Looks nice inside, but that's about it. They don't have an espresso machine, so only drip coffee in here. The food is not good. I had the first item on the breakfast menu. The oil they use gives food weird taste. Oh and the booth seat is broken. read more

Roots Restaurant - New American Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Came for breakfast. The place is very upscale and classy. Since we weren't patrons of the hotel, we had to kind of prepay for the food which I thought was weird but I understand giving the amount of homelessness in the area. Fresh fruit and fresh juice was served with breakfast. The fruit and juice were both very good. My wife ordered The American breakfast which was a couple scrambled eggs with bacon and an English muffin. She enjoyed it. I ordered the eggs Benedict. The eggs were poached nicely and the apple and chicken sausage was tasty. The hollandaise sauce was very good and creamy. The coffee was very strong and muddy as if it were the bottom of the pot. Waitress forgot milk/cream u til we reminded her. The food was good but for the price, smaller portions but very expensive. $50 for breakfast seemed rather steep to me. And I'm not afraid to spend money. read more

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Unilaterally not worth the price. Over $20 for breakfast which amounted to runny scrambled eggs and poor service. My heart goes out to the waitress, who staffs a room that looks like it seats fifty people, alone. She is the cashier, the waitress, and she busses the tables. So, if you were hoping for a refill on your drink, forget it. I was seated in a row of tables, three of which no longer had anyone at them and they needed to be bussed. Also, there is a language barrier issue. Since the restaurant only serves breakfast, as long as you stick to ordering one of the ten available selections, there's no issue. But, if you want the check split or combined, you'll have a problem. With breakfast selections widely available elsewhere, and for cheaper, this place is a definite skip. read more

Roots Restaurant - Vegetarian breakfast. $20. - New American Near Me - San Francisco, California

Got a great deal for 30% off the bill w/ no printout coupons needed if you reserve through Savored! Good location as it's near Union, close to shopping, most people's offices. It was weird eating dinner there on Friday as the restaurant was COMPLETELY empty. But whatever, we had a good meal at a good price. And although the server said they were closing shop at 9pm, he stayed on and served us long afterwards. * Wild Arugula Salad (Chioggia Beets, Baby Artichokes & Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette - $11) - 3.5 stars Had a little taste. Just enough of the tangy dressing, well balanced. My friend who ordered this loved it. I think it could have used more components to have a greater variety of textures and flavors * Orchard Kobe Burger (Havarti Cheese, Spicy Aioli, House Made Pickles & Fries - $15) - 4 stars The patty was fantastic. I said medium rare, on the rare side, and I got exactly that. It was juicy and tender, and the melted cheese on top was fantastic. The only downside is the bun, which was really quite dry. Fries were thin, and they were pretty good. * Organic English Pea Risotto (Roasted Beets, Fennel & Parmigiano-Reggiano - $19) - 3 stars The risotto had a great creamy texture and wonderful flavor. The beets were just awkward because there were about 5 GIANT chunks surrounding the risotto. It could have been chopped smaller and actually cooked into the risotto so we didn't have to break off chunks with our forks and manually add some to each bite. * Pizza of the Day (Artichoke & sausage - $12) - 2 stars This didn't stand out much. The crust seemed too hard and stale, and there wasn't enough tomato sauce so there wasn't something to counter the cheese & other toppings. read more

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Had an early dinner with my girlfriend. The place was completely empty when we got in around 5-6 pm. The restaurant is in the lobby of a hotel. Service was good despite being understaffed. We were allowed to substitute wine with mixed drinks, which was nice since we're not much of wine drinkers. And they were kind enough to let us substitute the cheese plate with desserts. Food was delicious. We shared a salad, five spice short ribs, the salmon, and the chocolate dessert. And on the house, they gave us a couple slices of bread topped with what I believe was liver. TravelZoo Voucher made this experience worthwhile. If it weren't for the voucher, this would have been quite an expensive meal, albeit, satisfying. read more

