root cellar cafe

first time in 3 years i ordered eggs over medium and actually got over medium eggs!

had the breakfast sampler and portions were large and food is great.

good service too!

quaint, friendly, and a wonderful surprise. met our daughter for dinner halfway between san antonio and austin. not familiar with san marcos at all. root cellar cafe was a wonderful surprise right off the square where everything else seemed to be bars. a few steps down from the sidewalk and you feel like you've found some underground treasure. our waiter was very friendly. the house craft beer was quite good, and the food was even better. my husband enjoyed the flavorful lamb ragout which was served on top of extra wide thin noodles. my daughter and i chose the wild mushroom pasta which was peppery and comforting. it was topped with sliced scallions which added a nice crunch. all were served with the house salad - very fresh greens. be sure to order the lightly toasted beer bread with honey butter.

when we walked down into the root cellar cafe on saturday evening, the restaurant was a buzz with conversation and soft playing music.  i say walk “down” into the root cellar because, as the name indicates, this restaurant was built in a cellar, but it does not have a musty dark feel one might associate with cellars.  the floors are a light wood and the white walls are decorated with bright paintings from local artists.  when i have visited early in the day, sunlight falls through the windows in large slants across the tables and floor, which only adds to the picturesque european cafe type setting. i have loved this place since 2005 when it opened.  the root cellar and cool mint cafe were two of the first restaurants in san marcos to serve food that was not focused on high fat, instant gratification food. the fruits of their labor seem to have paid off.  saturday evening it w

i stopped in with my husband for brunch as we were driving through town. i got french toast with sausage and he ordered a burger. the food was amazing and the service was equally great.

stopped in for a brunch celebration after a big meeting. mimosa was yummy. was really wanting the eggs benedict on the menu only to find out it is served only on weekends. was so hot in there i couldn't order coffee. what i did order was huge and good yet it was hot i couldn't really enjoy the celebration. may try this place again....... in winter.

awesome brunch. this place is great. i had a half order of belgium waffles and eggs benedict. it was the first time to have eggs benedict and it turned out to be one of the best things i've had in a while. the hollandaise sauce didn't take over the whole thing and the ham wasn't overly salted. i decided to have their potatoes with the meal - very good.

today was the first time i didn't use syrup on waffles. instead, i kept it simple: whipped cream and fresh berries. for a half order, the portion was just right.

the service was great. i'll definitely be heading back when i'm in the area again. their menu looks fantastic!

everyone in our family of 4 loved it! our youngest daughter had a tomato and cucumber salad. it was huge and delicious!! our other daughter had the cubano club and it was amazing! my husband had the caribean stacker and it also was amazing! the pineapple-jalapeño sauce threw me at first but it really made the sandwich. i had the ciabatta cheesesteak and it was spectacular! the garlic mashed potatoes, wild rice and kettle chips were our sides, all of which were mouth watering! all in all, we are so glad we tried it!

their breakfast is in a word, “heavenly”, with options like the ridiculously flavorful baked frittata that happens to be my brother’s favorite, some of the best coffee in town with fresh milk instead of artificial creamers, homemade blueberry jam, and of course the incredibly delicious breakfast simpler which i will be reviewing a little further on. the lunch and dinner menus are always full of really delicious dishes as well, such as the tortilla-crusted tilapia or the basil-swiss burger. in addition to the food served, there is also seasonal beer brewed and served in-house.

exceptional!!!. truthfully this place is awesome!!!! i have always enjoyed their food and atmosphere, so i took my subdivision dinner club there. not many restaurants can flawlessly handle a large group. the root cellar was able to with one waiter and 25 people! lindsey, our waiter, was superb! our food came out timely and correct, our water glasses were kept filled, special requests were accommodated efficiently. my group gravitates toward chain restaurants because they think they can more easily accommodate a large crowd - i am happy to say they were pleasantly surprised!!!! from one of my neighbors - "it was fun. our waiter was awesome! food was great, service was exceptional and the company was outstanding! good job!" thanks, root cellar! :):):)

one of my favorite spots. mondays are always a sad day for me, because it is one of my two days off, and root cellar is closed! at least every other wednesday i will stop by for a late breakfast or lunch. i feel that there's no need for me to spend money at a restaurant for food i could easily make at home. with this said, i can't stop going back to this restaurant. the atmosphere is unique and cozy, the waitstaff is pleasant and always greets you with a smile, the beer is local and unique, and everything on the menu was put there with attention to detail.

root cellar cafe takes something simple, like french toast, and adds a delicious vanilla rum to make it special. the caribbean stacker is one of my favorite sandwiches on the menu, and i'm not even a sandwich person. i greatly applaud the chef that runs that kitchen; their ideas are fresh and their food is inventive and satisfying. i love that there's a little something for everyone and anyone on the menu, and though i have been over a dozen times in the past few months, i'm still excited to try the rest of the menu. (the jack daniels chicken is ridiculously delicious)

thank you for giving such life to the square! :)

best belgian waffle! yummy:)

love/hate. i stopped in with some friends last night for dinner for the first time at the root cellar. the decor and art make for an interesting setup for this little place. the menu was interesting to say the least. they seemed to have a little bit of everything to try. we started with the tilapia cakes, bruschetta, and chips and salsa. the tilapia was very flavorful and nice along with the bruschetta that came with some nice house made pesto.

that was the love side of things....the hate came with the entrees. my wife ordered the pasta with mushroom cream sauce. first off it was a gigantic portion which i wouldn't normally complain about but this time it was just pasta. there was hardly any cream sauce to speak of at all and what little you did get was flavorless. i ordered the risotto with shrimp which was also another gigantic portion. the risotto was not creamy at all and the parmesan was not fully incorporated into the dish as well as the shrimp being over cooked and rubbery.

all in all the place was nice but i was disappointed in the finish product, especially for what we paid (about $10-$16 an entree.) i would try this place again but i would be very leery of the pasta dishes from what i have experienced.

awesome!!!. ok, even the menus were cool! love the eclectic dining area. i took my dgtr for a celebration dinner last night for making dean's list and it was the perfect place to have gone! we had a very memorable experience because the food was so incredibly delicious, down to the eggplant chips garnish on my meal! i had the salmon and she had a carbonara pasta dish with shrimp - both were excellent! oh, and the prices are so reasonable as well; big plus! we will definitely return. : )

little bit of a wait on a sunday morning, but food was worth it! antique furniture with deco plate and art, and regea tunes - very eclectic! a must try is the jelly spread - yum! food was very good and we were full when we left! give it a try of your own!

nice tea. my favorite experience at this cafe was definitely the iced peach tea. it was close to perfect, it is unsweetened and has a perfect balance of flavor. the waffles were also nice, but could use improving on. my scrambled eggs were a bit over cooked but the amazing hummus appetizer made up for it.