Came in for one purpose only "The Impossible Burger!" I have heard rumors that this was the best vegan burger in the area, so we had to check it out! Walked in, and was told they were out!!! I was crushed; I really wanted one. So the following day I made sure to call ahead. We show up, and place the order. The burger comes on a nice bun with lettuce, pickles, onions, and tomatoes. The only condiment I tasted was a garlic mayo "order extra of this!!!" The burger came with fries, but no drink. Very fair price tag of $10, but I was a bit scared since the place had a fast food feel to it. Out comes our burger, nice sized sandwich with crispy fries. I took a huge bite of the fake meat burger, and immediately was in utter shock! No way this was vegan! It tasted like meat; it's crispy ends, firm center, and texture was enough to make me stop chewing and crack open the bun to make sure it wasn't a real burger! The garlic vegan mayo its self is amazing enough to dip fries into! I would just personally like to thank the owner for not doing what everyone else has done "generic black bean burgers." The taste, texture, and price is amazing on these "impossible burgers." So much so that I am only getting them from here from now on. In fact; see you guys tomorrow! Wonder if they have a loyalty program? read more

Came for "The Impossible Burger" and had a "Hippy Burger" (black bean burger) for comparison. My wife and I split them, having half of each. We ended up ordering a 2nd impossible burger to share because it was so damn good! Their fries were also perfect; right on par with Black Sheep's fries but not quite as fancy. I feel like this place hasn't found its identity yet, but I love all the Vegetarian options on their menu. On a continuum between fast food and fancy-schmancy, The Grotto is way closer to the fast food side! The decor is sparse, the menu is incomplete, you order at a counter and take your buzzer to a table and wait. The food, however, was not just fast, it was fantastic. Overall, this is a great place to take mixed company of eaters as they have a little of everything and lots of options at a fair price point. I would go again. read more

I took some customers here for a lunch meeting and the food and service were excellent. I had the Baja bowl and everything tasted fresh and had great flavor. We got some fries for the table. I'm normally not a huge fan of fried but I love the fries at The Grotto. read more

Awesome staff and truly delicious food. Something for everyone here but I love their veggie burger and the FRIES!!!! Almost like a beer battered French fry. Spacious interior and always clean and neat. They also have a bevy of sauces to select from and the prices are awesome too. You should go right now. read more

The food was absolutely amazing. Prices are very affordable. I would have given 5 stars but my chicken kept falling off the bun, however We left full and happy. we will be coming back!! read more

Great lunch spot for a mix of healthy options and fun surprises. I recommend the house salad add a salmon filet, very tasty! My husband likes the steak salad and the burger. A few options of unsweet tea which is hard to find! read more

The Grotto - House salad with salmon - American Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

Don't like the new menu changes nor the price changes. Less food, more money. i.e. To get the Grotto Jack, you have to order the old school burger with pepper jack cheese. It is a much smaller burger for the same price. Additionally the loyalty card tracker was not working. read more

The nicest girls work here so helpful. Mariah was amazing. Offered to get my a fork and made sure everything's as good. The blu cheese chips were good. I would like to see them with Bacon and cheese also burger good read more

The Grotto - Absolutely amazing blue cheese chips - American Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

I love this place for how casual the atmosphere is and the no frills walk up order and patiently wait for the callout for your food. The food is pretty awesome for the price everything is priced right at 10 dollars or less. I usually always order the blue cheese chips as an appetizer and either a pizza or burger. This is a great place to grab lunch or a quick bite everything is always fresh and yummy. read more

Because of my needs I had the gluten-free cauliflower crust pizza, it was very good and flavorful without tasting too "cabbagy". Something for everyone on the menu, my husband had the salmon dinner and was very pleased. Everything was fresh and flavorful. We will go back for more! read more

The food is relatively cheap. You go and order and then sit down with a number. They then bring the food to you. It is kinda like a cafeteria style I feel like. The food comes out very quick. It's not that bad. Definitely better places to eat in Springfield. read more

This restaurant reminds me of California in every way. So many light, fresh options, that everyone loves. I've eaten so much deliciousness here, where do I start? Blue cheese chips? - yep! Delicious Tomato Soup? - so so soooo good Steak Salad? - Absolutely divine Pick a Pizza, any Pizza - YUM!! Chicken & Avocado sandwich - really yummy Those are my staples that I love so much. Its the perfect place in town for lunch for the whole family. Clean, bright, and no tips needed. HAHA! Just go up, order, and they drop it at your table. You sit on their small patio or pick seat and you'll be in eye shot of a television. Its a good place to go with big groups too! read more

