Went to lunch here with a couple of office associates who like to try the new places popping up from time to time. We arrived for noon and the line was out the door. It's the type of place where you order your meal then take a seat with a number and the wait staff brings your food out to you. Apparently they only take reservations for their dinner service. The decor is that popular hipster woodsie look, which I must say was best represented here than any other place I have seen it. From the line you can peer into the kitchen and see they are hard at work and the kitchen is clean. I can always tell the quality of an experience by how clean the floor is. Typically I am put off by this, the menu has an odd menagerie of items you would not expect from a noodle place such as juices and crepes, but I presume one trick restos don't survive in the area competing against chains and offering other items keeps the revenue stream after the lunch crowd departs. I ordered the Roots Ramen and a steamed pork bun. My friend ordered the same thing but with extra pork. Others ordered sushi and some dumplings, and a chicken dish. To start the ramen wasn't hot enough. Not like it was 35 degrees out, it was more like 55 degrees so I don't understand why the bowl wasn't piping hot. The noodles were good as was the egg and pork. But the base stock was single note, lacking depth. Steamed pork bun was good! Hot and steamed! Comes out in handsome basket and very tasty. I tasted a couple pork dumplings which were delicious. Service was a bit distracted for a place open for about a year. Although the staff was attentive and pleasant, definitely working very hard, my friend ordered extra pork and it took two requests to have it delivered, which I guess says more about the order expediting than the delivery. Also had to request dipping sauce for the dumplings twice. So I will chock this experience up to a hectic lunch crowd. Last point is the drink selections, it would have been better to have options, fresh brewed jasmine ice tea would have been nice. Maybe hot green tea? I had tap water because the options were not there. So I like this place, and give it 3 stars because I expect with time they will make tweaks and improve. I am looking forward to trying the other ramen , the fried rice and other dishes. Root is an emerging winner. read more

Very impressed. Quality of food is amazing, including the sushi (which as a pleasant surprise). We went as a large group and literally ordered from every section of the menu. ALL the items were delicious. Excellent selection and very attentive / accommodating staff. Seating area is limited, mostly tables for 2-4 people and a couple of round tables for up to 6. If you go with a group of 6-10, you may want to call in advance (or wait for a few minutes) while a couple of tables side-by-side become available to join together. read more

Not as good as Asian Bistro (which is really good), far better than Tiger Noodle and Shanghai Garden. Had the Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup. Noodles were undistinguished, but beef was perfectly cooked and broth was flavorful. Other dishes were just ok. The unsweetened iced tea was phenomenal, but no refills. The detox juice was just ok. Started full service. read more

Pleasantly surprised! My sons and I really enjoyed our lunch. Taiwanese Chicken bowel with noodles was packed with an abundance of flavors. I would definitely go back! read more

Roots - My sons and I went to Roots for lunch today and we really enjoyed our meals. I had the Taiwanese Chicken bowl with noodles...delicious! - Asian Fusion Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

I come to Roots every now and then with my family over the past few years. Food is generally served well, environment is clean, good service. Came here for Mother's day and saw that they are serving the dinner menu for lunch. I asked why the prices are so much higher than usual when its lunchtime and the lunch prices are up on the main menu board. The waiter said that their boss decided since it's Mother's day (aka a higher volume of people) to use this opportunity to charge the dinner prices. I asked if they would be serving dinner portions and the waiter said yes. We ordered the Eggplant chicken bowl, Thai basil bowl, and the Bimbimbap. When the food came, it was barely their normal lunch portion and the eggplant was undercooked. Using a holiday to take advantage of customers. The prices now far exceed the value/quality of meal here, especially with dinner-sized prices for less than lunch-sized portions. read more

Roots - Dinner menu prices - Asian Fusion Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

Our no brained place to go. The menu is not very extensive, it takes one or two visits to know everything that's on the menu. I've people coming here for every occasion: date, family dinner, celebration, after work, after grocery shopping at Whole Foods. Everything on the menu tastes great and the service is very quick. The place is byob, they have good juices, coffee. read more

My favorite Asian restaurant in the Princeton area. Good menu selection, high quality ingredients and freshly prepared meals in a semi-open kitchen. A little overpriced and service can be very "below average" especially when they get busy! read more

This is weird but I come here at least 3 times a week to do work during lunch and listen to a podcast or two. If you are coming for lunch you must be here by 12 or the tables fill up so fast and you have to awkwardly wait for one to open up. The staff is always hustling and so friendly. They make everything to order and offer a variety of delicious items from ramen to crepes! I always get the Shoyu Ramen and 5 Shrimp Harigow Dim Sum. Its enough to last for two lunches so its perfect. This is my favorite comfort spot. I have had almost everything on the menu and am an avid lover of roots. read more

Excellent food! Highly recommend the sushi and different soups & salads. My go to spot when I am in the area.