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Came here Saturday for my friend's bday. We had a great time! Great food great service great wine! We had a really good time. The sous-chef is my good friend's lil bro so we had some nice 'surprises'. Crab mac n cheese would have to be my favorite! The crabcakes were really good! Nice, lump crab meat. We had a bottle of Ventana Sauvignon Blanc, it was yummers. They gave us free birthday shots, it was XO Patron coffee liquer, Godiva liquer and chambord & frangelico. The service was really wonderful, everyone was so friendly and knowledgeable, especially the bartender, she definitely knew her stuff! We started with the crab cakes, then salad, truffle fries were yummy too. For entree we had crab mac n cheese, lingcod, and hangar steak. Can't wait to come back =D read more

This is a small restaurant in the Orchard Hotel. We had the flat iron steak, one serving with hand cut French fries & the other with Swiss chard. Everything was absolutely delicious. The service and ambiance was perfect. This is a great place. read more

Roots Restaurant - Flat iron steak with Swiss chard. - New American Near Me - San Francisco, California

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This review is for their breakfast options. I stayed at the hotel and had breakfast here two times. Service was fairly quick and attentive. The five stars is for their consistently delicious food: 1. Scrambled eggs cooked perfectly. It's actually difficult to cook scrambled eggs so that they have that melt-in-your-mouth fluffy texture. Well, this place did it twice! 2. The potatoes were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Great seasonings, too. 3. Hot coffee! The price is higher than what you would expect for breakfast, but I don't care. It was delicious, convenient (since I stayed at the hotel), and a great start to my day. read more

Somewhat pricey but that's what you get for being "green." Cool factor: the entire place is composed of sustainable products. Delicious food, decent wine selection, and surprising good drinks. read more

I definitely won't call this place cheap.....but their happy hour has free appetizers from 4-7 w/ the purchase of a mixed cocktail or a glass of wine. I have some time to kill (in between a co-worker's art opening and a Yelp event at the Exit Theater) so I decide to take the bait. of free appetizers. First thing that I notice is the place is real clean and the fountian in the front is cool. Well lit establishment and airy. The bartenders are friendly and will make small talk. The cocktails are $12 each, but they are pretty strong. I mean, I was buzzed from the glasses of wine at the art opening....but the cocktail was a good finisher. I ordered the french fries w/ garlic, parmesean and truffle butter. I expected a small bowl of foofy fries....and out comes a real good bowl of substatial spuds! Yes they were good! My suggestion would be to have maybe 2-3 people and have a cocktail each and order different apetizers and share it family style..... $12 for a dinner at that nice of an establishment isn't bad at all. read more

I went here for a festive work lunch. The atmosphere is lovely -- light, airy, and elegant. Our server was friendly yet casual. The menu was well-written, as everything looked delicious! There was a nice selection of creative salads, sandwiches, and entrees. People definitely enjoyed their meals, and I enjoyed knowing that I was eating "green." I have to ding them a star for slooooooooooow pacing. When you're paying top-dollar for a lunch *and* you're the only people in the restaurant, it shouldn't take that long between courses. (This would probably be less of an issue if it was a meal with friends and/or drinks were involved.) Still, I will keep Roots in mind for future upscale lunch opportunities. Or maybe even dinner. read more

Delicious. I recommend the Dungeness crab mac and cheese and the flatiron steak sandwich, medium rare. The downside? Slow. JONASAPPROVED! read more

The spartan decor is cool, food is above avg, but the sneaky way they charge you for the advanced tip(and don't tell you or show you on the charge slip) and don't volunteer this information misleads you to think you have to add the tip. What a scheme! One ends up with a huge(double) tip. We noticed it after asking for the full accounting slip and then removed the added tip on the one they try to hide. The Estonian lady who served us, accepted our money kept a straight face and it was apparent she was caught red-handed. I guess the Eastern Republic brings there sense of "fraud" and "how to cheat your customer" to America. Welcome to the U.S. we appreciate you bringing your Russian(Eastern Block) mentality with you. Oh, only four people in restaurant. The chef asked us, as the Estonian server, how we liked the food often. Very little to do I guess. The salmon was not done(Estonian server had a rationalization for this too). Given so few people in the restaurant and my guess that others who are good at asking for the full accounting of charges will and have recognized the attempted scheme and will not set foot inside this restaurant again. read more

