Root Kitchen and Wine Bar

I ordered my first meal from Root Kitchen on Saturday
And it will be my last. I ordered my husband the steak dinner @$ 35.00. I was absolutely shocked when I saw how small the portion was. The steak had been sliced and there was about 5 small bites. Add to that a small salad @$ 12.50.I had it delivered by Dinner delivered to surprise my husband. Don’t waste your time, maybe it is better if you go to the restaurant but for the price it
Shouldn’t make a difference.

Came here for brunch on Sunday. My friend ordered the biscuits and gravy. He didn’t eat his bacon because of the severity of it being undercooked and even found a hair in his food. I ordered the corned beef hash… the veggies were basically raw, someone came out and explained that they cooked them al dente then came back to apologize and tell me that some were raw. When they brought me back the second attempt of the hash there was no meat to be found. Someone again came to the table to apologize as they took the plate away and told me they’d remove it from my ticket, they didn’t. My husband ordered the ham sandwich with eggs, he just ate the ham out of it. We’ve enjoyed this place in the past for lunch and dinner but doubt we’ll be willing to give them another shot. 1 of 3 tables and always slow service

Stopped in with a friend for lunch. We shared the Caprese, soup of the day which was smoked cheddar and broccoli, and the chicken salad sandwich. All items were prepared fresh and delectable. I will definitely be back!

The best pork chop I’ve ever had. Very juicy and flavorful and a very large portion. Will definitely go back again.

Good, fresh food. Nice selection. The homemade hot sauce was super good and bacon side was delish! Bloody Mary bar looks cool too.

On the way to a photo shoot at Coolidge Park, we drove by Root Kitchen and Wine Bar. I had heard a little about it, but didn’t realize where it was located. It is off of Manufacturer’s Road near the Whole Foods. After perusing some online reviews, we decided to give it a try for dinner after the shoot. Since it is winter, the shoot ended about 5:15, so we got there by 5:30 on a Saturday evening and had our choice of seats. Even though the lighting is pretty dark, when I explained that I would be taking photos, they let me pick where I had access to the best light.
I immediately loved the décor and their logo. It’s a combination of earthy and industrial. There is a large kitchen area, fully visible, on the other side there is a bar area. The first thing we did was read the drink menu. I settled on the Short Mountain Stumble and the hubs chose a glass of red wine.
The bartender actually brought over our drinks. She handed the wine to my husband and then sat my cocktail in front of me. She explained that it’s a strong drink and that some people order it, not realizing how strong it is, and they don’t like it. I assured her that it wouldn’t be a problem. And it wasn’t. The Short Mountain Stumble was so good! It is Short Mountain Moonshine, tequila, strawberry and rosemary ice cubes, hibiscus syrup and strawberry simple syrup. What I loved besides how good it tasted was the ice cube. What a great idea. I kept chopping away at it with my straw as the evening wore on and it slowly added more strawberry to my drink. Definitely going to copy that idea on some of our ice cubes for our at home cocktails.
I ordered the Belle Chevre Flatbread and the Kale 2 Ways Salad. When the salad arrived it was a work of art! Gorgeous deep green kale, topped with crispy kale chips, grapefruit segments, radishes, root vegetable shavings and almonds. The vinaigrette was perfect. I just ate it with my fingers, it was too pretty to cut up.
My chevre flat bread was also great. The tart cheese paired perfect with the sweet marmalade. I think on the menu online it says that it was topped with arugula, but I’m pretty sure mine were tiny Brussel’s sprouts leaves. Combined with the kale salad and the cocktail, I was happy! Everything was light and delicious.
The hubs ordered the special which was venison and boar ribs. Since it was the special, I didn’t have anything to copy the description from, so I’m probably leaving something out. They were served over some of the best braised collards I’ve ever had in my life. I wanted to go ask the chef how they were made, but if I made something that good, I wouldn’t give up my secrets, so I didn’t ask.
We loved our meal! It was perfect. Our server, Augusta was always available and helpful and very personable. We will definitely eat there again.