Came here for lunch on a weekday. Tried the roots salad, Thai spring rolls, and the roots ramen. The salad was excellent, with crab, avocado, and a light and tasty ginger dressing. Spring rolls were what you old expect, though good. The ramen was good quality and very large for the price. I appreciate the fact that they give you way more sliced pork with the ramen than most places. Noodles where cooked perfectly. Broth could have been a bit better, sort of bland but the quality mix ins made up for it. All in all pretty nice option for Asian fusion in the Princeton area. read more

Roots - The roots ramen with pork belly. Pretty good portion for lunch - Asian Fusion Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

The food here is high quality and prepared very well. Really good Asian food, but other good options as well (lots of crepes on the menu). I'm a fan of their ramen, forbidden rice, curry, Thai style... just overall really good flavors. Their drinks are also pretty good, and the ambiance is nice too - casual yet classy. On the pricier side, but good quality! read more

This used to be one of my favorite places to go. So much so that I brought my team from work here pretty regularly as well. Not anymore. There are three main reasons I am writing a bad review: 1. "Fresh Ramen" as advertised on their menus is actually now boxed spaghetti. I thought it might have been a fluke the first time, but they served it to me again. Confirmed by someone there. 2. I don't appreciate having to wait for a table when I go out of my way to make a reservation. They shouldn't have reservations if they can't keep up with who has one and who doesn't. 3. I don't appreciate being rushed out of my dinner or table space (we were in for 40 mins total before the owner lady started hovering and giving dirty looks). This is a classic example of a business outgrowing an owner's capability. Not going back. read more

This review is only for the ramen and pork belly buns. I was pleased with the variety of Asian cuisine on the menu. However, the roots ramen was not good. The broth was flavorless, and the pork belly was rubbery(same with the pork buns). I think the only decent part was the egg. We got take out because the wait to dine in was 45 min-1 hr. I really regret not getting sushi instead. I hope the rest of the menu isn't a disgrace to Asian food. This restaurant should also not be confused with roots steakhouse in Summit and Morristown. read more

Roots - Roots ramen and pork belly buns - Asian Fusion Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

This was my second visit to roots and I loved it! I got the Thai basil with ramen noodles and shrimp. My friend got the veggie hot and sour and spring rolls. Also very tasty! The service is good and the restaurant is cute and trendy. The veggies in my noodles were super fresh, the sauce was super tasty and slightly spicy and the ramen noodles were fairly tasty. I've had homemade ones so these noodles didn't compare but they were really good quality!! I got the pad thai last time I was there and enjoyed that too. I kind of wish they'd branch out to the philly suburbs :). read more

What a spectacular new restaurant to have in town!! Roots is owned by the owners of Elements Asia--but goodness gracious have they come a long way. Serving traditional foods from Thailand, China, and Japan--Roots is serving up some of the finest flavors in Central New Jersey. I've already been twice (with groups, so I sampled a lot) and I'm a huge fan. You should know that it's a casual affair--a hybrid version of counter service. Order at the counter, and one of their waiters will bring your food out when it's ready (and fill your water glass). The ambience is charming, very sunny bright dining room with muted wood tones. Peaceful and restful. You can get a ton of things here that I can't find anywhere else in the area. Soup Dumplings, ramen, pho (well a few pho places have opened recently), dan dan noodles, etc. Oddly, on weekends they serve crepes for brunch (with asian flavors). I haven't tried those yet. It's TERRIFIC for vegetarians, as many of their items are customizable (so they offer one of 4 different Thai curries with any of 4 different starches with any of several different meats or tofu). They've labeled vegetarian and gluten-free items carefully, which is a big plus. So far, their sushi is some of my favorite in town. I love the Chinese, it's worlds better than almost every other place in the county (other than Szetchuan House in Hamilton). Their Thai is the real revelation though--incredibly flavorful, utterly fresh, and just delightful. This is all true comfort food, but with an elegant flair. The plating is exquisite. Be warned, they bring things out when they are ready--so you might get your main course before your appetizers, or various entrees served at different times. But that seems par for the course for a casual place like this. I can't wait for my next visit! read more

