Root

Had brunch with my husband and baby. Let me just say, they are super kid friendly at Root! I felt bad because my kid who is learning to feed herself, created quite a mess and our waitress handled it with a smile. Okay, now for my food review. We had the crispy eggplant sandwich and replaced the fries with crispy onions. Everything was delicious! For a super shot of vitamin C, we had the orange, lemon, lime juice. Friendly service, flavorful food and kid friendly spot – worth a visit!

Root, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways…
1. You are located down the street from me, but I can still get you delivered thanks to numerous delivery websites.
2. When I do walk to you, you are right next to FoMu, the vegan ice cream shop.
3. Your food is seriously AMAZING.
4. The hush puppies make me want to shout from the rooftops.
5. The torta is spicy and satisfying.
6. The eggplant sandwich is even better than «real» eggplant parm in both flavor and execution. (No more greasy pizza place eggplant parm for me!)
7. Your fries are a masterpiece. (Sorry, I never get mixed greens, yuck.)
8. I turned a bowl into a wrap once I regretted nothing.
9. You made your entire restaurant out of eco-​friendly materials.
10. Your ingredients are super fresh and you are 100% vegan.
Root is the restaurant of my dreams. Every time I consider moving out of Boston, I immediately think of how much I would miss Root. If you haven’t been to Root because you’re not vegan, you are MISSING OUT. My omnivore boyfriend loves to eat here! I feel so lucky to have such a healthy and delicious place to eat out at in Boston.

This place is great! To start off, I’m just gonna say the portions are gigantic! We ordered a po boy sandwich to share and I’m so glad we did because it was huge plus it came with fries. The cauliflower was perfectly seasoned. Their homemade pickles were awesome too! They were sweet and spicy which complimented the sandwich well. The fries were seasoned perfectly, not too salty and just the right amount of crunchy. The only thing that I could suggest is that the bread could have been a little softer, but it was still very good! The po boy sandwich is a monster of a sandwich! Next time I will have to try the root bugger because that looked very good as well. I would definitely recommend this place to vegetarians/​vegans or anyone who wants to not eat meat for their next meal: p the atmosphere if this place is also very chill.

Yummmy! If you are looking for some great vegan food you have to stop at root! Their large portion size will fill you up! I recommend trying the poboy and the sweet corn and jalapeño hush puppies. Very impressed with the fresh and homemade food prepared right in front of us in their open kitchen.

TL;DR: Overrated and consistently unimpressive.
For the 16+ years that I’ve been vegan, I’ve been the type to support and defend restaurants that are cater to my ilk, probably simply because they exist. That is enough for me most of the time. I mean, I know Grasshopper (asian/​vegan next door) is greasy junk food, but I don’t have to worry about meat slipping into my meal so the overall experience is elevated enough that I am more willing to overlook the things that I might not like so much.
I thought Root was excellent the first time I went, around the time they opened a few years back. Unfortunately, eating at Root has been like waiting the next Weezer album: I somehow let myself get quietly optimistic — there’s always hope that it will be as good as that first one — then it drops and I ask myself, «how have I not learned my lesson yet?» Root is simply the most disappointing restaurant in city for me.
This has been building for a while. I’ve gone at least a dozen times and have tried almost everything on the menu. Some of it really is very good. The fries are great and the Po Boy is pretty good. The jalepeno & corn hushpuppies have always sort of been my reliable silver lining. They’re guaranteed to be pretty awesome, even if the meal doesn’t wow me (torta; bun is the best part, but dominates the palate).
Tonight’s hushpuppies, though … just … The person who cooked them must have just not looked at them. It’s the only reasonable explanation for their level of burnt-​ness. A few more minutes and they would have been dust. Not sure if that’s technically possible in a fryer but that’s surely what would happen. Totally inedible.
On it’s own, it’s one of those small things that I usually overlook. I’m just sick of being disappointed by this place. Frankly, I’m sort of surprised there aren’t more reviews like mine on here.
I’ll surely go back to try the brunch — the pictures look pretty good — but I’m afraid Root is pretty much out of the mix for lunch and dinner.

While killing time for something else nearby walked by Root and decided to give it a shot.
VERDICT– GO. Fresh, delicious, worth a repeat visit, great spot if you want healthy food and not wait around, casual vibe
Food Ordered: Torta with herbed fries (totaled a little over $ 11)
Space:
on the smaller size, simply decorated, tables available, when first entering you see the open kitchen, menus and register to place your order
Service:
friendly staff, food brought to your table, have water and cups available, accommodating to allergies and other food requests
Good menu selection, nearby salads looked like generous portions. Didn’t try a juice this time but would like to go back and try the basil lemonade. Fine for groups but may be tough to find seating if more than a few.

We went here for dinner on a Sunday night so it wasn’t crowded at all. It has a nice feel to it and it’s great to have another vegetarian option close by. The food was very good, but didn’t blow us away. The eggplant burger was pretty solid and their sweet potato fries should definitely be tried. I think their brunch/​lunch menu is different and honestly a bit more unique.