Meh. Meeeeeeeeeehhhhh. I actually had high expectations for Roots. I thought people were just being snooty and giving them a 3 star rating because, well, it makes you feel cool to judge. I was wrong. For me this was actually a 2.5 star restaurant... AHAHAH IM SNOOTIER THAN THE REST OF YOU. but because i liked the server/bartender (the only server they have on a Thursday night), I'll bump em up half a star. The ambience is underwhelming. And when I say underwhelming I mean plain. and when i say i mean plain, I mean bland. I felt like I was in the lobby of a very average hotel, rather than a nice restaurant. They have to work on giving the restaurant it's own feel. Though Roots had a few cool pieces, (the decor behind the bar was nice) taking everything into account, this is people just happen to stop by tto eat at, not a place people would plan to go too at these prices. That being said I had the $50 restaurant.com coupon, meaning we'd have to at least spend $100 dollares to make it worthwhile. I thought we were going to be able to eat a FEAST, or at least be very full. That did not happen to be the case. We started off with a drink... which was well made (sorry don't remember.) Followed that up with the soup. It was some sort of mushroom vegan soup which I thought was decent. I'd give it a B. Now for the entrees (3 of which we split): dungeness crab mac & Cheese: This was the winner in my book. I thought it was pretty good. I am a mac & cheese lover, and when you cook it just right with the edges all crispy, you got yourself a winner. I'd give the mac & cheese.. Grade: A. scallops : eek, aah, why. why did you ruin scallops. Poorly cooked little things. Not only did they kill you, but they decided to cook you as if you were a second rate dish, but still charge first rate prices. Poor little things. I didnt enjoy this dish very much at all, flavor or texture. BOO for you. Grade : C- flat iron steak - eh. i think i'd have trouble judging flat iron steak anywhere. frankly it was decent. but Flat Iron is such a cheap cut of meat. There was just absolutely nothing special about it. It's mediocrity did not warrant a near $30 pricemark. Grade: B- Dessert : Chocolatini: decent pear mousse: have you ever licked a pear and eaten a cupful of whipped cream before? that's pretty much what this pear mousse is. the pear flavor was so delicate as to almost not being present. Grade: D+ i liked the waiter though... so i'll be nice read more

So I'm hesitant to review this restaurant. I love the food here. I love the free appetizer with each drink you order. (That's right, order 3 drinks get 3 appetizers!) And they're really good appetizers - beef carpaccio, truffle-parmesan fries, etc. I love the people who work here. And I especially LOVE the roof top deck that nobody uses. There's no service up there, but you can buy a bottle of wine and bring it up with you. It's brilliant at night with all of the city lights. So, the reason for my hesitancy? I don't want you to go there. I want to keep this one all to myself. But I really like the folks who run this place and want them to do well. So there, I'll throw myself under the bus. Good thing my reviews aren't witty enough for the "review of the day," because then you'll all show up. read more

Who knew? Fresh ingredients, knowledgeable service, tasty food... in a hotel lobby restaurant. Tucked away in the new Orchard Garden Hotel, Roots offers a well executed dining experience that's green all over. (Well, except for the totally monochrome decor.) The cheese plate we ordered was an excellent value, and the risotto entree was delicious. The scallop ceviche, while flavorful, didn't quite live up. As much as I did enjoy my meal at Roots, the way the place is set up made it hard for me to ignore that I was basically eating dinner in a lobby. Try to get seats not by the relatively unshielded walkway and obtrusive fluorescent lighting... surprising that more wasn't done to separate what's a cozy dining area from hotel guests walking to and from the elevator. read more

Good spot for lunch! Not sure why the place was empty but lucky for us I guess, b/c we got a table right away. Portobello-Goat Cheese sandwich was extremely flavorful & the fries were garlicky w/ just the right amount of Parmesan. Other menu items seemed way too tempting & a definite must have for next time - like the Wild Mushroom Risotto! Excellent presentation & decor......will definitely go back! read more

