For an entirely all vegan restaurant I would say I was pleased with everything about my first experience at Root. The atmosphere is very chill, they have music playing (which I saw some sort of digital machine on the wall that you could possibly pick what music you want to put on? I didn't really investigate it but I thought it was interesting as I've never seen that in a restaurant before). The restaurant wasn't too loud and it was very modern and clean. There is a bar area as they do sell beer on tap. The food was delicious, all of us enjoyed our meals. The Pocket was very spicy (so be mindful if you order that and don't like spiciness). But everything else actually tasted very good. We even brought our very carnivorous friend and she enjoyed the food as well. The coffee wasn't bad either. Not sure what type of cream they used as the server didn't really say. I did ask for sugar and I never got it, but the coffee still tasted fine without it. The service was good, took a bit for our food to come out but I think it's because of the Pocket meal being larger and made at the time (dough and mashed potatoes inside like big pan-fried pierogis). Everything came out super hot off the stove. Price of each entree was between $13-$14. Overall not a bad first experience. Would return in the future if craving vegan food again. read more

See all

We strolled to Root on a pleasantly cool day, excited to indulge in their entirely allergen-friendly menu, at least for me. It's refreshing to experience how delicious and beautifully presented vegan food can be. I savored a delightful Avocado Reuben Sandwich, featuring sliced avocado, tomatoes, sauerkraut, and their homemade Thousand Island on Thom's Bread. My husband opted for the standout Country Fried Mushrooms, accompanied by corn, potatoes, and rich gravy. I had a taste and it was the best fried mushrooms I've ever had. Each bite was a testament to the creativity and flavor of plant-based cuisine! They have a hip vibe decor. read more

See all

We came here after the American Rail Bike and it was refreshing to have great food and service! Our waitress Jenny was spectacular! Jenny was attentive, friendly, and bubbly. When taking our drink orders, I told Jenny that I like fruity beers and she took it upon herself to give me a sample of a few different beers she thought I would like. I thought that was very kind of her to do that for me without asking! Their specials of the day are fresh and delicious. The ambiance of Root is very chill and laidback. The artwork they have on the walls is really cool to look at. I recommend coming to this place for some great vegan food! read more

Root - Salad Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

See all

I have been to Root times. Love the vibe: great service, ample beers on tap and vegan options is nice, however I find many of the menu options bland. I'd recommend sticking to the staples versus the specials. read more

Root - Sweet and sour soup was great - Salad Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

See all

As a vegan I love to try and support vegan restaurants wherever I go. Root was a little disappointing. The service was good as was the beer selection. The restaurant and open kitchen were very clean. What lacked for me was the food. The cooking was rushed, undercooked and under seasoned. A few extra minutes of care and seasoning would have made the food 5 star and fabulous. I like the menu ideas and the fact that it's new and inventive every week. I just wish the execution of the dishes we had were better. The world needs more great vegan restaurants, please just give your dishes a little more love and care that they deserve and you have a solid winner here. read more

See all

Meat eater here! Omg! The food here is crafted with intent. Also great libations to boot. Our servers were excellent the were knowledgeable and attentive. The resturant has a great vibe...industrial hip with a nice bar options. This restaurant met my vegetarian requirement, so we stopped by. Met Rob the executive chef, after the meal I gave the thumbs up from the meat eater. His reply was, 'flavor is flavor!' And I have to admit he brings the flavor! We had the chili, it was outstanding if you didn't know it was vegetarian it would stop you in your tracks! We had the eggplant sandwich, what a subtle surprise it contained....well you've gotta try it. My vegetarian loved the meat ball falafel gyro...impressive followed by the carrot cake...delightful! Definitely will be back! read more

See all

I AM NOT VEGAN in any way. My wife and children are. I went to this place starving. And Root satisfied. They have a great menu plenty of parking and a clean restaurant you can see them making your food. They even had football on. It's just nice to know we have options out there when it comes to eating. Whats important is after I was done eating I was not still hungry and they had great hot satisfying food. I would totally recommend eating at this restaurant. And saving your appetite before you do. read more

This restaurant is truly captivating!! Set us as a restaurant / bar / meeting place / hang out ~ they truly took an innovative approach to dining! It's an all encompassing social space!! Their menu is divine! Plant based - vegetarian, all the way! It was refreshing to have a spot that my daughter had several options and not just fries or beyond burger option! Staff ~ very personable and engaging!! Felt like we had been going to their establishment for years!! Highly recommend- even if you are not plant based, their Big Mic is exactly a Big Mac - try them for your next meatless Monday or whatever!! read more

