We stumbled upon Grass Rootes while searching for a place to get lunch in Culpeper. The restaurant had just opened the week prior so it didn't show up on my search in Google Maps, but it has a great location in the heart of Culpeper and when we saw the nice outside seating area we thought it was worth checking out. We looked at a menu and the owner told us to take our time. He was very friendly and the menu looked good so we asked for the last table outside. It was very pleasant sitting and overlooking one of Culpeper's cutest streets. Once we were seated we realized we had accidentally been looking at the dinner menu, but the owner allowed us to order the pate off the dinner menu without a problem. We split the pate, the smoked salmon, the corn chowder and the spinach and goat cheese salad with bacon onion jam and everything was delicious. Our waitress seemed a bit unsure of herself, but she and the rest of the staff were very polite and attentive. The owner came over and spoke with us for a while before running off to great some potential customers who had wondered in. It's obvious he's eager for his restaurant to do well and we enjoyed talking to him. Overall it was a great experience and we were happy to have stumbled upon this gem. P.S. check out the signs on the bathroom doors and see if you get the joke ;) read more

Stopped on the way home from visiting some wineries in Northern VA. They had good reviews on Yelp, which is always the first place I look. We stopped in late on a Saturday afternoon, and there were maybe 4 tables occupied. Very simple menu, with only a dozen or so choices, and a few specials. Nice change of pace from the chain restaurants which have menus the size of magazines. My wife had the catfish sandwich with fries, and I had the Sopressata with fries. The fries are awesome, and the catfish sandwich was very good. However, my Sopressata was very disappointing. It was on a great ciabbati roll, covered nicely with jelly. However, the meat was about the size of a silver dollar in the center of the roll, with a couple crumbles of asiago cheese. It was almost as if they had ran short on the ingredients. As a result, the center of my sandwich was tasty, but all the rest of the sandwich was just jelly and bread. Also, service left something to be desired. We had 3 different people wait on us, but it never was clear who our waiter was. As a result, I think it took longer than necessary to place our order, and to get our check. Oh, and they never did ask if we wanted anything to drink (other than the water they brought right away), yet they have a full bar. Maybe they're still working out the kinks, so I think it would be worthwhile to give them another try. read more

Food is delicious , without a doubt. Service is another issue. I've been here 4 times ( 3 for the cool live music on the deck). Three of the four times the bill was wrong, waitress blamed "an old system". Wait, didn't this place just open? There seems to be a LOT of staff walking around (and their attire does not match the quality and prices of food, cut off Jean booty shorts ? Really?) and one never knows who your actual wait person is. Last night I went again for the live music and was told there was no service on the deck, you have to eat inside and get your own drinks from the bar. Wow! What a missed opportunity . With the heat I would have ordered at least 2 more drinks. I really hope this place gets their act together because the food is wonderful and culpeper needs a place like this. Oh and another thing... Serving beer in cans with coozies? Not classy. read more

Great food, nice decor, terrible service from the owner to the waitstaff. My group and I came in on Saturday night because we had heard that Sensi Trails (raggae band from OBX) was playing. Thank goodness for good food, great friends, and Sensi Trails or out night would have been ruined. We were seated on their very nice outdoor patio, however, we never had anyone from the waitstaff come take an order. I had to go inside and order from the bar. This also was a challenge due to them only having one bartender that seemed to have to do all the point of sale transactions for the restaurant as well as bartending. I waited over 20 minutes to get 2 beers and 2 glasses of wine. The owner seemed to walk around and "bark" orders at his employees and was very rude to many of the customers. Grass Rootes could really be a nice addition to the Culpeper community, if the owner would hire a real manager and professional staff to run his business. read more

Wandered in by accident and had a great lunch, the specials were delicious and the service was excellent

Great restaurant. Can't wait to come back. Food was so good. Very attentive staff. The only negative was that the wait staff was TOO EAGER. Their timing was off - asking if we want desert before we were even done with dinner. Then bringing us the check before we got desert. But, we WILL be back soon. read more

