Roots Bistro

Roots Bistro is quickly becoming one of my favorite restaurants for a multitude of reasons. One of the main reasons is because of the ever changing and delicious menu. The menus change constantly because the chef literally buys the ingredients from local farmers the morning of. He can be seen at farmer’s markets in Houston frequently. They rewrite the menus based on what they at the markets and do a great job combining the ingredients in a unique and appetizing way. Roots also is incredibly supportive of local farmers and their food is always fresh. They also have a huge heart. They helped the Title 1 elementary school I work for raise upwards of $ 10,000 by hosting a benefit dinner. Great food, local ingredients, and supportive of education: Roots Bistro is a gem.

Home of the most incredible kale and avocado salad EVER! So good, I tried to make it at home last night (and failed, miserably. As I forced myself to eat it, I wept into my failed bowl…) This salad is going to positively haunt me. I can’t describe it without suffering from flashbacks, so you’ll have to read the details from other reviewers and/​or just trust me that this salad is pure manna from Heaven, baby.
What with that salad, a full juice list *and* flatbreads featuring more fresh/​lightly roasted root veggies (from their own garden at that!) than cheese, Roots Bistro is all about incredible flavor and less about guilt-​inducing fattening food that’s the norm in most restaurants. Maybe that’s not for you, but I eat out a lot and need places like this for lunch and dinner (the atmosphere is fine for both. I ate there for lunch but I can easily see enjoying dinner in the posh, modern setting). Portions and price points are also 5-​star worthy, as is the friendly staff.
There’s not much more I can say except, I LOVE IT!

The kale and avocado salad is awesome. There are a million complementary toppings going on without it being too busy! It’s also a very large portion, so it is more than enough as an entrée salad.
The smoked chicken sandwich is very interesting. Once again, there are a million things going on, but it’s really good. My one complaint is that it wasn’t really a sandwich as there was only a bottom piece of bread. The bread was delicious, but it ended up getting soggy from all of the sauces.
The beet ravioli was weird. I’m not really into eating raw beet because it is so hard. The flavors didn’t make that much sense to me. I wouldn’t recommend this dish.
The juices and smoothies are great. They are definitely pricey ($ 7) for being a small 10 oz. (I think) cup.

I like the food here but the very poor judgment they showed with their disgusting sign out front means I won’t be coming back. The sign said: Beer should be like violence: domestic
Saw it at the end of our meal as we were leaving and were flabbergasted. Won’t be returning.

While running an errand during the middle of the day, I stopped in for a weekday lunch with a co-​worker. A few people were sitting outside, but most of the inside was empty.
The inside is nice and bright, modern without being pretentious. I’d like to come here at night and sit at the high-​tops for a glass of wine.
My co-​worker ordered the fish tacos — made with red snapper — and jalapeño homefries. He was very happy, and I got a little taste of the homefries — really good, with a little spicy kick.
I ordered the pulled-​pork wrap and the mixed salad. The wrap had a good amount of pork wrapped up with spinach, green beans, and some other stuff. The mixed green salad was nicely dressed — not too much and not too little.
Overall, pretty happy. It’ll still run more than my average downtown tunnels lunch, but it’s not bad for the rare lunch out.
Service was prompt and courteous — we got a carafe of water for the table, which was appreciated.

