Well... I finally found a rival to my favorite burger in VA! The Melt Gourmet Burger is the current champion and the burgers at Roots 657 comes really really close. The two are two different styles... so I could and gladly call them co-champions... I tend to love the clean burgers by always trying the burger plain without all the fancy fixins... like bacon, egg, onion straws, avocado etc. I get it just with onion, lettuce, tomato and some mayo, ketchup... this lets me know the quality of the meat and texture and density of the bread. It is a smash style patty and comes with 2 of them! These are the best fries in VA... they are like five guys fries but a lot more crisp and absolutely essential with your burger! Can't wait to try everything else on the menu! The ribs were just ok... but definitely will be back for the burger! read more

See all

A wonderful farm-to-table, organic cafe and market that is 10-15 minutes from Leesburg Prime Outlets. They also have a nice rotation of local beers on draft. The place was pretty packed for a Sunday, but they have plenty of seating indoors and outdoors including adjustable patio umbrellas. We tried the: 1.) Pulled Pork Sandwich on Jalapeño Cheddar Bun with Corn Pudding 2.) Cheeseburger with Mac 'n' Cheese Both, were amazingly good!!! From the buns to the quality of the meats, you could taste the freshness. We will definitely return, if we are in the Leesburg area. Give it a try, on your way back from one of LoCo's many wineries... read more

See all

3/5 December 2018. We stopped here for dinner one night when we were out near Leesburg. We saw the reviews and didn't realize it was quite as far out of town as it is. Overall it was fine, good even. I just felt it was a lot of packaging trendy ideas with just good food. Given the expectations it was a bit of a let down. Again, it wasn't bad. It was just fine. It was also fairly expensive. The whole, kind of a restaurant, kind of a gift shop vibe was odd. If you happen to be in the area it's a perfectly good stop. I just wouldn't say you definitely need to go out there. read more

The food here is delicious. I bring my wine tours here for lunch between wineries and everyone raves about the food and the place. Very flavorful. My groups often say they may have just passed by Roots if they drove by but are happy they were introduced to the cafe. You can taste the freshness and culinary expertise in every bite. The portions are large and heavy so you won't go away hungry - but maybe ready for a nap after the truly southern comfort food. I've had the pulled pork sandwich, two meat sandwich (which is smaller than expected but very filling), burger, and most recently the chicken Cobb salad to mix it up. The sides of Cole slaw and corn pudding are delicious too. I did notice the fries were different two. Different times I was there and I liked the first ones better the others seemed like plain Jane fries. My groups had the chocolate cake which is huge (4"x4") probably enough for 2-3 people and loved it. They kept commenting on the flavor and that while it looks rich it wasn't too sweet. read more

Roots 657 is a place I really wanted to love. We visited for the first time on a Sunday for lunch. The set-up is customer friendly. You stand in a fast moving line and place your order for food and drink, and pay. The beverages are handed to you. When the food is ready, they call your name and bring it to your table. We ordered a smoked turkey sandwich and a pulled pork sandwich. The pulled pork sandwich was excellent! It's served with coleslaw and on a Jalapeño-Cheddar toasted bun. The bun really added to it. The pulled pork was excellent on it's own but the bun made it outstanding. The smoked turkey sandwich was a little disappointing, at least for my tastes. It was a generous portion of thick cut white meat turkey. I believe it was smoked but the meat was dry and I could not detect any smoke flavor even though it had a very small line of pink in the meat to indicate smoking. Lot's of meat but would only recommend if you are a white meat fan... They had a good selection of wine and beer, but the beer we were interested in was out of stock, and the prices were a little high. If nothing else, come an try that awesome pulled pork sandwich! read more

See all

Not excited about this place. I will say that I didn't go for the brisket or any of their supposed specialties, but I did get a pretty well rounded taste of the menu otherwise and was not impressed. Do not bother with the impossible burger--just a $14 grease bomb. The turkey sandwich my partner got was fine. Fries were fine. The potato salad (weekend special) was the second best part of the meal, second to their BBQ sauce. The BBQ sauce was real good. We also got the mini cheesecake which boasted 'citrus flavors' but couldn't have been any more average with no citrus tang in sight. They forgot my fries and it took an extra long time to correct their mistake because of what looked like a shift change. No real urgency involved there which is tough when you're already hangry. I was even disappointed in their selection of local goods. The whole place feels a little lackluster and unexciting. All in all this place is way too expensive for what it is, which is literally just fine. read more