We live in town, and we're excited to try a new "farm to table" type place. The menu is a bit small, but I like that. They have a lot of specials which is what you expect from somewhere that is using fresh ingredients. The atmosphere inside is reminiscent of a trendy looking lounge with also a bit of a formal feel which makes it look good for special occasions as well as for a fun evening out. We sat outdoors because we were there to listen to the live music as well. The deck is great, with large picnic tables and a fire pit area. The man I can only guess is the owner was very attentive to everyone, as well as the rest of the staff there. We ordered the meatballs appetizer, which was amazing, and I am an Italian, so I am a meatball snob! I loved that they had a nice slow heat to them. The assortment of breads that came out were so good, and you could tell they were fresh. We ordered the specials. It was a crispy fish with a caper ragu, served with an assortment of fresh veggies, and my husband ordered the ribeye special. Neither one of us could believe how great the food was. The pricing was fair too, especially for the quality of the meal. My only "complaint" about the place is that it is teetering on the border of whether it is a more special occasion place, or a full out bar. I can't put my finger on what they are trying to be as far as their niche, and I am a little concerned that it could turn out to be more like the Davis st pier at night, which would deter us from going there. Also, the patio should really have a smoking area so if you are out there eating your food, you aren't inhaling the cigarettes from the tables butted up next to you. Over all, we will be back for sure! read more

Grass Rootes - Ribeye special. - New American Near Me - Culpeper, Virginia

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Came here with family and there werent many options to choose from in culpepper. The ambience was nice and the servers were friendly. The prices are very high and the quality did not match. On the menu it says $39 but when we ordered the server informed us that the "market" price was $49. We ordered the 16oz ribeye which was undercooked. Even thougg the steak was med rare it was tough and tasted like old meat. Steak was not seasoned and had a lot of fat that was not rendered. Came with mashed potatoes which had no flavor and the veggies were bland. Had to add salt and pepper to everything. Also there menu must not have everything on it because i saw ppl with cheeseburgers and i would of ordered that if i knew because i knew the steak wasn't going to be good. I guess they try to hide the cheaper items so you spend money on their over priced steaks. I would never come to this place because i felt ripped off and I wasn't even paying. Oh and the owner was not rude or anything when we were there and he was helping the staff. This place needs to step up the quality if they want tp charge these big city prices. Still have not found a good restaurant in the fxbg culpepper area. read more

Great food, locally sourced, in a beautiful historic building. Very nice ambiance. Live music a huge plus.

This was an absolute pleasant surprise! Everything I tried was ridiculously good. Great atmosphere and kind and attentive staff. They have live music on the weekends too. Highly recommend this place!!! read more

Ambiance was great. They allow smoking on their patio which is part of the restaurant which I was not a fan of. Also the drinks are pretty but mediocre at best. Menu is limited. Service is slow even though restaurant is empty. Disappointed! read more

My wife Megan and I went to Grass Rootes a few nights ago. Cozy, shabby-sheik with pops of modern design make it a very comfortable place to spend time. We're psyched that Grass Rootes offers a diverse farm-to-table menu - it's a short menu, but everything on it makes it hard to decide, which is a good problem! We ordered the smoked salmon appetizer, crab cakes w/ seasonal vegetables, and the pork chop w/ rice & seasonal vegetables. Compliments to the chef who delievered above & beyond. Thanks, Grass Rootes - we'll be back! read more

