The Root Cafe

It was pretty busy when I went, so there was no parking sadly. However, I had an easy time ordering and the staff was very helpful since it was my first time there. I got the sweet potato fries, and the curry chicken salad sandwich. The fries were different, they tasted like they had cinnamon on them but the sauce they gave me tangy, which honestly was a tasty combination. The sandwich was different from anything I’ve ever had, but it was pretty good. All in all, the food quality is probably what puts this restaurant on top! You can definitely tell that the quality of the food is good, and I will be going back to try more items on their menu.

First time visiting Arkansas and Little Rock — here for the LR Marathon (Half) this weekend. Stopped by The Root Cafe. Easy parking with both a lot and ample street spots. Ordered the Spicy Banh Mi: fried organic tofu, carrot-daikon pickle, cilantro, jalapeños, hoisin, sriracha, and house garlic mayo on a Boulevard baguette. I subbed vegan mayo, so it was vegetarian (possibly vegan). Overall, it was good and fairly healthy. The veggies were fresh, the carrot-daikon pickle stood out, and I appreciated the mixed greens on the side. That said, the sandwich — and especially the greens — were a bit salty / high in sodium. Still, solid flavors and good ingredients. I’d come back. Visited February 27, 2026.

Thought I posted my review...I guess it didn't save! The meal was delicious! My husband had the double cheeseburger with fries. I had the Spicy Banh Mi. You could smell the freshness of each ingredient. My favorite of all is the spring salad with their house garlic vinaigrette.

After many years of happily eating at The Root Cafe for breakfast and lunch, I finally made it over for dinner. Unsurprisingly the food was delicious! Can't believe it took me this long to try it out. We got the "Hot Chicken", Deviled Eggs, Cornbread, and "Not the Chicken and Dumplings I'm Used to". All on point. If you want to not only support a local business, but also Arkansas farmers and ranchers, then give The Root a try.

I'm so grateful for the incredibly helpful staff and manager! They went above and beyond to provide me with a list of dog-friendly places to explore. It was so thoughtful of them to hand me printed recommendations. I truly appreciate their effort in making my visit so enjoyable. It's wonderful to find places that welcome our furry friends! #DogFriendlyAdventures #CustomerServiceExcellence 🐾

My husband and I have been coming here for years and decided to do breakfast on a Saturday morning. The cost was $40 including tip and I got just water to drink. Ordered 2 eggs, toast and one piece of sausage - $18. The toast was overdone, egg whites were cooked to the point of inedible- see photo - I could only eat the yolk, the sausage was small with a couple of chunks of something I had to spit out. Mine came cold to the table. I honestly thought I could get a better breakfast in a prison. Very disappointing for the money. I didn’t say anything as we didn’t want to wait for a redo. Just won’t be back. They should never have sent the eggs out from the kitchen.

First wanted to say how beautiful this place is! Was thinking their Pimento Cheese Bread and a side salad would be plain & simple but it was really anything but that! So pretty and full of flavor! Excited to go back and try something else!!

Came here as we passed through town. No wait for 4 people and 2 dogs. Nice heated dog friendly patio. The staff was very friendly and loved the dogs. Food was good, bourbon lemonade hit the spot as well

The food here is absolutely amazing. The portion sizes are very generous. We got the spiced pecan salad with chicken salad on top and it was the best salad I've ever had. I cannot recommend the food here enough!

They have won awards and I can see why. The building was historic but used well. The food was so fresh and flavorful. We were with a group, some had breakfast and some had lunch. Everyone was very happy with their meal. We sat outside since we had dogs with us and the patio space was so fun with shade trees and umbrellas. The staff brought out water for the dogs without being asked. Everyone who works there was so nice and we had a wonderful experience. Heads up - parking in their lot is tight so you might need to park on the street. We had 3 vehicles and everyone found parking nearby without issue.

