I enjoy the atmosphere of the restaurant. Everyone is quiet, and by "quiet", I mean they are not loud at all. Mostly everyone does two things: whisper or eat. They never get louder than the soothing or hipster music played over the speakers. Thus, various people even sit and study there. Since Roots is a vegan restaurant, only a handful of people come, and sometimes, even professors will come and eat with their families, spouses, or friends. If you are a vegan, you will love the food. They serve vegan burgers, chili, etc. I don't want to list them all because they will just make me hungry. Also, the food and the drinks are sold in whole dollars, so no one needs to worry about pulling out coins. The menu also distinguishes what is gluten-free. Compared to various other places on the UCSD campus, I have never gotten food poison, diarrhea, etc. Roots is a healthy place where the workers actually clean the plates and prepare the food fresh and clean. read more

This place is amazing. An entire menu comprised of completely vegan options! I can eat guilt-free AND enjoy a delicious meal that fills me up. I recommend the Pacheco Pass, although I heard their burgers are pretty delish too. Oh, and the sweet potato fries! (Admittedly, those are probably a tad less healthy.) Even if you hate vegetables with a passion and think veganism is stupid, you will still enjoy these fries. read more

I find it quite interesting that a college campus has a restaurant dedicated to vegan foods, and as someone who may go to UCSD, I really wanted to try it. While the prices in my opinion are reasonable enough compared to other vegan places, I will say that the food leaves a lot to be desired. I got the veggie spaghetti with vegan meatballs, and the meatballs has a weird texture and didn't taste like much. My boyfriend got a chicken sandwich, and the chicken had no seasoning whatsoever. Like I said, great idea, but bad execution. read more

Do not get Kendra Lama. I really regret not reading Yelp Reviews before ordering something here. I'll give that it certainly looks healthy, but tastes really really weird in a bland way. I think I would have even preferred rice pasta without the seasoning. read more

I wish this place existed when I was still living on campus with dining dollars! A friend swiped me here the other day (thank you!). I'm always excited to try vegetarian/vegan places like this because they really have to be creative with their flavors and ingredients to keep their customers. I had the Root of All Evil. It's a sandwich made of some kind of chicken substitute with chipotle cashew spread, pesto, and some veggies in a nice bread roll. The patty had a great texture and didn't have a strong soy taste, so it's easy on most taste buds. The chipotle and pesto spreads are awesome together. I also had my friend's sweet potato fries. I really do enjoy a slight limpness to fries (like In n Out fries), so these were on point for me. $8 for the sandwich. The value is not bad at all. I cannot say that for sure because I probably wouldn't come here too often paying cash, but given the other on campus dining choices that take dining dollars, this is a healthy, tasty option at good value. If I was an on-campus student I'd come here once a week. This place has a really nice vibe as well. The design is forward-thinking with a definite sustainability theme to it as all of these new UCSD dining places seem to be gearing towards, but it's not obnoxious about it. It's naturally lit for the most part, so I wouldn't study here, but it works well for a relaxing lunch with friends, a date, or to unwind by yourself. The music is right up my alley. When I was there they played an eclectic mix of Bon Iver, Mumford & Sons, John Legend, even some 90's R&B. The Take-Away: Delicious. Decent value. Extra points for the atmosphere and effort! read more

Customer service is superb. Food is fresh and tasty. I would go here everyday if I lived closer.

They would benefit greatly if they learned how to use salt. Also, edamame and potato gnocchi? Seriously bad idea! Smoothies are alright though. Root burger is pretty good too, but again, SALT in the kitchen would make it better. read more

Clean, nice staffs, and very fresh ingredients! Love their foods so much! Thanks for providing healthy vegan foods at UCSD. Even we r not students here, we have lunch here! read more

Perfect. Cheap, super-tasty and healthy, fast, courteous, spacious, quiet, refined. Unbelievable that the meat restaurant above is busier. Folks get down here and sample delectable food that doesn't torture animals. read more

Parking was a challenge (best in the "lower lot" $3 for 2 hours). Lots of options, but some were spicier than one in our party wanted. Another person in our party actually vomited while at the restaurant... unclear whether the food was at fault... but a number of us had rumbly tummies afterwards. ***Finally, the address above and on the website (http://hdh.ucsd.edu/diningmenus/default.aspx?i=32) is incorrect ... it should be "Stewart Commons, UCSD" Anyhow, aside from these two points, the food was good and filling. no issues with the service, though it is cafeteria-style and bus-your-own. read more