Never heard about the place until I went there for lunch - it's located at the new environmental-friendly hotel, Orchard Garden Hotel. THE GOOD | The food was good and prices were reasonable. The theme is that most stuff here is all-organic which is nice. Ideal for a business lunch setting since it's relatively quiet - but then again, we met at 11AM THE BAD | Roots seems like a misnomer. I was recommended the place because I had a preference for salads, but ended up ordering a sandwich and fries (garlic fries with truffle oil = YUM!) and my colleague ordered a hamburger since their selection of greens was rather limited. The setting seems a bit off - the restaurant is an open-space area so upon entering, it wasn't clear where the restaurant was. At the same time, we arrived when a tour of the hotel was taking place right in the middle of restaurant to show the eco-friendly features of the hotel. Overall, I didn't hate the place but it wasn't as memorable as I would have liked it to be. I'd go back out of convenience but wouldn't make too much of an effort on my own. read more

Fortunately, we had a restaurant.com gift certificate for this restaurant so we were at least somewhat satisfied with out dining experience but the full price of our meal would not have been worth it at all! Atmosphere: -Modern decor; small restaurant located and open to the hotel's lobby; intimate Service: -Friendly and helpful staff but kitchen service is a bit slow...we waited quite awhile for our food and at least 15 to 20 minutes just for dessert Food: Pasto Anti (prosciutto/ grilled bread/ truffle tremor/ fruit/ olives) -small portions. bread was too hard. not the best prosciutto I've had. Beef Bourguignon over pasta -Pieces of meat were not that tender, juicy, or tasty. Catch of the day: Halibut -Fish was a bit overcooked and overly salted. Fish was fresh though. House Spun Ice Cream & Sorbets (3 scoops) -We got a scoop of burnt almond ice cream, a scoop of mango sorbet, and a scoop of lemon sorbet. Burnt almond flavor was creamy and not too sweet. Mango sorbet was delicious but the lemon flavor was way too sour. For the price of their menu, I would expect much better quality. The food was definitely mediocre at best. read more

Service: Horrible. wait staff took 30 minutes before they even greeted us (not exaggerating either). They kept coming to the tables next to us and didn't say hello or acknowledge us. STRIKE ONE. When we finally got service I asked what beer was a wheat beer and she brought me a dark ale. STRIKE TWO. Food took forever to come out- when I asked the waitress what was taking so long she told me they only had one cook. STRIKE THREE. Menu: they were out of three of the main dishes on a tiny menu....seriously? STRIKE FOUR. Location: Hotel foyer Food: disappointing. Not good at all. Verdict - Consider yourself warned- this place is not worth your time or money. I asked to speak to the manager when the meal was over, and the waitress told me he went home for the night. read more

In reading some reviews for this place, there are things that I agree with, the food is wonderful and there are not enough people there. I went here for lunch several weeks ago. I was hungry, but not starved and my lunch date is rarely hungry, so we decided to share a few dishes. I started with a lemonade. Some places I go to saw fresh or organic or something that is clearly a lie upon being served, as I know that lemons are not pink. There lemonade was fresh, organic, YELLOW, and everything that makes a lemonade wonderful. The first course was macaroni and cheese with crab, which was wonderful. Though, as it sounds, it is rich! I could have just shared this and have been full. If you read more of my reviews, I eat a lot. By the time the second course arrived, the sirloin strip sandwich and a side of parmesan and truffle sprinkled french fries, we were both full. I ate some french fries, but we mutually decided to take our sandwich to go. After trying only a bite, I could tell it was wonderful. If was not like a lowbrow steak sandwich, it was prime sirloin, cooked perfectly, with little fat. I highly suggest this place. It surprises me that more people do not go here. The lighting isn't the best, but the seats are comfortable and the food is DELICIOUS! read more

My boyfriend and I were underwhelmed, confused, and uncomfortable. First, it was located in a hotel. Second, no one was there on a Saturday night. Third, the waitress was a weird lady. We didn't care to be sitting alone in a restaurant that feels like a hotel lobby on a Saturday night. Its okay for a place to be quiet, but it should at least be romantic which this place is not. Not a good experience. read more