So I stalk Roots Bistro on the Facebook. They usually post some outstanding «look at us» photos. «Look, all of your favorite FM vendors delivered directly to us because we’re awesome.» «Here’s a photo of a Wahoo — we’ll be cooking it for you bitches tonight.» «We’ve turned locally-​grown beets into edible high art.»
All implied, naturally.
The beet raviolis are where it’s at! Raw. Pat Greer would have been proud. Thin slices of beets with some sort of cashew butter filling in between. They say beet ravioli, I say fancy little beet tea sandwich. Not beet tea, rather tea sandwich made with beet for bread.
They’re undergoing some changes right now as far as hours go. That’s a constant, though. They’re hours are always changing. Don’t let this irk you. Don’t get something generic, or something a bit over the top and make it generic. That’s not where this place shines. It shines in its fresh ingredients prepared in peculiar ways.
I’ve been for brunch and dinner and prefer the dinner.
Brunch is just a rehashing of Roots Juice’s menu with a few turns. I stand by their salads, but just as is or with an egg on top. I added the chicken to my salad, and it was all skin, gristly fat, and dark meat. $ 5 worth of vomit alongside my perfectly tasty kale avocado salad. One of my partners in crime (if crime be searching for the best Indian restaurant in Houston — no Indian food here, by the way) got an omlette which looked fantastic. I personally can’t report on that as I didn’t invade his plate space with my chicken fat tainted fork. You know the olé «Oh look, is that a parrot at the next table over?» quickly tear a bite out of dining companion’s omlette distraction. My other partner in crime kept stabbing her macaroni dish as if trying to kill it. It looked mediocre, so I don’t blame her, if the pieces of shredded chicken skin were large enough to stab, I too would have triple-​killed THAT bird.
Yeah, just go for dinner. Share some apps with a friend, or get the wahoo or whatever fish they’re serving. Oh, and get whatever seasonal vegetable masterpiece is offered as an appetizer or side.
Yes, parrot. One table over.

Color me less than impressed.
While I respect the concept (somewhat local foods, freshly made juices), my visits here left me with merely an A-​OK impression and nothing more. Except, that it was a very expensive A-​OK experience.
The ambiance is nice, spacious, modern, yet intimate; you can actually hold a conversation with your tablemates without shouting. On a lovely day, which Houston seems to have a spate of lately, you can dine al fresco, and watch the liveliness of lower Westheimer pass you by.
Depending on what you order, it can be reasonable – flatbread pizza, a drink, maybe a salad (huge), or underwhelming and quite pricey (poached lobster, duck flatbread pizza, brunch mac and cheese).
Recently, it appears Roots Juice has been assimilated by the Roots Borg, ah, Bistro, portion of the restaurant. If you’re coming here for a juice pick me up, just go into the Bistro part and order, don’t pause and pull at the darkened door of the Juice part, hoping that because it’s YOU, the lights will magically come on and click! you shall have access to the magic elixirs.
I’ll most likely return for a schnack or juice/​smoothie, if my reigning friend demands it. How can you refuse a Duchess, or it’s off with your head, or something along those lines, but other than a royal mandate, I’ll probably keep driving.

Waking up early on a Sunday has its advantages, and thinking for some reason Roots opened at 10, not 11, I moseyed on in at 1040.
They looked at me kinda crazy, and mentioned that they open at 11, but they welcomed me on in, took my order, and got me started with a juice.
The juice part of the place is closing, and the dining part is expanding from what I can figure out. They are now open for full lunch and dinner, every day except Monday. Juice is still available. The brunch menu has definitely been expanded since the first day I went, with options like the veggie omelet, and the seafood omelet which I got. When serving seafood, some places definitely skrimp on the shrimp (HA HA) but not Roots. The fluffy omelet has really fresh veggies and lots of shrimp, with just the right amount of cheese. It was heaven! Served with either a small salad or home fry thingies, this brunch ranked right up there. I also started off with the beet juice with had a bit of a zing, but just right. The service was fantastic (I was the only person there because I was early) but instead of acting like I was a bother (which I have seen at other places) the staff was super friendly and talkative.
Without a doubt, I will be back to sample either the dinner or the lunch menu, and to fulfill my juice addiction.

WOW!!! This was probably one of the best dining experiences I have had. Disclaimer: I was apparently with a VIP, but nonetheless, the staff was just absolutely the best!
We chose an off the menu dinner, and Chef Chandler hooked it up! They use all fresh local ingredients. Jay hooked us up with the wines and Jeff was such a joy as our server.
Food was DELISH! I will definitely be coming back to Roots.

