The Root Cafe

If you are eating lunch with your bestie this is the spot. Food is terrific (if you have picky kids read ALL the ingredients, our boys didn’t like the garlic mayo). The chocolate chip cookies are phenomenal lol.
I read a review about is it a place for kids and the responder said yes because they always see kids there. It is a small place with some outdoor seating but it is small so if your kids are a little hyper or loud this may not be the best place.
Service was great, great hospitality.
Our little family really enjoyed it, I was just a little disappointed that it wasn’t bigger.

I had run in here a couple times, just for a drink/​to-​go orders, so this was our first sit-​down and eat visit. The line looked scary at first, coming out the door a little, but didn’t take very long at all for a Saturday morning breakfast/​brunch crowd. We got…
Two iced vanilla/​cardamom coffees
Biscuit with butter and muscadine jelly
Sausage omelet
Roots Benny
…all delicious. No complaints outside of them skimping on the butter for the biscuit.

My tofu scramble was stellar. I added tomatoes on top and they even grilled them for me. The greens were a nice mix covered in a creamy lemon dressing that really complimented the scramble. Bottomless cup of good coffee! What?!? Even gave me one for the road. Orange juice was fresh squeezed and the veggie patty was tasty mixed in with the scramble.. Some delicious jelly for the toast that looked like it would glow in the dark called muscadine wine jelly. You had me at wine.

We stopped in here as we were driving through Arkansas. It exceeded our expectations. Upon arriving, there was a line out the door and it was worth the wait. The food is all homemade and fresh. We were pleased!

Great local place in little rock. They make their food fresh and use local ingredients. Their regular breakfast and lunch menu is good, but try their specials since they change it up and it usually does not disappoint. On Sundays, they serve breakfast all day and the wait can be quite long.
Breakfast favorite to get each time in addition to their specials include biscuit and gravy with 2 eggs.
Good place for pets as well since most of the seating is outdoor.

We had breakfast here while visiting Little Rock. This place is beautiful, like eating at your grandma’s house, the food is authentic and befitting of the restaurant’s name. Everything is quaint, down to the mix match plates, table settings, napkins and even the garden.

Probably wouldn’t get the burger again, just because it was only okay and the rest of the food looked incredible. Sweet potato fries were heavenly, the side salad was amazing, and I could have eaten 5 of the chocolate chip praline cookies. Definitely recommend giving this spot a try. If I lived in Little Rock I 100% would be a regular.

When you eat with two children and a wife, sometimes it’s hard to only consider your own meal. Mine was really good. I had the Spicy Banh Mi, and it was spectacular. Probably the best sandwich I’ve had in months. It was just spicy enough in all the right places, and honestly, if I order a vegetarian item on just about any menu, I give it a few points just for being meat-​free and still tasty.
BUT. My wife ordered the Spiced Pecan Salad. It had some kind of dressing that literally smelled like B.O. from across the table. Let me illustrate that point further: I was sitting across a round table from her, outside, and probably three feet from nose to dressing ramekin, it smelled loudly of body odor. Needless to say, she didn’t put it on her salad. It had pecans and strawberries on it, but not much of either. She was really upset because she felt like basically, she’d paid a premium price to enjoy basically some dry iceberg lettuce in a bowl with a couple of pecans and half of a strawberry. My kids enjoyed their grilled cheese sandwich, and the whole family enjoyed the sweet potato fries we had as appetizer. I could go for more of that right now…
I feel like I should say something about the hipsterness/​yippiness of the place. Like, you buss your own table, which is fine, but they have it split up so that you have to separate your waste into glasses, plates, then also separate your compostable waste from your garbage. You also have to get your own drink, and I’m not sure if they have drinks other than water and tea, but for water or tea, you have to get ice from an Igloo cooler with a scoop, then fill your glass with liquid from the appropriate beverage dispenser. I mean obviously this is all very «green,» and I applaud them on that mark, but it’s also a bit much, if this is your first visit, which it was for me. I felt really uncool and confused. I got the impression that they get a lot of regulars who know the deal, and I was clearly not one of them. This probably isn’t at all the case, but I did feel at the time like everyone was watching the noob figure it out. At any rate, for the prices we were paying for sweet potato fries, a salad, and two sandwiches, we could have been served hand-​and-​foot at a pretty decent restaurant, but without all the moral superiority.