Always good quality food. Haven't ever had a bad experience here. Did get caught of guard that I couldn't order just a side of fries for the price marked on the menu for a kid but got charged almost 4 times as much for 2 "sides" of fries. Other than that always enjoy coming here. read more

Updated Review. 9/6/19 Visit. Well, I love the Grotto. I ordered the Caulflower pizza crust with 3 toppings, a side salad and drink and it was expensive~ $18! The pizza was not small. I gave two pieces away. For lunch, it was very expensive. They need to come up with a "combo" price or something. Many diners don't have the option of taking leftovers home. SUGGESTION: A 6" Caulflower crust~ 2 topping pizza, with small salad and drink=Perfect. Maybe $10-12. They need to fix all of the broken tables. This is one of my fave places, but they need to fix a few things!! (Also, when they bring the pizza, they need to bring you a plate. I tried to share my pizza and it was a HOT mess). read more

Some of the best food I've had recently in the Springfield area. A little pricey for the proportions but definitely worth the taste. Loved the hummus and flatbread! Came out quick and the atmosphere was enjoyable. read more

The Grotto is amazing! Finding a wonderful restaurant with great food and fresh ingredients and vegetables with VEGETARIAN OPTIONS in Springfield is a revelation! I ordered the steak and gorgonzola salad, and when the girl working the counter asked how I'd like it cooked, I swear I heard angels sing. Needless to say it was fantastic. If you're a fan of things like that I totally recommend it. From what I saw of what other people ordered everything else looks just as good. The Grotto will be a go-to restaurant for me from now on. read more

The Grotto - The steak and Gorgonzola salad - American Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

Grab a quality meal without the formality of a high price eat spot. Self help is nicely executed and the modern feel is welcome. This is not Applebee, so you will need to study the menu but invest the time the reward is worth it. Not a great location for Springfield and the booths are poorly designed. It ia like getting a bad seat at the theatre, but moving to another chair did not work here. Bring a pillow, grab a menu (on line works) and enjoy. read more

The Grotto - A chicken and bacon sandwich with sweet potato fries. - American Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

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I edited my review because the food went downhill for me. It use to taste so fresh, but I ordered the chicken parm and the chicken was dry and cold in the center??? Also the black bean burger is crazy bland. I'm over this place and will never go back or recommend it. The staff is also so rude. The service is ok but the food is very very fresh tasting and flavorful at that! The sweet potato fries are the BEST I've ever had! Definitely a new favorite of mine. read more

Love this place. The avocado chicken sandwich is bomb. Sweet potato fries are also a must.

My wife and I love the pizza at the grotto. The staff is friendly, the restaurant is clean, and the food is delicious.

The food was good for when your hungry but it's definitely not my favorite. It was dirty and I had to wipe my own table down might be back but probably not. It also was not as cheap as I was told. read more

I placed an online order to be picked up at noon. I sat there for over 20 min while people who came in after me were served in 10 min. The food was good, thats the only reason it got two stars. Wont be going back. Thats bad customer service, especially when they had a full staff. read more

The food was fantastic! The restaurant was clean. The service was exceptional. I left a scarf, but we live 10 hours away. I didn't realize it until it was too late to turn around. Mariah offered to mail it....AND to pay for shipping (I didn't let her pay, BUT, the fact that she offered.) She had the scarf sent within 30 minutes. Above and beyond!! read more

Once you try this place, you will want more! I have now been there four times and I still can't seem to get enough. I am a huge salad fan, along with being health conscious and this is right up my alley. There healthy options are endless! I always struggle between eating the steak Gorgonzola salad or the cranberry and walnut salad with feta cheese and champagne dressing. IT IS UH-MAZ-ING. You can get your order to go or sit down and enjoy your meal with a glass of wine or beer. Prices- everyone always wants to know why healthy options always cost more; but that is not the case on this one. The salads are around 7.99-9.99 and they even ask you how you want your steak cooked! I ventured out and got the make your own pizza and it was just as fantastic. I ordered artichokes, green peppers, feta cheese, zucchini and cucumbers with a basil pesto sauce. I ate the entire thing by myself. It was so delicious I just couldn't stop! If I could afford to just get take out every night from this wonderful place I sure would. Lastly I want to comment on the blu cheese chip appetizer, I ordered this app for my mother-in-law and my mom to try while we were waiting on our take out. It was a perfect size for a quick bite before our meals and was also very tasty. The staff is wonderful, the food is, well, I could eat here every single day, and the location is great! LOVE LOVE LOVE. read more

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I have given The Grotto multiple tries and continue to be disappointed. Setting aside their decision to stop serving vegan pizza, but on my last trip their cashier could not tell me if their buns were vegan. She made no effort to find out. Unfortunately I was there with a group of people who saw my steamed broccoli I ended up with for lunch and they were appalled and said we would go elsewhere going forward for our weekly lunch. read more

Excellent food, even better service! I eat here literally every Friday and every Friday the food is great and the service is perfect!