My family and I went here for dinner on a Black Friday night! I was in town for Thanksgiving and my family said they heard good reviews about this place so we thought we'd give it a shot. The interiors were good and the place wasn't crowded, but was loud. We got a table just as we walked in and the waitress was quick in getting us the menus. We jumped right into main course although we ordered some fried shrimp appetizer for the kids since they did not have a kids menu. I ordered me Thai Basil Chicken with white rice. I was pretty satisfied with what I got and the quantities were on point. We ordered some chicken lo mein for the kids and they seemed to enjoy their food as well. The prices were a little too high for what they served. They had a juice bar but we didn't care to try. Who would do a healthy juice for dinner?? Not me , LOL. Overall, the food was OK, the waitress wasn't pleasant and looks like the place isn't suitable for kids! read more

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My gf and I come here every Sunday for crepes and dimsum brunch. We love it. The crepes are excellent.. the portions are good, and the espresso drinks are well done. We also think the dumplings are perfect. We haven't really done dinner yet, so we will update again later. I honestly laughed at some of the negative reviews. This place has been open for a few weeks now and the menu is constantly changing. The owners seem very committed and I am excited to have a nice place to eat just outside of princeton. read more

Freshest, tastier sushi, tempura and sashimi. A bit small and simple but the food is on point

I cannnnnot praise this semi-new Princeton Asian Fusion healthy spot enough! Ample menu choices- makes me want to go back and try it all and pretty sure I will. I'm mostly a vegetarian (but eat seafood or halal meat), and there is a still a lot to choose from. Each dish sounds wonderful and they range from Thai to Chinese and of course Japanese (many people love their sushi). It's definitely a much healthier alternative than an average Asian fusion spot - didn't seem or taste greasy in the least bit. I thoroughly enjoyed the vegetable steamed dumplings, thai curry with shrimp has a nice kick but definitely not as much kick as the average thai red curry you would get elsewhere, and the Thai basil with purple rice was delicious-- loved the purple rice in texture and similar health benefits to brown rice which adds a nice flair to your dish. Would love to have their ramen or other noodle options as they sounded so good. The servers are very friendly and fast, the food comes out within 10-15 minutes so super fast on food delivery (even when the place was packed). It is a very clean place and an observer can look into the kitchen and see how clean they keep it which is a huge plus. The juices all seemed great and I will try that next time. A friend of mine praised it a lot. We also ended with the mandarin Suzette crepe which was tasty, and would recommend it (ask for extra orange if you like an extra kick to the crepe). It isn't a cheap Asian spot, but it is not very expensive for the quality and portions that you receive. Add a sweet brooklyn'esque ambiance and vibe, real Asian chefs (not like *cough* pei wei across Rt. 1), drop it down in your hometown, and you've got yourself a spot that you are sure to frequent! read more

Let's start with 3.5 Yelps until further visits. This newish Asian fusion spot is the latest endeavor from the previous owners of Elements Asia. It is a more casual concept, in that diners walk to the front to order, and then are quickly delivered their choices. I had very good chicken lettuce wraps, followed by Thai coconut chicken bowl. The wraps were exactly as they had been in the old location, which is to say good. The bowl was very similar to a dish I used to order at the previous location too. But this was better, more veggies, perfectly cooked chicken, and served on top of your choice of rice. I had purple and I really liked it, great size portion too. I would like to go back and try other items, specifically the soups, noodles and crepes. I would not hesitate to reorder today's choices again, but variety is good. I like the casual/hip look of this new location, and the service was good too. read more

Roots - Lettuce wraps - Asian Fusion Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

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There's a great rustic feel to the interior, and the food (or at least the sushi) is great. I ordered the summer roll (seasonal on the menu), which was super delicious and unique. However, service is pretty slow. read more