Over priced and underwhelming! Came for dinner at 6pm and they are out of three quarters of the menu. Why even open then? The place is run by teenagers. The menu boasts that the Culinary Director is a Certified Master Chef! Really? Not from what I ate.. total disappointment! read more

So- first of all, being from Texas and having extensive experience smoking my own briskets I was a little taken aback at the prices. $18 for a brisket sandwich and it better be an epic brisket sandwich. But we're in a bougy part of Virginia and I've got yearning for good BBQ. And meat is pricey right now. It was good. Real good. It's clear they use an electric smoker for the meat, and the meat isn't too moist but I'm thinking it's late in the evening and the meat has probably been warming all day. But it was big and tasty. Lots of brisket chunks. And the accompanying barbecue sauce is legit homemade and very good. They have a separate "spicy" bbq sauce which is not too spicy (sorry- Texas standards again) but tasty, although not too stiff and a little runny for a BBQ sandwich - but it's good mixed with the original house sauce. We had the marinated cole slaw (no mayo) and it was also very good. I also saw evidence of a steady pizza business so it's clear this place has a little "roadside stop/food fusion confusion" action happening but that's ok. I'd go back to it. My only complaint was the price- for $18 I'd expect hand smoked meat. But, Loudoun County, VA isn't exactly Midland, Texas. read more

Pork was good. Brisket was dry and bland. Max and cheese was cheesy. I wanted to try the chili but the hair on top didn't look appealing. Unfortunate. I'll give it try another day read more

Roots 657 - Chili with hair :( - American Near Me - Leesburg, Virginia

I've driven by this place multiple times and always wanted to stop but didn't have the opportunity. We finally got a chance to stop and try the food. The food is delicious! We have two picky kids and they ordered the burger/fries and a cheese pizza. After we ordered, you could see the kitchen staff flipping the pizza dough, very cool for the kids to see. The kids loved their food and even said it was the best cheese pizza they ever had (remember 2 picky kids- age 5 who gets upset if the sauce to cheese ratio isn't perfect). Husband and I got two burgers with a side of mac and cheese. The burgers were very good. Super juicy, meat tasted fresh and perfectly seasoned. The mac and cheese was AMAZING. While the food was delicious and we will go back at some point, it is pretty pricey. Expect to pay $20 a person and about $15 per kid. We expected to pay more as the ingredients were fresh, so just go with that in mind. Also there is a very cute patio to sit outside with a large grassy area kids can play in while they wait for food. While I give Roots 5 stars for the food, I haven't been able to rate the market. It was disappointing in that they had very little fresh foods for purchase in the market. They have some local beer/wine and other artisanal items but would have loved to take some fresh veggies or meat home to cook with. Hopefully next time we are there, they will have a better selection in the market. read more

This place is a local treasure. If you want crummy, cheap fast food, keep driving. Roots serves farm to table stuff. They have made a concerted effort to bring in locally grown produce and locally ranched or raised meats. The prices that they charge make sense for the things that are on offer. I came here for a business lunch. There were more than enough tables to keep our conversation largely to ourselves. I took one look at the menu and thought "Right, they _have_ salad, but uh, nawp." So I went the super healthy double meat sammich and mac and cheese route. I have no regrets. The portion sizes are ginormous. Quite a lot of sauce on the meat for my taste, but the fresh baked jalapeno bun made up for that. The mac and cheese was the actual cheese kind, not the powdered orange crime scene kind. Kudos to them for picking both nationally recognised brands that folks are comfy with AND really curating a whole bunch of local options. The result is a kind of miniature made in Virginia adventure for your mouth. The lunch / dinner counter aspect of the business would have been cool enough on its own to draw crowds. They just kept going, y'all. This establishment also serves as a local art market. There are original oil and acrylic paintings for sale. There are framed photos. You can purchase a piece that should be in a gallery as a last minute present. They. Just. Kept. Going. I got a little choked up when I saw the olde fashioned hard candy for sale. There is definitely a little corner of the building dedicated to an olde 5 and dime feel. They've got all kinds of licorice. They've got gummy whatevahs. Does it stop here? No way, more is more. This is also a rather nice wine and beer stop. Again, they have an admirable selection of local wines, meads, and beers. Then I spotted the New Zealand Cab. ORLLY?! I nearly bought it on principle. Comfier chairs would probably be a mistake since folks would camp out here forever, but they would be welcome. Don't pass this by. read more

