Roots 657 Cafe and Local Market

Bill Schmidt

Finally got a chance to hit this restaurant/market. Food was very good. I got the BLT with the marinated Cole slaw. It was on toasted and buttered sourdough. Very unique place, feels like a smaller but better Cracker barrel with it's market side. They have a small indoor area and an outdoor area. Will definitely be going back.

Tilly Lo

20220529 came by here for lunch. The pulled pork and chicken were good. Corn pudding was OK, and crab and corn soup was soooo salty. The cashier wasn't friendly. At checkout, im.not sure why they changed the %tip to dollar tip. I spent $41 and tipping option was $1, $2 and $4. Who gives a $1 or $2 tip for a $41 meal? I ended up tipping in cash. I prefer the tip by %... 10%, 15%, 17%, 20%. I usually do 20% even at carryout, especially during this exaggerated pandemic that ruined so many lives and small business. I am really happy that I decided to stop by this market/restaurant. I love all the unique merchandise including jelly, jam, salsa, coffee, pasta, ice cream, beer, draft beer, wine, gifts, snacks... Most, and f not all, are local. I picked up some items, and the mustard, The Pig Cave Black Mustard, is so good... a little spicy and has white wine in the ingredient. The restaurant food is amazing! The brisket sandwich came in these delicious jalapeno buns. The corn pudding was so yummy! The crab soup had so much chunky veggies in it that it looked and tasted healthy. I will definitely come back next time I am in the area.

Jeff Carter

Have been meaning to try this place for some time now. We stopped here for lunch before visiting some local breweries and vineyards. THe staff was very nice and the food was great. I am a sourdough fan and the grilled ham & cheese on sourdough was very good - toasted just right. The selections of local beer and wine were also good. Interesting shop was there as well, found some mead to try (wine made from honey). It was a little busy at lunch time on Saturday and there was not a lot of tables indoors. Plenty of seating outside but it was a little to cold and windy today. Finally, there was a geocache onsite - so that was a pleasant surprise.

Samiha I

My brother plays disc golf out on Leesburg and has brought me food from Roots a few times. I love their brisket sandwich, so when I was in the area this past weekend, of course I had to stop in. The cafe itself is very cute, with a kind of general store inside hosting lots of local products, including jams, honey, and alcoholic products. Lots of interesting things, so take your time to look around! They have plenty of seating indoors but they also have a spacious and well lit outdoor patio with a field. Nice place to hang out. We got there at about 7:15, so it was a little over an hour from closing time. A group of 3-4 young staff were crowded around the register chit-chatting. They were so obviously unhappy to see us and one rolled their eyes as we walked in. I get it, close to closing, but they were borderline rude. No smiles or greetings or explanations. We put in the order and the cashier sighed and scoffed throughout. We had to repeat questions because they'd ignore them. Very poor service overall, and it was a little shocking for me. We ordered the burger and beef brisket sandwich, with a side of fries and a side of mac&cheese. Their card machine wasn't working - I tried tapping the card then inserted the chip but it didn't work, and at one point, the cashier snatched my card from my hand without asking for it and tried to use it. I ended up paying cash just to cut the interaction short. The food came out about 10-15 mins later. We were seated outside and a different staff member was kind enough to bring it out to us - that person was kind and gave great service. On to the food. The burger was great, if a little overseasoned, with generous amounts of lettuce and tomatoes. Patties were juicy and I really enjoyed it. Fries were fresh and hot. The brisket on the other hand was nothing like I remembered it. Burnt end bits, like the trimmings from brisket, (I like burnt end though if done right) and super, super dry. There was no juiciness left. I had to soak it in sauce to make it edible. The mac&cheese portion was woefully small, but I didn't like it anyway so that was fine. It was weird because I was there with friends, and they ordered the same thing - they had double the mac&cheese portion and their brisket sandwiches used thick slabs of proper brisket. All in all, my experience was strange and I can't help but decide to not come back. I know they can do better and this visit in particular was very disappointing.