See all

I've never been overly impressed with this place. The food has always been amiss for me, but I like the vibe and each time I come back I'm hoping this time will be different. Sadly, this past time was the nail in the coffin. Three words - canned green beans. Canned green beans mixed with fresh green beans? I'm hoping the reason was because they ran out of fresh green beans. The dish was Cauliflower Tomato Curry, but the curry was missing. There was a faint aftertaste of curry, but I only noticed it because I was searching for it. The tofu was slightly under cooked, barely crispy on the outside. My husband also had a tofu dish and was equally underwhelmed. He had the same mix of canned and fresh green beans and under cooked tofu. The tomato and peppers added flavor to my tofu, unfortunately not the same for my husband. His tofu had a slight crisp, but was completely flavorless. Zero seasoning. read more

Root - Cauliflower Tomato Curry - Salad Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

This past Sunday night Root had another Family Style Buffet -- Southern style! Four guys took care of a full house. The collard greens were amazing, but so was everything else! They asked for suggestions for the future -- how about a Jewish food Buffet? Israel is one of the leading countries in veganism. It makes keeping Kosher so much easier! Thanks again. You know you can't get rid of us. Customers for life -- all life! Post Scriptum: Sorry! No photos: too busy having fun and eating. Totally forgot. read more

Nice to have a vegan restaurant around. Would love to see more consistency in food and service. We had gone here just over a year ago and though I did not write a review then I was more impressed than I was this time. Four of us arrived for a late night dinner. The restaurant was nearly empty, though they sat us by the window when it is cold out, which was a bit strange. Let's just say our waiter apparently was enjoying himself that night. He was obviously out of it. He didn't mention any specials or that there were things they were out of. Their menu isn't huge so it would be nice to know upfront. We were planning on ordering some seitan wings since two of our group had never had them. They were out of them. We picked a different appetizer to try. We got a sweet and sour cauliflower. It was okay, but I felt the portion was a bit small and the dish overall lacked flavor. Certain bits had more sauce and it was better. I ordered the chickpea and dumplings. The dumplings were essentially gnocchi. It was a bit bland. Once I added salt and pepper it was better. It still wasn't anything I was blown away by. My boyfriend ordered the shepherd's pie. Again, this dish needed some salt and pepper added. In my opinion I felt the dish was lackluster. Shepherd's pie should be comfort food. It should be rich and hearty and filling and this wasn't. The sauce lacked the richness. Also I felt it really could have benefitted from lentils or chickpeas or some sort of protein to make the dish heartier. The vegetable sides were Brussel sprouts, which I love normally. These were just ok. One of our friends ordered the mushroom "scallops" and she seemed the most pleased of anyone with her food. I think probably Root is just hit and miss based on when you go and what you order. read more

Root - Shepherd's pie - Salad Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

See all

Best very vegan friendly pub in Central PA. Great craft beer selection with limited cocktails. Great prices! read more

Root - Vegan Gyro with New Belgium Citrus IPA. Real deal! - Salad Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Really good Vegan food! The chefs and talent behind the menu is worth tasting. The new 2018 menu just rolled out, but I ate off the "favorites" menu, which included famous bites such as the "big mic" (Vegan Big Mac) and other likes the "KFC bowl" vegan tribute to KFC. I happen to choose the "Jackfruit cake" with a side of homemade vegan Mac and cheese as well as fresh seasoned Brussels sprouts. The taste on the Mac n cheese was bomb! The jackfruit cake Which resembles a crab cake, was well done too, not fishy or anything just well done. Let's not forgot about the hand picked vegan brews and bar, and the Coffee Ale I had! Sooo good and unique, As well as the green apple hard cider. Decor: chill and raw, with cool colors and a kitchen you can fully see. Vegans: Go Here! Vegetarians: Your gonna love it! Veggie options too mixed In. Meat eaters: your about to fall in love. There's more I want to try like the handmade Vegan / German pizza and the wing selection....Til my next visit in Lancaster, PA... :) read more

See all

Love this local vegan spot, even as someone who is not vegan. The ambiance and service is top notch. The food always tastes fresh and the menu always rotates so there's fun new items to choose from. Definitely recommend this spot for both vegan and non-vegan patrons. read more