Stopped in during my travels and ordered the burger and a salad.... I will say the two sauces that came with this burger were perfectly spiced and had the best taste. I ordered my burger protein style and my salad came with watermelon on top. Best place ever... great food and a must try. Service was fast and friendly. Inside is super great. With indoor and outdoor seating

Stoped in to see a friend in Little Rock... got Biscuits and Gravy with poached eggs... my wife got a donut muffin and coffee which she enjoyed... The eggs were perfect, the baking soda drop biscuits were nice with a sausage gravy... I did really enjoy the food, thought it could have used a bit more gravy, but I always want more gravy ... I did notice it was a bit over salted, left me feeling thirsty... Over all 4.3 stars... I would go back to try some other dishes...

The vibe of this place is my favorite in the city. The staff are all super great and nice. But the food just isn't it for me. My taste buds were praying for relief after eating the cheeseburger and fries. The burger and salad were drenched in this garlic aioli that was entirely too tangy and overwhelming and it was hard to taste anything else in the burger. The fries were either oversalted or my taste buds were already shot. I sought relief from the Arkansas-made root beer but it tasted like an incense shop, as if Earthbound Trading Company was put into a can. The vibe and the people here are immaculate, but the food is a huge miss. Given how revered this place is, it just might be me or the food I picked.

This was such a wonderful place for me to be taken to by my cousin. My cousin has lived in Little Rock for years and I asked her to take me to a great Local restaurant rather than a chain restaurant while I traveled through her town. She brought me to a delicious restaurant and the servers were all very polite and helpful and quick to serve your orders.

I wanted pancakes but missed the breakfast hours. (They don't serve breakfast past 11am). Outdoor and indoor seating By have a private parking lot, but limited space. We parked on the road No grilled chicken option.. I got the burger which was ok. My wife got the ham cheese sandwich. It was pressed flat and very good. Sweet potato fries was good Chocolate cookie was ok. Spicy brownie was good Bread pudding had way too much cinnamon butter on it... Overall, good place. Would come back again

"Mmmmm."- My Stomach after eating here. I'm a true southern so when I'm in the mood for breakfast in a new city, I always google who has the best biscuits and gravy. When I did this place popped up and glad it did. I loved the inside that made it feel warm and welcoming with an at home vibe. The staff were all friendly and really took great care of us. For breakfast I had their biscuits and gravy with a blueberry pancake. The sausage gravy was season perfectly with the right amount of pepper and was generous in the portion size. The biscuit was soft and butter and held up well with it being drenched in gravy. The blueberry pancake as superb and was a great companion to the main dish. Overall, I highly recommend and will be back next time I'm back in town.

This is a cute little place. Order at the counter and get your number for your table. Fast service and everyone was very friendly. The food was pretty solid. Nothing spectacular but good nonetheless. The brownie was 8/10 had a little spice to it which was unexpected but still good. The salad was 8/10 as well, very tasty but the cumin dressing was a little overpowering. I also had the mushroom sandwich on a baguette which was a 9/10 and really tasty.

Good portion sizes, affordable, delicious! You order at the counter (highly recommend the chicken curry sandwich) and find a seat, they bring it right to you.

It's so fresh that the tomato on my hubby's burger was still green and looked disgusting. Check your burger before you bite into it.

Tried The Root Cafe based on a recommendation from my cousin. It was DELISH! Hubby and I both had burgers, his was a plain cheeseburger and I had the pimento cheese burger. We got lucky and got a spot to sit inside as it was hot out. The inside is small but very cozy, like sitting in someone's kitchen. The vinaigrette on the salad was so good I bought a bottle! If I had one complaint it would be that the fries were over salted, but not so much that they were inedible. Would highly recommend and will definitely go again when I'm in the area!

Had a chance to visit Root the day before the eclipse for brunch. Coffee was on point - it's not often I'll drink drip coffee black, but this one passed that test for me. The place had a nice buzz going and the line was out the door. It's counter service and we luckily snagged some inside tables for our group. I had the biscuits and gravy and while it was good, that mostly came down to the biscuits being fantastic. The gravy was fine, but didn't stand out for me. Portions were a bit smaller than I was expecting for the price.