I’m at the table in front of my empty plates, sad that the meal is over and couldn’t even wait to write the review. The service, the FOOD!!! Omg, the food. A single tear is running down my cheek as I think back on the extra crispy brussel sprouts, the pork flatbread and the shrimp and grits. Never been so sad for a meal to end! Our server Sara walked us through every single choice and explained all about the food, the preparations and the wine. She was a delight. LOVE THIS PLACE! We will be back… maybe tomorrow

I wanted to fall in love but Root was a miss. I’ve been told this is the best brunch in town yet the kitchen totally chocked the day I came in.
The salmon benedict was absolutely flavorless. The fish was less than fresh. I ended up eating the muffin and dill crème which tasted the best on the entire plate. The grits were mushy and starchy. Super disappointed. Coffee was fine.
I’ll come back for dinner and dessert. I’m guessing happy hour is the better time to stop in. The drinks menu was impressive and the mixologist seems very creative.
There are two things that Root still gets high marks for: customer service and décor. The ambience and rustic modern look is warm, colorful and hometown classy. Everyone is friendly and went above and beyond to give me menu options, tips around town, and anything I needed. Just wish the food was better. Better luck next time.

All of the food is bought locally, and everything is made in-​house. The menu is well designed and everything we tried was great. Reasonably priced food and wine, so it’s a great date spot.

3 ½ stars. I’ve been here a couple times and would go back if someone suggested it
Positives:
— Farm-​to-​table. Love that!
— A big variety of fresh, creative options to choose from
— Many things I’ve tried have had great flavor
— Friendly staff
— A cool vibe — great for a date
Negatives:
— A few of the items I’ve tried have been under-​seasoned and pretty flavorless
— A bit pricey — especially for dinner
— Not huge portions, especially given the price

We love eating here. We frequently order small plates so we can have a variety of food. Great atmosphere and great service

Amazing place for corporate and private dinners.
Menu is niche, beer list is amazing and includes curveballs even for the avid brewmaster.
All ingredients are locally sourced.
Rotating menu makes it difficult to name personal favorites but the flatbreads were awesome.

Threw a Birthday party for my lady and the staff totally knocked it out of the park! I walked in off the street with less than a week before the event and Chef Adam met with me right away. He and his staff made planning and pulling off the event so easy yet made us feel totally special.
We reserved the back ½ of the bar area for about 17 people. We laid out apps for an hour with the bar serving us so we could all mingle, then we sat down for entrees off a specialized menu Adam helped me put together.
The food and cocktails were fantastically unique, delicious and impressed our completely diverse group, with peeps from TN, NYC, NJ, SoCA and AZ!
Two staff members handled our entire group and they were just as good as the food.
Here’s the kicker– I called earlier that day having forgot to order a Birthday Cake and the baker on Root’s staff made an incredible white coconut B-​day cake which was another hit!
Totally recommend letting Root take care of you for a special night as a group or just one-​on-​one.

This place is great! Friendly staff and localy sourced ingredients combine for a really great laid back experience.
Lunch, dinner and brunch are always on point and won’t break the bank. It’s a weekly stop for me.

We visited Chattanooga this weekend and we were delighted to find Root! The food was frankly wonderful! Being from New Orleans, we feel pretty spoiled so to this point, our other meals had been kind of pedestrian. Root was an amazing meal for sure! If you live in Chattanooga, ya gotta try it!
The one of the chef/​owners stopped table side to visit with us and insisted we try the grits which were wonderful. We chatted about the farm to table practices and local focus and it soon became obvious the flavors were reflecting the careful practice described.
Onto the food — we started with a Bibb lettuce salad and the red pepper crab cakes. Both were great stuff but I was partial to the cakes. Both were wonderfully fresh and well done. Next we ordered the bacon marmalade flatbread and the side of bacon brazen Brussel sprouts. I agree with other reviews about the flatbread being a touch sweet but it was well within acceptable to me!
Now, the final order we made in the dinner parade was the pork cheek appetizer. This was a perfectly cooked braised pork cheek. I mean the dish was fantastic! We know pork down here in NOLA and this dish could be on any local bistros menu and get lots of attention. We were both floored!
This is clearly a gem in the Nooga (learned the term while there) that is finding its legs and is offering some amazing foods! We were really impressed and we hope that the local crowd keeps this place busy!!! Really great experience for sure!!!