Great food. Everything I've ordered has been good. Burgers, pizza, hummus and some veggie falafel sandwich thing: all great. Order at the counter then sit down and wait for your food. When it's ready you pick it up at the counter. It takes some time to get the food, but it's because they're cooking it fresh. Salads are great. Biggest con for me is the water from the fountain drink area. It has an unclean aftertaste, and I always notice it. I was with a friend on one visit and he noticed too. Could be the ice I guess. Pretty minor considering everything else. Maybe just order a beer instead. :) read more

We were passing through Springfield with our kids and grandkids looking for a place for lunch. We found The Grotto through an online service and had a fantastic meal. Our ages ranged from 1-61 years and we all found something we liked on the menu. I mention this because when I looked on The Grotto's website it identified itself as an "adult" choice. Actually our grandchildren loved their kids' menu. The restaurant is very clean and fresh-looking. We started with the Bleu Cheese chips and quickly went back for a second order for our group to share. The grandkids ate from the kids menu and had pizzas and chicken fingers. Very good value that included refillable drinks. The adults had a little of everything: Santa Monica pizza (fabulous), burgers (lots of different and trendy combinations), Mahi mahi sandwich (great tartar souce), soups, and salads (the side salads were a little overdressed). If we could return, I would get one of the large salads. They looked delicious. The food is reasonably priced, fast, casual, and cooked to order. Order at the counter and pick up the food when ready, but everything is served on real plates and help carrying was offered. The staff was very friendly and cleared plates in a timely manner. Now I am looking for an excuse to return to Springfield just to eat at The Grotto. read more

The Grotto use to be one of my favorite places to eat in Springfield and the new locations is wonderful. I have been there to eat the Steak Gorgonzola Salad minus the cheese. They really do know how to cook a burger and steak and have interesting menu items. This said I am sad to write that my option has been slowly changing. This would be a 4-5 star if they still had clearly labeled GF & DF items on the menu. They use to have a clear list of what was GF& DF on the menu which was great for me and one of my friends who has celiac disease disease. BTW she cried when I mentioned that they got rid of there GF pizza. Two of my other friends tell me of friends who are vegan or also have celiac disease who are disappointing with the removal of the GF pizza (and GF items clearly listed on the menu) and the now unavailable dairy free cheese option. In the previous location the staff had not let me know when the french fries had changed back to GF fries; I ate the fries and got sick. New menus were not at the restaurant available to customers at the time. I e-mailed the website on what happened and was expecting at least something, a free burger, an apology something....nope, just basically answered yes, we changed the menu and do not have them printed out yet! I was excited to see that they have a larger location for larger groups of people. However, my confidence on what I can eat there has been dwindling to only choosing the steak salad that has remained unchanged on the menus for a few years now. The steak salad is very good however, I would like some more for sure options. My confidence in the upfront staff is lacking from past experiences so, I would be confident with clearly marked menu choices. Grotto please go back to labeling your menu for GF & DF options. read more

Waited nearly an hour for our food. Slowest service I've probably ever experienced - make sure you have plenty of time. Tasty food though (got the Gouda burger w broccoli as a side). read more

I can't believe I almost passed up the best appetizers ever! But never fear, I got the blue cheese chips! My husband is not a fan of blue cheese and while I really wanted to try them, I was afraid I was ordering too much as we both got pizza. It was a lot of food but so glad I ordered them! House made, crispy chips covered in a mouth watering warm blue cheese. I can't say enough... Get these! I also got the Haight Asbury pizza and it was good. The ingredients were fresh! My only complaint was there was a ton of fresh garlic in the pesto sauce and it was in big, crunchy chunks. No need to worry about vampires for awhile! Place is modern and clean. Lots of seating and had a few TVs. Great vibe and a great choice! read more

Being vegetarians, this is one of our regular places to eat. The food is almost always worthy of 5+ starts. The thing that really lets this place down is the atmosphere, which is...........well, a bit austere and noisy. And it's starting to look a little shabby. A coat of paint would do wonders. The blue cheese potato chip appetizer is one of the best things I've ever eaten. The salads are always fresh. The roasted red pepper soup is such a treat, especially when the weather is cold. And the iced tea is very good. read more