As a vegan, I'm so lucky to have gone to a school with multiple vegan options; roots being the #1 go to place for the best vegan food on campus (in my opinion). Definitely get the chili bowl, it's so delicious! Also, it's a pretty quiet restaurant so you can study while you eat. The walls and decor are beautiful and the people who work there are hella kind. 100% recommended! Even if you're not vegan. They have a huge variety of food options so you're bound to find something you love that is also healthy. read more

The vegan burgers/meat substitute options here are usually pretty good, but a lot of dishes can taste kinda bad or be somewhat dry. The brownies they serve here are heavenly, however, and definitely help make up for meal options that can be very hit and miss in quality. Still, for vegan food it's not at all bad, and eating here gives you a temporary boost of ethical righteousness on the knowledge that everything you just ate was vegan and (hopefully) ethically sourced. read more

As I non vegan student I find this place great for eating healthy. Of course, not all of their items are healthy so you need to be aware of what you order. I have tried their entire menu and I must say the root/evil are pretty amazing burgers given the fact that they are vegan. It fills you up very well. The pacheco pass looks a little messy, but it had really great flavors. The salads are alright, not a fan of the tamarack because the black kale is very bitter for my taste. I do enjoy the valley view although the dressing is oil so I'm not sure how healthy it is. Also not a fan of the seasoned tofu they use, just to spicy for me. I do love how they have sweet potato fries which is a nice contrast from all the other dinning halls. Their smoothies and Chia drinks have to be by far the healthiest items on their menu. The Tioga Pass is a great "green" smoothie with spinach, green kale, orange/carrot juice blend, banana, and strawberries. It has all the health without the lame words like "super food" or "healthy". The drinks speak for themselves. The Fern Creek is another great smoothie and the best way to describe it would be a Vegan frozen yogurt that just tastes devine. Of course all of this super opinionated and all differs based upon my palette. I can't also forget to mention the great and friendly service provided by the staff. The place is very clean and nice overall, and it is definitely different than just a dining hall. read more

I used to follow a vegan lifestyle for a couple of years, however I stopped, and in all my life both as a vegan and non-vegan, I have never experienced food as disgusting as the food served at Roots. Unfortunately for me I did not expect for my food to still have dirt on it, probably their trademark. I'd rather eat vegan food procured out of the back of some suspicious guy's truck than eat at Roots again. I was told the sweet potato fries are what Roots is known for, but frankly they were lacking both in flavor and in texture. The only thing I enjoyed about the experience was not finding hairs in my food like one of my fellow table mates did. read more

I know that Roots gets very mixed reviews, but I absolutely love Roots. Of course, there are the hits and misses... but I give me absolute thumbs up to the Tamarack salad, El Capitan, Three Rivers Tacos, Sweet potato fries, Tioga Pass green smoothie, chia chillers, coconut cream chocolate cupcakes, and chocolate tortes. I agree with everyone else - Do not get Kendra Lama even if it's the last thing you do. read more

The food is goos everything is vegan it was voted one of the best vegan friendly in the Universities! I like the options

Had fake meat here for the first time and I must say they do a pretty good veggie burger. Definitely one of the fresher tasting dining halls on campus. I like how they make everything to order so it's not sitting there for god knows how long. read more

good place for being on campus...craving tofu...come here...get the root of all evil...the title is cute and its not bad...the side salad taste like what it looks like...its nothing special...sweet potato fries...pretty good when they're fried to a crisp read more

Amazing food! Really, it is the best vegetarian restaurant you can find in San Diego (beautiful seating area, tasty original dishes, fun smoothies and friendly staff). We are by no means vegetarians, but my entire family loves coming to Roots - the kids don't even realize that the meat is missing :). The only problem is the location, in that it is difficult to find if you are not living, working or studying on campus. For the quality of the food/drink, the pricing is right on, especially compared to other venues you could find in the UTC, La Jolla area. read more

so i came in here for a quick breakfast and to check it out since i'm new to the campus. holy cow this place did not disappoint. everyone so extremely friendly and told me all about their new breakfast items! i tried the vegan hash (which was super good!) not only that, they let me try their new apple almond butter dip (which is THE BEST THING IVE EVER TRIED)!! but I just really can't get over how sweet they are there and how passionate they are about making the vegans happy! read more

I love this place. Full of good food, good music, and friendly people working here. Make sure you know what to order though. There are a couple items on their menu that aren't so great, but if you get the right thing you won't be disappointed! The best thing is their Pacheco Pass or the El Capitan. read more