Would have loved to visit today. Their brunch is one of the best in town. They cancelled their online waitlist option ages ago, but this morning, I had friend in town and called to see if we could add our name that way. They said it was a 30 minute wait for 2, and you have to come in person to join the waitlist. The person on the phone was very sweet. But, it costs nothing to the business to allow people to join the waitlist online or via phone. It's always my first choice for brunch, and I now haven't been in over a year. The last time I went with friends, it was an hour wait and we ended up waking to a nearby brunch spot and were being served our food when they called and said our table was ready. There's not even a good area to wait for a table. Please do better. read more

Hannah was the perfect start on our Anniversary Weekend!!! Her suggestions were spot on. Hill country Breakfast for me and BYOB for my wife. Cold Brew Martini and Morning Margarita were awesome. This is definitely a must visit if you are in town!!! Thank you Root Cellar Cafe and Hannah!!! Much love... read more

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

Place was so cute! food was a 10/10 along with the great service! Loved the chicken and green beans! read more

The Root Cellar Cafe - This place was so cute! -food was amazing, my favorite was the chicken and green beans & the service was 10/10 - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

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Food was overpriced and not that good. Service was slow due to lack of staff. Location hard to find and bad parking.

Staff that's friendly but incompetent. Used to be decent service with better food, but now it's a dumpster fire with a weird habit of seating older white customers before non-white ones. After figuring out they didn't put me on the waitlist at all, and staring at empty tables and others guests be seated for ~45 min. I gave up. read more

The store has a very rich vibe with a lot of character. It's a very intimate atmosphere with plenty of seating. These are a few dishes my family and I ordered for brunch while Spring Breaking here in San Marcos. Our server was very accommodating and informative. We can't wait to come back! read more

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We were there today for breakfast- absolutely delightful. We all enjoyed our meals, service was solid and cute inside. Will totally go back next time we are nearby. read more

Tasty French toast. A cozy spot near Texas State University. My friend raved about their breakfast. If I ever went back to San Marcos, I'd return depending on the wait time. read more

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

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Located in the heart of downtown San Marcos in a safe, albeit college student dominated area, The Root Cellar is a warm almost hobbit like environment. On a lazy Saturday afternoon my journey past the establishment brought out a general curiosity as I went to a nearby watering hole. Sipping a cocktail, I was unable to shake my wondering mind thus I set my hands on my Palantir (phone) to look deep inside their website. Upon tabbing out, I stopped by the humble abode in an attempt to grab a seat which only took 10 minutes around 5pm. The staff there are extremely nice and jovial as I exchanged meaningless banter. The Root Cellar is located somewhat lower than street level which made me hope some dwarves would stop by after mining mithril all day. The place is cozy; dark hardwood floor panels, old worn-out benches, a bar that looks like it was built from a used keg (which also had a small tinge of beer smell at the bar area) with walls that looked carved from solid rock. I'm not sure if this was intentional but I was drawn to the theme. My hostess took us to our assigned cubby, a small two-person seat at a window with an extended mantel. Some might consider it an insult but for me it played into the theme so I had a smile on my face. I was honestly expecting my server to break out in song about the lonely mountain but it must have been a lucid day dream. Alas, I ordered my typical bourbon while my fellow adventurer laid down her bow and began to sip The Root Rita. She enjoyed the drink and had no real complaints or compliments. I take that as it was good but nothing spectacular. Famished, the "Fellowship of the Two" ordered "meat on the bone" from the interesting menu. Luckily, they were fresh out of orc, so we requested the chips and queso. Too bad Gandalf wasn't in the party as we could have used his staff to fix the monstrosity. The best part was the slightly salty chips b/c the queso was bland. Moreover, it tasted as if someone grabbed a brick of Velveeta, melted it, threw it in a cup and topped with a few items. Utterly forgettable. However, I'm here to tell you the Holy Aioli was so good it would have made Gollum smile. The ciabatta was soft and flavorful and I'm always impressed when bread is seasoned. The chicken breast was plump and juicy with lettuce, tomato and provolone cheese. The kicker was it had basil pesto on it. For those who don't know, basil pesto can overpower almost any dish but in a very clever manner, avocado acted as a balance. As a chef I'm always looking to soften the strength of basil often using spinach. For some reason the two worked in unison; the avocado's fat balancing the basils high herb notes. This is the first time that I can remember I ate everything on a sandwich as I generally discard bread. The chips were honestly forgettable and the garlic mashed spuds were rather bland as well. But the sandwich is tattooed in my memory, forever more. I enjoyed the Root Cellar for first and foremost the atmosphere, it allowed me to let my guard down and enjoy life. The prices were reasonable and all the other road weary travelers at other tables were as diverse as a character in a Tolkien book all being extremely nice and respectful. The grog was limited but not bad and some of the food didn't live up to expectations but the sandwich was epic. I wish I ordered some other items to explore more of what they had to offer but that's a tale for another book. read more