My wife and I went into this restaurant we eat mostly plant based and this place really didn't have any great options. We ordered and honestly the food was like a 4 out of 10. This place has the worst customer service. Definitely won't be going back and would tell everyone else not to go there. They are rude and take forever to bring you food. read more

Eh, I don't really like leaving unfavorable reviews. BUT....I went in for the first time a few weeks ago. I didn't really know what to get, but I was feelin' leafy green and so I chose a salad. Specifically the blackened Thai salad. I think it was a new item. When we walked in, it looked neat and clean. This is the reason I gave two stars instead of one. Plus, I had been wanting to visit for a while. I talked my hubs into going. My hopes were up. But folks, we just didn't have a good meal here. My salad was bad. Just plain bad. And really, I'm not terribly picky. And I had NEVER met a salad I didn't like. But this one was not tasty at all. The chicken seasoning was really odd. In a bad way. It was spicy, which normally, I'm all about, but it was flavorful like, "Are they trying to cover up chicken that was going rancid? Because this tastes like a toddler got into the cumin rack." It was overpowering and simply not good. The lettuce wasn't fresh, it was wilting. The thai inspired dressing was terrible. I was expecting ginger and lime, maybe even peanut butter but it was more like some kind of mayo. I just hated it, truly. I couldn't even eat it. My husband ate some of it but he agreed that it was kind of disgusting. He, on the other hand, got a burger, that in his words "wasn't as good as Braum's." I should have told the girl at the counter that my salad was gross. I didn't because I don't like to be a pain in the ass. The really sucky part was that our (bad) food was so pricey. I see all these positive reviews and I'm like, "maybe they were having and insanely off day?" Or "maybe we ordered the wrong stuff?" Regardless, we left, and I was hungry and heartbroken. I just don't see us going back. read more

Just had the avocado chicken sandwich and it was superb. I paired it up with the broccoli cheddar soup and I was in heaven. The Chipotle mayo has a really nice kick that is tamed by the cheesiness of the soup. Amazing. I highly recommend this place - super fast and super good. Also don't miss out on the Bleu cheese chips. .. I need to learn how to replicate bc they are just too good. Enjoy! read more

The Grotto - Bleu cheese chips. .. sinful :) - American Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

Everything we get here is top notch. For good quality food, the price is super cheap and very quickly made. We eat inside the restaurant and get take out and the experiences of both are fantastic. Our family of four can eat for under $30! They are accommodating for our gluten and dairy allergies as well! We love gluten free pizza, the burgers, black bean burgers and more! Try it all, you won't be disappointed! read more

I would put this in the category of upscale fast food the food is served on real plates with real forks and knives I had the chicken pasta the sauce was really good pasta was a little undercooked but overall worth the money I paid for it my husband had a bacon cheeseburger was very tasty he said I did sneak peeks at other people's food and it all looked good. I would definitely come back for a quick bite read more

The Grotto - The chicken pasta sauce is very good - American Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

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The Grotto is my favorite pizza restaurant in Springfield. If you're in the mood for California-style pizza, you have very few choices in this town, making The Grotto the defacto leader of the pack. Even if there were more competition in this category, I think this place could definitely hold it's own. There are many pizzas to choose from, or you can create your own (although it can easily get pricey). If you're not in the mood for pizza, however, they also have a variety of sandwiches and burgers, but I can't speak to their quality as I always get one of their trademark pizzas. The service is very DIY -- fill your own drinks, pick up your own pizza, find your own table, etc. -- but I don't think that detracts from the experience. The restaurant itself is clean, well-lit, and has a laid-back ambiance. Seating is limited, so expect to stand and wait for a table if you go during rushes (lunch and early dinner). read more

Came here at the recommendation of my children in college at Missouri State. Very fresh and very reasonably priced and a great value for $10 a person Chicken and steak nice. Good burger. read more

Wow, I was really impressed by The Grotto! They have a very good selection of pizzas, salads, grill items and some wonderful healthier selections. I've never noticed The Grotto, it's in a bit of an odd location on the side of a strip mall. I actually found it on Yelp when some friends wanted to meet for dinner and I was looking for something with healthier options. Based on the positive reviews and their menu we decided this was the spot. Between us we tried the teriyaki chicken sandwich, the chickpea burger, and one of the pizzas. Everything got very solid reviews and everyone agreed they would definitely go back. We were about the 10th person in line (you order up front and then they call your number at a pick-up area to come get your food) and yet our food was done in just a few minutes. Very quick, and the service was very courteous. This is definitely a new favorite and we will look forward to returning! read more