I've been 3 times in the last 6 days... I think it's really good. I've had the pork buns, Taiwanese bowl, Roots Ramen, and Thai Chicken Basil as well as kimchi and some I my wife's Thai coconut in purple rice and everything was wonderful. Oh, and the buckwheat crepes! Weekday it's counter service with table delivery. At night they go to a waitress setup. Not a fancy space, but very clean and nice. Go! read more

It wasn't a sit down like I expected. Walk in, order in the line and they will bring your food out. It looks and tastes good but some items took a while to come out. I had a salmon roll and teriyaki chicken bowl. The ingredients are very fresh and didn't leave me with that bloated feeling takeout chinese sometimes does read more

Roots - Teriyaki chickem bowl and some sushi - Asian Fusion Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

Been here 3 times, and got takeout twice in the last 4 weeks. The entrance gives you the feeling of a vegan diner. I would not have known this is right up my alley being a noodle-focused establishment with fusion cuisine, if I weren't desparately researching what to eat in princeton that doesn't suck, on that one fateful evening. Then I met roots. I recollect this feeling... it's like a girl you just meet by chance and have an instant crush on. Then you realize she's intelligent and has similar tastes as you. It's pretty cool really! I'll stop the analogies there... Prices are good for the area during lunch, but I expect them to increase slightly in a few months. I've tried various dishes and must say the duck big plate, spicy miso ramen and the drunken noodles with beef are my highlights so far. Don't compare the ramen to a real japanese place. Hot pepper noodles (it's the taiwanese-style one) is fairly authentic and I liked it as well. Being able to order varieties of sauces + meat + ramen noodles is also great and lets you experiment as you like. Now onto the decent stuff... beef noodle soup replaces the traditional beef tendon with brisket which is honestly a good idea for americans who generally have a drastic reaction calling beef tendon "fat" or "junk meat".. though the change will probably disappoint traditionalists (plus the brisket wasn't "good" good) in an otherwise decent soup. Spicy tuna roll and salmon rolls were meh. Garlic Eggplant sauce was very well done and complemented ramen to my surprise but unfortunately eggplants were somewhat tough. Fresh Homemade Kimchi was definitely different than anything i've had in a restaurant - was quite light and I enjoyed it. Nothing was disappointing so far except the sushi. Bonus story time: I also made a fool out of myself one time asking for a macchiato in a to-go cup, and the french guy running the crepe counter personally brought it to me in a 2-3 oz. to go cup explaining it's like a mini-cappucino asking if I want him to make me a bigger one. I was mortified!! Friggin' starbucks... i knew their macchiato wasn't 'real' but the gestalt effect ingrained the form in my mind...agh. read more

Amazing food, great chef and great staff... And I love that they offer organic choices. A Very modern, beautifully designed restaurant. Love the crepes and fresh, organic juice smoothies! A MUST try. read more

Roots - Crepes Suzette with pineapple mojito smoothie - Asian Fusion Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

Service and Food was really good... We ordered many different things to share and well worth it... We really like the nice quiet atmosphere... We will be back... read more

Roots - Asian Fusion Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

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This is one of my favorite restaurants to go to when I visit Princeton. I've been here twice and was definitely not disappointed with the food. The pho chay and the drunken noodles are two of my favorite dishes to order here. The service is just average, but I don't need the best service for such good f read more

Update: not sure how the food is anymore, two separate times I've gone here and had horrible customer service and wait time for meals. This place definitely fell off. read more

This place is super delicious - Asian French fusion. The French chef will prepare your crepe for you while you watch from their black board crepe menu, or you can order from the paper menu. We were there as a large party for lunch and the menu was all Japanese and Chinese. I had amazing noodles but I was so torn on what to get - curry with rice? Dimsum? Drunken noodles? Sushi? Everything looked tempting and I'll definitely be going back to try more of the items on the menu. The lunch portions are decent and not that expensive, and everything is plated beautifully. read more

Roots - Ancient Chinese street noodle - pork, black mushrooms and edamame beans over noodles. - Asian Fusion Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

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Was here for an early dinner - food is always good here with fast friendly service. Ordered the ramen again which is normally great, this time just seemed to be missing some flavor - will be back to try again since I have been here several times before. read more

