There is a large parking lot in front of the business. The business is spacious with tables throughout. The restaurant sells a variety of food including tacos, wings, steak, fries, and etc. They also have two bars inside of the business. Both times that we came here there was not enough staff working. During my first visit there was only one cook working. There were multiple individuals in our party but it did not take too long for our food to come out. I got the shrimp tacos that were served with rice and beans. During our second visit we came for a graduation party that was planned months ahead of time. Knowing this the restaurant only had one server and two bartenders for an enormous number of people arriving at the same time. There was an option to place an order online with an extra charge. Due to the wait and them running out of wings we left and went to another restaurant. read more

Roots Guatemalan Grill And Bar - Shrimp tacos with rice and beans - Bars Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

The food was delicious and flavorful and our waitress was swift and attentive. I can't even point out the favorite part of ny meal because everything was so good! We had pancakes, a steak burrito with hash browns, cheese eggs, and 3.99 mimosas. Their menu is extensive and offers plenty of options for even the pickiest of eaters. They also have daily and happy hour specials with a full bar inside. Plenty of parking lot parking which is always a plus for me. read more

See all

Great place to have a late night or afternoon drink & snack, Plenty of seating great vibes Lots of pool tables juke boxes and also slots 18+ service Is fast, great food read more

See all

Amazing food in a poor, cursed location. The food here is outstanding, somehow low-carb, and a personal favorite of mine, veggie-forward, lighter takes on Southern food and Latino food. Nothing left me feeling really weighed down, it was all beautifully presented, and the flavors were great! Sadly, this location still isn't warm, inviting or cozy. I think maybe the ceilings are too high, but there's something about the environment, no matter what decor they do, that doesn't make we want to come back. Plus the annoying to enter and exit parking lot makes it hard to jump to the top of my list. And you can tell they aren't getting enough people in, because I had the most beautiful, artfully crafted, subtly flavored cake that was clearly a week old and dried out. The greens and a few other shortcuts were noticed, like the grilled corn wasn't grilled, and it wasn't bone-in chicken as advertised. None of this took away from my enjoyment of the food, because the buffalo shrimp, local fried veggies, and everything else was perfectly executed. The local fried veggies were perfectly battered and fried, and I loved that there was eggplant and okra! The homemade ranch was naturally delicious, as was the homemade blue cheese on the very yummy buffalo shrimp. The sauteed veggies under the southern fried chicken were also a nice touch, as was the breading on the chicken. I think this place needs to drop the ceiling to make it feel intimate, and I dunno what to do about the parking lot, but I'll tell you, the food makes it worth it anyway. read more

See all

I ordered a pork taco and the bistec plate through Doordash. Food arrived hot and fresh. One bite into the pork taco and I can say it was the most delicious taco I have ever eaten. So juicy and flavorful! The Bistec plate came with small cubes of beef cooked in a tomato base sauce, black beans and yellow rice. It was ok. Not bad. Not great. read more

Came in around 8 with a friend for late night and drinks. We came in the bar side which was maybe why nobody greeted us, but we figured things out. There was a pretty good selection of beers on tap and the prices were standard ~$5-7/pint. For food, we ordered scallops and chips&guac. The guac was pretty good, but the chips came out cold. Unsure if they bought their chips or they fried their chips and they were sitting out. Fresh chips would have been nice. Priced $6. The scallops were priced at $10 and we got maybe 4.5 medium sized scallops. Unfortunately, they were way overcooked, so much that the inside texture reminded me of chicken breast (see picture). I couldn't eat another one after the first... Might be back for beer, but staying away from the food. read more

See all

Went on a Wednesday night and there were hardly any people in the restaurant area. I had a horchata and chile rellano. I opted for the $12 one which came with 2 peppers ($8 comes with 1). My food was really yummy. I really enjoyed the crispy fried part on the outside of the peppers, the cream sauce and the mango. Service was good, but it was wasn't crowded...so I'm not sure how it would be with a lot of people in there. I thought the horchata was on special for $2 and we were charged $2.50...I didn't question it though since it was very minimal... We loved this spot and the 2 prior restaurants that were there...it looks like they kept all the same furniture in the restaurant area and outside. read more

Roots Guatemalan Grill And Bar - Bars Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

My family and I arrived around 11am to eat brunch at Roots and discovered it was closed. The sign on the door and website said they opened at 8am. read more