A week ago, we visited Grass Rootes, after a great recommendation. Something was terribly wrong. The wait staff was very confused and there were several of them trying to take care of us. That was nothing in comparison to the terrible treatment we received from the owner. We did not realize it was the owner until we researched online. How appalling was this man! He came to our table and yelled specifically at me. I was just waiting for my food and he told me I gave him a dirty look. Really? I just don't do that! Then he yelled at me as I was asking where my steak was and he loudly told everyone that the sous chef was not there. (I didn't know that until that moment!) My steak, he told me, was given to the other table. I canceled my steak order and asked for some soup as everyone else had been served and were almost finished. He continued to yell and I asked him to please stop yelling as it was upsetting me and then he stated repeatedly, in a loud voice for the whole restaurant to hear, "get 'em outta here." (meaning us) I will not return to this restaurant. I do not deserve that form of treatment, It was so embarrassing! If you read other reviews, you will also see that I am not the only one who has complained about the owner. No one deserves this kind of treatment/abuse. read more

Great atmosphere! Beautiful decor and plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. The staff is on point and the beer selection is fantastic. Do not hesitate on coming. You will fall in love with this great restaurant. Check out the Live music ... It's a must!! read more

Disappointing all the way around. Service was extremely disorganized and there was only one other table occupied when we arrived. Had multiple servers who were not coordinated in any manner. Specials were special in that they were at price points above the menu without any prices listed and with no reference from the owner or wait staff - nice strategy if you want one time patrons. Cocktails much the same. Would not waste your time or money as other reviewers have indicated much better options in Culpepper. read more

Great atmosphere, staff was very attentive and welcoming. Seafood salad and flatbreads were great! read more

Grass Rootes - New American Near Me - Culpeper, Virginia

One of my new favorite restaurants, I will come here every time I come to Culpepper.!! The anti-pasta platter appetizer, amazing ground lamb flatbread, and many delicious beers on tap made it a perfect meal. Wow....fabulous meal and service. Highly recommend!! read more

Amazing food, very attentive staff, great atmosphere and fun owners. It's a rare gem in a small town to have the artistic ability to rebuild a restaurant of this caliber, AND have the food and staff to match. Such a cool historic building that offers both the swanky ambiance and good eats of a big city reataurant. Definitely recommend and can't wait to go back for dinner and live music. Kudos to you and your team, Andrew! read more

Great food and lovely service. The staff accommodated our dog and seated us on the back porch, where there was lots of room. They even brought us a water bowl for our dog. The food was excellent and the tuna appetizer was amazing. The staff is really friendly. This is our second time at Grass Rootes and it certainly won't be our last. read more

Quirky staff, good food, and pleasant atmosphere! Only thing is that it is rather pricey for the portions received, so beware of that!

Once again I had a horrible experience at Grass Rootes. I entered the restaurant and saw the manager who Ive known for years. He smiled as I came in the door and reached his hand out to greet me. I shook his hand and started to ask him a question and he turned his back on me and started talking to a table. It was the second time this same manager was rude to me. There are a lot of restaurants to spend my money at. This one will not be one of them moving forward. read more

Great atmosphere and unbelievably delicious food! They also have live entertainment on the weekends and it is worth making the trip into town... read more

Went for dinner this past Friday night. Had an excellent time between the energy level of live music, the World Series game and the friendly staff. My friend and I really liked the comfortable decor as well. The food was inventive and yummy. Will definitely go again!! read more

The $35 steak was okay. The constant ignoring of me as a patron gives the restaurant a 2 star rating.

Wish I could rate the food. The bread we got was nice. Were there at 2:00p Saturday, it was not at all busy. Not one employee greeted us as we were standing there. Finally approached someone and were directed to a table. A server brought water, bread and butter. Then nothing. One of the servers walked by us at least 1/2 dozen times and never acknowledged that we were there. After waiting 15 minutes without further acknowledgement or being presented with a menu we left. No one even noticed! Very disappointed. read more

Both our dishes were dramatically over-cooked. My tomahawk pork chop was dry and hard and her shrimp were cement-tough. Seems like a place owned and run by folks who want to have a restaurant but don't have the experience to deliver. Dull menu, spotty service. This location deserves a better restaurant. read more

One star for how the owner treats his staff. Those young girls shouldn't have to deal with his rudeness or refusal to pay them.

