Roots Restaurant
San Francisco, CA 94108
Phone: (415) 399-9807
- Price:
- $$$
- Cross Street:
- Grant Avenue
- Hours:
- Daily 11am-10pm
Message from Roots Restaurant
Perfect for business lunches, pre-theater dinners
- Elegant dining
- Date spot
- Business dining
Paid advertisement by Roots Restaurant.
Editorial Review for Roots Restaurant – by Patricia-Anne Tom
The Scene
A green-friendly mindset ripples through this restaurant, with a fountain, leaf-patterned carpeting, caramel-colored, faux-leather upholstery, maple wood tables and vine-like sconce lighting. Soothing music and bronze-leafed artwork further create a tranquil backdrop for the space despite it being located in the lobby of the Orchard Garden Hotel. All diners--from businessmen to those merely seeking an appetizer at the bar in the entrance--receive a warm welcome.
The Food
This mostly organic restaurant features fresh, seasonal menus with a focus on locally grown and sustainably raised ingredients. But Executive Chef Russell Rummer ensures that eating healthy does not mean going hungry. A bowl of carrot ginger soup is enough for two. The Alaskan black cod, served atop a butternut squash risotto, almost melts in your mouth. Nearly every dish has a crispy garnish and subtle Mediterranean flair. The wine list, in keeping with the eco-friendly theme, includes more than 20 organic or sustainably made offerings.
Editorial content is independent of paid advertisers. Any expenses are paid for by Citysearch.
Insider Tips
Where to SitFor a quiet or romantic dinner, ask for a booth toward the back of the restaurant, away from the main hotel lobby.
Know Before You GoAn 18 percent gratuity is added to parties of six or more, and the corkage fee is $20 per 750 ml.
The ExtrasA semi-private dining area seats 14 and is separated from the main dining area by a curtain.
User Reviews for Roots Restaurant
05/30/2008 Posted by meiacomida
I took an important client here for a blah blah business meeting, thinking after the stress of the meeting we could relax, get some good SF eats and have time to talk about future plans. Well we had time to talk alright... - took 40 min. to get sandwiches to our table (restaurant almost empty) -stoner waiter brought fries out almost 1/2 hour after lunch was over -better sandwiches as Lee's downtown for under $5- not saying Lee's is good just better -order of scallops was so well cooked, restaurant has invented the "raisined" scallop, those little puppies were like rubber ducks when kitchen done with them -interior bland -food bland -service great if you've got Alzheimers or severe ADD ...and like to waste your dining dollars. I'd come back here for lunch or dinner if I was too wasted to walk any further uphill on this street. to Vignette or Masa's. Even you stumbled downhill to the Subway you'd get a better meal and a little color in the restaurant. This lil restaurant has NOTHING going for it except location.
05/29/2008 Posted by ellereview
I was really hoping that we could add Roots to our list of frequent organic dining restaurants. After giving it a second chance, I have to say that I would not eat there again. The dining room is unappealing, the food is not very fresh and the service is below average. When you walk in the front door from the busy street you can go to the hotel front desk on the left or the restaurant on the right - there is no door or formal entry way. The space should really be the hotel lobby and not a formal restaurant. Both times we ate at Roots the dining room was fairly empty (three other tables and one person at the bar). To be fair, we do really enjoy the french fries and fried artichokes and if you go between 5-7pm you can order a wine for around $9-$12 and get a free appetizer for around $6-$8. BUT, the bread is stale, the Grilled Tofu tastes like a salt lick, the snap peas were overcooked/mushy, and the Fettucini- Chicken- Artichokes was extremely bland and overcooked (the chicken was not fresh nor were the English peas). The table next to us had scallops and a fish dish that both smelled extremely fishy in a not so good way. Our server was overwhelmed taking care of three tables at a time, messed up our order and really lacked the skills to serve customers. The host was very friendly but he had a blotchy face (rash like) and sniffled as he wiped his nose and then handed us our menus and wine. The chef should try to get some honest feedback from customers on the food and service to help this restaurant live up to its potential.
Pros: Fried Appetizers
Cons: Main Dishes, Service, Ambience
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