Well we had a bit of a mixup because we had ordered a banh mi sandwich and when we received our order they gave us a salad so we were confused and they said that was only for lunch and we were confused as to why they didnt say it when we ordered instead just giving us a box full of salad. It was a bit of a headache since we were in a hurry but yeah. My advice is if there is someone ordering something and you guys dont have it then LET THEM KNOW lol. They gave us two pieces of toast instead of the bread we saw in the reviews to try and make it up to us..... lol im giving it two stars which is already a gracious review simply because i rated the food by itself as if i had ordered a salad and it was edible. But the experience was a bummer and i had high hopes for this place since we even took a detour to try it out /:

super cute patio area seating. you can dine in here or get your food to go. i love how all of the ingredients are clean and locally sourced. i'm very pleased with how many gluten free options there are. service was slow, but the food was pretty good overall.

THIS PLACE ROCKS (unintentional Little Rock pun)!!!! I cannot recommend it enough! The food is absolutely delicious. My friend and I got the PBT and Bahn Mi and each had a half of each. We couldn't pick a favorite, and we didn't want any of the bites to end! The vinaigrette salad dressing is also delicious. Ordering is easy at the counter and they bring it to your table super fast. We sat outside on the patio - a beautiful day for a delicious meal. We'll be back!!

Wonderful food. Great ingredients, great service. Had the mushroom burger. Smallish indoors with nice porch. Sweet homey atmospheres. Loved it.

This was my first time in the Root Cafe. I heard great reviews from locals that their food is very fresh due to them growing it locally. I ordered a sparkling lavender lemonade as my drink and their chicken and dumplings. The waiters were friendly and funny. The food came out warm and was very delicious. I can't wait to return to try something else.

Overall: incredibly long wait for lovely farm to table breakfast foods. A hipster take on an American diner, you won't want to skip this spot if you support local. Food: chorizo omelette was a perfect mix of fluffy eggs, and salty spicy chorizo. Fresh greens were crisp with a smooth vinaigrette. The root parfait although small in size packed with fresh flavor. Using local honey, homemade crunchy granola and fresh picked fruits of the day. Ambience/Service/Decor: very friendly service with plenty of liberal decorations. Little to no AC and plenty of outdoor seating. Self-serve iced cold water helps though!

Cute funk little place it has inside and outside dining it was has a fenced play area for little kids. I went for breakfast, got the biscuits n gravy with 2 hugs plate and it was good not awesome but was good. You get your own drink and they bring the food u order at the counter. I might would go there again but I wouldn't go out my way unless I had a little kid so they could play and eat. Anybody with kids this is a great choice. The pancakes looked fantastic, big and fluffy

Great little spot with casual ambiance, counter ordering with table serving and nice indoor, outdoor covered, or outdoor patio seating. We had burger and a Reuben and both were really delicious. Both the counter person and the server were helpful and cheerful. Really enjoyed our lunch and would go back if in town!

The food here looks and tastes awful. The eggs Benedict is served with toasted bread the size and consistency of a cracker. The omelets are filled with cheese and swimming in oil. The best thing we had was the Bloody Mary. Your money would be better spent at a McDonald's.

A short family visit to Little Rock had me looking for a quick easy lunch while I waited for the rest of the clan at the airport. This place popped up and I looked over the menu with some trepidation. I needed to do a salad and the Spiced Pecan salad was everything I could have wanted. The size was large, so there was a box to take home. The pecans were spiced perfectly. Lastly the staff was wonderful and so friendly. Guess who is coming back to sample more stuff of their enormous menu!

