Good service but the food is overrated. I've been several times and I only like the breakfast menu. The restaurant is also stuffy.

Such a unique place and I enjoy going around with friends! Definitely love their breakfast options

Several dishes are amazing but my obsession is their tuna fish sandwich. The recipe is unique and delicious. I have not had a bad meal. Very busy place but worth the wait. read more

Amazing staff and top notch service. Yelp helped us find this place and what a nice treasure this place turned out to be. Will definitely stop here again when in the area. read more

Cool place. The Service was great. Food was outstanding on our first visit and good on our second. We will go back again.

Amazing food and service. Laid back (leave the heels at home), but excellent quality. We had the artichoke dip and was probably the best I've ever had. The 3 of us each had a burger. I had the brewhouse one-- mouth watering! Amazing flavour and good portion sizing. I will 100% be coming back. Plus, Military discount!! 4 IPAs 2 Topo Chicos 1 appetizer 3 burgers $62, but with discount $52. Tip: on weekends (fri-sun) call ahead. They don't take reservations but you can put your name down. I called & they said it was a 30 min wait. It was a 5 min drive, someone showed up when we got there not on the list and had a 2 hr wait. read more

Menu keeps changing. The salmon was a little dry and the rice was sticky. I did like the ginger glaze sauce.0

Cute lil place, reminded me of Lord of the Rings when the hobbits grabbed a beer. I ate the Brazilian (i think) French toast and it was absolutely delish. The portion was pretty large, I really should have shared it with someone . Haha . I also grabbed some hot tea added some cream and honey. The ambiance was sweet. Hopefully I'll be back. read more

The Root Cellar Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

Thank you to our served Ashley for being so patient with us and for the incredible services this morning! My husband and I have been coming here for years ! Never disappoints! Rae sandwich is amazing. Waffles, French toast. Favorite mimosas "the works" ! It's all incredible! I honestly have never had a bad experience! I was actually able to sign in on yelp wait ahead of time ,which cut me a good 40 minutes of wait time! Love that! Root Cellar you are do it right ! Keep it up! Nelia C. read more

Nice place right off the San Marcos square with good food and service. Good priced home style comfort foods.

Breakfast was only ok. We went there for dinner and it was better. Not sure I would make a special trip to go there.

We had heard great recommendations for this restaurant and it did not disappoint! The vibe was very classic and vintage chic! We sat on the patio which allowed us to take in the downtown setting. They are dog friendly as another couple on the patio Gad their dog with them. We started with fried asparagus spears with remoulade sauce. They were perfectly cooked and the sauce was so good. We both had the unsweetened peach tea with lime which was very refreshing. Then we had the carribean stacker sandwich with sourdough bread which was meaty, crunchy, and creamy. We paired it with the side salad with tangy vinaigrette which was super fresh and highly recommend. My mom added a cup of tomato soup, too! All this for less than $30. Needless to say we will be back next time we're in town. read more

Quirky and quality food served up by quirky and quality folks, Root Cellar is my go-to in San Marcos for a relaxing casual bite. Plenty of shaded outdoor dining options, a full menu available any time, and gobs of nearby free parking; what's not to like? Brunch can get busy on a nice day but I find that the diverse menu is worth the wait, especially if you have a group with a variety of appetites. Standouts include the burger and weird Caribbean sammich and the always popular benedict options. read more

What a great experience! Through Yelp, we saw there was a 14-26 minute wait so we thought it must be good. We were able to secure a spot in line on the waitlist via Yelp, which I hadn't done before, and track how many parties were in front of us. We were a little late to check in due to parking but no problem. We were greeted and provided the next available table. Nice atmosphere. Very good service. I had the potato and corn chowder. It was phenomenal. Then I had the Camino Real Benedict which was jalapeño chorizo cornbread and cholula hollandaise - spicy and unique. I will definitely go back when I'm in the area. read more

The food was very good, as was the service. The complete bar is not available in the restaurant section of the establishment, that seemed a bit odd. Being in the root cellar, half basement, did add to the ambiance of the restaurant. I would return to the Root Cellar cafe, it is really different than all the chain restaurants, food was unique and tasty. read more

The Root Cellar overall continues to be consistent very good. Won back our regular weekend visits for breakfast. Most definitely worth a visit The waffle is best around especially with FRESH fruit and REAL whip cream! Eggs benedict are consistent, tasty and flavorful potatoes. read more

