the root cafe — Restaurant in Lakewood

I'm a Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free individual. Typically I love diner food, asian cuisine, and tacos (,of course!) However, I do like eating at a restaurant that I know takes certain precautions for those with dairy and wheat allergies, while staying healthy.

So, I'm prefacing this review with that, and the fact that there aren't a lot of Gluten-Free specific options in the city.

Pros: The food was good, and cooked well. Drinks were lovely! (Better than the food tbh)

Cons: I'd ordered a breakfast item, I can't eat spinach because I'm on Warfarin, so it did limit my menu options since it's quite spinach and kale heavy. I actually love spinach, so it was difficult to pick something. I also didn't want to be judged by saying 'hold the spinach'. So I picked an egg dish that had toast and fruit compote, (I went with hold the toast instead) with a breakfast side of sweet potato fries. Well, I thought I'd ordered sweet potato home fries. It turns out Roots has two sweet potato side dishes. Lunch and Breakfast.

The cashier/barista didn't ask my preference. So I was stunned when I got eggs and these big wedges of barely seasoned sweet potatoes, and NO fruit compote.

I asked for the compote, and got what looked and tasted more like fruit ketchup. (Which would've been great on toast! But it tasted horrid).

That's not compote, compote is a whole fruit mixed/mashed with some type of sweetener in a light reduction (not quite Jam or Preserves, but not a 'ketchup spread consistency) so perhaps you should rewrite your definitions more clearly in the menu.

Because of this experience I did ask for a refund, of the difference, between the values in the items. Something I'd never done before.

The Barista said she couldn't refund the difference, just the whole meal. Which I thought was fine. Because I'd felt so guilty I ordered two drinks, for me and my friend. One of the advertised drinks wasn't in stock, but they'd already rang me up for the item without checking their stock if this item.

So why was it advertised??

When I got the refund for the meal, it wasn't for the whole meal like the Barista implied, but for one of the menu items I'd ordered.

Advice for Roots: Train your baristas better, make them more assertive. It's okay. That's what makes a good restaurant. They can ask clarifying questions of customers without seeming rude. (I got the impression they were walking on tiptoes with most customers, perhaps even their boss to some extent?)

Make your menu more clear. If you have two side dishes using the same ingredients, make sure you give them different names. Feel free to get creative!!

-Finally, if you're really good at one thing (Drinks) and you also slap on food items, don't make it a full menu. Perhaps make it a lighter menu then you have now and focus on drinks until you get better at food.

It's not everyone's strong suit and it doesn't have to...

Root Cafe used to be one of our favorite places in Lakewood. My wife would go there regularly and was always able to get solid, gluten-free options and drinks.

This review isn’t just based on our last visit - which was really bad - but rather on the last couple of stops we’ve made there.

In those stops, my wife got a baked muffin that was literally still raw inside, a Mexican cocoa that was so spicy it made her stomach upset and neither of us could have more than 2 or 3 sips of (and we both like spicy foods), and I got a decaf Americano that I could likewise only take a few sips of before pouring out.

We also think on one of the trips that one of their gluten-free items was not, in fact, gluten-free based on my wife’s reaction to it (severe vomiting) but we were assured by them it couldn’t be so.

I think the thing that really takes the cake and has soured us so much is the service - or lack there of. It’s always been a mixed bag of service but lately everyone working there greets you with a palpable lack of warmth, kindness or even fleeting interest.

And then on top of that, they’re churning out bad food and drink.

It’s sad to see how far it’s fallen.

I’m sure we’ll continue trying it occasionally to see if it improves, but we are going to need a while before...

We were in from Columbus for a show, and found you guys online with a great menu, and options we like to enjoy. We dined in for a brunch, food was fantastic. Good quality ingredients, and prepared very nicely. We went for a walk, and came back later wanting to try the peach smoothie. While waiting, I watched the cashier not only take our order, but prepare it. I had watched her take several orders bf mine, handling cards, cash, and wipe her nose several times with her hand. I thought surely she would be mindful and wear gloves, or wash her hands. She did not, and reached bare handed into the what I assume were the peaches. I approached another employee to save her from Making them any further, and asked for a refund to simplify. My partner is a GM of a local organic restaurant in our town, I am a bartender, and basic hygiene is a must. It is something we both assure for our guests. My partner was then stared at by the employees as she waited for me to use the restroom. We were then talked about as we exited the establishment by the employee herself. We just wanted clean service. Hopefully a...