Root for the hometown cafe! This is an authentic piece of Americana in Little Rock. In an unassuming box car like structure with a surrounding patio, the Root Cafe is food for the people. They do basic things really well with fresh, locally sourced ingrediants. I had the Chicken Salad Sandwich with a side salad (included) and french fries (extra). The chicken salad was on a fresh, grilled bun. The chicken salad had a twist of turmeric flavor to liven things up. The fries were freshly cut with housemade ketchup. A simple, really good lunch. The restaurant has a left wing vibe with signs welcoming certain trendy yet controversial groups. I would prefer they just be welcoming without the extra political statements. But the staff is simply hard working and did not preach politics. Little Rock has roots and you can here, too.

We drove 6 hours from out of state to try their vegan options after seeing reviews online. The line was long, and the food was not very good. I had the tofu banh mi and it was really soggy. Ended up throwing it out. The parfait was a huge mess, needed to be wiped at the very least. I also ordered the dreamsicle pie which is mistitled, its more like a buttermilk chess pie. It was okay but not worth almost $7 for a slice that tasted nothing like advertised. Restrooms were disgusting. I got through the line before breakfast ended. The line was pretty long, I stood in line for about an hour. The main thing that was off-putting was exactly at 11am they went to everyone in line and basically snatched the breakfast menus. The poor girl that was next in line literally put her bottom lip out. She had to stand at the register to figure out something from the lunch menu. They should have let the people already in the restaurant order breakfast and just done this for the people funneled outside in line. It was so petty and I could tell this woman's day was going badly. I don't plan on returning but if you are reading this plan your times accordingly.

This is a quirky cafe. Their dishes are traditional but still have variations. Lots of sitting area- inside, outside and in th garden. The place runs like clockwork. The food is local and fresh and definately tasty.

Seems like one of the gems of Little Rock, located in the SoMa district. Really cute and quirky atmosphere and staff. Had the cheeseburger and it was good, nothing special but it was good. Don't like that they won't substitute fries for the salad lol

more like a 3.5 out of 5 stars. Ended up getting the egg salad sandwich and the mushroom sandwich. both entrees came with a small salad. Out of the two, i preferred the mushroom sandwich, but both were decent. I also ended up getting an Italian cream soda, which was the best thing we got. i will say this place is very lgbt friendly. I saw signs and flags of all the different variants.. didn't know there were that many! Parking is a bit tight. I had to park on the street as the parking lots was pretty full when i went. There's plenty of seating inside, and there's also seating outside as well.

Stopped here on our eclipse road trip, and the place was slammed. The staff were champs! It must have been stressful for them, but they delivered and took care with every customer. Food was excellent! Ambiance was fun and relaxing--especially the front patio area. Would go out of my way to go back.

We waited for lunch to be served (2pm on Sundays) and it did not disappoint! Staff was great, food was incredible and the vibes were so good!

Cool little breakfast spot (among other meals) with a few vegan options. Solid enough food. It can be hard to find vegan options in Arkansas, so I was happy to see a breakfast place that had a few. You order up at the front and they bring your food out for you. I got the tofu scrambler ($8), added a side of hash ($4) and a coffee ($3.50) -- all prices exclusive of tax. The food came out in under 10 minutes. The scrambler was pretty bland and underseasoned, coming with square firm tofu instead of a more typical "scramble" type of tofu, covered in turmeric, but under-salted and otherwise not that interestingly flavoured. There are a few pieces of shredded peppers and onions, but the veggie content was pretty sparse. The side salad that comes with it is fine -- just romaine with a few morsels of other stuff, with a creamy white dressing. The hash was nicely herbed but overly salted (in contrast to the scrambler). It was almost prohibitively salty; at least the ketchup helps cut that down a bit. Still, tasty fried potatoes. All in all, friendly service, decent food at reasonable prices, and a pleasant environment. Recommended if looking for a vegan breakfast in Little Rock.

Cool spot. Had a decent open faced egg salad. Would go back and try something else again when in town next

Try the tofu banh mi. Best I've ever had, and I live in California, have been vegetarian my whole life, and rate every restaurant that has it by this specific dish. Other than that I loved the fresh made lemonade second best.