I chose the spot to meet a friend for a late lunch because they had a nice outdoor seating area and what seem like are unique menu where they offered lots of gluten-free variations of the food. The outdoor area was nice and the service was super friendly. The food was just so-so but I wasn't expecting too much. My friend had the eggplant sandwich which he loved. The macaroni was nothing special. I had the risotto which probably would've been great except for the herbs. That was my fault I should've had them leave that off. They just didn't go with the cheese and meat combo. Just gave it a funky taste. I would stop in again for an appetizer and try something different. It has potential and I think that I just ordered the wrong thing for me that day. read more

Great food, service and atmosphere! We love eating outdoors and indoors. The selection of food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner is solid.

Whenever we are in San Marcos, this is a "must stop". Set in a basement of an old building on the town square, the music is lovely, the bar is small but retro cool. This could easily be a small eatery in a mountain town. The food is top notch. I've never had something I didn't like. You owe it to yourself to give it a try. Make sure you get ahead of the major rush times or you'll be waiting a while. read more

Love this little quaint find!! Food was great and fresh. My favorite thing offered are the mimosa flights!! Yum!! read more

The Root Cellar Cafe - Mimosa Flight: strawberry lime, peach, blueberry - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

Fantastic original and authentic food. Experiment with healthy ties with great wine. The basement building is unique and eclectic.

The food was delicious. The service was good. The prices were good. There was no wait for Saturday brunch. My wife and I had a great time.

Friends recommended this place 10y ago. Loved it since. Always stop by when we are in the area which is at least yearly. Parking is abysmal-find what you can on the street. Wait is a bit long if you come during lunch rush, but it's definitely worth it. Sit at the bar and have a drink - or eat - while you're waiting for a table. There are inside seating and several outside tables. Staff is friendly and accommodating. Food is awesome. Can't say we've had anything bad here - beer battered asparagus, spinach artichoke dip, French toast, bacon, bourbon pecan chicken, chicken and waffles, the burgers, you name it. Shrimp and grits was good, but may be a bit too Cajun for some. I didn't mind it. Love their mimosas - orange or the peach. Def recommend. read more

We went here for Mother's Day and had a great time. They are one of the only places that served brunch all day. Even though they were busy the staff were incredibly nice, the wait was reasonable, and the food was fantastic. read more

Absolutely wonderful spot for brunch. Expect a bit of a wait but it's worth it. There is a cool reto game store across the street that helps that wait time fly by read more

The Root Cellar Cafe - Main room - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

Charming little cafe with pleasant and friendly staff. It only took 25 minutes to get a table. There is no central AC, just wall units and ceiling fans. It was 95F outside which made it a bit stuffy on the inside. One thing that really annoyed me about the customers here was the great amount of them that would enter/exit and not shut the door!! Very rude and ill-mannered. I do believe this is my first review to call out customers. But seriously people, SHUT THE DAMN DOOR!! Were you raised in a barn? Sidekick ordered the tuna salad sandwich and I got the Caribbean Stacker. The CS came with turkey, ham, bacon, red onions and a jalapeno pineapple sauce with swiss on ciabatta bread. The jalapeno pineapple sauce did not appeal to me one bit. My waiter assured me it was not very sweet at all and he recommended I add a fried egg. Fried eggs on sandwiches are the shit. I took his recommendation and went for it. The tuna was a bit on the sweet side, but, sidekick said it was tasty enough. My waiter was spot on with his recommendation and advice on my Stacker. It was not overly pineapple sweet at all. In fact the sauce seemed to blend in perfectly giving the sandwich just the right amount of ummph. It was a very good sandwich. My only complaint is that I would have liked a little more runny on the egg yolk, but, the egg did its job. If you get this sandwich definitely add the fried egg. Yumm. read more