Salmon brought to us was completely raw in the middle, when I asked it be cooked a little more the manager was so offended and claimed "that's how it's cooked, but I mean if you want me to kill it, then ok". His mood was completely all over the place, from friendly and happy one minute to angry and shouting the next. His pupils were so dilated it would be very hard to believe he wasn't on something. My mother's tab had 10 drinks on it when only 5 were ordered, she paid for a friend who's birthday it was, and that friend ALSO got an additional tab that they said she tried to walk out on. There were at least 3 different servers helping my seperate and much smaller party, and they claimed I had 5 drinks when I only had 4. The night finally ended when I tried to assist my friend in explaining that her tab was already paid and was subsequently called a bitch by the owner himself. How's that for excellent customer service? The "buffet" that was brought to us was not very appetizing at all, we had to ask for plates, silverwear and napkins at least 3 times. That's pretty sad... read more

This was our first time in Culpeper, so we had no idea where to go for dinner. All we knew is that we wanted to relax with low lighting, dark hardwood, and a fireplace. What we got was way more than simply atmosphere. We were met by the owner, Andrew, who spent some quality time with us chatting about the restaurant's remarkable history and many other enjoyable topics. We asked for vodka martinis with blue cheese stuffed olives, and although they didn't have the olives, the server stuffed some for us anyway by hand. She offered several specials (more than most restaurants), and two sounded really good (mahi-mahi and mushroom ravioli). We shared both meals, and both were exceptional (and the portions were large). We told Andrew what we were looking for in a red wine, and he delivered a truly outstanding Malbec. We were so impressed with the service, company, and food that we stayed for dessert, which we don't always do. Andrew brought us a bomba, which is a round, frozen fruity treat covered in a hard chocolate shell. Everything far exceeded our expectations! Five stars all around! read more

Had a wonderful lunch there today with friends. You have got to try the Spinach & goat cheese salad. It is excellent. Great service and atmosphere. read more

A group of us went to Grass Rootes for dinner this past Saturday. One of us had a prior bad experience but was willing to give it another try. We were greeted, seated quickly and our drink order taken right away. After that, it all fell apart. Drinks were slow to come, wait staff seldom visited our table for refills or to check in on us, dinner plates came out at separate times. The owner, Andrew does walk the floor and visit the tables but blames his servers and staff for slow service...is this the sign of a good leader...absolutely not. Bottom line is that Grass Rootes falls short on providing an excellent dining experience, especially for the prices they are charging. Neither myself or anyone in our group will be going back. read more

While the atmosphere is great minus the owner running around yelling at staff, we went for lunch and over paid for the poor quality food. The "fried chicken" was burnt and seeping with oil. The Caesar salad tasted like strong anchovies. The Mediterranean appetizer was okay at best; the lamb was bland and over cooked. I do not recommend. read more

I liked the food, the service the design and style. I would give 4.5 the prices are a little higher than I expected.

My wife and I are new to Culpeper, and we have been trying restaurants in down town culpeper. We have been wanting to try this place for a few months but always got side tracked. However last night I was so excited to finally try this place. We ordered the calamari and it was simply amazing. Then came our main course, we had a party of six, Ribeye, Spaghetti x 2, bbq chicken and salmon. Here are my ratings spaghetti was ok, salmon was good, bbq chicken not so much. Now my steak I ordered it medium rare and it was well done so I was very disappointed. Now service was good, had to walk in twice to get refills though other than that it was good. There was one gentlemen I think was the owner came out and was very responsive to get us drinks. We spent about 175 after tip and all. I do not think it was worth it, nor do I think I will ever be back. I don't think this is normal though, based on other people's reviews, this was just my experience. You should try it out yourself. read more