Have been wanting to check this place out for some time and finally had the excuse since I was in Leesburg around lunchtime. Roots 657 is a very casual eatery (picnic tables both inside and out) with a market attached featuring locally (Virginia) made foods, chocolates, beer, wine and other goods. They're known locally for BBQ so naturally I had to give it a try. Let me just be clear up front, I developed my exacting standards for BBQ in Texas. This is NOT Texas BBQ (and it doesn't claim to be) that being said, they smoke a nice tender brisket. There's no discernible rub or spice to it, but it's got a nice smooth smoke flavor and a good bark with fall-apart tender juicy meat inside. You get to choose your own sauce and I opted to go without so I could get the full flavor of the meat. Very nice. You get to choose 2 sides as well, so I opted for the coleslaw (vinegar-based and tasty with a little zip, not creamy) and a side salad (to take home since I knew I'd never eat it all). Portions are large enough to be filling but not large enough for sharing. As predicted I worked my way through the brisket and slaw and ended up taking the salad home (nicely packaged in a plastic box, I had it for lunch today and it was still fresh and tasty and the dressing was great). Service is counter style carry away and you bus your own table. The servers were friendly and knowledgeable and they keep a notebook with photos and full ingredients lists for each dish in case you've got food allergies. I thought that was VERY impressive. The place is very clean, even the restrooms. The shop has lots of cool local products which would make great gifts and you could easily assemble the fixings of a meal to take home. There's a nice little selection of wine and beer and we had a stockist actually stop to talk to us about some of the products. Overall, the food is tasty and fresh but what sets this place apart is the attitude and enthusiasm of the employees. Awesome service! read more

See all

I stopped by here on my way home from the airport and unfortunately did not look in the bag until I got home. The sandwich had three small strips of brisket and the bread was soggy. The chili bowls were half filled, they did not put coleslaw on the sandwich or on the side as requested. I've stopped in on several occasions while passing through. I've never been amazed by this place, but it was nice to have BBQ after getting home from overseas. Unfortunately today they lost a customer, and it's primarily due to their response to my disappointment. I do understand things happen or maybe there was a disgruntled employee etc. When I got home I called to let them know that the order was botched. The manager or owner (not sure which) was very nice, but did very little to address my utter disappointment. She refunded the Mac and cheese which was almost more of a slap in the face than flat out denying a refund. If you're regular and they know you maybe they serve decent portions. If you're new and want to try this place, ask to see the serving portions prior to ordering. If you're ordering to-go don't even leave the premises until you've checked your order. It's a shame when places like this don't take more pride in their product or their service. The picture speaks for itself. This was fresh out of the bag. read more

Roots 657 - 3 small strips of brisket, 1/2 full/empty cups of chili. Not pictured was a small mac and cheese. - American Near Me - Leesburg, Virginia

Good adventure out to NoVA and Roots 657 had a very nice salad and lunch. Food was very flavorful and sat on the patio enjoying the breeze.