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This is a must-eat. I get my lunch on, I put my root down I get my lunch on I put my root down So, are we going to eat it? Eat Root Cellar Cafe? Are you gonna eat it? Eat Root Cellar Cafe? So, are we going to eat it? Eat Root Cellar Cafe? We getting our grub on? Eat Root Cellar Cafe? It's not a put down, I get my grub down And then eat what I love, I put my root down I'm like a sweetie pie with mad defiance, Every body know I be doing yoga training to get 300 more hours from yoga alliance. I need a lunch in between class, I'm out of state, on the road, but don't want a name like Fat A** Root Cellar doesn't let down, the portions make you full, not round So food, get on my fork and turn it out We're talking root down, the food here will beat any restaurant down If you want drink or eat here, fast or slow, you're not putting much loot down I said it's root down, it's time to chow down I know I'm sittin at the table, without a frown Come to this cafe 'cause quality compares to the west Kale and Sweet Potato Hash put my tastebuds to the test Front Desk clerk at my hotel suggesting this place, makes me feel blessed Eating what I want, no sacrifices here, this place is the best Well I'm coming out goofy, cause I'm trying to take the Beastie Boys song Trying to ryhme about an old buildings's cellar converted restaurant, but it's probably hella hard to follow along Not sure if this restaurant already thinks I'm a fanatic A phone call from Yelp and I'm throwing a panic Probably won't come from the root down when we break it down Rather friends reading my rhymes with compliments abound I get my lunch on I put my root down I get my lunch on I put my root down...... read more

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This was our dinner spot for Valentine's Day and I truly adored the food as well as the experience. Now mind you, my schedule is always shifting plus I've been super forgetful as of late so I didn't call for reservations until the week of. Yeah, I know. I know. I got us in at the latest time frame they had available. I was a bit worried that food and service would be rushed but my partner in crime & I have this thing about trying to find new and/or different spots (especially for special occasions). So I went forward with the plan. The owner did manage to catch me as the employee I was speaking with & I were about to end the call. I was told that although our reservation was late, we could come in at least 15 minutes prior to our time. He would find a way to ensure we were accommodated a little earlier. We made it out almost a whole hour earlier than our time since I knew parking would probably be a challenge (and it was). I went ahead and checked with the restaurant to see if they possibly had an earlier time slot available and wouldn't you know it? We were told to come in much earlier than originally planned and as soon as we showed up, we were taken to our table. We decided to split the garlic crusted ribeye. It's a 12 oz cut and came with fried asparagus, mashed potatoes, & a side salad so there was plenty to split between us. We also ordered the cherry wasabi tuna as our app. The tuna came plated with a cherry & wasabi sauce (they were heart shaped of course) and were delicious. The outside had a good amount of crust from the pepper and the inside was bright pink and tender. The flavor was only enhanced even more when dipped in either sauces. The ribeye had a panko topping (not a ton but just enough to give you a bite to the mouthfeel) while the asparagus pieces were bright green inside the crust but definitely full of flavor. The side salad was good but we really enjoyed the herb cream sauce on it. We also split a bowl of thai shrimp soup. I couldn't get over just how good the soup smelled and the flavor was reminiscent of gumbo (although in a very crisp & clean way - not sure how to really describe it aside from that). For my beverage, I had iced chai. Pretty straightforward. For dessert, we had a snickerdoodle bread pudding. What in holy hell? When our server mentioned that, I saw my partner in crime's eyes light up and ears perk up. She saw it too and said, "I think we found the winner." :P It was served a la mode and the bread pudding was fantastic! It was warm, full of cinnamon & sugar flavor (but not overly sweet), moist, & overall a great way to end our Valentines Day dinner. Service, attitude, food, & location were top notch. We'll be returning for sure! read more

5 star restaurant all the way! Great food and especially great service. I advocate anyone spending anytime in SM go to the Root Cellar. I think the lunch is better than the dinner, but overall a great place to share a meal. Make sure to try the pancake breakfast , HOLY AOLI, or Shepard's pie. The sangria is up/down (always homemade), it is either okay, or the best you have ever had. read more

What an incredibly tasty experience and beautiful atmosphere! I've passed by this gem of a cafe for a couple of years now, but only this past weekend did I finally have a chance to stop in and see what they were about. I'm so very glad I did. This is a truly beautiful establishment. They've been very creative with the space they have and it's fun to walk through and look around. Despite being under a building, you still get plenty of sunlight through the tiny windows as you head further in and there's enough space between tables to be comfortable. It was enjoyable staring out the window seat I had getting to watch the world quite literally pass my by. The food... Am I allowed to call the food pretty? The presentation of the dishes were quite lovely. I tried the hummas which was incredible and certainly better than anything you can get at the grocery store; what flavor! And the main course was the salmon which was the perfect size to be incredibly filling and the sauce drizzled across it was a wonderful compliment. I left very full and very happy. This summer while you're looking for a place to get your elegant yet relaxed grub on and get out of the heat, stop in, take a look around, and enjoy some of the best dining San Marcos has to offer. read more