Root is definitely pushing a couple loyal customers further and further away. We just simply are not impressed with an establishment that used to consistently deliver. I’m not sure if they’re losing talented staff or what; but for a place that is located literally next to several other vegan eateries, one would think the owner would hone in on quality control. You didn’t lose us yet, please pay more attention to the quality of what you are serving, we will be back again soon.
Update: out of business. Not surprised.

I never write negative reviews, but here’s a fun story about how Root nearly killed me.
Sunday, I ordered off the take out menu, available on their website. I called in an order of a Thai Peanut Salad, as a wrap. The ingredients are listed online as: «Boston Lettuce topped with portobellos, pickled carrot, red onion, sprouts, black sesame seeds and peanuts. Served with house made Thai peanut dressing.»
Drove 40 minutes out of my way from Haverhill to Rhode Island, picked up my food, ate half of my wrap soon as I was home.
Started curling over in pain and fainted about 20 minutes later. Spent the rest of the day dying in my bed. Side note — I am HIGHLY allergic to avocados, and I kept thinking, how strange, I feel like I ate avocados… but I checked the menu online again, and nope, avocados aren’t listed, so it couldn’t be… and I didn’t taste any (but I did douse it in that peanut sauce because it’s so freaking good.)
About 4 hours after eating the first half I had the energy to go to the fridge and check *just to be sure* that there were no avos hiding in my wrap, and alas! There were. So, Root, why is this not listed on your menu? Avocados are not the kind of ingredient that can often «hide» in food like nuts or soy. It’s a freaking avocado.
Root, I seriously suggest that you either:
1. update your online menu, if the in-​stone menu does in fact list avos. I know it’s out of date because the first thing I tried to order over the phone (warm kale salad) is apparently no longer served.
or,
2. If you don’t have avocado listed anywhere as part of the salad/​wrap and this is how you’d like to serve it — ADD IT TO THE MENU! Never in a million years would I think I’d need to ask if avocado was in something if it wasn’t listed.
Customers, I highly suggest you double check, no, triple check if you have ANY food allergies before eating anything from here!
If I had eaten the second half I might have gone to the ER. Jeez.
I’m only writing this review here reluctantly because I hate to give one of my ex-​fav spots a bad name based on this experience — but I sent them an email and have received no reply, which is rude. I’d at least like acknowledgment that you take the fact that you almost killed me very seriously.

I heard lots of great things about Root so I had to check it out. I got the macro bowl and the green juice.
First with the positives, amazing food and likely the healthiest I’ll eat in Boston. Huge portions and all fresh! The aesthetics are great too, really makes the best out of a small space.
The only negative is the time it took to get the food, but that’s only cause I couldn’t wait to eat!

The best vegan spot in Boston! They get really creative with their food. The tostadas or the sweet potato quesadilla are to die for! It’s smaller than I expected but it’s worth paying a visit to if you’re in Allston.

Yummm!
I’ve had this place bookmarked for months now and one night after dance class I luckily found a parking space out front and slid on in.
I ordered:
Sweet corn and jalapeño hushpuppies– They were pretty lovely when dipped in the ketchup and garlic aioli. I love anything accompanied with a dipping sauce. I got 2 orders of these and had them for breakfast the next day.
Herb fries– Ummmm. I love French fries. They were perfectly seasoned with fresh herbs and light salt.
Sweet potato quesadilla– This was ok. It’s filled sweet potatoes, kale and onion. I’m not much of a sweet potato girl, so I’m slowly adding them to my diet to see if they will ever grow on me. The quesadilla was good, and I’m glad I tried it, but I probably wouldn’t order it again.
The place itself is quaint and cute. There is enough seating if people don’t show up in packs. It’s nice for an intimate time and good conversation over fresh food. It reminds me of hip eateries in San Francisco. Oh how I miss San Francisco.
The employees are very friendly, especially Robert. He is so sweet and helpful. I kind of sometimes forget that there are people in the world that enjoy going to work and making other people have a pleasant day.
Other notes:
Street parking makes it somewhat difficult to find parking close by. Do not, I repeat– do not park in the Walgreens parking lot. I witnessed the tow truck guys getting perverse pleasure towing cars and laughing like it was a sick joke. Very tough when you’re behind the wheel of a tow truck sicko!

Honestly… really overrated. I was bummed to see they didn’t have the cauliflower po boy anymore. Instead we got the sweet potato kale quesadilla but it was not very good. Why does everyone rave about this? The sauces were absolutely delicious, granted, but the quesadilla tasted like grass, didn’t hold together and were just kind of blah.
I got a root burger and BF got eggplant something. He said it was good but nothing special. I was really unimpressed with the burger. It was pretty bland, small and disappointing. The best part? The fries and onion ring. So I guess their side-​game is on point but in terms of the actual food, could definitely use some work.
I do like that they offer water and utensils so there’s little waste.

