Delicious, well portioned, and good variety of healthy food, plus listing the allergens and being able to modify items in a bowl is so great for people with allergies like me! Fast service, delicious chicken, rice, and sauces! I got the Balboa Bowl (removing pita chips and the tahini sauce because of my wheat and sesame seed allergy). read more

Roots Natural Kitchen - Balboa Bowl, so filling and chicken was well seasoned (I removed pita chips, corn, and tahini sauce) - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

For a "Natural Kitchen" we were surprised to have the server look at us like a deer in the headlights when we asked her about the gluten free options that we'd seen advertised online. (We have celiac.) A kind young man eventually helped us, but the two female servers were snarky and unhelpful. We thanked the guy for his understanding and mentioned how surprised we were that there seemed to be no general awareness of or training around food allergies. Someone could easily get sick or worse here. The three star rating is for the helpful server and tasty salad. read more

Incredible flavors and good service. I stop by here any time I am in Charlottesville.

While still one of my favorite spots for salad bowls, the quality has gone down over the years and the prices have gone up. El Jefe and the Pesto Caesar are usually my go-tos, although sometimes the chicken is burnt and some ingredients are forgotten. This location has some indoor seating upstairs, a few tables outdoors. Pretty quick service overall! read more

Roots Natural Kitchen - El Jefe - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Totally online order no sit down. Have to download an app. Option to sit outside. No restrooms. But the food was really good. High quality ingredients and flavor. read more

The food was great! The ingredients are fresh and tasty. I like that you can customize the bowls to your liking, or you can order one of the signature bowls on their menu. Either way, you can't go wrong! Roots is located on the corner and is very close to campus and the hospital, so it's a super convenient spot if you're in that area. read more

A go to quick meal spot. Extra plus that they deliver to the hospital and are so fresh, tasty, and affordable. They are quick and always working hard to pump out some good food! The El Jefe is one of my fav bowls :) read more

This place is pretty great for a quick meal. I got el jefe with the works and it was delicious and servings was very generous--enough for a two meal! I would definitely come back read more

Roots Natural Kitchen - El Jefe with the works - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

This place is solid but unspectacular. What sets it apart is the fresh ingredients and plentiful "healthy" options. That being said I have found the quality of this restaurant to have a high degree of inconsistency everytime I come here. Somedays = amazing, while others are a let down. 4 stars cause I know how good it can be read more

My husband and I went to Roots Natural Kitchen today for the first time, following an appointment at UVA's Eye Clinic. The restaurant is only a 2-minute walk from the clinic if you use the exit near the clinic. You have your choice of different types of salads at Roots. You can select a Signature Bowl, which has predetermined ingredients (either a signature salad bowl (mostly greens) or a signature grain bowl (mostly rice). Alternatively, you can Create Your Own (wherein you select your own favorite bases (grains/lettuce), ingredients (roasted vegetables, beans, cheeses, and more), dressings, and grill items (chicken, tofu, or mushrooms)). Orders are taken at the L-shaped counter near the entrance, where the ingredients are freshly combined in front of you as the employees make your salad. A stand with utensils and drinks is immediately after the cash register. The area is relatively small, and somewhat congested. Both of us opted for Signature Bowls. My husband ordered a Corner Cobb ($12.75) which is one of the Salad Signature Bowls. Its base was an Arcadian Mix with kale and Roots Rice, and further featured roasted sweet potatoes, charred corn, red onions, cucumbers, avocado, and hard boiled egg. Finally, it was topped with a Greek Feta dressing, and topped with adobo chicken. I ordered The Southern ($12.35), one of the Signature Grain Bowls. It featured Roots Rice with Kale, chick peas, roasted broccoli, charred corn, lime-pickled onion, and cheddar. It was topped with lemon tahini dressing and BBQ tofu. Both of our salad are very tasty, and HUGE. They were generous with all, and even the more expensive, ingredients. I also ordered an iced tea. There is a counter with 3 teas -- (1) dragonfruit green tea; (2) hibiscus green tea; and (3) plain iced green tea (?, I think). $2.25. I selected the dragonfruit green tea -- and found it to be disappointing. While lightly sweetened, it didn't have much flavor. I also hadn't realized that there were free refills. Else, I would've tried the other flavors. My husband got bottled water from the cooler ($1.25). Our total bill came to $31.98, before tip. This includes $3.38 in taxes. Note that the company's website states that the Signature Bowls are were charged less than that for each of our bowls. Staff were efficient, accurate, and friendly enough. Seating was up a flight of stairs, where there were tables for maybe 30? people. There were also 2 tables outside in front of the restaurant, along the road. Upstairs, there was also a table with condiments (hot sauces!) and a large container with ice water. There was a nice mixture of clientele -- college students, older staff or clients from the university or hospital, etc. A few final notes. 1. Roots Natural Kitchen is a chain, with locations near many college campuses and elsewhere. 2. While the bowls are made with healthy ingredients, you should pay attention to the nutrition information that is available on-line on the company's website. Most of these bowls are NOT low-calorie, and clock in at 700-900 calories each; many have very high sodium and fat content. The company website suggests substitutions if you are on specific diets. 3. The menu clearly highlights which ingredients have specific allergens -- gluten, dairy, soy, fish, tree nuts, peanuts, and eggs. 4. The salads were served in a compostable bowl with a tight-fitting plastic lid for takeout of leftovers. Straws for the iced tea were paper. 5. It would be great if Roots offered a smaller salad option. Each of us was only able to eat about half of our salads so we took the rest home to eat tomorrow. If we didn't have a cooler with us, we would've had to have thrown away quite a lot of food. 6. While our bowls both had "Roots Rice", we're still not sure what the ingredient was since it was mixed in with other ingredients. Was it white rice? We would eat here again. read more