Very good BBQ and sides! Is a country store atmosphere and they have local made jellies and lots of other food items for sale. Staff was very polite and customer service oriented; enjoyed my visit here and will return. read more

Roots 657 is a mix of Americana, barn and exceptional food. Add to that a really fun store, and you have a dining experience! Overall the food was good (we were early for lunch - how do I know we were early, as we were eating the line actually became a line)! 1. Food was fantastic. Their Chili was good! 2. Fries - hand cut, really nice! 3. My wife had the crab soup (it was gone in about 10 seconds!) and a BLT. The bacon (ok yes I stole a piece) was awesome! Burgers looked fantastic (my daughter and future son-in-law had a burger each!) The inside is very informal and was perfect for our family meeting! Oh and the store is really cool, they feature local wines! After all they are located in the Wine Country of Northern Virginia! read more

ROOTS 657 is an eat-in and take-out cafe and market owned by Chef Rich Rosendale, located in Leesburg. There is also supposedly a greenhouse next to it! When you step inside, you can find local artisan items, such as wares, decor, and accessories, along with gourmet specialty items, such as honey, preserves, and hot sauces. After you purchase some gifts for family and friends or for yourself, you can head on over to their cafe where they have house-made soups, salads, sandwiches, and baked goods. While driving back, the hubs and I stopped by to check this place out. After some great perusing action, I ordered: a ROOTS Cheeseburger (two hand-pressed Roseda beef patties with American cheese, a perfectly-fried egg, thick slices of bacon, lettuce, sliced tomato, sliced onions, and pickles, all in a toasted potato bun (the first time I ordered this, the burger was absolutely DELICIOUS, being super juicy, and the patties themselves being seasoned and so flavorful! All the ingredients were very fresh, crisp, crunchy, and yummy!; however, the next time has been extremely underwhelming, where the patties were not formed well, not seasoned, and the ingredients all being haphazardly piled upon with some missing condiments to boot T___T), and a side of Mac and Cheese (this was pretty good, with a slight hint of smokiness). To wash it all down, I had the housemade sweet tea and lemonade mix - the lemonade had a nice tartness to it, and the sweet tea had a nice hint of mint; a combination of both was pretty refreshing. Staff was friendly, and they allow you to roam and look around at your leisure, and there are a good number of tables and chairs set-up for you to dine-in as well. I'd also love to check out their greenhouse next time! There are also cooking classes you can sign up with with the Chef - just get on their mailing list or check out their social media. Great local spot for great food, check them out! +refreshing seasonal drinks +artisan-created and -crafted gifts and specialty items +free parking in lot read more

See all

I rarely write negative reviews. Food- so so and way over priced. Turkey sandwich was dry, plain and $19.99 with literally two Tablespoons of cold slaw as the side. We ordered a side of Mac and cheese for $5 and asked the size. She showed us the cup but to our dismay when it arrived it was half full. We questioned the guy and he said that's the size- one scoop. Service - took 20 minutes. Ambience- cute little store. We tried it here twice and will not be coming back. read more

I was searching for a place to have dinner on Yelp when I came across Roots 657 on 12/7/18. Although the food was a little on the pricey side it tasted fresh. The majority of the items on the menu are on the healthier side. My veggie burger did not taste like it came out of a freezer. I also enjoyed my corn pudding. However, I found the portions for the price disappointing. The ambiance of Roots 657 is also a little confusing to me. A quarter of the location sells merchandise you might find at a tourist trap, another quarter sells convenience store items like milk and half of the other store is a café with seating. It felt like every part of Roots 657 was trying to take your money. I am not going to rate them lower on ambiance because I am may be on an island with this. The location of Roots 657 is somewhat isolated and maybe there is a need for neighbors to grab things from the mini grocery store. In a nutshell, it will satisfy your needs for a healthy lunch or dinner when in the area. read more

Roots 657 - American Near Me - Leesburg, Virginia

Great food, service and clean establishment. Plenty of parking and easy access. Indoor or outdoor seat was a plus on a nice day and close to multiple vineyards and breweries. read more

We go for a drive just to have lunch here when we want authentic BBQ. We had the pulled pork- mac n cheese and corn pudding and it was absolutely delish. You can eat outside on the patio and take in the open field view. The hometown view is as genuine as its name and the food they serve. Kind of perfect if you ask me- Also inside is local honey, hot sauces, and other fun items for sale. read more

Came here after the Winery today with my husband. 1. I got the turkey sandwich and side salad . Sandwich was smoked & full of flavor...I could take the smoke after every bite. 2. Hubby got the pulled pork. He said good smoke flavor & BBQ sauce added just the right about of tang . He got the corn pudding which was was delicious. We enjoyed our meal and would return again if we are in the area. read more

Great place to stop and get a bite to eat. A big and tasty bite in a lovely ambiance and setting! Very friendly service as well!