The Root Café is a nice treat and a crowded go-​to lunch place 6 days a week. Sundays are breakfast all day. Nothing on the menu is there unless they do it well. All locally sourced foods when possible, their menu ranges from Duck egg omelettes to tofu scrambles, Old world brats and spice Ban Mi on hard bread.
Root Café does vegetarian and vegan, while speaking paleo very clearly. They have a few fun sides like their Donut Muffin and their Root Parfait a fun mix of home made granola, local honey & yogurt served in a mason jar.
The location is a mix of cottage and functional kitsch pulled together with the local-​friendly ethos and fully embraced as the go-​to place. In the old Sweden Crème building, Root Café just feels like the right thing to do, and the right food for you every time. Be prepared to wait for a table, be warned they are closed by mid afternoon and always take a chance on their specials seasonal items.

Fantastic and fresh.
Had the bahn mi eggs and chi latte. Both were done perfectly. The bahn mi was spicy and crunchy and slightly sweet. Just like a bahn mi sandwich.
My wife had the cheese and egg biscuit and an amazing cinnamon muffin. She said the muffin was delicious and the biscuit was good.
I will definitely go back when I’m in town, but I hear the lines can be long.

First time here and I’ve fallen in love. This place is perfect. Love the whole concept of locally sourced food, but didn’t expect it to be so tasty.
So you stand in line, order your food and take a sign to your table. You grab a mason jar for your drink and have a seat until they bring your food. Simple concept. I LOVE that they’re all hipster-​ish and the silverware is sturdy (no plastic), they have cloth napkins and real sugar. And you bus your table. Very little waste… locally grown food… and I couldn’t decide if I wanted to eat inside or out. Inside is so darn cute with their country décor (but hipster-​country, not mamaw-​country). But outside is so cute too… umbrellas and a fenced in area if you have kids who wanna play in the dirt or pick flowers… I don’t, but feel like if I did have small kids, they would love it.
Anyway…very surprised by the food. Excellent quality, perfectly cooked and spiced and plenty of it. I had a hamburger (maybe the best tasting beef burger I’ve had) that comes with a side of greens and some dressing (very simple but very delicious), soup of the day (onion of some type… can’t remember the name), sweet potato fries and a praline and chocolate chip cookie. First of all, I don’t particularly care for sweet potato fries, but ordered a large for the table and I would actually order them again. They were just that good. The cookie… so stinking perfectly balanced between chewy and crisp. I can’t even explain it. But try it. Trust me.
The only downfall was that I went on Friday at 12:30 for lunch and it took a while. Definitely a high volume time for them. But we didn’t have a problem getting a table and the wait was most definitely worth it.