Hosted my boss and several colleagues from out of town here for a lovely meal. They have a nice private alcove toward the back of the dining room that is perfect for a group of 8-10. Service was very accommodating and friendly, if a bit unrefined. The daily Farmers Market soup was an asparagas puree that was outstanding. Main courses of risotto and the organic chicken were fabulous. The warm chocolate tart was the perfect ending. The manager and chef here are top-notch and anxious to fulfill your special requests. A great place to do something special and to leave feeling special. UPDATE: A recent visit pre-theater left us again happy and satisfied. After drinks and nibbles at the bar, we sat down at 7pm in the dining room and told our dear waitress Lynn we had tickets for an 8pm show. She ensured we could enjoy most of a fine bottle of French Rose and 2 killer entrees without missing the curtain. The pork chop is incredibly tasty and moist, having brined for 48 hours. My beau had the steak and declared it the best he has had out in SF in quite a while. We do hope more folks discover this gem, but not too many so that we have to fight for a seat at the small bar. read more

I get such odd, mixed vibes from dining at this place. I've been twice now; both times with a friend who lives nearby and loves the place. So, the food itself is good. Nice variety of dishes, if not a bit limited. It's very bright inside. My friend loves this; I don't. For some reason, it brings back memories of late-night dining at Perkin's in high school. It's a bit overpriced, IMO. Only one glass of white wine under $10; and cocktails are $12. Sure, it's a hotel in Union Square, so maybe that's the norm, but for someone who typically dines in Mission/Hayes/Tendernob/SoMa, drink prices (food also) seems a bit steep. Service is slow at times; but friendly. I think we caught it on a particularly busy night. One server (who didn't have our table initially) ended up being particularly friendly (in a good way), to the point our group invited him out for drinks later. I'm giving it 2.5 stars for the overall experience, rounding up because we received a free caesar salad which was accidentally prepared as an extra. gracias! =) So what could be done to make it better? Dim the lights, add some music for ambiance (so I don't have to hear the conversations from every other table in the place), lower the prices a bit, keep the food as is. And maybe play up the green-ness of the hotel/building, I had no idea, but other reviews are mentioning it. read more

I bought a Travelzoo voucher and came here with my parents for their anniversary. The service was great. Our server was very gracious and offered good suggestions. She even gave us 2 desserts and one appetizer on the house because of their anniversary. As for the food, I enjoyed my parents' dishes. They order the salmon and spare ribs. The spare ribs were very tender and easy to slice through with just a fork. I ordered their kobe beef burger, which I thought was only average tasting. It tasted similar to a Fuddrucker's kobe beef burger. For dessert, we had an apple cobbler with vanilla ice cream and a pot du creme. Although the cobbler was waaay too sweet, I enjoyed the crispyness of the apple slices. It probably needed more dough-y/crust taste too. The pot-du-creme was also too sweet. Both desserts were lacking in presentation. All in all, for someone like my mom who is currently going through chemo, I would come back for their organic foods. I'll still be on the lookout, however, for something better. read more

Went here the other night with a Travelzoo deal voucher, and we had an ok but not great experience. The cheese and charcuterie platter were ok, but nothing special. I enjoyed my five-spice braised short ribs, but my wife's pea risotto was below-average. The risotto was cooked about right, but the dish was severely lacking in flavor. We NEVER add salt to our food, and we had to do it on a couple of occasions to finish the risotto. The peas were ok, but didn't add much to the dish. A little cheese or something like that may have helped. The dessert, a chocolate / butterscotch pot de creme was tasty, but the texture between the two layers was a bit off -- the bottom layer was too soft, almost flan-like. I would probably give the food 3 stars, but I have to deduct a star because the waiter we had was very weird. He was nice, but said a few things that had us thinking "WTF?!?" He also didn't really tell us much about the dishes when he brought them (including not describing the charcuterie plate, and not telling us about the kind of red wine we were getting). With the voucher, the meal was a good deal, but I don't know if I'll be going back anytime soon. read more