This place is the real deal for great "roadhouse food". Really great roadhouse food! The cheese burger is delicious. The pulled pork bbq is delicious. The cornbread pudding may precipitate crime if they run out. The side dishes are at the same level of quality as the main dishes are, so wonderful! Local beer, interesting hot sauces and kitchen things are for sale, the decoration is perfect for the place ....and of course the food: Tastes great, prepared very well and fresh ingredients all around! read more

One of the best restaurants in Loudoun. No doubt about it. I've visited countless times over the past 3 years and I've never had any bad food. Never even had a so-so experience here! Some of my and my family's favorites: -smoked chicken wings - so big and meaty and the taste is always amazing. Plus you get a side! I think I now liked smoked wings more than fried because of these bad boys. -smoked turkey sandwich with slaw - even if you aren't a coleslaw fan, at least get the slaw on the side so you can try it ON this sandwich. The smoked turkey is always moist and juicy. The slaw is some of the best I've ever had and I'm not a slaw fan. -burgers - any of them! I've never had a bad burger from here. The meat isn't any of that pre-pattied SYSCO meat either. -the Maryland corn and crab soup is *chefs kiss* read more

Very expensive but the food isn't as good as I would expect. For some reason I didn't get the corn muffin or whatever bread that was that they included with the dish in my Maryland soup. So I wasn't happy about that. read more

Stumbled upon this place on the way to our AirB&B and was glad we did. Quirky little farmers market with awesome food selection. Had the Maryland Crab soup and it was most excellent! Also split the brisket sandwich and Mac and Cheese. All good, may try to stop on the way home. read more

Roots 657 - American Near Me - Leesburg, Virginia

So cute! Half culinary store, half bbq joint. Plenty of seating. Everything we ordered was delicious. We got a brisket sandwich and a smoked turkey sandwich with corn pudding and Mac and cheese. The brisket is sweet and tender and moist with a vinegar slaw. And the house bbq sauce is so good - I tasted brown sugar. The smoked turkey is sliced thick and is so juicy. It comes with a mayo slaw and pickles on a sweet and soft potato roll. Awesome. The corn pudding and Mac were perfect. Everything was just so dang good! read more

See all

Disappointed that i have to write this review. We have been here a few times and we always try something different. Went on a Saturday morning and it definitely feels like the atmosphere, food and service are declining. The chili was watered down and had very little meat or substance to it. For 6.75, it was truly a poor serving. The staff barely looked up or spoke to us. The fries were over cooked and about 1/2 our order was made up of bits and pieces of overcooked fries. I felt like i was getting the bottom of the basket. I have a picture but unlikely anyone will care. The ham and cheese sandwich was good but with combined with the stale service and other poor food provided, its not enough to make me say it was a good experience. The owner is a smart man who is obviously a culinary master but it would appear that he is over extending himself and the folks left to oversee the operation might not care as much as he does. read more

Such a cute place with so many interesting items to browse in their shop! Also has some great food.

Roots used to be good... we used to always get the brisket sandwich and it was perfect with freshly cut fries. The price tag used to be around $13 or $14 dollars, but now it's close to $17 or $18 which is a bit outrageous for a sandwich. If you're going to up the prices (I get the pandemic took a huge toll on the restaurant industry) at least keep the quality or make it better. Sadly the last few times the brisket has been super dry and they serve generic fast food type fries similar to Wendy's. So this time I decided to try the BLT since I've heard good thing about it. For $13.95 I got the wimpiest BLT as pictured. Please bring back your quality ingredients! read more

Roots 657 - The saddest, most expensive BLT I've ever had. - American Near Me - Leesburg, Virginia

Went their a couple of times. Food is good have not had a bad meal yet. Little expensive but not over the top.

