By Cate Hill

As I drive through downtown Richmond along streets filled with people, I arrive at my new favorite spot to eat. Roots: Natural Kitchen, located in the VCU area on the corner of West Grace and North Harrison Streets, is a popular lunch spot that prides itself on serving delicious and healthy food that positively impacts the mind and body. Roots offers a variety of grain bowls and salads that are filled with fresh, healthy ingredients. With the opening of four additional locations, in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Charlottesville, over the last four years, Roots is certainly growing in popularity. 

Roots provides fresh ingredients that make their food taste both delicious and refreshing. As stated on their website, Roots’ mission is “to empower humans by providing food that helps them thrive.” 

Parking is limited around Roots due to its Fan location. Although getting there is not the easiest, Roots is accessible by driving, biking, and walking. It is kid-friendly and allows kids under the age of twelve to eat free with the purchase of an adult bowl. The line moves efficiently to get through orders quick and satisfy the customers. Roots strives to be accessible to everyone, even when the line stretches out the door. Roots has a mobile app that enables you order food for pick-up, allowing you to skip the line that snakes through the restaurant on busy days. If nothing on the menu suits you or you have specific dietary restrictions, Roots’ staff has no problem making changes to orders, and they even offer a create-your-own-bowl option. 

Stepping through the doorway, you can hear the sound of chicken sizzling on the grill and see customers devouring their food. Local artwork hangs for sale across the walls. Seating is equitable and perfect for small groups of family or friends. In order to support a more sustainable environment, all utensils, bowls, cups, and napkins at Roots are recyclable or compostable. 

On January 11, I visited Roots with a few of my close friends. Having visited several times before, I was fairly comfortable with the menu. I decided to try something new, veering away from my usual El Jefe order, which consists of a brown rice and kale base, topped with black beans, charred corn, red onions, avocado, pita chips, feta cheese, and chicken, and finished with a cilantro-lime dressing. Instead, I ordered the Apollo, a bowl with a brown rice and spinach base, topped with chickpeas, tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers, pita chips, feta cheese, and chicken, and finished with a lemon-za’atar dressing. Collegiate’s Gwen Lynch (‘20) and Mary Grace Fleming (‘20) both ordered the El Jefe, with cilantro-lime dressing and Caesar dressing, respectively. The costs of the Apollo and El Jefe, $9.00 and $9.50, respectively, are reasonable, considering the size of the portions and the quality of ingredients. 

My experience trying a new menu item was exceptional, encouraging me to try another different item when I return. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the flavors of the Apollo, knowing that I usually do not eat chickpeas or red onions. Lynch savored every bite she took of her El Jefe and said, “I need to stop eating, but it’s so good!” even when she was full. As I ate my bowl, I overheard a middle-aged man sitting near me say to his wife, “This is my first time eating here, and there are no flavors I don’t like.” I especially enjoyed the addition of pita chips in my bowl, something I had never seen in a grain bowl before. Roots provides large portions of food, so even someone like myself, who is usually able to finish their dish in one sitting, may need to take the rest to go. 

Healthy bowls, like the ones served at Roots, are becoming increasingly popular as the awareness for eating right continues to spread. Roots believes that “having a delicious meal is an outstanding and memorable experience.” They know and understand how important it is to nourish your body with the correct foods, and makes an effort to provide communities around them with affordable, healthy food options. 

All photos by Cate Hill.