A really good dining experience.
The different courses were truly perfectly paired. The wine — yes the sommelier was truly knowledgeable and brought us a truly phenomenal dessert wine when our dessert was taking a little longer than expected to come to the table.
The overall feel of the restaurant is very cool. Modern, but not too over the top. You will enjoy it.
I went, you should go!
One minor thing… I wish that we were not seated so close to the kitchen — suggestion take out the two person table adjacent to the kitchen! What is one more two person table truly…

So… this is really not a cheap meal, but it is worth it. (My advice is to wait until you’re dating a rich man or woman and have them take you here to impress you).
The menu is simple, and, at first glance, almost too sparse. However, never fear, even things that sound like unconvincing combinations become incredible taste adventures.
Kale, avocado, and sriracha salad? AMAZING. All of the pizzas are phenomenal, and this is coming from a lactose intolerant person. Fortunately, my friend and I both popped ample quantities of Lactaid, because the wood-​fired pizzas are totally worth it. For the nights where eating cheese is not an option, they are also able to make the pizzas entirely without cheese. The pizzas come in pretty shareable-​sized portions.
The restaurant itself is uniquely and thoughtfully laid out. The wine selection is good, and the staff is very attentive.
The chef is vegan, so I was ecstatic to see that many of the desserts were dairy free. Dessert without dairy is a hard feat. GOOD dessert without dairy seems almost impossible. However, Roots Bistro consistently blows my mind with the amazing vegan dessert creations. I recommend saving room in that dessert stomach compartment so that you can try some.
I have come here for juice during weekends and peeked at the amazing brunch menu. Sometimes they have live music out on the patio. Definitely worth checking out in the future, I think.
PS– I had to subtract a star due to my deep dislike for restaurants that have parking right outside the door and yet insist for you to valet your car.

The bistro is not open for lunch on the weekends, but the Juice Bar is. Thus, it is not a good place for a last minute-​large group meal. I’d read the reviews so was prepared for the small portion sizes. I guess it is more of a tapas place so you’re supposed to order multiple plates. The menu changes regularly depending on what ingredients are available and they’re more than happy to share with you which local farmers and butchers they’re supporting.
Luckily, by the time our group of 10 all arrived, the restaurant had served all their current customers and generously let us sit in their closed bistro/​bar area. I wasn’t super hungry so I went with their «Sunday salad» which consisted of squash blossoms with avocado with a bright dressing and a spicy drizzling of something. It was quite tasty, too bad there wasn’t more of it. I tasted some of the «Real Deal» which was a small hamburger with excellent beef served with hardboiled quail eggs on a biscuit in a individual-​sized cast-​iron skillet. Their chocolate avocado mousse was excellent. Their fresh juices are quite the rage, but for the price and ingredients, I think my mom makes them just as good.
Our server was super nice and friendly and happy to share information about the chef and where they source ingredients. A coffee order or two went missing so they gave one of us a voucher for a free juice for use at a later date. I’m not a huge tapas person so the fourth star is really for how accommodating the staff was for our group.

