Roots Natural Kitchen

TL;DR: What more is there to eating than Roots: healthy, delicious, and fast. UVA classic that now has locations elsewhere.

Specific Foods:
Chicken: 7.0/10
BBQ Tofu: 8.8/10
Red Chili Tofu: 8.7/10

Special Attention: Carry-out location is different than the actual restaurant. No seats for in-restaraunt eating.

General Wait Time for 1/2 dishes: 10-20 minutes

Room For Improvement:
1. The app and website are buggy (post-app update).

Excellent salads with healthy and diverse topping options

Wow, the food was absolutely amazing. Great option for vegetarians! The barbeque tofu has so much flavor and the roots rice was amazing. This is a very healthy food option and the portion was really big. I got the southern and I would highly recommend. The sauce was also a nice touch, not too strong like some dressings, but a perfect light flavor addition to the bowl. 10/10

Love this place. Their salads are one of my favorite treats when I want to eat healthy but don't want to cook. The sweet potato is so good. Only downside is parking can be tricky when UVA is in session.

Good place for a healthy meal. A had a "apollo bowl" with brown rice, grilled chicken, veggies and of course you can always add to it, my preference was avocado. Once all the ingredients are together they mix it up in a aluminum bowl and on to a bowl. At the end the bowl almost weight 5lbs but it was so good that I finished the entire meal. Will return and try something different.

Wonderful and delicious local take on the meal in a bowl craze. They do a great job of mixing the ingredients before presented so every bit is diced and sauced. El Jefe is said to be the favorite.

Roots was really delicious and filling and you can get almost 2 meals out of one order! I got the Souther Bowl which was really good. The BBQ tofu is sweet and charred. I loved everything about it but unfortunately they left out the cheddar cheese and the pickled red onions. Even then it still tasted pretty good! I added my own Kimchi to replace to forgotten pickled red onions.

I also got the Jefe which was really tasty and filling.

The service was quick and although they didn’t quite get the order right, they were friendly and moved fast. The shop is TINY and there is hardly any parking, so I highly suggest going at not rush hour and taking advantage of the 6 or so 15 min parking spots out front. They also have an app that does free delivery within 10 miles until August 15,2022. I’d come back and hopefully get a complete order!

*UPDATED: The team reached out promptly to get us a discounted new bowl, such quick and considerate customer service!

I haven't been at Roots by I order delivery from them often. El Jefe is my favorite. I ask for dressing and pita chips on the side. It's always fresh and delicious. The bowl comes full all the way to the top that I usually split in two and get lunch and dinner from one order. I appreciate that they always send a fork and napkins!

I don't care if you call this healthy food or not. This was some of the best food I've eaten in ages! I had the Southern with grilled chicken. The serving was huge and not only was I satisfied, but didn't feel stuffed after eating either. I would love to have one of these in Atlanta! I spent $11. An awesome value for true, healthy, tasty food!

My boyfriend and I were celebrating our one year anniversary up in Charlottesville when we stumbled upon Roots Natural Kitchen. Everything on the menu appealed to me. But!! Man! The burst of flavor and freshness that I experienced in the Apollo bowl was out of this world. It exceeded my expectations. Definitely going back before we leave the area!

Awesome. Healthiest and best food on The Corner. Definitely recommend El Jefe - I had it with miso tofu and it was delicious. My partner had a custom bowl which also looked delicious.

Got a few bowls here and really enjoyed them. You can substitute an ingredient, such as spinach for kale, without a problem. It's tasty, healthy food at an affordable price with quick service. That's a good formula, and Roots adds to the quality of life in Cville.

I had an amazing bowl with the BBQ Tofu and lots of veggies. The flavor was delicious and the pick up process for carryout was easy.

I've never had any issues transforming their bowls or creating one of my own to fit my dietary needs, and it's one of the few places I can go to that I feel I get my money's worth. The staff has always been polite, efficient, and patient. The building has always been kept clean. The upstairs has a laid-back feel to it.

Solid flavor combinations and the portion sizes are more than fair for the price. That’s not very common in the fast/healthy segment. I wish this place had locations in every city! Come to DC please.

love love love roots!

my favorite bowls:
-el jefe with switch the bases and the works (my go-to)
-the OUTLAW (rip please bring this back)
-yamjam/roots bowl + add chicken (sweet potatos are chef's kiss)
-pesto ceasar (the!!! pickled!!! onions!!!! <3)

Mouth wateringly (!) delicious. The Balboa Bowl is amazing.
At times the line goes out the door and down the block. That should tell you something.

Picked up takeout from Roots today since I was already in the area. I don't have Roots very often, simply because parking is non-existent. I lucked up today and found a 15 minute spot and ran in. There were only a couple of people ahead of me in line, so I took advantage. I created my own bowl, but next time will just have a Southern, but swap sweet potatoes for chick peas. I don't dislike the chick peas, just prefer sweet potatoes in the combination. It consisted of rice and kale as the bases, lemon tahini dressing, chicken (but like the BBQ tofu too), charred corn, pickled onions, sweet potatoes, white cheddar, and roasted broccoli. It was perfection! Definitely prefer takeout over the crowded indoor space (prior to COVID-19).

Excellent food and service. Delightfully friendly staff. Exceptionally high quality ingredients. I highly recommend.

Always a quick and delicious option! Don't be fooled by the line, they really hustle in there. And there is a nice, but small, seating area upstairs.