root cellar cafe

i’ve been coming here on and off for 13 years. it’s where i chose to have my graduation dinner, my 30th birthday dinner, and my best friends and i meet up here annually. i feel likerootcellar just gets better every year. i can’t recommendrootcellar enough. i’ve had every single vegetarian item on the menu (including the mimosa flights lol), and i’ve never had anything i wouldn’t order again.

dinner with my wife for the first time at therootcellar cafe.  loved the atmosphere and we were greeted with big smiles all around.  we were lucky enough to arrive at the end of happy hour and started with the artichoke dip and white sangria.  both excellent and the dip was served with gluten free chips upon request.  dinner was outrageously tasty!  i had the seafood scampi on top of linguini and it was cooked to perfection with scallops, shrimp and mussels.  my wife had the wid caught alaskan salmon with risotto and veggies and it was awesome as well.  very informative server who made excellent suggestions and an overall great dining experience.  will most definitely be back!

one warning, this will not be a quiet dinner as conversations tend to blend together.  we did have a crying child near us that made it worse but the food definitely made us forget about it pretty quickly!

therootcellar was such a welcome surprise to all the hyped and overrated restaurants in central texas, maybe most people don't know what good food and good beer taste like but i do. i will return again and again. i had the bourbon pecan chicken and their home brew porter and it was a match made in heaven.

quaint, friendly, and a wonderful surprise. met our daughter for dinner halfway between san antonio and austin. not familiar with san marcos at all.rootcellar 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 therootcellar cafe on saturday evening, the restaurant was a buzz with conversation and soft playing music.  i say walk “down” into therootcellar 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.  therootcellar 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

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. therootcellar 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,rootcellar! :):):)

one of my favorite spots. mondays are always a sad day for me, because it is one of my two days off, androotcellar 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! :)

love/hate. i stopped in with some friends last night for dinner for the first time at therootcellar. 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.

spectacular food with good, friendly service. also just voted best resturant in hays county. will always love therootcellar.