I am 100% serious when I say I have never once had a bad experience so terrible to make me write a review. However, from beginning to end, my experience here was horrific. We were there from about 7:45 to 10 pm. To start, there was absolutely no indication of whether we were supposed to seat ourselves or not. After waiting about 15 minutes, who we later found to be the owner, walked by, grabbed my arm and told us to sit where ever and that someone would see us. 30+ minutes later, not one person had come to our table. One of our party went up to the bar, hoping to at least get water and some menus (and a beer?). She waited for 15 minutes with hardly a glance and definitely no notice from the staff. It was I want to add, very clear that the staff was simply not trained and understaffed. They were running around, looking like they were about to cry (I did actually see one poor girl being yelled at by the owner and crying out back). It was an absolute mess. After our party member came back, with zero success, I decided to try. I was greeted by an older woman behind the bar. She was clearly busy, so I just waited. While I waiting, I watched a man be brought the wrong food and proceed to say out loud "f*ck it" and eat the wrong meal. (I'm sure it was awful for the kitchen to have to remake a mans plate). After this I decided that the staff was simply too busy. I went back to my table and finally the "man" himself came and offered to take our drink orders. Still no menus, but grateful to be seen 45+ minutes later, we ordered drinks and waited. And waited. Finally two drinks came. Two of four. We waited. I'd say about 10 minutes and I went to the bar and tried to ask about my drink, but again I felt so bad for the staff I gave up. While we waited another 20 minutes - I finally got a few menus from a stressed but nice waitress- we were brought three different appetizers, none of which were ours, and still not seen to place an order. Finally, against my usual rules of restaurant edicate, I flagged down a waitress and squeezed out an order. To be honest, we had had enough at this point. We watched the owner our entire visit, walking around, joking and laughing, all the while his restaurant was falling apart and his poor staff looked to be in the same shape. When we finally got our food, I paid $9 for 3 regular sized meatballs and some sauce. All of the tables proteins were overcooked and tough. BUT THE FOOD WAS THE BEST PART! I'm not kidding, SOME the food and some nice decor are the positive things about this place. The owner is a sexist nut job and I heard him cursing (the F' word mostly!) and calling insults at both staff and customer alike. I urge you all, PLEASE do not support this place or this man. He treats everyone horribly and has no regards for others. He will be the downfall of this place. I feel very sorry for his staff and I sincerely hope they are able to soon move on to better jobs where they will be able to be trained properly and treated how a normal HUMAN BEING should be treated. Decent alcohol selection though. read more

Fabulous!! Ambience, service, food. Fried catfish vastly superior to any you've ever had! Superb.

We visited Grass Rootes two weeks ago. Granted they had only been open a short time, but there is definitely room for improvement. We got seated fairly quickly but many people who came in after us left because there was no hostess. We were disappointed in the attire of the waitresses considering the price of the entrées. In an upscale restaurant you expect servers to wear something other than short shorts and tank tops. Several of the waitresses walked around like they didn't know what to do while waiting for the orders to come out. When the orders did come out, they were taken to the wrong tables on several occasions. Getting our check at the end of the meal was also very difficult. We noticed several tables having to ask more than once for their checks! As far as the food, the goat cheese and spinach salad was very good! I would order that again. I also ordered soup and that was delicious. I think that more employee training is needed, concentrating on service and attire. The restaurant is lovely, the food is good, but bad service can kill a restaurant! read more

I am so happy that this building space is in use again. We stopped in one afternoon for lunch and shared two appetizer specials which were delicious and more than enough to eat! The service is very friendly and efficient and the decor eclectic. I can't wait to make a visit for dinner or try out one of the live music evenings! read more

My favorite restaurant in Culpeper. Great food, friendly servers and an adorable atmosphere. Try the spicy vegetable dumping super yummy.

Visited Culpeper for a wedding and we went to Grass Rootes on multiple occasions. Great spot. We were welcomed and treated like family. Good food and good drinks. Andrew knows what's up. Friendly staff too; they put up with our shenanigans surprisingly well. read more