The restaurant is cute, the service was really bad, the waiter basically forgot about us (four in our party). The tables around us all sat about the same time, they ate and left and we did not have our food. Once food was delivered to our table mine was cold (really cold) and hard (Camino real Benedict). The linen napkins smelled terrible, like they had been left in the washing machine for days and when I asked the server about it he said "yay that's the service we use." Our waiter did take my meal off the ticket (I had two bites) which was nice. Over all it was a huge disappointment and we would not go back. read more

The Root Cellar Cafe - Dinning area - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

Wow I was shocked how disappointing this place was with such a high rating. The service was slow and we were never checked on; everything had to be asked for like a glass of water and a coffee refill. Those things should kinda be automatic... The atmosphere was faux-rustic and was trying very hard to be hipster 'authentic'. And last but not least, the food was plain bad. We got four different breakfasts and every one was mediocre ESPECIALLY for the price. My French toast was burned and dry. I live in San Marcos now and will definitely be going elsewhere for breakfast. read more

The Root Cellar Cafe - Burned French toast (one edge was black) with "added fruit". So like one strawberry, a couple blueberries, and watery syrup. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

Wow this is my new favorite restaurant in San Marcos. I really enjoyed the meal. First off, there's a Root Cellar bakery across the road a bit. Make sure you know where you are going first! Came at about 6:00 on Saturday and the place was packed. Not a lot of tables, so they fill up fast. Waited at the bar is a loose term as it is very tiny and all four of the chairs had other people waiting. So, got a glass of wine. When I say bar, I mean the kind that they only serve beer & wine. Not sure if that's really a bar, but whatever. We thought it would take 30-40 minutes. It really took 10. At 7:00 it was a shift change and the place cleared out. Maybe this is a spot to come early or late to. We had the beer bread to start with. Only three slices but it was more than enough for two people. And it was awesome! You need to get it. My wife had the Southwest Salad with Grilled Tilapia. It was a bit fishy and weirdly filled. But, it was good. I had the Bourbon Pecan Chicken and it was fantastic. I'm not an asparagus lover, but the asparagus fries were awesome! Didn't even think to ask for ketchup. Maybe I should have. They are hard to visualize, but it was likely the most nutritious "fair food" you could get. You know fair food - everything there is fried. We had a very laid back waiter who was very good and nice, the atmosphere was perfect and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. read more

This restaurant is a lot larger in size than it appears on the outside. Don't let that stop you from coming here and enjoying a warm cozy time talking with friends. The ceilings are comfortably low and sound proof, and this I immensely appreciated. No annoying echo with reverberating voices in here. But what you will find are very accommodating waitstaff, and an exceptional manager. But I can't rave about the food here, I found some of it to be much too salty, and at this point I would only be able to recommend the hummus platter with the vegetables. I'm attaching a picture of my high recommendation of this menu item. read more

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So, I gave the five-star rating for the micro-brew beer, but we'll get to that in a second. The evening started off with me and the family showing up for dinner realizing that it was graduation night. Doh! Usually us locals know to duck and cover during these nights in San Marcos for dining. Nevertheless, we were seated within 15 minutes which was nice. The decor certainly is homey, but no worries for me, I hardly noticed the mix-matched chairs and old wooden tables. The place had a good vibe. The local art hung all around the walls, along with a well-worn interior give the place a very authentic feel. Moving along. The homemade bread appetizer is a tasty treat... they use the same grains as go into their beer, and it is rustic and very fresh and served up with some delicious honey butter. Kids ordered mac and cheese, grilled cheese, both with sides of fruit. The fruit was fresh, and the kids' items were above average. In fact, I probably would have been very happy with a plate of that mac and cheese (it was penne pasta with *real* cheese sauce). The wifey ordered salmon, which was unfortunately slightly overcooked. Not too much to be inedible, but we both prefer the salmon when it flakes easily. This was bordering on tough, but still edible and good flavor. I ordered the Mediterranean Pork Tenderloin. Again, mine was slightly more done that I'd like it, but the flavor was great, and I loved the pork/basil/grape tomato/feta flavors together. The large helping of plain rice was a bit boring but I would certainly order that dish again. The waitress took really good care of us and they brought a brownie out for the kiddos. The brownie would be more accurately described as fudge because it was so rich, tasty, and full of chocolate. Now.... drum roll please.... let's get to the beer. Root Cellar is gifted with the presence of brewer Silas Parker, who is small-batch brewing in-house for the restaurant. When I was there, they had two Belgian ales, a dubel and trippel.... we tried the dubel. The beer was extremely tasty and smooth. Wifey, who generally does not prefer beer, very much liked it, and that really speaks to how smooth it was. This was one of the coolest features of the cafe. The food itself was not *top-notch*, but it was pretty good, and everything as a whole made it awesome. One of the kiddos proclaimed it to be a pretty awesome place too.... which is saying something because we have some picky kiddos! read more

