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Roots & Vines
Rating Details »
Categories: Coffee & Tea, Sandwiches, Wine Bars [Edit]
Neighborhood: Lower East Side409 Grand St
(between Suffolk St & Clinton St)
New York, NY 10002
(212) 260-2363
- Nearest Transit:
-
East Broadway (F)
Delancey-Essex Sts (F, J, M, Z)
Grand St (B, D)
- Hours:
Mon-Wed. 7:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Thu-Fri. 7:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sat. 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good for:
- Lunch
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Coat Check:
- No
17 reviews for Roots & Vines
This business is a Yelp Sponsor
10/3/2008
6/1/2009
Updated - 11/12/2009
11/3/2009
Updated - 3/15/2009
1/24/2009
6/30/2009
1/7/2009
11/9/2008
7/16/2009
2/4/2009
5/25/2008
11/29/2008
10/28/2008
3/18/2009
4/20/2005
7/21/2007
One of the Business' Favorite Reviews What's This?
Roots and Vines is a destination, folks. Travel here if you don't live within walking distance.
It's worth it.
Seriously.
My brother and I caught the train over and walked around a bit looking for Roots & Vines. At the time we were confused by the map on the iPhone (NOTE: this has been fixed now!!!) We spent the extra few minutes looking for it, and spotted the sign painted on the low brick wall on the next block as we walked past the big brick apartment buildings (on our right). I'm glad we didn't give up and head elsewhere.
There were tables outside, and it was too bad the weather was rainy, or I would have seriously enjoyed sitting out there. We headed inside, where the decor was pretty modern, very clean. Lots of books to read and a couple TVs showing the Sunday football games.
The coffee was exceptional. I generally like a little bit of coffee with my cream and sugar, and this only needed a little bit of cream. Not that it was sweet, it just was flavorful. Neither of us got espresso, so I have no idea how that may be, but if the food and the coffee is any indicator, I'd assume the espresso is probably pretty killer too.
And speaking of the food... OMFG. Excellent Mexican food. We ordered chicken tacos and they were fucking awesome. I ordered the torta with Pork and it was PHENOMENAL. My brother ordered the Vietnamese sandwich, which was pretty good, but I'm spoiled by really great Vietnamese food in Seattle. We split the torta and the Vietnamese sandwich and the torta was the clear winner; avocado, pork, a super tasty cream sauce, great bread... yeah definitely give this a try.
There were lots of different sized tables, lots of folks on their computers soaking up the free WiFi or reading papers or quietly talking within their groups. And then me and my brother sitting there like a couple of drooling idiots remarking on how great the food was.
Prices were great too. Totally reasonable, especially considering how damned good the food was. Also there was beer on tap, maybe wine, I didn't notice. I'd love to come back and check out what this place is like around happy hour.
Hearty sandwiches yes yes.
I usually go for the spicy chicken torta ($5.50): guacamole, onions, pinto bean spread, and crema on a toasted roll. The chicken meatballs are good, too. I've tried the chicken meatball banh mi--really tasty but with the sweetness you'd expect (that I don't prefer). I've had the summer rolls (with chicken meatballs, hmm) and iced coffee--both hokkaehokkae.
If you place an order for pick-up or delivery, make sure that you speak really, really loudly.
While the sandwiches were really good, upon further inspection the chicken...was questionable. I actually became a vegetarian for a few months because of it..
A week later, gagging through the tofu bahn mi almost turned me back into a carnivore.
In the end it was a chipotle burrito that accomplished that goal but I digress.
Don't discount this place completely. They have free wi-fi, friendly staff and great tea and baked goods.
Plus, the vegetarian stint earned me a few karma points
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/8/2009
I walked by this place for months and had no idea what it was. I suspected it was a snooty wine bar… Read more »
I was on the corner of Suffolk and Grand and I decided try out this new thing I've been hearing about; I think the kids are calling it "exercise." So I started jogging.
About a half a block later, I see a little sign that said, "Street Food." Well, I couldn't just pass that by. So I went into Roots & Vines (chest heaving, pouring sweat and trying not to vomit), and I ordered a carne asada torta from the friendly lady at the counter. She displayed concern for my well-being; I assured her I was just being healthy.