Hubby and I were excited to try Roots because of its best organic restaurant award (SF Weekly). Sadly, it was a disappointing experience. As we walked in, we were shocked that the restaurant was an extension of the Orchard Garden Hotel Lobby. The decor was bland, clinical even, and the space is not conducive to fine dining. The soundtrack to our dining experience: hotel guest laughing loudly as they went in and out of the hotel. We went for an early dinner on Saturday before seeing a play in the city. At 6pm the restaurant was moderately busy yet the staff seemed a bit flustered. On a positive note, we had a great Travelzoo deal! For $45 we had a shared appetizer, two entrees, a cheese course and a glass of wine each. We started with the prosciutto which was really tasty and the warm green olives were a good addition. Hubby had the lamb shank and I have to say, it was yummy. However, my halibut was tasteless and grossly overcooked. We ended with the cheese plate, which was adequate but the presentation was lacking. Overall, Meh! read more

Twice I had my lunch from Roots and twice I got burger! Oh my God, delicious and juicy with amazingly awesome fries! You can get it inside out (cheese will be melted inside of the burger)! Next time I will get the pasta, I promise, if again I will not fell for burger. :) Very organic, very fresh and tasty! read more

I figured that this place would be packed on a Friday night, so I called ahead and made a reservation. It was kind of embarrassing to show up and be the third table there. To the servers' credits, we were seated immediately (one could only hope) - but in the darkest corner of this hotel lobby, behind a wall. Benefit of the doubt tells me they really wanted to give me and my late party some privacy. That or they didn't want anyone to see me in my hooded sweatshirt and jeans. Damn it, I was wearing decent shoes. The real reason why I came here was because I had a gift certificate. Our waitress insisted it was called a coupon. Now that we were deemed cheap, we felt the need to redeem ourselves with some cocktails. The lady had an interesting blend of vodka and Odwalla (what?) and I said, why not, and went for the XOChocolatini or whatever it was called (shut up). I'm really not sure what you're supposed to pair that one up with. The whole cocktail menu was just bizarre. The best way to class up some french fries, other than the requisite Kraft parmesan, is to drizzle it with truffle oil. We fell for it, naturally. I wasn't sure what I wanted, so I asked if I should go for the scallop/mussel dish or the lamb. She said she'd surprise me (and after that drink, I couldn't have cared less). The scallops arrived, as did the tamale pie with Mexican truffles, the crab mac and cheese, and the smoked trout salad. It really looked great when it arrived. Unfortunately, the tastes were a little disappointing. There were but a few slivers of trout in the salad (around 2), the mac and cheese was nothing really to write home about (especially at $13), and the tamale pie was apparently full of rich flavors that clashed into blandness. Our waitress insisted you didn't need to be a vegetarian to enjoy this wonderful dish, but the vegetarian at our table found it hard to swallow. The scallops and mussels had a lot of flavor to them, but I swear the cook dropped a can of Morton's in there. I'm sure the little girl with the umbrella was screaming GET ME OUT OF HERE, and all I could wonder was if it was iodine free or not. The chocolate cocktail turned out to be a blessing in disguise. And the decor? Beige, beige, beige, that was the color of everything. I think everything just blended into each other. I understand the organic, earthy inspiration behind it but... The greatest distraction was the green Exit sign to the bathroom (which is spotless, by the way, but be forewarned that the men's lock doesn't work very well. I just didn't bother to lock it. Heyyyy.). None of us were in the mood for dessert. For $100, we were hoping for a little something more. But we pretty much got what was on the wall - just a lot of... well, beige. read more

We also went for Thanksgiving dinner and were sorely disappointed. It started out fine, we ordered promptly, the munu was prix fixe, which we knew going in. there was a choice of soup or salad, a choice of 2 entrees, assorted side dishes and a choice of desserts. None of us chose the wine pairings. We ordered two of the tamale pies and three of the turkey dinners. We were told that the tamale pies did not come with the side dishes no matter how it looked on the menu, fine. The soup and salad were quite tasty, but it went downhill from there. The tamale pies were inedible, the adult and child both took only one bite of theirs before determining that. The waitress never came to the table to ask us how our meals were the entire time we were eating, in fact when she cleared the plates it was obvious that not more than one bite was taken from either of the tamale pies but she cleared them with no comments. Three of us had the turkey dinner which was mediocre at best, the turkey breast appeared to be from a boneless a rolled breast because I really am not familiar with any part of the bird shaped like what I was served. I swear I got 6 green beans and about 4 cranberries. Then our dessert was served, which was very good, a creme brulee and a bread pudding. Finally when the waitress brought the check she asked how everything was, which was when we told her of our dissappointment.. I was a little more than perturbed because this dinner was not cheap and we were talking about stopping someplace on the way home to get something for the two who did not eat. We asked to see the menu again and pointed out that it appeared that the side dishes were to be served with both entrees and the two with the tamale pies were finally served them, which seemed to satisfy their hunger finally. We were offered no apologies, no adjustment on the bill, nothing. All I got out of the experience was a good restaurant horror story to tell my friends back in Florida. read more