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

Depends on what you like. If you have a limited taste palette you might want to keep going. If you love trying different things then this is your place. For me there is only one thing I order. read more

The food in this place is really good; I liked the beer-battered asparagus, the biscuit, and the gravy. The brewhouse burger was good; just the jam tasted more like BBQ, and the bread pudding was really good. The place in a historic building looks so nice, and the customer service is great. Parking is tough to find. read more

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

The food was excellent for the whole party (eating brunch items). The ambiance and setting on the patio was perfect as the weather cooperated. Service was a little slow but for a laid back atmosphere not excessive. The Italian soda was something special as well as the biscuits and gravy with a jalapeño aspect tot he sausage cream gravy. No complaints other than a little slow for the traffic but again not excessively slow. Altogether great stop for brunch on a weekday. read more

If you're in San Marcos, this is the restaurant to go to for lunch or dinner. I was there for a work trip, and it was hands down the best spot in the city. It was so good that I tried to go for lunch and then again for dinner on the same day. Don't pass this one up if you're there. I tried the beet salad with salmon and the burger. Both entrees did not disappoint! read more

My wife and I truly enjoy this little cozy establishment. The staff is friendly, courteous, and fun. The pecan crusted chicken breast is awesome and their salads are great. Highly recommended. Reasonably priced for different meal. read more

Hip cool and laid back. We walked in and joined a 30 minute wait list. Strolled around town until texted to come on by. Kinda fancy American casual breakfast items. Avocado toast with egg wasn't quite enough food for me-I was big brunch hungry. Chicken salad sandwich was hearty for my companion. Nearby tables were polishing off chicken and waffles. Everything appeared homemade and good quality. Wait staff was friendly and competent-they were clearly just a tad swamped though read more

One of my favorite places! Awesome food, drinks and I love the historic building. All the staff are nice and attentive. Highly recommend!

We were looking forward to eating here just from reading the reviews. It was Mothers' Day and there was a wait. We were informed it was a 30 minutes wait which actually turned into an hour wait. We were seated in front of the wall air conditioner. The server was soft spoken but nice. She took our order of French Toast, Hamburger, and Avocado Toast. The food came out 45 minutes later. What I expected from the fotos of the food, was not what was served. The French Toast was limpy and cold. It was 3 slices of Wonder Bread (6 pieces). There was no flavor at all. The only thing that came out warm was the syrup. But not enough to melt the butter. We asked for the French Toast to be microwaved. My friend ordered the $13.00 hamburger which was plain, cold, and bland. It was flavorless and dry. There was no offer of ketchup or mustard or anything. What was missing from this hamburger was lettuce and tomato and onions and pickles for that price. We could have gone to McDonald's and had a delicious hamburger. Potato chips were served with this "hamburger." My avocado toast was ok. The spices were lacking. The men's restroom was abysmal and filthy. I wish I had something positive to say about the food. It put a damper on Mother's Day read more

I would summarize my visit as well worth the wait. Today we tried The Root Cellar Cafe and this place could be a hidden gem. It's quaint, cute and intimate. The staff is friendly and very pleasant. But they were clearly short handed. Fifty mins has elapsed from the time we sat down until the time we got our food. So don't show up HANGRY because this place will take some time. BUT it is WELL WORTH THE WAIT. The food was fresh and VERY tasty! Every bite revealed another level of season and the portions were hardy. We will be back! read more

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I've been to RC many times and recently I've had more than one bad experience here. Saturday early afternoon my friend and I stopped in for brunch. It was not very busy by any means but we were told the wait would be at least 30 minutes so we took a seat at the bar. I'd say at least 10 minutes passed before the bartender acknowledged us. But that wasn't the main issue-we finally ASKED for a table outside and again-we waited and waited for our waitress. When she finally came to our table we asked for a Shandy-which is not a new item On the brunch menu but she had no idea what we were talking about. Several minutes later- this time about 20-we finally got up and went to the bar to ask for a Shandy. When we at the bar we ordered two plain salads. Not sure what happened to our order but we waited and waited 30 more minutes after we sat outside until we finally gave up. I overheard the table next to us also inquire about the status of their food. Went to close out our bill and were met with the hostess who has zero ability to guard her face and no customer service skills whatsoever. No explanation as to why we never received our food. Needless to say-we will no longer be coming to this establishment. read more