Needed a place to sit down for a quick work meeting and was very happy I stumbled upon The Root Cafe. They had some really cute sitting areas to relax at. There were a few coffee options they were missing, like almond milk and lattes, but overall the coffee was really good. We had some Lavender Iced Cold Brews. Although I didn't have anything, their food looked great too!

Very eclectic spot. Feels very NWA farm-to-table but has it own flair! Seating can be chaotic but the staff is kind and very helpful. I'm all about their brunch menu (biscuits for days) and their baked goods (they have these muffin-donut things I adore)! Their lunch menu is fine too - just wish they offered brunch on Saturdays as late as they do on Sundays.

Hands down one of the best breakfast I have had in many years. Got the omelette full loaded with mushrooms and both proteins. The strawberries were absolutely to die for. If you're in Little Rock go no where else for breakfast!!!!

This cafe has the best biscuits and sausage gravy I've ever eaten. Opted to add some poached eggs and fresh squeezed OJ and it was breakfast perfection.

The biscuits and gravy is amazing and the staff is always friendly and helpful and it's in a great location!

Such a warm welcome to Little Rock! Great service, food came out quickly and our meals were delicious! We had the omelette, pancake and biscuit. Everything was fresh and light. The vibe is cheerful and relaxed. Great for families and groups. Thank you to the amazing staff, Sky, Andrea and Joscelyn for treating us like family

Traveler to the area and really liked this place. Great little spot, unique, artsy, fun atmosphere. LGBT+ welcoming place! Really good vibes. Food locally sourced, if I remember correctly. I got a banh mi at the recommendation of my friend and loved it. The strawb mojito, I could've happily had a few more, haha. My friend said she enjoyed her meal also, (pictured). This is probably one of my shortest reviews, but I just really have no complaints about the place. It's good food for the type of place that it is as well as being a unique and welcoming atmosphere.

The food is ok. It's overpriced for the quality and service. But, if you like all natural then this is the place for you.

Finally had a chance to go and check this place out after hearing so much great comments about it. Loved it! Food was fresh hot and delicious, service was superb. Can't wait to go back and sample other food options thats they have available. Love that's a local establishment and for what I saw they are very supportive of humans in general. So kudos on your place and on your food. Must eat while in Little Rock for sure

Amazing cheeseburger and fries! Great atmosphere. My wife had the egg salad and she said it was like eating her grandma's

Absolutely loved this little place. Small location, great atmosphere. Love the outside seating area. The service was fantastic, everyone was nice and helpful. The rod is impressive. Everything looked and sounded amazing. I had the Spicy Banh Mi. All of the food here is sourced through small farms and producers local to Little Rock. Wish more places would catch on to this trend. After a hike up to the top of Pinnacle Mountain this was a great way to refuel with a light healthy meal!

I would not recommend 18% tip. I do appreciate waiters but not when I have to get my own to go boxes and water refills. I do recommend sharing FF the portion is large. The CB are okay. I do like they but Local.

This was our first stop in Little Rock, the reviews are accurate. Very unique place with great food. If we lived in the area we would go here often. The employees are very helpful and polite. The atmosphere is relaxed and nice. The food was delicious.

Super cute cafe with a nice outdoor area. We got the vegan bahn mi and PBT which were incredible. Everything was so fresh and the dressing on the salad was soooo good. Highly recommend stopping here.

The food and staff are outstanding I had the fried tofu sandwich. It was excellent. The staff were extreme helpful and kind It is a must go to in Little Rock

What an amazing place. The food is all fresh and locally sourced. The drinks are handmade craft drinks and the staff is very friendly and helpful. Do allow some extra time as they stay busy but it is totally worth the wait.

This is just an excellent place to grab a unique and healthy meal with amazing vegetarian and vegan options. We got the fried tofu plate and the PBT sandwich. Their pickle brined tofu tastes a lot like Chick-fil-A (because Chick-fil-A marinates their chicken in pickle juice too). Delicious. Their sides are so yummy too- we got cornbread, mac & cheese, and the house salad. Love this place and their support of local food businesses as well! We'll be back again and again.