Came here for dinner w. a friend. Maybe I built up my expectations too much but this place just wasn't that great and certainly didn't match the check we got at the end of the meal. Had the charcuterie plate (decent but nothing exotic or unique) and the crispy salmon (meh). -Decent customer service -It's in a hotel lobby so not much of an ambiance -The bread they provided after we asked sucked and tasted a bit stale read more

Nice, nice, nice place Nice and clean atmosphere. (Could have more personality, oh well...) Quiet atmosphere in the middle of busy area offers nice reprieve. Super nice service. Chef Russel is no Gordon Ramsey: personable and subdued. Make you feel part of the family. The staff brings warmth to the place. Nice green twist: as much organic, sustainable, farmer's market choice ingredients as possible, showcased by simple recipes. Great organic sustainable wine list too. Also part of a nice hotel, first with a green twist in San Francisco. read more

This restaurant is right next to the gates of Chinatown and inside the Garden Orchard Hotel. I went here with a group of 6 people who were ready for some good food and fun. The ambiance here is neither fun, nor sexy. It's more romantic, but even then I would have to recommend other places. The decor is white and a bit sterile, but not in the 2002 minimalist way. It's more of a classier Miami Vice. The lighting isn't quite right either. There is a bar in the front, but I didn't actually go to it or order a drink. What we ate: Parmesan fries - these were delicious! Wild Mushroom Risotto - somehow this didn't work for me and I usually love risotto. The short ribs ragout more sweet than savory so didn't work well either. My friend had an undercooked steak. sent back to be cooked a bit longer. For a Sat night, there was only one other table with patrons from 7-9. I'm not sure who I find this place suitable for. It also turned out that the chef was actually our waiter. Something tells me this place is going to be replaced and with good reason. read more

Roots is a terrific little restaurant burrowed in the lobby of a hotel in Nob Hill area. It looks like I'm not the only Yelper that happened upon Roots via a Restaurant.com gift certificate. It's a bit pricey without the $50 certificate...but with the certificate, the prices are just right. We enjoyed coffee and lattes brewed with organically grown beans, ripe and flavorful fruit bowls, and heartily prepared brunch dishes like breakfast burritos and traditional eggs dishes. One touch that we all enjoyed was the sauteed Portobello mushrooms. They were absolutely delicious and tandem with the breakfast burritos. The service was very friendly and attentive to our requests. We also liked the intimate and secluded feel during our Sunday morning brunch. The only downsides to Roots are that they have a very limited menu and their regular prices are pretty high for the dishes offered. I'd highly recommend visiting Roots with a few friends and the $50 Restaurant.com coupon in hand. read more

Like many other reviewers state, Roots is amazingly overpriced and only due to restaurant.com does it bring the entree prices back down to Earth. The dungeness crab mac n cheese was the sole bright spot as there was quite a bit of crab meat in the average sized plate. Our waiter, who was a top notch server, recommended the crab mac n cheese as their best entree, especially over the lingcod which he admitted was a bit "flaky" for the recent fish order they received. Our other entree was quite disappointing which was a Tripolini Bolognese. The dish included handmade pasta but considering that the handmade pasta was barely able to wrap around more than a few forkfuls, it was hard to justify the $17 price tag. I also forgot to add that it was barely cooked and still has that raw pasta aftertaste. I did like the decor which features roots (to go with the restaurant theme) coming out of the wall and also some neat snake holders for the lamp lights. read more