As I waited, I noted that the space is clean and spare, and I assume that there is free wi/fi, as there were several people on their laptops. Their slogan is "Where Drinks Meet." I'm not sure what that means. They have banh mi on the menu (which is a bit odd to serve along with tortas and tacos), and I saw one that looked delicious, and regretted my torta order.
When my torta emerged from the kitchen ten minutes later, it was good. I enjoyed it, especially since I had worked up such an appetite. However, it wasn't special; I don't think I'd run out of my way for it, and I'll definitely go with the banh mi next time.
Speaking of which: despite the jog, my gut remains. I think I'm going to have to give up on this "exercise" thing.
A very late lunch here (4:30PM) last Friday left me more impressed than I've been on previous visits. The place has been on an upswing over the last year or so, which only seems to be continuing. Our party of four enjoyed $5 pints (shortish pints, given) of Six Points and Brooklyn Lager. That's hard to argue with. My torta was delicious, generous and a bit of a bargain at $5.50. My buddy got a new item, the Saigon Burger ($7.50), which he quite liked. He offered me a taste, but I was too busy with my torta to take him up on it. I did taste a chili both of our wives ordered, which was really more of a powerfully flavored bean soup than what I think of as chili. It was also very good. I'm all for powerfully flavored bean soup, and the women felt the same way.
We were a little more raucous than many of the other patrons sipping coffee and taking advantage of the free wi-fi, but we weren't the only ones enjoying alcoholic beverages and a few laughs there. It was a fine environment to do just that. The music was good. The servers were friendly. The space was pleasant. Up until now I thought R&V was great to have in the neighborhood, but not really a destination. Now I'd consider it a destination. Part of it was seeing the appreciation of my neighborhood joint in my friends from outside the 'hood. But it was more than that: it's the pleasure of watching the neighborhood joint just getting better and better over time.
My buddy and I agreed: if we lived in a small town and Roots and Vines were the only place we had to go we'd be able to get by just fine. The place has become that cool. Far cooler than you'd expect in a strip mall near Seward Park Coop on the LES, but not so cool that there'd be any reason to hesitate walking into the joint - ever. The place is completely unpretentious. It's a great cafe/sandwich shop that offers beer and wine with some cool menu items (Viet, Mexican, Burgers and Salads) to keep things interesting.
If I could give 4.5 stars here, I would.
3 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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9/14/2008
The new decor is a tremendous improvement; the place seems spacious and the lines are clean.… Read more »
This place is a nice surprise. The food is affordable and I was surprised to have some very very good mexican food here for lunch. Much better than pinche and even better than barrio chino. It's a good spot as a cafe too, with good strong coffee and great service.
I had the carne asada quesadilla and pork taco that were both delicious. I'm from California so I'm always looking for good Mexican...who would've thought that I would find some here. Check it out!
Little sterile with the haute-cafeteria decor and lighting, but some of my favourite summer taps are in effect (Peroni, Sixpoint, Sierra) and the prices are outstanding by downtown standards. Torta sandwich not to be missed.
Great value brunch and "street food of the world" niche these guys are squeezing into. Come and order yourself Chilaquiles (fried eggs over tortilla with white cheese and green hot sauce with homefries) for $10 which comes with an O.J. and GOOD cornbread. They do a pretty good job with the coffees too.
I'm coming back for a Vietnamese Banh Mi ("bun me") sandwich served up on a toasted roll with pickled carrot, cucumber, cilantro, mayo, and a choice of meat. The one with lemongrass chicken sounds like the bomb. Try it out.
I just tried this place, and it's a real nice cafe with good food. I tried the Vietnamese sandwich, which tasted traditionally Vietnamese. However the taco, was not as "authentic," nevertheless, good. they use a thicker tortilla and aren't skimpy with the meat, but I wasn't to privy on the salsa. I did like that they served radish and limes, like most of the Mexican places in L.A.
The Vietnamese sandwich was really tasty, and didn't give me an MSG-headache or MSG-tongue. Unlike some of the authentic Vietnamese sandwich places, there is a place to sit, and they do offer free wireless.