Pro tip - Tuesday is street sweeping day, and parking is a PITA. Nice range of menu options, and friendly staff - I had the peanut tofu and the Reuben, which were both good, although not perfect. My only minor complaint was that I had ordered an hour ahead, and it seems like the food had been sitting for a bit and got a bit soggy. Probably also not ideal food to eat in the car; this please seems like it'd be a real nice sit down though. This place happens to be on a regular route of mine, so I'll very likely be back. read more

My experience at Root was fine! The waitress and staff were extremely kind, but I had much higher expectations for the quality of offerings and food. We decided to go to Root because my partner is following a carb free diet and it was difficult to find something that suited him and was nutritious. The menu items seemed very mediocre to us and did not feel like they were food that made any sense to the establishment or healthy, in addition to being plant based. I know this is hard to do, but like I said, everything sounded mediocre and something I could have made at home. It was also really frustrating to not have the prices at all listed on the menu, nor a drink menu. It made the whole establishment feel sort of disheveled and not well put together nor cohesive. I do know a lot of restaurants have changed and been effected by Covid, so I'm not sure if this is the case for Root, but as of now, I have no desires to return. read more

Amazing food and people! Their barbecue saitan and the burger/fries pictured below was great! Never was a fan of tofu but theirs changed my whole perspective, 100% recommend. read more

Root - Salad Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Root is a great pick for a large group dinner. For a set price per head, they brought us out a multitude of family style dishes. Figuring out a bill with a big group is always a headache, and this made things nice and easy. We were also able to try out a wide variety of dishes. We tried a bunch of pastas and small plates. The small plates were absolutely standout. The tomatoes in the bruschetta were super fresh and I loved how there was a mix of red + yellow tomatoes. There was also a ton of delicious basil mixed in for an extra kick. The Caesar salad was some of the best that I've ever had (with vegan dressing, so that is saying a lot). The croutons were buttery and garlicky perfection. The garlic bread had a thick layer of fresh roasted garlic spread and was perfectly crunchy. I could have definitely made a meal out of this stuff on it's own. The pasta was just okay. I wasn't a huge fan of the vegan Alfredo, but I'm also just probably not used to it. There was another pasta dish with pesto and veggies which was more my style. Root is a great option for a large group meal or anyone who enjoys thoughtfully prepared vegan dishes. read more

My wife and I brought my two young daughters (3&5) here to eat after a day at the local amusement park. We are a vegetarian family so we were excited to try this place out. The kids had some fries and plain cheese pizza. They both liked it. The pizza was a thin crust/bar type pizza and was very good (I tried it). I usually am not keen on vegan "cheese" but this pizza was good. I could probably eat the 12" pie to myself. My wife and I split the eggplant fritters for an app. Very good. I had the pesto seitan sandwich and wife had the chorizo dish. We both loved ours. There are good beers on tap and prices were reasonable. The staff was friendly and helpful and the establishment was clean with a renovated industrial feel. Local artist's work on the walls have it a hip feel. read more

Root - Art on wall - Salad Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Amazing place if you are looking for plant-based or vegan cuisine. Since I usually have a hard time finding plant-based meals at most restaurants this experience was quite the treat. I had the hardest time picking something to eat as it all sounded amazing. I ended up with the eggplant tostada. Was tasty!!! read more

I don't see how you could leave less than a five for this place, but I only did take out. Best cauliflower ever! They even added extra protein for me and it worked perfectly - good added protein and flavor. Good folks and amazing food!! read more

I'm stoked. Root has become the place I always hoped it would be. Apparently they bought a steamroller. All of the bumps in the road are smooth. They have a favorites menu that doesn't change - their monthly rotating menu - and specials Monday through Thursday. My favorite? Weds taco nights. Or the big mic (think a vegan Big Mac). Or the generous pours of whiskey they provide here. Best vegan restaurant in Central PA? Yesss. Finally a place I can count on for awesome food every visit. Vegan or not, you'll love this place. read more

The food was amazing. The service was fantastic. The ambiance was out of this would. Would absolutely come back.