I'm giving this place 5 stars easily... mostly because I'm visiting my family in North Carolina and it was the first place I found with indoor dining AND WiFi. BUT, I walked in and immediately noted this place was probs the bomb dot com pre COVID. Two bars, outdoor space with heaters, pool table and a kid corner. The menu is expansive and has plenty of tasty dishes! They have a large draft list and my pupusa was yummy yummy for my tummy! If you are in the Durham area come eat inside! The place is huge and I feel quite safe eating here. Plus the very polite staff is bored and has NOTHING to do! :( read more

See all

Outstanding food. great little place. I had the Pacaya Forrada. very interesting dish. read more

I was really disappointed in my breakfast. The pancakes were a little burnt and the eggs tasted greasy. It wasn't that crowded but seveice was extremely slow. I would try again, but I don't know if I would say yea to this meal again. Especially for the price. read more

Roots Guatemalan Grill And Bar - Breakfast Combo Plate - Bars Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

See all

I live near Roots and have eaten there several times. In general I like the food there and the service is usually a little slow, but not bad. I usually get either carnitas tacos or a tamale (Guatemalan style). read more

Great food and good people. Nice place to play pool as well with 5 tables and lots of seating. read more

Roots Guatemalan Grill And Bar - Bars Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Oh my goodness, I don't know where these taquitos have been all my life, but I'm glad I found them. They are sooo good. And you know it's delicious when it's yummy both hot AND cold. I've literally eaten my leftovers after they've been in the refrigerator overnight on 2 occasions and it was still delicious! I highly recommend this entrée and the guacamole and chips. read more

Our group decided to meet here for dinner one night and...bleh. Before I go into the disappointing food, I wanna say that the staff was INCREDIBLE, and it's why I giving them 2 stars. Their servers are really sweet and fast with water, etc. But the food is the downside. Only one of the three dishes we ordered was slightly good--they even somehow managed to mess up NACHOS. Which I thought was impossible. Outdoor seating is nice, though, and I think if you stick to breakfast foods you'd be ok? read more

Disgusting! Frozen garbage food and garbage service. Waste of $20 and my time. Waited 35 minutes for this foul tasting cheese pizza. I should have known better by looking at the menu. There is no way a menu this size isn't just frozen food. read more

Roots Guatemalan Grill And Bar - Where this "Margarita" pizza belongs. - Bars Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

We recently relocated to the Woodcroft area and literally ate here our fist night in the new house. We've eaten at their sister location in Chapel Hill and driven by here and seen nice outdoor crowds on many occasion. It seems like they have a variety of dishes but highlight Latin American dishes, and they were also promoting their pizzas. The food was delicious but if I'm being honest, the service was terrible. Our hummus appetizer came out very quick but then we waited a long time for our entrees. The waitress came back to us and said, "Sorry, it's taking so long, what did you order again?" We were guessing she never put in the order in the first place. After another long wait we got our entrees -- I enjoyed my bistec con salsa verde with black beans. Again, another long wait and I finally hunted down staff to get our check. Perhaps another wait person will do a better job. We liked the food but not the service. read more

Roots Guatemalan Grill And Bar - Bistek con salsa verde - Bars Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Cute place, but food was mediocre. Ellen's were very greasy, salsa unremarkable. Service was fine, food came relatively quickly.

Spacious interior location with the customers spaced well apart during Covid-19. Outdoor patio area. Went with co-workers at lunch and everyone liked their meals. Big plates, you get your money's worth. The Cuban sandwich I had was the best I've ever had, very tasty. read more

Roots Guatemalan Grill And Bar - El Cubano - Bars Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

See all

Fast service, huge outdoor dining area, delicious food, friendly staff. New favorite local spot.

Really great menu and food with nice staff members too. I am glad we found this place. They have things for meat eaters and vegetarians alike. read more

Just got home from our second trip to Roots here in Durham. I was really impressed after our first visit a few weeks ago, but I wanted to go again to make sure this place was consistently good. It is! Last time I had these amazing tamales, and tonight I had a flank steak dish. Both were on point. Flank steak came with sauteed bell peppers and onions and was served on a potato hash. Also on the side was a chimmichuri made with cilantro and almonds - really unique and tasty. Wife had a burger last time and a pulled pork sandwich this time, she loved them both. She got a killer side item: whole fried okra. So good! They have a pretty standard selection on the kids menu, but the quality is much higher than most other places. Staff was super friendly. I'll be going back again for sure. read more