The cafe-americano is pretty good too.
a place for yuppies + dinks! $6 for a bagel with cream cheese and iced coffee is a bit steep if you ask me. nonetheless both items were considerably good.
Good, reasonably priced food. Preroasted coffee, but it seems to be pretty fresh. Good selection of beer and wine. Overall a great find in a cool neighborhood.
coffee. food. al freso. wine. beer.
sounds great, right? i actually like that the inside of the place is spacious and air conditioned. i can't stand stuffy/hot places in this city. i love that they have many options on the menu and open late enough for people to dine and have drinks at night.
the decor is a bit confusing. you don't know what kind of feel or look they're trying to exude. i like the artwork on the wall and the vintage bull-fighting posters. the furnishings are a mess. you have frail wooden chairs from K-mart, straw weaved chairs and wobbly tables. you don't really want to stay inside for too long. it gets boring and almost awkward. as soon as the outdoor seating opened up... we bum-rushed over to a table. the sun was shining just perfectly and the LES seemed a lot slower and quiet... when it's usually bustling and chaotic. there was a crazy homeless person screaming at random patrons and street pedestrians... but what else would you expect from NY? lol.
the selections on beer and wine seemed very extensive. affordable $3 drafts and $7 glasses of wine. pretty cool.
i tried the Thai Iced tea. yes, it's probably from a mix... but even with THAT a lot of places in NYC still screw it up somehow. this was tasted just how i liked it. sweet and creamy... yum. i'd definitely come back here to people watch and sip on coffee w/ friends again.
I want to love this place. Great atmosphere, great place to work, good coffee, the woman that runs it put together a hip drink/snack menu, and it's very reasonably priced.
But the reality is that both of the dishes I've tried (vietnamese pork sandwhich and mexican chicken torta) featured some meat that I found to be pretty nasty.
I'll amend the review once I try a meal there that I like and bump up its rating; I have faith that this place will one day deliver the goods.
**addendum - tofu vietnamese sandwhich is really good. nothing spectacular, but good study food, and they'll make it nice and spicy**
Roots and Vines has just about everything I look for in a cafe. It's clean, comfortable, stylish, the coffee is good, the food is great and inexpensive, there are lots of wall outlets, the wireless connection is consistent, and the staff is friendly. What more can I say. It's also a good neighborhood spot to meet the locals while watching a game in the evening or the presidential debate.
The only thing I'd change would be to make it larger (not going to happen), and to add breakfast (is going to happen).
Glad this place exists in my neighborhood.
just had chai latte here, while my friend had her beer. i just thought i can finally try this place with another friend (i didn't want to be alone the first time here) after having passed by it many times on my way to a friend's apartment along FDR drive. it's a thursday, & the place was just having around 12 people all in all when we were there. the service's friendly! it feels cool being in there, honestly. i think it's their attention to details that makes this place different from others. first, it's located somewhat of way (take the B, D to Grand Street, or the F to East Broadway). it's also a nice place to hold a good conversation. it's also neat & tidy looking. well, i'll be back again (to try some of their offerings),
My favorite little neighborhood cafe by far! Their Dancing Goats House Blend is always perfectly brewed - smooth and clean, without the overbrewed bitter aftertaste. Their Sumatra Decaf is also great. If you're looking to brew at home, they have a quality selection of whole bean coffees to purchase. Another of my favorites is their macchiato. A perfect ratio of espresso and frothy milk. Also, what coffee house do you know that also makes Vietnamese coffee? YUM! Teas, pastries and also sandwiches available. I believe they have wi-fi in their cozy little cafe area, so it's a great place to hang out and have a great cup of joe and do some work or chill with your friends. http://www.lesonline.o...
This was a great little find...and it's been there all this time! Very comfy coffee house. A friend bought the coffee, so I don't know that I can talk about the pricing, but knowing her, it wasn't expensive! You can choose to sit outside or in. the Couch and Chair groupings are homey. There were also table/chair settings. I can't wait to get back to this Coffee Spot!