I hesitate to say this is the best brunch in town; not because it isn’t, but because it’s already so damn busy and I don’t want anyone else in line ahead of me on Sunday!
The place is tiny (BUT it’s getting expanded) and it’s one of those fast-​casual style places where you stand in a line, order at the counter, they give you a marker and bring your food out to you. The quality of food is top notch. All Arkansas grown, high-​quality ingredients. You can taste the difference. The menu is full of creative, original dishes. Even their cookies have a little bit of a hipster spin.
Yes, this place is a hipster haven. Prepare yourself now. You’ll be awkwardly greeted by pink hair, beards, noserings and skinny jeans, but everyone is friendly.
The food is five stars, but I knocked off half star because it’s tiny. If the line is out the door, which it ALWAYS is, then the seating is even more limited because who wants to sit and eat right next to a line of people? Also, -.5 because you have to bus your own table. Call me lazy, but I really hate that. One of the best reasons to go OUT to eat is so that you don’t have to clean up your own mess. They don’t have a sign up or anything that says you HAVE to, but you don’t want to be a dick, because there are like 9 people in line already scoping out your table and you certainly don’t want THEM to clean up after you.
I marked also that it’s bad for groups. If you’ve seen the inside of this place, you’ll know what I’m talking about. If you brought your party of 10 and you’re all trying to jam in and order, it’s a mess and everyone inside hates you now for inducing their claustrophobia. Plus sitting before you’ve ordered is discouraged, so there’s not really a place for your party of ten to go!
That being said, the place is ADORABLE. It’s got more outdoor seating than in, but their courtyard is super freakin cute. It’s mismatched lawn furniture with cute, bright contact paper covered tables. All the salt and pepper shakers are different and artsy — it looks like they raided a garage sale, which is probably what happened considering they’re going for that eco-​friendly-​renew-​reuse-​recycle thing. They use cloth napkins and mason jars. I mean, it’s the epitome of hipster-​chic, but if the sun is out, this place definitely makes ya feel good. xoxo

The root gets a ton of hype from local foodies, and all for good reason. I have dined at this unassuming café a handful of times, and have been truly impressed with each experience.
The establishment looks like a small, no-​frills shack, and that’s exactly what it is. Leaving every opportunity for the food to be the star, The Root has a small indoor dining space with a side patio furnished with mis-​match patio sets. It’s sweet.
The staff is friendly without being over-​the-​top sticky sweet, and have always steered me in the right direction with my choices. You order at the counter, grab a mason jar and cloth napkin at the drink stand, and wait for your food to be brought to the table of your choosing. I’ve never waited more than 10 – 15 minutes.
My favorites have consistently been the curry chicken salad sandwich and the state fair brat. Both are soooo good. As far as sides go, each dish is paired with a small salad of greens. But… DO NOT SKIP THE SWEET POTATO FRIES. Just don’t. I don’t know why/​how they are so good, but… I’m considering driving the 15 minutes right now just for these little guys. Ahhh.
Anyway. If you are looking for a good lunch spot, this is the bees knees. Convenient location, good prices, great food.

Traveling as much I do I like to try where the locals eat. Usually a small business out of the way with excellent food based on Unilocal reviews. So far this has been a very fun and successful way to enjoy the best a town or city has to offer.
This café was great! Totally unexpected for what I expected in Little Rock but I now know better. When ordering you begin lining outside (if lines are long like ours were). As you make your way to the cashier you pass great looking brownies and other delights while being bombarded by colorful chalk menus with tasty and interesting menu items. Once you’re up, grab a table sign (talking about a different local farm the café buys from), order and grab a seat inside or out. The service is great and friendly. You can tell employees like working there. They have three different lemonades to choose from, grab a mason jar for the open fusion water and coffee is fresh (the cups are just below the coffee maker).
Had the cheeseburger and fries. The meat had the most unique taste (smokey flavor) and the fries were perfect. Dish came with locally grown greens. Everyone else in our party of seven loved their orders as well. Service was quick, food was fresh and prepared perfectly.
So when heading to or from the airport, this place is worth the stop!

I love this place. With that said, I always order a burger or a brat so I’m not sure about all the other items. However, the people I’m with always seem to enjoy their meal as well.
This place has charm! And by charm I mean it’s very small and you bus your own table. Which I’m totally fine with. I hear their Sunday brunch is yummy, too. Their sweet potato fries are amazing!

