Each time I go to roots I always get the El Jefe I encourage everyone to try if you like chicken! Love this place very quick and lots of options. read more

Good food, good quality, and huge portions! It does get busy during lunch time but the line moves fast. It was one of my go to spots during college! read more

Fantastic additional Corner and Charlottesville dining option. I had the Mad Bowl, which is brown rice (although they were out tonight so Roots rice was substituted), mushrooms, white beans, spinach, cucumbers, onions, grape tomatoes and shaved Parmesan. When I first took off the lid, I thought there was no way I'd come close to finishing the generous portion and even considered that my husband and I should have split one bowl, but I devoured nearly the entire bowl myself. Very filling and fresh. (My husband had El Jefe, which looked delicious and seemed to be popular among other diners.) There was quite a dinner rush tonight and the staff seemed a bit overwhelmed, but remained friendly and efficient. read more

This spot is a hit! Quality, delicious, and oh so healthy lunch and dinner options. I am addicted to the "el Jefe" which is made of your choice of brown or white rice, chicken, kale, roasted corn, avocado, feta cheese, black beans, purple onions, and I like to add toasted almonds. A cilantro lime dressing sets this yummy salad off. read more

I just visited Charlottesville but I'd like to eat here everyday!! It's a MUST TRY!! Everything was perfect! Friendly and cool staff!

I want to eat here every day, all day. Best "bowl" food I've had since moving from California and the vegetarian/vegan options are endless, which is always a convenient plus!!! I was steered towards ordering El Jefe and am SO glad I listened! The flavors were just the right combination and the range of colors was beautiful. Roots has such healthy and fun food and I would recommend this eatery to carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores alike!!! Easy five stars. read more

Mine was so good I forgot to take a picture. I had the hefe... basically a southwest bowl. My boyfriend raves about this place, and it was that good. They have premade salad bowls, or you can make your own. The ingredients were fresh and flavorful. We will return! read more

I'm a regular here and love the variety. They are a very impressive company for the fact they were started by UVA alum. My favorite is the Mayweather. I replace chicken for tofu as I liked the way their cooked. read more

My husband picked a few bowls up on his way back to Richmond. I had the Greek bowl and it was SO GOOD. a nice light, healthy dinner full of nutrients and flavor! I wish there was one in Richmond! I would be a loyal customer! read more

Roots is the perfect medley of trendy health food and casual atmosphere. Ingredients are delicious and fresh, and service is friendly and spot-on. Most bowls have a base of kale or brown rice, with add-one such as sweet potatoes, avocado, boiled eggs, beets, chicken/tofu. Only beverage option is water. Simple upstairs dining area will fill up quickly, but is perfect for the quick turnover. During lunch hour, the line will be out the door, but your wait in line won't be as bad as it looks. Started by a UVA student, this business is smart and caters to both the local college-age kids and business class, making it a clean, well-run establishment. One of my personal favorites in Charlottesville, and my most frequent stop on The Corner. read more

Welcome to salad heaven, you have just entered the ninth ring of lettuce angels, prepare thyself for health (God). Absolutely spectacular considering it's basically a salad restaurant. What a novel idea. You can have a menu style salad with set ingredients, or go FORKING NUTS and make your own with whatever you want. It's like a Mellow Mushroom salad but half the price, and since we Americans are always talking about money and prices, be a true American and save some money at Roots, today. read more

Fast, healthy, delicious, customizable. The line has gotten long since the students are back but it's worth the wait. I couldn't be happier that this is here! read more

Very similar to Sweetgreen but not as good. The ingredients are fresh, the service is quick and it's a good place to get a sizable salad.

Thank goodness we finally have a healthy/salad spot in cville. Looking forward to returning over the summer.

Just came in at the end of a run. El Jefe hit the spot perfectly. Can't wait to try more next time I'm out this way. Price is right too.

Yes, it's worth every penny. And lives up to the rating. We arrived at 1145 on Monday. Roots is on the corner across from the hospital. There was a line of about 15 people. But somehow, we were ordering after about 4 minutes....I wasn't ready! They have their bowls but you can order from scratch too. We ordered 2 bowls but we could have split one and shared. Emma ordered the Apollo with chicken. I ordered a build your own bowl. Total ordering time to pay was maybe 3 minutes? So efficient. You can buy water or their homemade green drinks. You can also get water for free from a very nice dispenser. There is searing upstairs for maybe 20-25? With water and hot sauce up there as well. I think if I was a local, I would be a NORM here. Definitely a great place for quick and healthy. Such a great idea and very good execution. The line at 1230 when we left was snaking up the stairs. I have no doubt that it moved quickly! read more

Roots Natural Kitchen - Line up the stairs. - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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Roots is a great place to stop in for a quick, healthy bite (unless you hit the crazy line at peak hours- come at 11:40 or 4:40 for lunch/dinner to miss the rush). They're very accommodating when it comes to customizing your bowls with whatever you want and the staff is friendly. As an aside, we wish their nutrition information was available to the public. --Tim and Sarah read more

The hype is real, getting in here part of the first problem but after you get here the food is delicious it's the freshest salad on all the corner which I think was their point you can customize it and the menu is a little daunting just give yourself a minute while you're standing in line to figure out how to order read more

Big fan of the 'El Jefe' bowl which had chicken, rice, kale, black beans, corn, avocado and feta- so yummy! Reminded me of an in between version of a Sweetgreen and Chipotle. Also love that the portion size is pretty large- so you really get your bang for your buck! :) read more

Can't wait to come back! Got the el jefe based on a suggestion from a friend. Love the fresh citrus-y spicy taste with cilantro and avocado. So fresh and delicious. A tad bit pricey but you definitely are paying for the high quality product which I don't mind. Reminded me of sweet green and cava but better. I wish there was one of these near me in northern va. Healthy food that I actually crave and will definitely get the next time I'm in Charlottesville! read more

Everything tastes fresh, because it is. Large portions--could have split our orders and walked away satisfied.