I am not one who likes to write reviews immediately after trying a place just once. I like to try different places out more than once before I can write a more accurate review of a place. Actually the only reason why I am even writing this review is because a Houston Unilocal manager complimented me on my reviews, oddly, considering I havent’ reviewed a lot of Houston places (I haven’t lived here very long.)
That being said, I am a big fan of Farm-​to-​Market restaurants such as this and Benjy’s. I love healthy food that comes from the bottom up (literally and figuratively). This is a relatively new restaurant and I got a Groupon to use at this restaurant. Using a groupon and my one and only experience at Roots Bistro really made me a fan of this place.
First off, we were offered free wine because their liquor license had not been given to them yet. Of course they had all of these wine bottles decorating the walls, so instead of them wasting shelf space with «cheap» wine bottles, they figured why not just give it to their customers. I guess they couldn’t legally sell wine if they dont’ have a license. But what a great way to start a dinner with free wine!
My boyfriend and I had the special of the day… a pizza with braised lamb on it. I thought it was good but not memorable because I honestly don’t remember much about it. I think it had big chunks of lamb on it, and I was not too fond of that. (photo added)
However, we then ordered a whole white-​flaky fish (I dont’ remember what kind of fish it was, but it was amazing.) Then because our groupon was for $ 61, we ordered the vegan donuts because I’m «dairy-​intolerant» (which most people probably are but dont’ realize they are… and plus dairy is super fattening).Those little donuts were good! They were dense but light and came with honey and fresh peaches that were probably locally grown. I love when restaurants use local, seasonal produce in their food, like peaches in Texas. That is always a plus for me!
Then because we decided to get one more dish because we’re greedy like that, we tried the crème brûlée that was their special for the weekend. Although that had a ton of dairy in it, it was COMPLETELY worth it. haha
Anyway, yes I agree this place is expensive; that’s why most of the people who came here were older and dressed up. I docked one star off because of the relatively high price. I think that was the point of this restaurant. It’s expensive because they are providing good, organic and locally-​grown food at a high price because they want people to value good quality food. The portions aren’t humongous but this is how the average American SHOULD eat… not the amount of food the average Texan eats… I also wonder if their price is relatively high because they want to weed out the poor folk out there that don’t understand good quality food. (I’m one of those poor folk so please don’t get offended haha)
I have included pictures of the menu I took on the day we ate there. It is by no means the official menu because it changes all of the time.

The bad:
–Portions– Extreeeemely small. Do not go there hungry, that’s a no, no.
–Prices– It is expensive. $ 6 for a piece of bread with olive oil is preposterous. For the prices they charge, none should be denied free bread.
–Their pizza was not memorable, extremely small and overpriced
–I did not care for their Kobe beef. I don’t think the quality of the «Kobe beef» was the best.
The good:
–Their whole fried fish. That was yummy.
–The mushrooms they serve are really good quality and really tasty
–They are not stingy with real fungus truffle portions.
–Very original dishes, with rare ingredients. Actually really rare. At some point, I had no idea what I was eating which I found pretty cool.
–Do order the zucchini polenta :)
–They honor their groupons
Will I be back? Never! I do appreciate the experience. Actually, I was treated to this restaurant. I’m glad I went but don’t feel like paying that much for that little food, even if they are serving me gold.

I’m always on the hunt for restaurants that offer organic, locally grown food. So when I saw the Groupon for Roots Bistro, I decided to buy it and check this place out. I invited my cousin to join me for dinner and we had the BEST time. Kye, our waiter, was phenomenal as were the rest of the staff. He made excellent recommendations on the wine and food.
We started with the Kale salad — fresh kale with avocado, cucumbers & cilantro. The salad dressing was delicious and enhanced the flavor of the kale quite well. I’m a lover of mushrooms and there was a wild mushroom salad on the menu that I was very interested in trying but I also wanted to try the pizza. Kye said they could do the wild mushrooms on a pizza for me and what a pizza that was! Full of wonderful flavor that burst in my mouth with every bite! The crust was super thin & just the right amount of crispy. My cousin had the lobster pizza which was equally as good. We finished off our meal and moved outside to the patio with our wine. We decided to try the «doughnuts» for dessert and they were really good. It was more of a pretzel shaped donut with this sweet aromatic sauce drizzled over the top with a few slices of fresh peaches. Perfect combination with the white wine.
We ended up meeting Chef German before we left and he was gracious enough to take us on a «back of the house» tour which ended with the Juice Bar. I’m definitely coming back and I especially want to try the juice bar. It was a perfect night!

[Edit:I had to remove a star since I just found out that they charge $ 6 for bread service, which I am disappointed that I wasn’t informed. I didn’t check the bill the first time, and the second, I didn’t pay. Roots should have their bread service on the menu so guests will know that they are paying for it, rather than have it just show up on the bill.]
I have been here twice and each time have had a wonderful meal and experience. I am a vegetarian, but my friends enjoy my vegetable dishes better than their meat dishes. The wine director on our last visit kept bringing out various wines for us to taste, and was just so engaging and charming. This restaurant is a keeper!