Thanks for ruining a birthday brunch. How do you all not know how to make poached eggs? It's one thing to make a mistake the first time. Then we send it back and get it back a second time and the eggs are cooked the exact same way. If we wanted boiled eggs we would have asked for boiled eggs. The only thing that came on the plate was a hardened yolk, all of the egg whites were just water. Learn to cook! read more

Great ambiance and kind service. Their pesto pasta was amazing, although a little pricey, especially when you want to add shrimp or chicken. Would definitely return every once in a while to treat myself. read more

The gravy and sausage was delicious but the biscuits were cold, hard, and had a cornbread texture. Definitely do not recommend it. The Frittada was nicely plated. I would recommend some salsa or hot sauce as it was on the bland side. Great for a healthy option! The service was prompt and friendly. The ambiance is so cool! Definitely a historic building with charm! I am rating this place as a 3 because the food is...not so tasty. read more

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I kept telling my partner that I felt like we were in The Hobbit. You step down into the restaurant and it's beautiful in a simple way. I felt really relaxed and the staff were very kind as well. The Scuba Libre is one of the best things I've drank in a long time. Speaking of drinks there is a wonderfully intimate bar directly above the cafe. read more

Great food and service. Nice atmosphere. The shrimp and grits are gluten free and delicious!

Loved the atmosphere, menu options and highly recommend the Shrimp and Grits. Can't wait to come back!

Be sure to make reservations on the weekend! Also, finding parking can be hard as there's only street parkinf. We waited about an hour to be seated. Luckily, you can walk around the stores nearby to kill some time. Once seated, drinks will take a bit to come out and food took over an hour after being ordered. I think they're severely understaffed. We ordered the fried asparagus, which is the best part of the meal. I had the pesto pasta with salmon and it was okay. The pasta was very al dente and the tomatoes weren't cooked thoroughly. Also, the focaccia bread that comes with the dish was super brittle. Salmon wasn't too bad. I understand they are understaffed, but the food is not worth the wait. read more

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The food was delicious and the restaurant was cute. The shrimp and grits was well flavored..

food was delicious! absolutely smacks for a good afternoon brunch, make a reservation the day before if it's a weekend other than that, service , ambiance was 100/10! would come again, as a Houston local. cute little San Mo gem. read more

Our server was fantastic! She gets a million stars, hands down. The food? Oh gosh - what a disappointment. I can't even give it one star. I am going to preface this with this: If I am paying money for what I am assuming will be good food, it should be as good as, if not better than what I am able to make. If it's not, I will send it back - I don't want to pay for something that is not good. I'm nice about it always - it is NOT the server's fault that something is not good or wrong! We had chosen this spot based on the rave reviews and were looking forward to a really wonderful meal. I walked in to get us on the waitlist while my friend parked. Once she walked in, we were pretty much immediately sat at a table. That we both wide-eyed looked at, looked at one another and giggled... but sat, nonetheless - it was a really teeny, wobbly table that looked like it had been moved here from bulk pickup in someone's yard. The table was placed right in front of the mini split and it was freezing. Our server came over to get our drink and appetizer order and we share with her our request to please be moved to a different spot in the restaurant. We chatted with our server, who let us know it was no bother at all to move us - people were always asking to be moved from this table and it seemed to be the most hated spot in the place. Our request to move was met with a giant sigh and eye roll from the woman working the board. We are then moved to the weirdest table that is up against a column and pushed against the wall as a 4 top - glad there were just 2 of us because I can't imagine this would be enjoyable at all for 4. The layout in here is just not one that's been done by a professional, but rather someone looking to cram as many tables into the awkward space as possible. It really needs reorganizing. Once we were moved and assured by our server that she would remain with us, we went back to perusing the menu and decided on the spinach artichoke appetizer with both the tortilla and pita chips. The appetizer arrives. The chips were stale Julio's chips - they're a tortilla chip that comes with an abundance of taco seasoning on the chip and packaged pita chips (so easy to make - come on chef!) that were "meh" at best. Spoiler alert: I didn't have high hopes for our meal and my expectations were met. I decided on the Seafood Scampi (seared bay scallops, shrimp, and steamed mussels tossed with linguine, arugula, tomato, and a white wine sauce). The plate is $22, so I am hoping for something really wonderful with a beautiful sauce. That's not what I got at all. There was no sauce. While bay scallops, they had no real flavor, were rubbery and not cooked well. There was absolutely no sauce. It just completely lacked in flavor and wasn't appetizing. At $22 for a small bowl of what was supposed to be a scampi dish (garlic, butter, white wine YUM!), this wasn't it. I let the server know that I would like to try something different and what was something that she'd reccomend. Based on her recommendation, I got the ShoeString Chicken (grilled citrus marinated chicken breast topped with our house basil cream sauce and fried shoestring onions. Served with garlic scallion mashed potatoes and vegetable medley). Again, there's no sauce. Who is making the menus and not telling chef what they say?! The mashed potatoes were just glopped on the plate and scallions thrown on the plate. I took a bite and the chicken tasted like frozen bagged chicken from Costco that had been in the back of the freezer too long. I couldn't do it. I sent that back and said I was going to pass on dinner. The chef seems to have no real passion for his menu and whomever designed the restaurant seating is just looking to cram every human they can in the area. I won't be back. Who in the heck is writing all these 5 star reviews?! Students that are used to the grub at the cafeteria at Texas State? While this spot pushes "farm to table" and "made from scratch," it's not. Please don't be fooled. read more