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The food was top tier as always, got the el jefe bowl w miso tofu and chickpeas, the vibe of the seating area was so cute but it was way too warm, so dropping a star. read more

Roots Natural Kitchen - el jefe with miso tofu, sub the feta for chickpeas, and extra lime squeeze - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

The food here is always spot on, fresh and yummy and the staff is amazing. They are always so friendly and welcoming and hustling to keep the line moving. They are so hard working and deserve great praise and appreciation. read more

Amazing spot! I tried roots for the first time when I visited Charlottesville and everything was amazing. I made my own bowl, and the quality was definitely worth the price. As a girl with IBS, it's hard to find spots with clean ingredients that don't hurt my stomach. Everyone was pretty friendly/patient given it was my first time ordering. I will definitely be back! read more

Stopped by looking for something quick to eat. Ordered the el jefe and the works, as the worker said that was their most popular. After having it, I can see why. It was really good, fresh ingredients (including half an avocado), and was filling. Enjoyed the hot grilled chicken on top. I'll be stopping by again, and trying out a few of their other locations on the EC. read more

It was an overpriced sad salad. Got to Cava, it is way better and more nutritious, you definitely get more for your money there. Also tables were not wiped between people and salad was not friendly read more

We were driving back from Ohio and wanted to make a quick pit stop to grab some nutritious food since we were snacking on too much junk in the car. FOOD: I had the Mayweather, and boy, was it filling! It has some great flavors and tons of nutritious ingredients. I also had their tea that they brew fresh - delicious! SERVICE: Quick, friendly service. The place wasn't full but they're very quick because it is Chipotle-style service. LOCATION: Located near the campus. Parking is located either on the street or in the parking structure, it was free when we went on a Sunday. Will I come back? Yeah, I will if I'm in the area. Wish this was available in Norfolk :/ read more

Food is delicious and served to order. Staff is friendly and gives a very family vibe. Also I love the music and vibes of eating upstairs. Love the plants! read more

Roots is a great place for a hefty healthy meal. Think chipotle but for veggies and chicken and tofu. Yummy food for a hefty price but the bowl lasts me for two full meals. They also have seating upstairs. read more

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Parking: terrible bc it's street parking! But you can definitely park somewhere else and walk here! Seating: there's no seating inside, but it's more a grab and go type of place. Food: the bowl I got was really good! It was like a mix between cava and chipotle! I would def get it again! Price: I think it's a fair price for how much you get. read more