I loved roots. No it's not authentic, yes it's a malange of "Asian" cuisine. But having said that there wasn't anything that I didn't enjoy. The pho broth was delicious, the soup dumpling brought smiles to everyone's face and the spicy cucumber and the kimchi were the perfect fat cutter. Great addition to the area. read more

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Found this on a googlemaps search of area lunch spots near the hotel where we were attending a conference. Wow! Everything I'd hoped, and more. Got an idea of the menu from these reviews, and the cost. We ordered the coconut chicken noodle bowl, lots of food, and the lemongrass sauce was tasty. I had the Thai basil bowl with ramen . Super hot, both in temperature and too, too spicy hot! It's 4 hours later and my esophagus is still burning! We also tried vegetable dumplings; delicious, and the steak pot stickers; awesome. Was a little surprised though when the bill was $35.! Wish they'd open a shop in Monmouth County. This food would be great after the beach. read more

Wonderful Asian fusion restaurant! Food is moderately priced, but well worth the cost. Want sushi? Want traditional Asian fare? Want crepes? They've got it all! The entrees are fresh tasting and very nuanced in flavor. The plating looks expensive and really adds to the food's esthetic. This is food for enjoying! The atmosphere in the restaurant is open and fresh as well, with a balance of soft organic woods and stark grey surfaces. The staff is particularly friendly and ready with a smile. If you are in the area I highly recommend it. read more

Great new place in West Windsor/Princeton - lots of variety on its menu without losing focus. I can get some yummy noodles (Drunken Noodle, Pad Thai, Taiwanese noodles) while my fiance can get sushi & crepes. Something for everyone! I have only been for eat-in and take out lunch, so I can't speak to the dinner service. read more

The food is tasty, but the price is a bit high compared to other similar Asian restaurant on route.27.

@Jan W Pittsburgh: LIGHTEN UP, FRANCIS. If you want gourmet Vietnamese food you don't go to a Route 1 strip mall! Stop reviewing, you're clueless. Just had lunch at Roots today. Some of the best hot and sour soup I've had, plus nicely cooked tasty pot stickers. Nice people, nice location, nice ambiance, I enjoyed it and it is a TON better than Pee-Wee. read more

I'm giving this place 2 stars because the staff was friendly. Though it was a bit confusing as how to order. We were seated and ordered from our table but there seems to be the option to order from walking up to the counter? I'm not sure how it works. The decor I guess is trying to be modern but everything is cheaply made imitations of nicer stuff. The food was disappointing. I've had much better food elsewhere for less money. It's overpriced for what it is. The sushi was more expensive than in other more upscale restaurants in the area. The miso soup was good with lots of chives. I had the chicken teriyaki bowl and it looked good, but all I could taste was salt. It seriously tasted like someone had dipped all the pieces of chicken into salt. My mouth felt raw after the meal. I will not be a repeat customer. read more

Cool join. The water comes in Mason jars, so you already know what Roots is about. I liked this place. It's a nice little spot with pretty decent Thai food. The Pad-Ki Mao is killer, def worth a try if you're in the area. read more

One of my friends said good things about this place so we went with a group of my friends on a Monday. I wasn't a fan of the concept because it seems like a dine-in restaurant but you order at the front and then wait for your food at a table. The service was extremely slow. There were only a couple people in front of us but we waited a very long time because the line just wasn't moving. Also, I felt that the menu was overpriced for what the food was worth. At a competing restaurant of the same quality, the prices are cheaper. The menu was also all over the place - there was Chinese food, crepes, salads, Thai, Japanese, juice. It felt like the menu was trying to include everything and it just had a lack of cohesiveness. Overall, the sushi was okay but I would not come here again. read more

The ramen is mediocre and bland, especially for the price. At risk of overgeneralizing, it seems like this place specializes in overpriced, pseudo ethnic food. Skip. I tried their signature "roots ramen", which was listed as spicy. No detectable spice whatsoever. Pork was tough and overcooked. Egg was a standard boiled egg, not pickled in soy sauce. On the plus side, the noodles were nicely cooked, and there was a surprisingly flavorful ultra-thin slice of golden beet. I was seated immediately, but the ramen took half an hour to arrive. Ambience is low key and acceptable, if a bit phony. read more