06/26/09

Mostly Good Food But Service Needs To Acknowledge Patrons

by rizopus

OK...I like Roots. The food is good 90% of the time. Really good. Once in a while it can be a bit bland, but not often. The people behind the counter are all really nice. My only issue is that they need more than one person behind the counter. I understand that service is slowed down when only one person is handling everyone, but I also feel like sometimes the person behind the counter is just way too non-chalant and casual about serving people as other patiently wait, i.e. chatting on the cell phone and slowly ringing up people, verry slowly serving the food as if there was only one customer there, without acknowledging the rest of the folks that are waiting. It happened once before when I was a patron and vowed never to go back, but then things got better for a while with two people behind the counter, and then they went back to this same one person behind the counter...So I'm not sure I will be back and I've seen other customers walk out because they weren't acknowledged.

• Pros: Mostly Yummy Food
• Cons: Slowww Service That Doesn't Always Acknowledge Patrons

03/10/09

Very Good

by ladyandie

Used to eat here many years ago when I lived just down the street and had probably the most delicious veggie burger I had ever tasted! It was refreshing to eat a veggie burger where I could see the veggies, yet it was smooth and flavorful and served with a delicious sauce and wheat bun. Definitely not the high sodium, mass produced veggie pattie thing I recall eating elsewhere!

05/30/08

Casual, Intimate Vegan hotspot

by flaviad

Love It! I have been there more times than I can remember and I have never been disappointed. The food, juices and home-made deserts are guaranteed to convert meat eating friends into vegetarians. Healthy, tasty and cheap, the cuisine is served by the friendly, relaxed staff who have operated this Harlem mainstay for more than a decade.

• Pros: Food, Staff, Cost
• Cons: None

06/16/05

Outstanding -- The OGs of veggie food!

by anya_cs

I love these folks ... they have been imitated many times but they were there first. The Original Gangstas of veggie food, back before it was cool ... You will get a bellyful of cheap excellent food and a warm reception from whoever's working there. Also they're right near the Studio Museum in Harlem which is beautiful and has free events like music & poetry.

03/19/04

A vegan's paradise sandwiched between fried chicken and grits parlors.

by Contributor

The Scene
Strictly Roots, which opened more than a decade ago as a dietary alternative to Harlem's more cholesterol- and fat-heavy fare, wears its philosophy on its facade: "We serve nothing that crawls, walks, swims or flies." This casual cafeteria-style eatery is decorated in Rastafarian colors of red, yellow, green and black and showcases a watchful portrait of Rasta god Halie Selassie.

The Food
Skip the menu and head for the restaurant's bountiful and ever-changing vegan buffet for an abundance of affordable servings. Specialties include fried tofu balls stuffed with herbs and onions, lima beans, green bean succotash, collard greens and yummy yams. Black-eyed pea balls are another standout. The restaurant is also known for its free poetry nights.

05/22/02

Strictly Roots...Strictly Good

by gex

The food here is a treat! It's not the fanciest decor in the world but the food atmosphere and service makes it all the better. It's a Jamacan paradise with a plethora of vegetarian dishes to choose from. I highly recommend it!