I've been searching for something that's refreshing and tasty. Roots is the place. I had the el jefe and it was super yummy. The bowl was $9 and some change. It was differently worth it! read more

Love Roots! Go there frequently for lunch! Definitely a good amount of food for a reasonable price! I used to like to go to Qdoba but feel this is the healthier option! I usually get the El Jefe and love it! The chicken is okay, sometimes find fatty pieces. But the flavors are amazing! I always say I want to try another bowl but end up getting the El Jefe every time! read more

Amazing food you can feel good about eating!! Everything was phenomenal!! Everything tasted fresh and well seasoned, not overly salty like most restaurants! Large portions and very reasonable pricing! read more

Interviewed at UVA school of medicine and came here for a quick bite after. I had the roots bowl with kale as base instead of the rice and BBQ tofu for extra. Hands down the bestest salad I've had in years. Everything was on point in terms of freshness and flavor. Lemon tahini dressing was just right, and the sweet potatoes were amazing. Got accepted but more importantly really looking forward to coming back here a lot more!!! read more

A great salad. I wish they had a habanero sauce but otherwise you really can't say anything. The seating area is a bit stiff. But the food is excellent. Subbing out the rice for kale in the el Jeff's makes for a slightly less carb meal. read more

Delicious "healthy" food. The only negative is that it's quite popular now and lines can get crazy. Other than that it's awesome. Staff are very friendly. read more

Fresh food - but the combinations were not to my - or my mom's liking. It is a college kids healthy meal choice in a college town - so if those are your expectations, this may be your place. read more

I am not usually a "salad person", mostly that often means a pile of lettuce and a few tomato slices. This is certainly not the case at Roots! The salads are huge, filling, and they do not skimp on the toppings. My sister took me here when I was visiting UVA. It was a beautiful, short walk and a very short wait. The line was long but it went quickly, even at peak lunch time. I would recommend any salad with their roasted sweet potato wedges - absolutely delicious! read more

This initially looked skeptical but it tasted good! I always wanted to try it and I'm glad I did!

Traveling through and wanted a great farm to table. Wow. Yelp did it again. This place is awesome. Quality of food. Tastes. And service are all great. read more

I wish I could eat here every day of the week. My favorite salad is the adobo ceaser with sirracha, so delicious...sometimes I add avocado, sometimes I don't. I think it's an extra 30 cents, so not expensive. I'd say it's about $8 for a hugeeeeee salad that keeps me full for a long amount of time. You get your money's worth, no wonder why the line is ALWAYS out the door, but the people working there are so nice and efficient that you'll have a wait of 10-12 mins tops until you get the salad. read more

OBSESSED. I go out of my way during every trip to make it to Roots. It has the perfect amount of everything in each bowl. They have mastered their bowls and it is BETTER than any chipotle creation you can come up with. I love roots and I hope to see them expand in the future (maybe somewhere near DC). Highly recommend the El Jefe if you are trying this place for the first time. The quality of their food is just incomparable, and the service is fast and efficient. read more

I just love roots! I come all the way from Richmond, VA to eat here! They're very clean and healthy! Great customer service and great quality of food! Keep up the good work! read more

Lived up to the hype. I had the pesto Caesar salad and it was fresh, unique and packed with layers of flavor and texture. I will be back. read more

Roots Natural Kitchen - Pesto Caesar. I'll be back for this. - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

this is such a cute salad place to go for lunch. don't be discouraged if there's a line out the door it moves quite fast so you probably won't end up waiting for more than 10/15 mins. also don't expect a dainty salad they're HUGE and super filling so come hungry! I love how u can easily build your own or add on to the signature bowls/salads if you're lacking creativity, and they compost and promote sustainability so that's a major plus :) read more

The worker forgot to put pita chips, feta cheese, red onion, beans, kale/ lettuce of any sort, avocado, tobacco/ lime, and dressing on my el jefe i just got, aka I'm eating a bowl of rice and corn right now. Roots is great if they make the bowl right, but too many times they free hand it and you spend $12 on rice. read more

This would have received a 5 star rating but you can never get here when there is no line. The bowls are big enough that they can be 2 meals for some people. The salads they have to choose from are great and if you don't find any of those that you like, you can create your own. Awesome place to get food! read more

The mayweather with tofu and ginger dressing is the best. Super quick service and delicious healthy ingredients!

Come here all the time. Love love love it. Never really had a complaint until today when one of the employees was clearly making a staff meal and shorted the chicken on my salad and then reached behind and put fresh chicken on his. Also, talk of wearing a darker colored shirt next shift because of all the "back and boob sweat" showing through your shirt is not the most graceful language coming out of an open kitchen. read more