular customer.

The restaurant is clean and they have restrooms for customers. Plenty of parking. Very friendly cooks and waiters - kind people and...

Tweeks Road Trip Food Review: The Roots Vietnamese Restaurant and Coffee Shop is a trendy little mellenial Vietnamese joint that feature my favorite fried spring rolls (I don't know why they call them egg rolls.. bc they have no egg in the rice paper wrapping). This style of fried roll is like nothing you've had before, and eaten with lettuce, cilantro and nuoc mam (aka dipping sauce or prepared fish sauce ).. there is nothing like it anywhere else. Only like 1 out of 20 Vietnamese joints even have this style -- fried dark, crispy with a blistered/bubbly surface.. a MUST try. Be sure to cut them in half before dressing them up and dipping. Each piece is (traditionally) wrapped in a piece of lettuce, given a dip of sauce, a pice of cilantro poked into it, and an optional dab of Sriracha on each bite.. and is is pure heaven. This dish alone is why I gave five stars, as it is on of my favorite traditional Vietnamese sides. That being said, they did not have many other authentic, old Vietnamese selections like fish in n a clay pot or chicken lemongrass.. but this "boomer" will cut them some slack, as millennials. ;)

Next dish I had was their Bun with grilled ground shrimp and bbq roasted pork. Though they were out of vermicelli so they subbed out rice, it was still just as good, just had a different texture. Recommend adding a few pinches of cilantro and two ramicans of dipping sauce. For dessert (like many Vietnamese dishes), the absolute best part of the meal is the remainder in the bottom of the bowl. This is a mixture of smoked meat, rice, fish sauce, Sriracha, and all the flavors melding together in a sweet, spicy treat that's better than any other other single part of the meal. It's REALLY good if you scoop up these yummy flavor bombs and eat them in a lettuce wrap, traditional style with your fingers. It's a yummy, sticky mess that is the highlight of the meal. ...

Since leaving Colorado had a hard time finding delicious Vietnamese food… And I cannot believe that I found one of the best tucked away in Johnson City. First of all the space is a really cool industrial looking establishment. I found everything to be super clean and well organized. The girl that waited on me was very kind and actually from Colorado which I found very cool. I always order a pork noodle bowl, eggrolls and iced coffee. I feel the most important thing when I’m judging these places is how well they execute something as simple as eggrolls . This place definitely did not disappoint on that front. I really got spoiled out in Colorado. Pork noodle bowl that I am accustomed to consist of rice noodles, over at Lettuce, with cucumbers and lemon grass grilled pork, bean sprouts, peanuts, mint and cilantro . They, however, did not have the cilantro or really bean sprouts I believe . However, this place did not disappoint their eggrolls come in a big order for a round $11 and was served with most sides that I’m used to. Lettuce, mint, cilantro and bean sprouts …is a traditional served on the side so you can wrap your crispy eggroll in it before you dip in your fish sauce. Even though their version was missing some of the components that I’m used to it was still extremely enjoyable. The pork had a fabulous flavor and the fish sauce was extremely balanced. I am super excited and will definitely be stopping here every time I’m in town 👏🏼👏🏼 I ordered two large orders of eggrolls and pork noodle bowls so I would have leftovers to take home. Which by the way, is my favorite cuisine the save for the next day. I could eat this cuisine every day and never get tired of it so if you are a Vietnamese food lover, like I am, I highly recommend this place. Thank you guys for giving me a little taste...