Roots Guatemalan Grill And Bar - Beautiful Durm sunset from the Roots Bistro patio. Great weather and great food! - Bars Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Terrible customer service from the manager. He was very rude and spoke to me condescendingly after asking a question about the location of the restaurant. I'm a ride-share driver and had a brief interaction, but with this level of service, i wouldn't eat here. read more

Outside area is trashy, owner selfishly claims all parking spots in front are his, despite there being no permanent signs designating this.....just cheap cones with paper signs. I will never eat here. read more

NOM NOM NOM! We decided to hang out at our favorite growler girlz where we got super hungry. We didn't want pizza and thought let's do some take out. IM SO GLAD WE DID!! We got the fried okra- amazing. The ranch dipping sauce is clearly house made and perfectly paired with the okra. I decided on chile relleno. Vegetarians / and non vegetarians will LOVE this dish. It's so filling and fresh and satisfying. The peppers sit on a flavorful bed of rice and the filling in the pepper is amazing! We debated getting one or two we opted for two because the price difference was insignificant but this Dish is HUGE!! People comment that this place is typically busy and that should change. It's amazing! And they have great drink specials (Thursday $4 draft beers) Support local delicious food! They're brunch menu looked fantastic too! Cannot wait to try their brunch! read more

We come here regularly and usually eat outside. Inside is dark and not very inviting. Very family -friendly. Service can be slow, but always pleasant. Guatemalan-inspired dishes are the highlights of the menu, especially the Chile Rellano, Cajun shrimp tacos, fish tacos, and Guatemalan tamale. Some misses on other dishes -- recently, eggs Benedict -- eggs over-cooked and Hollandaise broken. read more

This review is based on uber eats. My order didn't take long...the wings were very good! Meaty and seasoned well! Loved the buffalo sauce!! The salmon!!!!! Cooked just right and seasoned very well! They have a shrimp sauce to go over the salmon..I passed on that, it was fine without it! Green beans and salad were on point! I would definitely come here again if I was in the area!!! read more

See all

I live close by and had patronized both Hope Valley Brewing and City Bev in the past. Naturally, I was curious to see what Roots was like. I was impressed from the very first visit. The menu is very eclectic and the food is great and well priced. I've had great service at all three of my visits. Each time is better than the last. I have only entered through the bar each time so I cannot speak to the dining room ambience. I like the casual, laid back atmosphere and the friendly staff. Nice selection of beers as well. My only complaint would be the one instance when a friend/staff member (?) was standing by the bar and speaking with the bartender during our entire visit. They were communicating in another language, which isn't a big deal to me, but I know can be off putting to some. The only hindrance was that it made talking to bartender difficult when we needed to ask for something. Otherwise, I am pleased with the food and service. I will definitely be going back! read more

I'm not happy about giving Roots a 2-star review because I loved their Chapel Hill location and I live very close to this new location, but there are too many factors that I can't ignore. I've been here 3 times now and probably won't return. 1. Decor and ambience: the space is extremely spare. The informality of the mostly inexperienced staff and TVs don't help. It's eerie in here, especially because the kitchen door is in desperate need of some WD-40. Major investment is needed here to fill up the garage-like space with more flare. 2. Lethargic, uninspired and informal staff: mostly young folks who have no polish or experience in restaurant decorum. Two servers asked if we needed to order drinks, and this isn't a diner. Speaking of which, it took 10 minutes to get our drinks and it wasn't busy at all. 3. The Chapel Hill location was much better in every way. I just don't think the standards have made it out to this location. I know what these folks are capable of! 4. The food: under-seasoned and a bit overpriced. The menus/receipt say they work with local producers/farmers, which is a real shame because I could season these dishes better at home. The picaya forrada was a huge disappointment: as if cooked in too-cold oil, it was soaking with grease and lacked any crunch. The worst fried plantains of any joint I've eaten at in Durm. Had a fried cauliflower special app that was depressingly bland. 5. The management: haven't seen them. I have no idea who actually owns or runs this place but nobody has asked how our food and experience is, or seems to care if we come back. One giveaway about this place's standards: they use almost the cheapest brand of table ketchup. read more

Absolutely the best secret for Sunday Brunch! This over looked place is wonderful as it has parking and plenty of seats available for brunch. Everything on the menu is wonderful and we have been multiple times already. My wife and I take our 3 kids (16, 9, and 2) and we all eat for a great price. Kids meals are large and the staff is always friendly. We love the kids area and TVs too. read more

