Common Roots Cafe

We had lunch here recently and LOVED it. Sooooo many vegetarian options and a huge variety of foods. The great part is that most of it is organic and locally sourced. We tried the Strawberry Arugula Salad which had a great balance of acidity and creaminess from the goat cheese. The Veg burger was outstanding. The Falafel wrap was crispy and full of flavor. Even the mushroom tacos were a unique flavor.
The ambiance is sort of hip and the staff is extremely friendly. We even tried their homemade Chai Tea which is far better than any Starbucks mix. Overall a great place to grab breakfast or lunch and just hang out. We will definitely be back again to try more food on the menu.

Had a groupon for a meal for two. First impression is that the place has a cool vibe to it. Staff is super friendly and helpful when ordering. I took the recommendation and got the lamb ribs. I love lamb but not these ribs unfortunately. There was so much fat it was basically inedible with little to no meat on each rib. The rice was ok it instantly had a lemony flavor to it but after taking more bites I grew to like it. The nuts and berries in it were a nice touch. The spinach, I couldn’t take more than 1 bite. I felt bad but it wasn’t my cup of tea. Speaking of tea I got the hot ginger root tea and that was very strong yet good.
The second meal was the chicken schnitzel. This dish was very good. The chicken was thick and juicy. And the sauce complimented the dish well. Comes with asparagus.
For the Nosh plate. Got the Mac n cheese. It was very creamy and baked well. My my only complaint is it was swimming in oil unfortunately.
Finally dessert. They had a nice assortment of desserts but I gravitated toward the peanut butter brownie. Home run on this one. Super fudgey and rich. You need to try this one.
I recommend this place for the organic food lovers. They also have GF options as well.

Easy to find and plenty of parking when we came on a Saturday around 11:30am.
Had bagel with salmon. Excellent !

Cute — casual — missing something
Parking: I had a hard time circling to the block to find parking. Then when I got to the restaurant I realized that there was a small private lot on the side that could fit a few more cars. Sad! Don’t make my same mistake.
Ambiance: Cute and cozy. The patio was adorable. It was windy when we came so we didn’t want to stay out too long.
Service: Coffee shop style — come in, order, get a number for the table and find your own seats. It was pretty slow on a Tuesday night. There were two servers and they sorta didn’t want to serve you. Maybe I should have come here for breakfast/​brunch. There were only 4 plates (entrees) options for dinner. All their good baked goods were gone. The rest looked like they were going to be thrown away in a few hours when the shop closes — not appealing.
Food: The smoked lamb ribs were quite flavorful but very fatty. The vegetables (I believe it was spinach dipped in yogurt) were cold, sour and bitter. The roasted shrimps were better: fresh, juicy and delicious. They weren’t very flavorful but at least I could finish the whole plate.

In spite of the friendly staff, this place simply does not get it done. I was warned before coming here but sometimes you have to play with fire anyway. The food took quite some time to arrive and the taste was very bland in my opinion. I don’t plan to ever return to CRC.

I love the concept, but the execution is lacking and prices are high.
Fast casual and farm to table sounds like a great concept, and it is. The only problem is the flavors are hit or miss. I’ve had the salmon entre which was great, but I’ve had some very bland entrees here as well. The chicken schnitzel and pan roasted shrimp were both very bland. I was once served lamb ribs that were completely burnt to the point of looking like charcoal. I was I was exaggerating…
When paying $ 15-​$ 17 per plate in a fast casual setting you would expect everything to be great but it often falls short here.

JUST left here. I gotta say, this is just awesome! I had the Chichen Schnitzel Sandwich and man was it fantastic. Chicken was prepared perfectly, the aoili they used, partnered with the pickles on a warm french roll, it was the beez-​neez! Also had the Mac & Cheese, fouund out that I just don’t like Mac & Cheese in general, but my Bestfriend’s mom and her neice LOVED it! Bestfriend had the asparugus panini and she fell in love with it, Chocolate Chip Scone was crazy good, as was the Cream Cheese Danish, all made in house! This place was absolutely fantastic! Great ambience, we decided to have lunch on the outside patio, which had us bathing in sunlight, surrounding by a very well-​kept flower garden. All in all, i’d say get your butt down there ASAP.