The Root Cellar Cafe - Interior Decor - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

I met my friend there (she's from Austin, I'm from San Antonio) for her birthday. The place was cute. Very hip converted home to restaurant type. The waitstaff was excellent. I love a place with great waitstaff. But the food left room for improvement. We ordered chips and salsa. It was good. Fresh tasting salsa and crispy chips. Then we ordered soups and a salad. The soups were delicious. Sweet potato bisque and chicken gumbo. It's hard to say which was better, if you get a chance order both. Then came the salad. We got the spinach basil salad. It looked fresh enough, but the dressing tasted like plain mayonnaise. I put it all over the salad, there was no salvaging it. Dressings can make or break a salad, in this case, the salad dressing was the worst I've ever had. Please consider changing it. I would go again, just for the soups. But if I ever order a salad there again, I'm going to have to ask for a sample of their dressing. It was really that bad! read more

The Root Cellar Cafe - The soups are worth the visit! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

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Not a fan. Staff were rude. Drinks were lousy. Overpriced for sure!!! Not worth the time. read more

Simply the best food in town that isn't Mexican or Italian. Seriously, I think my wife and I would have to move if Root Cellar closed. It's our breakfast and lunch go-to spot. Where to begin on the food? The breakfast fritata changes every day and it's always delicious. They serve a generous proportion which is light and flakey on the sides. I've only had one that was overly salty, the staff agreed, took it way and stopped serving it. Then they brought me something tasty and new. :-) The Belgian waffles are served warm, nice and crispy on the outside, steamy goodness on the insides. The French toast is also a winner. If you like eggs benedict (not a huge fan myself) I'm told they are perfect. Like you would make at home if you only knew how and had the patience. The sampler and breakfast burrito are always good. And if you need something lighter the cherry hazelnut oatmeal and yogurt parfait are great. I usually have a sandwich or salad for lunch. They are all excellent. I am partial to the Holy Aioli, Cubano Club or Caribbean Stacker but really, you can't go wrong. The tuna salad is always delicious. I should mention good coffee, good hot chai and a great wait staff. They really take care of you. And they buy local produce when they can! Farmers, keep 'em in greens! Almost forgot to mention -beer! They have a brewermaster brewing on site. I think it got a mention in Edible Austin. read more

Great food & great service! A San Marcos staple!! If you love fresh local ingredients this is your place!

We decided to try a new restaurant in between shopping on Saturday. Unaware that the restaurant's kitchen closes at 4pm for happy hour, we made it just in time to place our orders. This restaurant is located in the heart of downtown San Marcos. The facility is quaint and there was a party of two or more at every table. Breakfast and lunch are served until 4pm. We ordered the red peppered humus as an appetizer. I was a little disappointed as it was icebox cold and it didn't have much flavor. I ordered the entre off the lunch menu. I ordered the spinach alfredo pasta with shrimp, a house side salad and a cream soda. I was definitely worried after the hummus disappointment. However, they hit a homerun with the actual meal. The house made balsamic dressing was AWESOME!!! The dressing was bursting with so much flavor I meant to ask if they sold it in a bottle. This was the best restaurant alfredo I've had in a long time. The sauce was so creamy, filled with garlic, cheese and other vigorous flavors. I LOVED IT!!! The Italian Creme Soda was great too! I requested a little more vanilla, but they delivered on the soda as well. I'll definitely be back to try their breakfast in the future. read more

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