Time: Sunday evening, 7pm Occasion: Dine About Town (January 2011) We had a restaurant.com coupon to Roots and decided to use it towards the DAT prix fixe menu in January. Location: A little inconspicuous, as it's part of the Orchard Garden Hotel. Close to Chinatown and BART accessible (Montgomery station). Service: We were greeted warmly and were seated immediately. I was sick at the time and fell into a coughing fit and the waiter was kind enough to bring me hot water with lemon - and refilled that throughout the night. Our waiter was quite friendly and attentive - he checked in on us during each course and was very helpful in helping us decide what to eat. Environment: Cozy and intimate - fairly romantic with the soft lighting. Good for dates or for nice dinners with a small group of close friends. Price: Unfortunately without our restaurant.com coupon and/or the DAT deal, we probably would not have occasion to come back due to the sky-high prices. Food-- Appetizers: My guy had the fried calimari and I had the salad lyonnaise. Both appetizers were generously proportioned. My salad was quite tasty. They got the dressing en pointe. Entrees: My guy had the NY strip steak. One star off because it wasn't the most fantastic or memorable steak and he felt that the flavors were rather bland. My pan seared arctic char was delicious - perfectly buttery flaky white fish. Dessert: Toasted Cardamom Flan with Persimmon Compote and Citrus Lace Cookie. Perfect size to share, delicious. read more

Have to say the restaurant setting was very nice. The menu was very appealing when I looked at it online. But... I would have to agree with Andi T. The service ended up being very slow. We were the third table at the restaurant, after the other two tables were either being served or finishing their meal. There is no excuse for slow service especially when there is no one at the restaurant! Our waiter took a while to refill our waters and my beverage. I noticed he finally had the jar of water in hand, but then saw that another table was finished with their meal. Even though he had been heading over in our direction, he decided to clear the other table first. Additionally, the food didn't turn out as I had expected. The fries were good for the first few--then they became overly parmesan cheesey. Two of us ordered the flat iron steak sandwich which came with a mini arugula greens mixture. This was ridiculously salty. Another person specifically requested no mayonnaise on her sandwich and the waiter said he could accommodate this, but her sandwich still came out with mayo. The only good thing was that we had a $25 restaurant.com certificate to apply to our bill which made the meal quite cheaper. I will also say that the manager did a good job to make sure we had everything we needed and also cleared the table quickly. However, I don't think I will be coming back just because the food was pricey and although it sounded good from the menu, very normal and didn't meet my expectations. read more

Roots was okay. That is pretty much the best way to describe my dining experience there. We went because we had a gift certificate, and I was excited to try all organic food. But, the food wasn't all that great. It was kind of boring and bland. There weren't many people there, yet the waitress still took forever to notice when we needed something. If the restaurant were at least a good value, that may have helped, but I thought it was expensive for the quality of food they put out. I would not go back to this place. When there are so many great restaurants in the city, this place just does not measure up. I do have to say that the wine I ordered (Sav Blanc, I think) was delicious, and the bartender (slash host?) was awesome. He seated us, kept our water full, cleared our plates, etc, and was so nice. I would say the bartender was the best part of that meal, and is the only reason I gave Roots 3 stars instead of 2. But overall, it just didn't do it for me. read more

This is one of my new favorite places in SF! Here are my reasons: 1. They take restaurant.com coupons so a $100 meal can be cut down by $50! 2. They give very generous portions so no one is left hungry! 3. The food is high-quality and very good tasting! For appetizers, we had the cheese appetizer and black bean soup; for entrees we had the scallops and the flank steak; and for dessert we had a spiced pumpkin creme brulee. Everything was very good. 4. Service, though it started off slow, was excellent! 5. Ambiance: small restaurant set at the entrance of the Orchard Garden Hotel... very nice, bright restaurant. And they even have a "green" take on food! I will be back... next month... when I can use another restaurant.com certificate! P.S... they have happy hour everyday (weekends too!) from 4-7; buy an alcoholic drink and get a free appetizer! That makes me very happy! read more

Busy location but easy to miss this place. The quality and the freshness of the food was definitely good but my risotto was too salty for my taste. My husbands beef bourguignon was good and tender but salty too. My friend thought her pan seared fish was okay and her husband liked his lamb shank The presentation of the dishes were very nice. The wine selection was good. The pastry chef is good making interesting flavors for sorbet and ice cream. read more