Roots Natural Kitchen - El Jefe~ (9/10) - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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I decided to grab Roots with my friend after studying at the library tonight. Roots is one of my favorite places to eat in Charlottesville. It's a refreshing and unique take on customizable bowls that I miss whenever I'm home from college. I also love that Roots incorporates different ingredients found in Mediterranean, Asian, and Southern cuisine to create flavorful food. We ordered the Corner Cobb and the Mayweather. The Corner Cobb is my go to bowl because I love all the ingredients in it-- notably the sweet potato, hard boiled egg, and avocado. I also love the Roots Rice, Arcadian Mix, and kale. The ingredients are consistently fresh and the bowls on the signature menu are flavorful. The Roots Rice is my favorite base because it is unique to Roots and compared to normal rice it has a nice bite to it. The chicken in the bowls is well seasoned. In addition, the sweet potatoes and avocado add a nice creamy texture to the bowls. Overall, Roots is a great local business with fresh and flavorful food. The prices are good and the portions are great. I love that the bowls are light but also fulfilling. read more

I was strolling through Charlottesville looking for a healthy dinner and ran across this fine establishment. There is seating upstairs, the service was fast, and The Southern food bowl I chose had been satisfying with every bite. The pricing has gone up to about 12-13$ but so has everything else. 10/10 Will be coming back here. read more

Roots Natural Kitchen - The Southern - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

As a UVA alumnus - Roots has gotten me through many nights of tears, stress, heartbreaks, and hanger. Grabbing a bowl from here has manifested into a sentimental place in my heart. This aside though - the quality here is amazing. Truly every UVA student and alum in recent years will speak so reverently of this place. The bowls are chock-full of protein, veggies, and carbs - perfect to fuel any day. The quality here is really unmatched, as all the signature bowls I think work together so well in ingredient choice and flavor. Some people are complaining about the high prices - but honestly - with inflation and in comparison to similar health food places in big cities -- roots is still a gem. In short - even for the non-UVA student - Roots produces some of the best healthy fuel around. If you're a student here - appreciate this place while it's still around read more

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Review from 2017 This is a popular healthy, inexpensive spot for UVA students. During the school year it is not uncommon to find a long queue. It is located in the heart of downtown so parking is difficult. But the food is good. It pre-dates CAVA and still in many ways it is better than CAVA. The folks behind the counter were very patient with me as I tried to navigate their assembly line for the first time. They have plenty of add ons. But the interior layout is very cool as it has two floors. The top floor is nice for larger groups and for folks to take out their laptops and get some work done. The only con I can think of is my kale did have a lot of hard stem so they could have done a better job de-stemming. But otherwise food, price, and space are great. read more

I think it of note that this build-a-bowl health food place has a separate location in a different building on a side street where you can pick up online orders. This is unusual, but it makes sense because the main shop where I went seems trafficky. It is a prime location and it attracted both college students and doctors from across the street. The options were many. I ended up with a deep and very full bowl and an utterly nonsensical combination of things because I didn't want to hold up the line (to be fair, you could order a preselected bowl, but to me that defeats the point of going to one of these places). Goat cheese with chili miso tofu? They tasted good individually, but I still felt like a bit of a dope for somehow ending up with those things, plus spinach, bulgur wheat, and half a dozen other things that seem inimical to each other. The options were great though: nutritionally varied, fresh, and tasty. I have a feeling that if I lived near one of these places I would figure out the rules to optimize my order pretty quickly. read more

Roots Natural Kitchen - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Great food, ambiance is a little average in the upstairs seating (they should really put in an outdoor balcony over the rooftop next door) but the food is great. Grab it to go and sit in the college grounds across the road would be my suggestion for next time. read more

I love eating at Roots Natural Kitchen. The food is so delicious and I know exactly what I'm putting inside my body. Please come to Fredericksburg Virginia! read more

Terrible Parking, Expensive Food, Delicious Bowls I had to take a star off because of how beyond expensive this place has gotten. The bowls have gone up to at least $13.00 before tip. Yikes. There are many places on the Corner where your wallet won't be sucked dry from what is essentially a higher quality Chipotle bowl. Additionally, the parking STINKS. But hey, that's the Corner for you, right? In spite of all of this apparent negativity, I must say, these bowls are addictive as hell! I thoroughly enjoy the bowls here more than any other "bowl" place in Charlottesville. The portions for the bowl are generous, even if personally they don't warrant the steep price tag. I almost always buy the "El Jefe." This bowl never disappoints. I love everything about it. Get "the works" with this bowl. If you have the money and you love healthy bowls, then you really can't go wrong with Roots Natural Kitchen. read more