It’s a nice place where you can always find seating to work on things n enjoy good enough foods and drinks, a little overpriced for certain food items, happy hour beer featuring $ 3 beer (surly furious and summit oat stout) is pretty nice. Their internet doesn’t always work (cloud control on weekends and rush hours)

What a dumb assed place. Stopped in at 10:30 on a Saturday morning to have a coffee and catch up on some work and they informed me that they turn off their Wi-​Fi to reduce crowds. It’s working — the café was only 20% full… At best :(
This is my last time coming here!

Went here once and was not impressed enough to come back. The food is lack luster. The restaurant doesn’t feel especially clean either. I really don’t have a lot to say, other than I am disappointed.

We came here again because I wanted to try something else. This time I ordered the Minnesota burger on gluten free bread. It was ok. The bread was like a brick and it crumbled when I cut it in half. The pickles on the burger were good but the slice of tomato was old and nasty. It took FOREVER for our food to come out. For 7:00 pm on Friday, with 6 people in the entire restaurant, it could have been a little faster. My girl got the salmon again. It was ok, the portion was smaller. I just honesty don’t think I will come back here again, unless I get the groupon, then at least the prices will be more reasonable.

Regular eats are great. Regular service is great. Today’s Thousand Hills dinner on the other hand… Not so great.
Suggestions:
1) Next time make it clear it’s a «date night» type dinner and try not to sell it as merely an exploration of cuisine/​flavors.
2) List an estimated duration or end time — I get that multi-​course dinners aren’t instant but when it takes over 2 hours for the entrée to make its appearance, on top of tiny portions, it leaves something to be desired
3) Try not to be so patronizing/​rude to customers who dropped nearly $ 50 for the dinner and did not realize that it was a 3+ hour commitment. No, not ALL multi-​course dinners take this long. Trying to make that argument with a patronizing, smug tone mostly just makes for a shit experience for the diner.

We bought the Groupon for 4 person dinner, and had one more person with us as well. So on one afternoon, we tried 5 different entrees and 2 apps («noshs»), 2 beers and a latte. Every single thing was absolutely perfect, and we are a picky bunch (and all picky in different ways).
Yes, it is a hipster joint, but two of our party were older people from way up north and they enjoyed it as much as the younger people did.
I did kind of have to plant myself in front of the girls at the counter to get answers and get served, BUT the flipside of that is that no one is pushing you to make up your mind, and they aren’t unfriendly, just Minnesota cool.
The food was perfect. PERFECT. We had: wild rice burger, squash torta, poached salmon and couscous, corned beef and chicken schnitzel. Our food came out quickly and was all hot. All plates came out within a couple minutes of each other (in two rounds). They were brought to our table, though that’s the extent of the surface. We were all full but not stuffed (the portions are by no means meager), and everything was healthy but not «I live on carrots and air» light. It tasted GOOD, not «good for healthy food».
Everything on the menu caught my eye, and a lot of it is food I will try to reproduce a home (the carrots with tahini and honey were a bizarre huge hit at our table).
I loved the slow relaxed vibe of the place. You are definitely supposed to sit back and relax here– don’t expect to run in and out.
I cannot recommend it enough and we will be back for sandwiches and lattes. (that was the final kicker– I hate lattes. steamed milk is usually nasty, but their maple latte was amazing).

Went here for Saturday brunch, Menu is limited and you will have to order the food similar to fast food chain and they will bring the food to your table. Had beef corn hash and definitely tasted good. Friends ordered the lamb gyro and egg Benedict. Those 2 had some uniqueness to them with a different bread used for Benedict and gyro on wrap. They also have some unique dished on their menu. Banana bread was really good as well, while the cookie was very sweet for my taste. Place was very casual and warm. People were were warm and welcoming as well. Nothing stood out about this place, but If you want relax some where or work or read a book and eat as well this is probably the place for it.

Common Roots is definitely that staple hipster café you have to bring out of town guest to if they:
1. Need a visual description of what the hipter lifestyle looks like
2. Want to eat a really healthy meal after indulging in jucy lucys and a night of drinking
3. Require parking for their car.
Overall, a pretty good place. Though their happy hour is everyday, I wish more of their popular appetizers and beers qualified for it.