Love the food here, but the last couple of times we came here we did not have a good experience. Last time we came they gave us the wrong food and we took it out to the car. They told us that we could keep that food since we already opened it up and brought it out. Then another one of the customers took the food. I realize that we didn't pay for it, but it was basically ours at that point. Not only this, but we waited 30 minutes today for our food and they did the same thing and gave us the wrong thing again. My friends food hardly had anything in it so we're going to Taco Bell now so he can get something to fill himself up. No discount or anything. read more

Root - Ate only 1 stuffed shell. Anyways this is all they included for the stuffed shells. - Salad Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Split the omelette and the chocolate chip pancakes with a friend. The omelette could've used a tad less salt but the pancakes were amazing! Friendly and quick service. read more

Root - Omelette - Salad Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

I drove almost 30 minutes each way to pickup takeout from Root because of a recommendation from a friend. It was some of the tastiest, fresh and affordable vegetarian food I've ever had. They off so much variety and the menu changes weekly! I will eat here again, and again and again! read more

Root - Italian Wrap, order of Pizzettes, and a "Big Mic", an Impossible patty play on the Big Mac. - Salad Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Root is a fantastic vegan and vegetarian cafe . They have a fabulous selection of food as well as a great selection of micro brews. The atmosphere is chill with a few TVs over the bar and soft music in the background. The staff is friendly and low key. It's a small place but certainly worth checking out. Prices are reasonable! When in Lancaster, PA check them out. I'll certainly be read more

Root - Salad Near Me - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

See all

Had dinner reservations here for a group of six. Our table was ready when we got there. However, service was kind of slow. The restaurant had a nice vibe. It was bright and vibrant. There is also a bar area with tv's which was great! My husband and I split a pizza and a sandwich. The pizza was only ok, nothing special in my book. I've had much better vegan pizza than this before. I wouldn't recommend getting the pizza here. The sandwich was really good, tasty and crispy and came with a side of fries. Serving size are just right. The menu is pretty big and rotates every few months I believe. We had a few non vegan people join us for dinner and they enjoyed their meals a lot. In general, it was a crowd pleaser to the group. If I'm ever in the area again, I would come back to try something new off their menu. It's worth a shot. read more

See all

I hate doing this but have to be totally honest. don't know what is going on here but th is was literally the worst take out I've ever had... I ordered pad thai and it was literally boiled spaghetti (not rice noodles), chunks of zucchini, chopped carrots, onions and yellow squass. No ginger, garlic, green onion, cilantro or lime (all of which are vegan mind you)... no flavor, sauce, crushed peanuts... literally gross. The salad was okay but literally only had half the ingredients in the description... the power sale had no Romain lettuce, no quinoa, no pepper pepitas... and a bunch of uncooked broccoli. Never going back. read more

I went to Root for the first time last night, and will definitely be coming back! I ordered the Avocado Reuben and a cold brew coffee and it was amazing. I'm very particular about my coffee but it was the best cold brew I've had in Lancaster. The service and ambiance were immaculate too! Brandon is super friendly and attentive, and is a great conversationalist who told me so much about the history of the building. read more

Great vegan dishes. I had an avocado Rueben and shared a portabella Rockefeller with my bud. She had the mushroom pot roast. Everything was tasty. You can see them in the kitchen. I'd love to know what they're cooking with so I could recreate the dishes at home. The spot was pretty full on at Monday at 5:00 pm and they have daily specials. Monday's are $5 burgers. They looked good. I'm really into eating whole foods so I'd like to know what's in those before I tried them. All the fries, potatoes and cauliflower were so fulfilling. The potatoes and cauliflower were so buttery. How? Magic? I want to try more dishes. read more

See all

Very disappointing. The Crispy Brussel rice bowl was just some underwhelming stir fried vegetables over what tasted like bagged Uncle Ben's rice. Brussels were far from crispy Their Impossible burger was lacking. Fries were oily and sparse. Really how much do french fries cost? Impossible burger is Better at Red Robbin... You will never see us again! Time for a genuine trained vegan chef.... read more

2nd time here, the 1st was great. The last time, not so good. We ordered the Big Mic Burgers and instead of burgers there were 2 breakfast patties, a little bit of lettuce and sauce, very disappointing. The other items were delicious, and if it weren't for the inedible burgers, I'd given a 5 start review. Hope in the future if something is substituted, you notify the customer rather than serve something substandard. read more

This restaurant just closed for vacation (cool) and thought it would be sufficient to just put a piece of paper on the door to let customers know they would be closed for a week (not cool). We drove 25 minutes to get there and there was another party standing outside trying to figure out where to go. In 2021, restaurants are lucky to get business so updating online search services like Yelp would be courteous. read more

Loved it from the first meal! Great flavors, very reasonable prices, they cared about double-checking ingredients for my allergies, friendly overall team and the atmosphere is nice! Very easy 5 stars. I wish there were more places like this! I'd add a picture but I ate it so fast read more