Roots is my go to for a relaxed, happy atmosphere and great outdoor seating. They have good drinks and I really enjoy all the food I have tried. Would highly recommend you try it out, excellent fish tacos. The wait staff is always so polite and even remember us now. read more

Did takeout here, and they have have a good large area for outdoor dining. The takeout was excellent for everyone. Their menu is huge. Though we know we are to get great Central American fare, they offer plenty of good American and southern food in particular. Plenty of options for the kids (who love the pancakes in particular but enjoy all of it.) The food is fresh -- fresh fruit and veggies, perfectly prepared ribs and an entire fresh tilapia wrapped in foil, still hot. Have yet to try the pizza, which is a new offering. Enjoying the rest of the menu for now. When we dined there the staff was friendly, professional and very accommodating. (Staff was of course friendly with pick up too.) Can't wait until we can go back! read more

I've never had a bad meal here. Owners and staff are very welcoming. Half-price appetizers on Mon-Thurs from 3-5, which is a deal. They have also started serving pizza and calzones after 5pm that are amazing. Daily drink specials. It's also great that it's so spacious. Perfect for social distancing. read more

I entered the resturant with my dog to let them know I was here since obviously I know I would sit outside with my dog. As I came in no one was upfront and I saw a guy come out from the kitchen. It looked dark inside and I was not sure if they were open. I asked if they were open and the guy coming out of the kitchen responded. .... well the door is open no.? And immediately after that he said your dog can't be inside we don't allow dogs inside. I was just standing by the door and obviously I was gonna sit outside how else would I let him know I was dinning in if no one was around. He could have greater me nicely and said yes we are open ...... very unfriendly personal. I will never eat here. I will make sure people know they will get very bad service at this establishment. Even though they do have out door sitting it seems they are not dog friendly whatsoever. I see why being lunch time you don't have one customer. Maybe you should consider hiring people that provide good customer service. Or train your employees to be nice to customers and not rude. HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE. read more

Menu items looked really good but ambiance was SO low we ended up leaving and not ordering. Owner needs to clean the place up and make it less stark if anyone is going to eat here. read more

This place has potential, but wait staff doesn't listen. Obviously stripping down an omlet and asking for just a 2 egg, veggie omelet, no cheese may not be on the menu, but to bring an omelet with ham and sausage wasnt at all what I ordered. They comped my omlet realizing the omelet special was never asked for and omelet special was not written out so I had to ask...what is that when it arrived. Wouldn't really revomend unless you order exactly what is written on the menu as is. read more

The food is just ok, but the outside eating area looks trashy! They have placed some pieces of fencing, table legs, pieces of wood, baking racks, etc. between the landscaping to prevent people from cutting through the patio while customers are dining. While the intent is understandable, the execution is unacceptable. It is rude to their business neighbors, and gives a very unkempt impression of the business. read more

I was excited to check out Roots, which took over the space that used to be occupied by Hope Valley Brewing, since the patio area is so nice and it's conveniently located near the Woodcroft shopping center. We had a great meal and experience and will definitely be back. My husband and I came for dinner on a Friday night so we could enjoy the patio. I ordered the blackened salmon, it was nicely seasoned and a good portion of fish for the price - I really loved the pickled okra that came with it. My husband got the grilled pimento cheese and bacon sandwich with sweet potato fries, also delicious. Great variety of dinner options on the menu, we'll be back to try more of them. read more

As much as I wanted to like this spot--convenient to my home, good looking menu--I can see no reason I'd ever go back. Went with a friend on a Sunday at noon and the place was empty. Server was nice but clueless (we asked about drink specials and she got flustered). A small child who seemed to be the child of a staff member was running around the whole time. The place was also stiflingly hot and humid--I don't think they were running the air conditioning (on a hot August day). Finally, on first impressions, the decor is very odd and not cohesive. We sat in a gold glitter booth, and other tables/chairs in the restaurant do not match. The food was fine but quite mediocre. Between us we ordered 4 different menu items and nothing was great. I've not been to the other locations of Roots, but I've heard they're better. Not sure what's going on here! read more

Service was poor. Food was mediocre. The server messed up an order, never came back to fill drinks, and didn't offer anything when I brought to their attention that the order was wrong. Plus, they charge for using a credit/debit card. No thank you. Will not be returning. read more