Stopped in while traffic was (also) stopped. Roots 657 was quiet on a Thursday night. I'm a brisket person, and based on the reviews I HAD to order a sandwich (and a bowl of Crab and Corn Soup - hey, I'm also a Maryland boy). Service was good and quick. Soup was not what I was hoping for; a bland, watery bowl of tomatos added at serving time. Corn appears to be dried, not fresh - interesting flavor, but not Maryland Crab soup. Sandwich was nice. Brisket was chopped (I will ask for slices next time), piled (mounded!) on a cheddar jalapeño roll, covered with vinegary (not creamy) slaw. Beef had nice bark, nice flavor, but was not super tender. Slaw was not what I wanted on sandwich (will remember for next time), but it was nice on the side after I pulled it off. I will order this again, and will probably update (and uprate) this review. Roots 657 is a nice addition to the area (far, far better than the pop up stand next door, and I'm guessing as good as the Voltaggio dealie nearby). Stop in and try! read more

Ok I am an advocate for local business. However, to be very honest, Roots is not good. I'm not exactly sure where the nearly five star rating came from. I suspect drunk city folk who came out this way strictly for breweries or wineries, are half in the bag and think the food is gods gift to this green earth. I have now been in Roots numerous times and waited to review it. The food takes forever (over 15 minutes) to come out. The food is always cold or luke warm at best and for some odd reason every time my husband and I come in some bigger group that came in after us gets their food first. Last but certainly not least. My husband and and I have had six or more menu items and the best thing I can compare it to is college cafeteria food. Roots ownership - for 18+ dollars for a sandwich and 7+ after tax for chips and canned queso cheese... as ag/wine tourism grows you will need to seriously reconsider what you serve and how much it costs. Do better. Love, Your western loudoun neighbor. read more

Nice place to stop directly off of 15 in Leesburg. Clean and spacious with a great little shop full of local fare. The three of us had a meal and a pit stop on our journey back home to PA. I felt it was a little pricey but definitely had that fresh, farm to table taste which was enjoyable. read more

Heard a lot about this place, supposedly good for BBQ and farm to table, so we drove about 30 miles to check it out. Waste of gas, time, and money. We arrived at about 6:30 on a Saturday evening and learned that they were out of brisket, pork, and turkey. Oh, no chili or tomato soup, either. We settled for grilled ham and cheese. I've made better game and cheese at home. The place was noisy and the staff were grumpy. Price tag for two bowls of more expensive crab soup and three ham and cheese and three drinks: $54. Lots of other options nearby, don't waste your money here. read more

My family stopped here on the way home from Charlottesville, Va. We had the pulled-pork sandwich with a side salad, the mixed pulled-pork and brisket sandwich with macaroni and cheese, and the kid's chicken tenders with fries. The sandwiches came on jalapeño cheese rolls that added just the right amount of zing to the sandwiches. The side salad was fresh and came with a nice balsamic vinaigrette. The Mac-n-cheese was baked, homemade style with good cheese. The fries were crisp and the chicken tenders were hand breaded and not frozen. Each meal was delicious and different enough from what you'll get elsewhere to make this a definite stop-again. The country store has many nice items, including local Virginia wines. read more

Roots 657 - Photo of the owner. I believe he was on the patio tonight. If so, his hair is a bit lighter now ;-) - American Near Me - Leesburg, Virginia

Nice service, the people were friendly, and the food was good. Ate outside with view of the fields.

A friend of mine lives in the area and on the way I forgot a few things. Luckily this cute market/restaurant was there on the way! Located on the corner Roots 657 has a little market with various drinks, charcuterie and cheeses The restaurant is clean, the staff is courteous and I am glad that this place is there. I know they have a lot of business with the wineries in the area. I ordered a brisket sandwich that came with a side salad. The salad was cold and refreshing after a hot day. The sandwich was made with a jalapeño cheese bread that was so very tasty. My only wish was that there was some sort of BBQ sauce or something to make the sandwich less dry read more

Food was damn good! Price was a little high but overall I would eat there again. Pulled pork