Roots Natural Kitchen - Elite 2022 let's go! - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

After my roommate arrived in Cville, he was famished and recommended this place. Roots is similar to what I have had in NYC (Dig Inn), but at NYC prices in Cville, which I was a little taken aback by (probably due to its location close to The Corner). read more

THE BIG: Al Naturale premium salad bowl shop on The Corner and with roots (no pun intended) in Charlottesville! THE BLACK AND WHITE: The bae and I came here after a long day of school (aka her long day of school). I heard from her the lines get pretty long, usually leading out the door and wrapping around the light post. Coming at 2pm, the line was small and we were able to get our bowls pretty quickly. The order process is similar to a sweetgreen or chopt, both salad spots are also in Charlottesville, however this shop feels more homey and local. I ordered the El Jefe while the bae got the Temari. The salad was also more filling because of the grains. I was definitely full after eating the el jefe. The temari was also good, it heavily favors more of the salad than grain, depending on what your mood is. The seating area is upstairs and it is beautifully decorated with wood. If you want to do work, there is free wifi and lemon water at your leisure. THE FINAL BAMBOO: The overall damage for two bowls was ~$21. Typical for a premium salad bowl, however, I thought there was definitely more protein content in this bowl. Will be back when I'm in Charlottesville! read more

Roots Natural Kitchen - El jefe - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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Fresh, healthy and yummy! Ordered our two bowls online and it only let us do one at a time which was a bit annoying bc it made us pay for tax twice , but the bowls definitely made up for it. The flavor of the ginger miso dressing was heavenly, I will definitely be back! read more

Roots Natural Kitchen - Create Build Your Own- Salad Pesto Caesar - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

One of my absolute favorites! On my first day of orientation, my supervisor bought us Roots and I was hooked! Even better, as someone who works at UVA, there is a convenient pick up spot on the 7th floor. Order by 10am and by 11am, Roots is there waiting for me after a (usually) busy morning. I'm a little wary of downloading apps for restaurants - but this one is super simple and super useful. Sometimes I even get a pleasant surprise of a free bowl (or two). I also love how Roots connects with its customer base via social media - their newsletters are great and I love their cute giveaways as well. I love their company's mission statement, too. My go-to bowl is the Southern. I feel a lot of places don't get tofu right, and although it's not classic tofu in the way that I know, it's the best "Americanized" tofu I've ever had. Their food, business philosophy, and customer outreach are all awesome. I'll be a customer for as long as there is a Roots near me! read more

If you're looking for fresh ingredients, with tons of flavor, that will leave you feeling full for the next 3 years. You should go to roots. The first bowl I had from roots was the Mayweather and I haven't tried anything since (300 bowls later?). This is a great lunch/dinner (you'll have it for both). I usually custom my order by swapping the goat cheese for feta, and the chicken for the BBQ tofu. I know tofu, kind of weird. BUT let me tell you this tofu is UNREAL, I get double because it's so good. Their takeaway location is such a good concept and it's so quick and easy. Download their app and you pull up pick it up and away you go! This is a place you have to add to your weekly lunch routine. read more

Roots Natural Kitchen - Mayweather bowl (with chicken) - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

This spot is a great place to grab a healthy and filling salad near Grounds. The service is friendly and fast. The prices are high and the portions can be different for each visit, but overall it's a great spot to eat. read more

Roots Natural Kitchen - Roots Bowl: El Jefe - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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Roots is always good but their quality has definitely gone down and prices have gone horrendously up :/ They stopped massaging the kale so I don't get it anymore because its always hard to eat and whenever I order online I get skimped so much on the toppings! Have definitely been taking my business more often to Cava or Mezeh these days, unfortunately. read more