This restaurant has a nice atmosphere, sort of industrial chic. It was formerly called Elemental. When it was, it had a type of organic menu. It’s somewhat like that now with new ownership, but the servings are smaller, but quite expensive for what one gets. I had an oyster stew which was far different from I’m used to. It was about a cup of cubed potatoes, chopped tomatoes, minced oysters, I think they were oysters, a piece of watercress, and some kind of overly spiced sauce. Not a soup, and not what I’d consider a stew in the traditional sense. It’s served in a large bowl where the serving is lost. For $ 8 a «bowl» it’s not worth it.
I also had a green salad made from a variety of large green and red leaves of some type, shaved vegetables, that were so thin as to be tasteless.
Three stars for atmosphere; two stars for the food. Three stars for presentation. Four stars for our server. The flourless brownie was pretty good, served warm like chocolate lava cake. Again, quite small, and for $ 6, expensive for what you get. Overall, not a good value. Average: 2.5 stars. Ho hum.

Just OK. The atmosphere is incredible, there is so much potential here. I love their space.
I went for dinner with a friend and we were one of only about 3 other tables in the whole place. We split the burger, lentil soup, and sweet potato chips. The sweet potato chips were plain and the lentil soup cold (good flavor in the soup, though). The service was just ok considering we were her only table.
I may just have super high expectations because there are just so many other gems to explore in Chattanooga but I wasn’t crazy impressed.

Pleasantly surprised! I got a very tasty mushroom crostini and the vegetable pasta in a Parmesan cream sauce. Very delicious! Finished my meal with a cup of herbal tea. Was expecting a bag but it was a nice quality loose tea, which I absolutely enjoyed!
Service was outstanding, our waitress was helpful with dinner choices and kept water glasses always full. I’ll totally go back.

This place has a welcoming feel just on the other side of the Tennessee River. Gentlemen, if you’re looking for a date night spot then look no further than Root.
Started with the Climber’s High tea which was very good and just what I needed before a long drive. The tea is tasty, fresh, and smooth.
Squash soup ensued and was the best part of my meal. Creamy, sweet, and nutty with a perfect flavor profile.
I also got the sorghum glazed rainbow carrots. The flavor was light and the carrots a bit undercooked. The glaze itself could pack more of a punch in my opinion.
Finally, I sank my teeth into the Swiss chard wraps. I was warned that they were spicy, but I was not told that’s all they would be. The dipping sauce added a small amount of flavor that left me wanting more.
Root clearly has exceptional ingredients that lay a nice foundation for excellent dishes. It seems the execution underwhelmed this plant-​eating guest. Maybe I will give this place another shot once I eat meat again…

I can’t help but compare this restaurant to Elemental since it’s in the same location and still looks very similar. I’d say it is definitely better, but I was still a little disappointed overall.
They have a very creative cocktail menu, but I can’t really speak to those since I had wine.
I ordered the beef short ribs, which they were out of, then I decided on crab cakes and a mushroom flatbread, both of which were good but not great. I also tasted two other flatbreads ordered by others, they were good too. I also tasted the Brussels sprouts, which was the only dish I would call above average, and they were amazing! I split the cheesecake with a friend, and I would not recommend it :/​
I think this place is «good,» and I’m glad I tried it. If another friend wants to check it out I will definitely go again, but for the price range I think my money would be better spent elsewhere.