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Tucked away below street level, this cafe is a gem. The warm, friendly service creates a welcoming atmosphere, and the food is consistently good. A charming spot worth visiting. read more

Magen is the best waitress I've ever had!!! Super sweet, cool, and helpful. Love this place

fabulous, wonderful atmosphere great ambience, great service and outstandingly delicious food We went there for breakfast and it was a great choice. I have the southern hash and it was like no other hash I've ever had before and it was very very tasty. Great place read more

Always delicious! This is one of my favorite spots in San Marcos. Their best dish is the biscuits & gravy!

Not sure what the hype is about. Chose this place based on reviews and my expectations were high, but I was disappointed. No only with the insanely long wait for our food, but also the shrimp'n grits. Shrimp were not seasonings and were simply boiled and thrown on there... the grits were just ok. The holy aioli was also not worth it. Maybe it's my dislike for ciabatta bread, but even so, I wanted to try it out since it seems to be a favorite. Overall it was nothing special. The aioli is what saves it. Highlights: Bloody Mary mocktail- 5 stars Breaded asparagus-4 stars . they were crispy on the outside and not "stringy" when you take a bite. read more

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The Root Cellar has a wonderful aesthetic and pretty good food, but is not worth the wait. We went on a Saturday night, so I was expecting a wait, but the wait for food was just way too long. Once you finish waiting 45 minutes for your table (be sure to add yourself to the Yelp waitlist before you get there to avoid this!), it'll be at least another hour for your food. This might be a good spot on a weekday or at an off time. At least the spinach artichoke dip is divine-- the rest was not. Shrimp scampi and pasta primavera were soupy and overloaded with broth (not sauce), making it basically inedible before you can finish your $12-16 pasta. read more

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

Extremely slow service................ Food was salty (Cesar salad w/shrimp and shrimp and grits) mac and cheese were bland and cold. read more

This charming little place is aptly named. You'll find it recessed into the street headed into the Square, with some rounded doors not unlike a Hobbit Hole. The ceiling is a bit low because the establishment is partially under ground level, providing some natural coolness inside. It is a bit cramped at the entrance where you check-in with limited places to sit and wait. There were four in our party so we had to wait about ten minutes to be seated on a Wednesday night. We were seated in the far back. The establishment is somewhat enlongated along the street, and there are some cute two-person window seats that give a nice view of the street. Our waitress was very helpful, courteous, and attentive. When my sister-in-law accidentally spilled her mimosa, she was nice enough to bring her another for free. The food was also really delicious and didn't take long to get out to us after we ordered. Reasonable price for food (not so much for alcohol, but that's to be expected-- the mimosas are in really tiny champagne flutes). Lots of gluten-free and vegan options, if those are needed. I'd love to stop by again to try breakfast and dessert! read more

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Amazing find in Texas! Loved the food, service was excellent and the margarita flight was delicious!

First time here and we are impressed! Very busy place...and busy for a reason. Got in around 10:30, wait time was 20-40mins. Figured we were already there so we waited. Got seated much earlier than expected. Started with a mimosa kit which was refreshing. For our entrees, we ordered chicken and waffles, hill country Benedict and the shrimp and grits. Everything was delicious! The chicken was moist and went so well with the waffles. The hill country Benedict was good as well. The hubby loved the kick from the sauce. My shrimp and grits.....oh my goodness...was so flavorful I had to stop myself from licking the bowl!. Service was good. Everyone was friendly. They also offer military discount , which is always appreciated, We will be back! Parking is a pain during peak hours, so keep that in mind. read more

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I love this place. The spinach artichoke dip is great and I like that they have mocktails. The staff is normally pretty nice and laid back. Bathrooms are not very accessible, but there is a changing station in the women's room. They use ice cream from a local business (Rheas) for desserts. It seems that they tend to stay as local and homegrown as possible. Tastes fresh read more