The Root is unlike the bleached wood tables, white walls, and succulents that grace every single local, farm to table, healthy eating restaurant in DC.
Located in SoMa it looks like a converted preschool with the outdoor seating being plopped down right where the playground used to be. Not that I’m complaining! The mismatched bohemian décor and tables located in prime sunshine real estate there is something charming about this space. I can 100% understand why it’s so loved in Little Rock.
Their Chai Lattes are brewed with real tea (none of that syrup stuff) and they try to use local products as much as possible — right down to their cheese and nuts! They have a fantastic vegetarian menu but surprisingly no avocado (perhaps because it’s not grown locally?!). I had a mushroom burger and it was so simply delicious, I’ve been thinking of ways I could recreate at home all week!
Free WiFi. Weird hours — they close at 2:30 but if you’re a local you already know that!

People in Little Rock are gaga for this place. «Have you been to the Root yet?!?» everyone kept asking me, as if it were the holy grail of Arkansan dining. «They source all their ingredients from local farmers!» people excitedly exclaimed. Which, I’m into, of course. But, let’s be real, the farm to table thing has been around for a while. Just how good could the Root be?
The food is definitely wholesome and fresh, with a simple seasonal brunch menu. But, I think the real charm here is in the rustic, urban farm-​style environs. You can sit outside at mismatched tables & chairs. The indoor area feels like a covered shed with vintage tablecloths and funky flatware (note my coffee in a tiki mug). It’s very casual, funky, and unique. The staff are chill and friendly, even when they’re telling you they just ran out of their famous biscuits.
They are serious about the farmer connections, with little cards that highlight different local farms & what they provide to the Root. Pretty cool.
Word to the wise: they run out of MOST of their menu by 10:30am, so don’t sleep in or you’ll be left with the vegan options.
Good food + good vibes! I get the hype.

A mini road trip down to Little Rock led us to the root of it all; a delightful, local café that uses fresh ingredients and friendly service to brighten up your morning. Especially for the veggie lovers and vegans, there are great options available here.
Upon entering, you could tell that the owners were very intentional in creating a comfortable restaurant atmosphere. The menus are hand-​written and hung from the wall in very creative fashion. The choices seemed endless, and I struggled to decide what to even get.
In the end, I settled for the Root Benny and a Chai Latte. The benny featured two poached eggs over a local bed of greens and ham, topped with hollandaise sauce. The plating was fantastic, and every bite was fresh and tasty. My friend ordered the egg banh mi, which was a very interesting take on the Vietnamese sandwich. It was more of a salad than anything! Our chai came in these cute mugs with lids that made sure they stayed brewing and warm in cold winter days.
The café also creates a real home-​cooked feel, and with that comes some responsibility. You’re expected to grab your own utensils, fill your own cup of water, and bust your own tables. Nothing strenuous in the least, and it’s nice to know that we’re doing a part in helping the management out as well.
If you’re in the mood for a healthy and tasty brunch to start your day, then this is the place to be. I’m looking forward to stopping by again should the opportunity to visit Arkansas presents itself again.

What I liked:
The shitake mushroom burger and sweet potato fries.
Getting my drink in a mason jar and using cloth napkins.
The fact that they use local sources for their food.
What I didn’t like:
How long it took to order.
Having to sit outside with no A/​C in the summer and it started raining as we were finishing our food.

DELIGHTFUL!!! I stopped here for breakfast first thing on a Saturday. It’s true that the lines are crazy busy out the door. Good thing I read the HANDY DANDY Unilocal reviews and beat the clock super early.
As you walk in, right away the service is great and the décor is ADORABLE. Think FARMHOUSE meets tea party. Bright and VIBRANT colors with cottage pattern prints. The side shelf with toys and books was CUTE too.
It’s FARM FRESH for real at the Root and there were so many tempting MENU options. Eggs were great, the raspberry jelly was OUT OF THIS WORLD and the sausage was hands down fresh. Heck, even the toast was delicious. And the GROWERS MAP does a great job connecting you to your meal and your community. KUDOS.
Coffee and water are self-​serve. Wow… what’s with drinking out of MASON JARS and using cloth napkins that makes you FEEL LIKE HOME? I love this hipster stuff.
And if HIPSTER isn’t your thing… How about GOOD FOOD? Supporting LOCAL farmers? I dig it.