It can be difficult to eat healthy in college, because clubs and organizations bribe you with free pizza and soda if you will attend their meetings, Lawrence dining hall has a warm cookie bar with 6 different toppings at least once a week, and sometimes the easiest thing to make for dinner if you are busy that day is Easy Mac or Ramen. In town, there’s wing night on Wednesday nights at Barnaby’s and BOGO burgers on Thursdays at Landmark. I’m not saying that it’s not okay to enjoy all this food, but sometimes you need a healthy lunch to make you feel refreshed and ready to take on the rest of the week.
I discovered the Roots Cafe last year when I was looking for a new place to try that had healthier options besides salads on their menu. It’s is the perfect place to grab breakfast with your parents when they come to visit you, place to catch up with your best friends from your hometown or cute place for date night. The following are my reasons why you should definitely give the Roots Cafe a try.
1. The Roots Cafe serves all locally grown, organic, made-from-scratch food.
Photo Courtesy of @_gglim_ on Instagram
The Roots Cafe’s menu is anything, but boring, if that is what you are thinking. Their food is seasonal, fresh and full of flavor. The menu has something for the meat loves, gluten-intolerant people and vegetarians. My favorite thing to get for breakfast is their “Eggs Your Way”, which is two farm fresh eggs, herbed potatoes or slices of tomato and your choice of toast. My favorite thing to get for lunch is the “A.L.T.” which is composed of Fried Tomato, Avocado, Mixed Greens and Pesto Aioli layered perfectly between multigrain bread (pictured above). They make everything by scratch which is evident when you take your first bite of food.
2. The Roots Cafe is working towards a greener food industry
Photo Courtesy of @_gglim_ on Instagram
The Roots Cafe uses compostable “to-go”coffee cups, soup containers, and utensils made from 100% renewable resources. They support sustainable farming practices and a healthy lifestyle. By eating at the Roots Cafe you are helping out a plethora of small businesses since they buy their ingredients from local farms.
3. The ambiance makes you feel like you’re in your own backyard.
Photo courtesy of @roots_cafe on Instagram
My favorite part about the Roots Cafe is sitting outside in their backyard patio area. I definitively recommend taking advantage of sitting outside with the beautiful summer weather coming up. They have lights draping overhead and garden beds scattered around the area. Their drinks are served in the cutest mason jars and the service is great.
4. Roots Cafe is located in walking distance from WCU!
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The Roots Cafe is about a ten-fifteen minute walk from West Chester University’s campus, which is perfect for those who do not have a car or are looking to get a nice walk in. At 133 E Gay St. West Chester, PA 19380 (the same block as Doc Magrogan’s if that helps to give you a better picture of where it is located), the Roots Cafe is located in the heart of town and it is the perfect reward for getting a bit of exercise in your day.
5. The service is great
Photo Courtesy of @roots_cafe on Instagram
I have worked in the restaurant business for the past four years and whenever I go out to eat I find myself accidentally judging (too harshly) the service I receive. I have to say that the Roots Cafe has exceptional service and you can tell that all the servers are very knowledgeable about the products they are selling. I have yet to have a bad experience with the customer service that the servers provide.
6. The Roots Cafe is a local business that supports other local businesses.
Photo Courtesy of @roots_cafe on Instagram
I personally love shopping locally when I can and I feel like I can achieve that by eating at the Roots Cafe. They are continuously building relationships with local farms and food suppliers. Why wait until “Small Business Saturday” when you can just eat The Roots Cafe tomorrow?
7. The food is affordable and worth every penny.
Photo Courtesy of @roots_cafe on Instagram
I believe that the Roots Cafe offers a nice variety of food and the portions are generous. I work a lot and I am constantly trying to save money, but I do not mind spending the money on their food, because it is delicious and worth every cent I spend on it.
In case you ever need an idea of a new place to eat in West Chester, definitely check out the Roots Cafe. They serve all organic, locally grown and made from scratch food. It is a great place especially for those who want to eat out one night, but want to make sure that they are putting healthy food into their bodies. The Roots Cafe is a restaurant that actively works towards making a “greener” environment. They use compostable products to serve their food and they support sustainable farming practices and a healthy lifestyle. I know that the Roots Cafe is one of my favorite spots to grab food in West Chester and it should be yours, too.