The customer service is spectacular for being a mid-priced health-focused restaurant. Their business model focuses on three people helping you in an assembly line. I've been here a few times, and cannot say enough about how warm and friendly the employees are to how immaculately clean the restaurant itself is to finally how tasty the food is!! Great business model all around, and is well executed with the staff they've hired. Far as the food, it's health focused, so primarily whole grains and vegetable based; however, they do have a few cheese options and chicken (no beef, sorry!). The bowls are assembled and are essentially a cross between Sweet Green/Cava/Chipotle, yet better product and better mashing of flavors. Roughly the same price point as the others; you should expect $9-11. Highly recommend this place if you're done hiking and wanna fill up on some nutritious energy! read more

Roots Natural Kitchen - This is the El Jefe and hands down my favorite!!!! Soooo good! Also, take the "works" on it, you won't regret it - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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This basically seems to be their version of Sweet Green - build your own grain bowls. We ordered takeout and their pickup location is a bit hidden. And staff wasn't overly friendly. But the food was good, the right temperature, and the orders were accurate and on time. I will say if you have food allergies, they were not careful not to mix in ingredients I didn't order so you may have to specifically tell them. read more

Truthfully, I am obsessed with Roots. It's fast, affordable, and relatively healthy. I'm personally not a fan of their chicken so I normally get a veggie bowl. My go-to order is half Roots rice, half kale, double sweet potato, dried cranberries, goat cheese, and lemon tahini + pesto vinaigrettes which is sooo good. Tip: asking for half grains + half greens gets you the larger sized bowl without it being overly salad-y. I have to take off one star though as I've had a lot of inconsistencies with my orders. Despite getting the same bowl 30+ times, the actual amount of food noticeably varies depending on who is actually preparing the order--sometimes the bowl is only half full and other times it's filled to the brim. I've also had ingredients forgotten, been given the smaller sized bowl despite placing my usual order, and (most recently) had a bowl with giant, uncut kale leaves. The food is always pretty good but more standardization would be appreciated. read more

Roots Natural Kitchen - Custom veggie bowl (Roots rice, kale, sweet potato, dried cranberries, goat cheese, lemon tahini + pesto vinaigrettes) - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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I've been visiting Charlottesville, Virginia for a while, now visiting my grandfather. With my dietary restrictions, it's always a challenge to find a place that has a wide selection of food offerings and are accommodating. Roots natural kitchen is wonderful for me. They have a wide variety of food options for all kinds of dietary restriction needs. Fun fact I've actually never gone inside of the restaurant but I always get it delivered to my hotel while I am busy working. If you are hungry and you're not sure what to eat. I highly recommend checking them out since they have such a wide variety and you can build your own bowl. read more

Roots Natural Kitchen - Create Build Your Own- Grain Bowl or Salad - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Eeeeeasy 5 Star review. Build my own bowl with the absolute freshest and individually tasty on their own mixers, toppings and sauces. Drive here from Savannah (and Naples, Florida before that) so I'm exhausted and just wanted some healthy food in a casual atmosphere and this place NAILED IT! Y'all really made my night. Thank you! read more

Roots Natural Kitchen - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

If you are looking for a place to eat in Charlottesville, this is the place. I was a little skeptical because they had things like "tofu" which is just scary to a carnivore like me. My daughter, 12, was not interested in trying it at all because they had terrifying things like broccoli and kale. They were rated so well on yelp and Im trying to eat healthier so we went despite her protest. I ordered "the southern" and my daughter made a custom dish of chicken, cheese, rice, and caesar dressing. I initially swapped the tofu for chicken. The lady was getting ready to put the BBQ tofu on it and it just looked really good so I thought, "just try it." Im SOOO glad I did. It was incredible! I couldn't believe how good it was. The veggies were so fresh. The combination of veggies were amazing together. I made my daughter try my dish and little miss I-hate-everything-healthy even loved it. So if my kid liked it, yours will too! The serving size was huge. I could only eat 1/3 of my meal. My daughter had a much smaller size. She could only eat about 1/2 of her. We had ended up eating it dinner too. I made my husband try it. I went on and on about how wonderful this restaurant was and how much I wanted to go back. I gave him a bite, not telling him it was tofu. He also loved it. He was surprised it was tofu. I almost finished it for dinner but just couldn't so he did. Im really looking forward to my next trip to Charlottesville so we can visit Roots Natural Kitchen again. read more

Roots Natural Kitchen - The Southern and a custom dish - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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