This experience was extremely embarrassing and awful. We ordered waters and sodas, carbonation was clearly off for their fountain drinks. Told the waiter and he never said anything along the lines of we will get that fixed or that it will be down until someone can fix it. He also asked all three of us if we wanted the flat sodas he served us. No thank you?? The waiter waited on my table of three, and two other tables.. of two people. This waiter could not remember our orders after taking them and would repeatedly come back with his iPad to type in what we ordered after having already told him. None of the waters we ordered were topped off and my friend was basically eating their ice cubes. Our appetizers came out and they weren't great but we got the nachos and wontons. Nachos were very basic, wontons tasted ok! We also ordered the big mics, yakisoba, and risotto. The Yakisoba was served in a bowl with a spoon... I've lived in Okinawa Japan for two years and no. That's not how you serve it nor was it cooked properly, extremely over cooked. The risotto was also over cooked and the big mics were decent. We did not eat the udon and thankfully we weren't charged for it. Upon paying for the "meals" we paid in cash and I personally paid with one dollar bills two entrees and a beer was $29. The waiter decided to say upon seeing my money "wow that's a lot of stripper money" to me, a woman. Extremely disrespectful nor did he even apologize for the rude comment. I do not recommend this place. I believe the owner was in the kitchen and didn't come down to apologize for the flat sodas, terribly cooked food or the awful service. He didn't even ask to see what was wrong after turning away the yakisoba. Do better, or figure it out. read more

Honestly, It was amazing #gluten-free and #vegan comfort with a mix of modern. https://gf-flamingo.blogspot.com/2018/03/roots-of-lancaster-100-vegan-and-gluten.html read more

See all

Love this place!!! Food is always very fresh and so delicious! Very creative weekly specials. We always make sure to stop in whenever we are in the area! read more

Wow. I've never been served at a restaurant where the majority of staff were intoxicated, but today that changed. Came on a Sunday afternoon, it was a normal crowd. Went to the bathrooms and found a staff member passed out on a couch next to the bathrooms. Strange. We sat at the bar and ordered food and got comments from a male employee about "why we weren't drinking" as he poured vodka into red solo cups and went back to the kitchen. Weird. Another trip to the bathroom from someone else in our party, they saw 4 male kitchen employees in the back drinking out of solo cups with the employee who had just spoken to us at the bar. The same guy came back to the bar to refill with drinks a couple more times, commenting again strangely that we hadn't started to drink. Figured out The kitchen staff were loaded, and started to make sense that the hour and a half wait for our food was due to the kitchen staff's intoxication. They had no capacity to put out anything and so After an hour and a half of waiting for the food, we asked to cancel since they said it would have been another 20 minutes to plate two sandwiches and a noodle dish. So we cancel the food. Meanwhile another table was having the same issue that their food had taken this long and were also pissed as hell. This is a sad establishment and was a huge bummer as we very much looked forward to some vegan food on our first trip to the area. Unfortunately about 6 of the menu items they "were out of", many of the items our group had our eyes on before we even arrived. Just one of the most supremely lame restaurant experience you can have. read more

I want to support a vegan restaurant in Lancaster but Root makes it hard. I've been there twice and had some good dishes, but also some flubs. The service has always been good. On our first visit, we mistakenly ordered too many items with their cream sauce, a sort of vegan bechamel. Sometimes that can happen at a vegan place--you order what you think are 5 different items and they all use the same kind of fake meat, for example. The problem, though, is that not only do a few items share some variation of that sauce, but it's also just not that good. Pasty and gloopy come to mind. It strikes me as the kind of thing that was good when the original chef designed the menu and then turned into something else over time. The ravioli were okay, but they run out (our second visit); the coconut curry ramen was just okay. Not gross but definitely not something you fall in love with. Our second visit was the day before Christmas Eve and I think they had underestimated the number of vegans and their families who like to go out to eat before the holidays. They were out of many items, including all dessert. We got the arugula salad but it wasn't as good as the first visit. After being told that a few entrees were unavailable, we settled on the reuben and the Big Mic. It's hard to make a bad vegan reuben but Root succeeded. The bread wasn't grilled and the sandwich in no way resembled the comfort food classic. The Big Mic was just awful, way too much of the seitan patties and in no way resembled its fast-food namesake. Even the fries were meh. I've not tried the pizza but our table neighbors had a couple and it looked uninspired, and they ended up taking most of theirs home. The space is good, the servers are efficient and friendly, but I think they need to close for a couple of weeks to reevaluate their menu, or their regular business is going to drop off. read more