This is the best example of farm to table in Houston. What is that you say??? Get used to this term, farm to table… basically this means fresh food eveyday, and a different menu everyday. This has it’s good and bad points… good. always fresh food, bad, when you are cravng their fried caulifower and Roots did not get any fresh that day, you miss out.
Ok this is not a vegan restaurant, this is farm to table. So there is beef, chicken, and fish on the menu (well the day I went) and I am sure they will have pork or any other nonvegan food. The chef is Vegan, so there are vegan dishes but it is a 50 – 50 split on veggie dishes and meat dishes. Do not expect portions you see at other restaurants. Its not tapas, but it functions like tapas. Plates are smaler than you would see at other restaurants; and for sharing. This is awesome way to try different menu items without having to ask someone for a bite of their food that they say is soooo goood!
Atmosphere is minimay but comfortable. Table cloths are on the table but there is not a stuffy vibe. Great outdoor seating and far enough away from Westheimer so you are not bobarded with fuel fumes. Take a look at the shovel, hoe and other gardening instruments that line the fence; such a unique touch. Bar is large and great for hanging out and talking to Jay, the awesome bartender with great recommendations on food as well as drink. Make sure you seak Jay out.
This is an awesome concept and great for couples as well as large parties. I am definatly going to be back next time… and if you cant talk to Jay right away, just know I am usurping his time asking about what is good tonight!

Bought the groupon. Great location, atmosphere, wine prices, and service.
Pros– all glasses of wine are between $ 6 – 9 (you can get a great bottle for less than $ 30). For food, we loved the lamb pizza, broccoli gratin, and lamb prosciutto. Our waiter was an all around great guy (Kyle was his name I think). Not to mention the food is local and mostly organic!
Cons– smallish plates (except for pizza). It’s best to order about 2−3/ person and share. This could get a bit pricey. Don’t go if you want a huge entrée.
The chef definitely has room for growth, but we all around loved it and will be back! If you like to try different meats and produce then you will love it. However, if you are a steak and potatos type of person then you might not like it (but you should really broaden your tastes!).

Ummm, yeah. Whatever.
So I went for lunch on ³⁄₃₁ and posted a pic of the «menu» that day. Take a look at the menu. There are no descriptions of the item or what (if anything) the item comes with, etc. When I asked the server he was like «Well, it just kind of depends on what the chef feels like putting on the plate.» O.K., fine but what does it come with!!! Well I guess I will just order it and be surprised…
The food tasted fine, but it is really over priced for what you get. I ordered the Spinach TX Scamorza Salad and the Diver Scallop. I wasn’t hungry when I was done, but I wasn’t full either. They had a wood fired vegan doughnut type thing for dessert and that was the tastiest thing that I had.
Since there is no regular menu available online or anywhere I guess that you have to go and be in the mindset for adventure.
I am apparently not the adventurous type.

Located across the street from Indika. Found out about the restaurant through
. A branch off of Ruggles?
I’m at a 4.5.
There are small plates and entrees
No official dessert menu… each item is 9 dollars.
The dishes aren’t very pretty… kind of look like mush. I guess it could be playing on the whole rustic, farm to table vibe.
Veal tenderloin (⁵⁄₅) — delicious! gnocchi that came with it was delicious as well. although it was similar to the veal rib eye, i think i prefer this sauce better.
Veal rib eye (⁴⁄₅) — the steak was a little over. surprised the waiter didn’t ask how we wanted it cooked.
BBQ TX egg over semolina pasta (⁵⁄₅) — so simple, but delicious. there are so many different layers of flavor and textures (wish i could discern and describe them articulately) that brought the dish to another level.
there’s a great selection of wine… from cheap ($ 22) to more expensive selections. it was nice because the sommelier/​wine guy stopped by the table to tell us more about our bottle that night.
i would come back… seems like a bunch of contemporary hippies dine here…