Meh is my word to describe this place. When I walked in I felt like I immediately did not fit the mold of their usual clientele. I am not a hipster. I am not a college student who orders a coffee and stays there on my computer all day, and lastly I am not a vegan. So what the heck were we doing here?
Nothing on the menu really caught my eye for brunch, so I stuck with what I know. French toast. It was to be served with peanut butter and raspberry preserves so I knew I would be down with that. When my plate arrived, I will admit it was pretty. Like, legit, my food looked beautiful. My french toast had the raspberry smeared between slices and was drizzled with peanut butter. #gorgeous The taste was just as good.
My friend ordered the omelet, she was not impressed with what was inside. She actually couldn’t really tell what they put inside, she just knew it didn’t taste good. Another friend ordered the reuben. It was served open-​faced and seemed like a small portion. My other friend ordered the breakfast burrito and it was alright. Nothing to run back for. So, I lucked out by getting the best food out of anyone.
I wouldn’t come running back here, and I think it’s just because I personally felt uncomfortable and also the fact that nobody else really enjoyed their food.

Love the food and atmosphere here! The food is made from local bounty and it tastes fresh. Breakfast here is the best to order. Typically, I order the bagel and lox. This past trip I had the omlet with root veggies and hashbrowns. It was amazing. I think the green sauce drizzled on top gave an extra zing of flavor.
Take your time when you are here. Read a book, check your email, or watch a TEDtalk while you eat here. It’s always bright and sunny inside. Enjoy the morning, when possibly on the sidewalk patio.
Tip: Free parking lot on the side of building and they do take pick up orders!

I really love Common Roots because of all their healthy menu options. I met a friend here during lunch time and it was decently crowded, but outdoor seating was available. I ordered a salad and sweet potato fries and it was good! The sweet potato fries weren’t what I was expecting — very thick and soft — but they were still good. It didn’t come with sauce, but I can’t remember if they didn’t have ketchup or we were too lazy to go find some? Haha. Overall this is a super cute place!

This breakfast burrito was INCREDIBLE… And we are from California and we KNOW good burritos: D
We stopped by to grab an emergency iced coffee and a breakfast burrito so that my girlfriend could be «ready for the day»
Huge shout out to James who greeted us at the counter, introduced himself, gave us amazing service and told us about all the events going on that weekend in the city (We had just driven 4 days from California to move to MN)
We are so glad we were able to stop by and the food was wonderful! The burrito is a little bit on the peppy spicier side which I LOVE and it was a great portion with tons of flavor (I am a GREAT eater so portion is important to me)
We will be back for happy hour and to see James. Thank you again for the outstanding service and welcome that you provided for us!

Dropping a star because the last two times I’ve been here, the food has arrived luke-​warm, after rather long waits. Hot food ought to arrive «hot» and not require «re-​heating» to be served a bit warmer the second time. Food delivery service needs much improvement to ensure hot food arrives «hot» to customer who has already paid for food and tip at time of ordering.
Delicious turkey burger «#2 style», and delicious brisket sandwich. Tasty and pleasing pickled broccoli served with sandwiches.
Skip the tater tots (5 large squat cylinders of shredded potatoes) — the shredded potato is undercooked and the outsides of the tots are anemic-​looking (undercooked).

I’m bit perplexed how I feel about Common Roots. I really should have reviewed this place eons ago given how much I come here but I really come here for proximity and the space rather than the food. The baristas and staff here are super friendly (If I didnt factor in that I became friends with few of the staff members because they are just that cool, then I’d give this place a 3).
Food: It’s a-​okay. Nothing too great. Occasionally they have really good soup (e.g., curry based soup have been wins for me here). The bagels and cream cheese are also good. They used to have awesome flatbread but now I find the appetizers are meh. It annoys me that they change their menu that much. I understand they do the whole local, green etc theme but i’d fall in love with a dish and then it’d disappear. Then the replacement would be a suck…
Service: Awesome. I love the staff here. Super friendly and helpful. I like the high fives and smiles here. Also the customers here seem pretty nice. Somehow I always end up chatting with a neighboring table.
Seating/​Room: lots of tables and space. Plenty of outlets. Love the patio. They also have a back room you can rent and it looks pretty spacious.
BIGGEST CON: THE INTERNET. They shut it off 10AM — 1PM and 6PM —? which annoys the heck out of me. I understand it might get busy but given most people treat this place as a coffeeshop it is a bit ridiculous that they cut off internet. I’m always caught off guard because a year ago, they weren’t so strict about shutting it off. Because of this, I been venturing other shops like Bobs, Caffetto just because I NEED MY INTERNET TO DO WORK! AH.
Coffee tastes okay but nothing too great. I love their Chai and the beer selection’s decent.
Overall, I like the atmosphere here and that is my main draw. It it was just for the drinks and food I’d probably try elsewhere. The biggest two things they need to fix: 1.) internet for their customers! 2.) stop with this revolving menu. Just stop.