Outstanding vegetarian cuisine!
Tonight was my first time at Root. We started off with the Sweet Corn and Jalapeño Hushpuppies. I had the Eggplant Caprese Sandwich and my friend had the Root Burger. The food was outstanding: fresh, well prepared, beautifully presented, and delicious. The appearance of the restaurant is humble. The staff was friendly, courteous, and they had sincere smiles — I like that.
I’m really enjoyed myself and felt that the food was great — a very good value. I didn’t miss having meat (my friend is the vegetarian).

They’re aight… Their citrus fresh squeezed juice was kind of warm so I didn’t feel refreshed drinking it and I thought it was overpriced for the amount they gave me. I had the sweet potato quesadilla and I found it pretty bland. I did like the texture and flavor of the tortilla they used and the vegan cream sauce that came with it. I wasn’t a fan of having kale inside my quesadilla, but I guess I can’t fault them for that because they are after all, a vegan restaurant. It sounded good on the menu but when you combine that with the flavor of tortilla and sweet potato, I didn’t like it at all.
I also tried their hush puppies that everybody on Unilocal recommended and I was disappointed. Mine came out hard and dry. The garlic aoili dipping sauce that came with it was pretty tasty and the homemade ketchup didn’t taste anything different from regular ketchup. I took some of it home because I was too full to finish it. When I got home, it was rock hard and I couldn’t eat it so I ended up just throwing it away. I really hate wasting food but it is what it is.

Root lives in the rotating vegan door that has been home to a couple other plant-​based restaurants. Each time one closes, it seems we get a better replacement.
Unlike the last two restaurants that were most popular for pizza, Root goes with a healthier mix of vegan fare. Almost all of their items contain an abundance of fresh veggies. From the selection on their board, I don’t think you could go wrong with anything on their menu. It’s a relatively small menu, but that’s a good thing. Too many restaurants fill up their menus with items that are only so-​so. I personally enjoyed the Root burger best, as well as the crispy hush puppies and the delicious aioli that was served with them.
If you’re coming with a group, be forewarned that there’s not a ton of room inside. However, ordering at the register first and then sitting down helps to move things along pretty quickly.
Looking forward to coming back and trying some other items, and hopefully their brunch!

WOW! (I never knew this place existed because it’s nestled between Deep Ellum and Model’s Café.)
My friend took me there for dinner and I was stunned. It’s a rustic, modern, hippy-​esque restaurant with flavors that are out of this world! For a vegan/​vegetarian restaurant, this gets 5 stars.
We got the herbed fries (which came with a robust mustard and organize ketchup sauce), the tostadas (Chili-​spiced roasted sweet potatoes, black bean and corn salsa, avocado and crema on crispy corn tortillas, paired with greens and mango habanero sauce), the sweet potato quesdaillas (Sweet potato, sautéed onion, and kale. Served with a creamy thyme sauce) and the basil lemonade and the veg cleanse juice.
BOMB​.COM.
Most refreshing, healthy food I’ve had in Allston. And, what’s cool is they recycle and compost leftovers. Yay for the environment haha

This is my second time visiting Root but my first review.
I am a veggie burger lover and I love fresh house made burger patties. With that being said, Root has an excellent and filling patty! It is full of black beans, quinoa, carrots and more. It is super flavorful and the reason I keep coming back.
The portion size is huge and it comes with french fries and homemade ketchup. The staff is helpful and made the experience great.
The seating area is tight but you can make the best of it!

I can see why vegetarians would love this place however as someone who does not discriminate when it comes to food I found Root a little lacking. When I arrived for lunch I asked for the Basil Lemonade and I was told they haven’t had time to make it. The veggie burger I had was fine but unmemorable, I’ve had much better ones in the city. The hush-​puppies we ordered were good but I’m not sure I would return just to order those.
If you restrict yourself to only veggies you will probably enjoy it here as they have lots of items that mimic food the rest of humanity can willfully eat. If you are an omnivore like myself this place may seem a little lacking.

This place is unique to Boston, which I love. There are not enough vegan places in Boston that stand out enough to leave a lasting impression. Root combines both a unique menu and restaurant set-​up that brings people to this far part of Allston.
Root has really cute interior inside, and the place is really cozy (which can be either a good or bad thing). I didn’t have to wait when I went with a friend, but I could imagine there being a wait sometimes.
What I got:
Sweet corn and jalapeño hush puppies — these came in a plate of 6, and were really filling. I could have almost eaten these alone, but no I ate all of my salad too. They were unique and really thick, so I recommend sharing this with a group. Also, they weren’t spicy at all. In fact, way more savory than sweet/​spicy.
Thai peanut salad — Really refreshing with a lot of ingredients and the flavors mixed in together very well. The dressing was TO DIE FOR.
The only thing I’ll say was the service was a little weird. I don’t know if the waiter was new/​inexperienced, but she would keep walking by, ask but not really ask if we were ready to order, and just keep walking by us. The same happened when we wanted to pay for our bill. It was awkward.
I wanted to get something light for lunch but next time, I’m definitely trying the burger or torta!