Roots Cafe

We stopped here during our vacation at the finger lakes. The ambiance is cool and the front porch is perfect for outdoor dining on a summer night. The kitchen was on a wait when we arrived (tables open but they wanted to give the kitchen a chance “to catch up”) so we happily sidled up to the bar. Love a pre-dinner drink at the bar, and we were in no rush. Nice selection of cocktails- my bf had a basil-lemon-something and I had the jalapeño margarita, yum. Unfortunately, bar service was super slow, so the hostess came back to seat us before my bf got his drink, which created an awkward, carry-your-drink-then-wait-for-the-other-person moment... not a big deal, but a touch more detail to the customer experience would make for a more seamless transition. Anyway, the outdoor seating space is super sweet and well-appointed. We ordered the wings as a starter and they were possibly the best wings I’ve ever eaten: perfect, fresh chicken laid atop a presumably housemade hot sauce and topped with gorgeous crumbles of bleu cheese. Heavenly. Next came the entrees, and the moment the wheels came off. My Just-Trust-Us-Burger (with watermelon rind relish) was flavorful but undercooked. My boyfriend’s mushroom cacciatore, however, was a tasteless mess of mostly unseasoned tomatoes over a gelatinous mound of unseasoned polenta. Ugh. It was bad. Like, really bad.

I do regret not sending both plates back. For the price, the food should be delicious and this seems like the kind of place where they’d want to get it right. But we’re not from here, and we’ll likely never return. Was it worth it to call over the waitress and open this can of worms? Could it create more disappointment? Ultimately, we just wanted to get out and go on about our vacation, albeit $100 lighter and still hungry.

I do feel like this place means well, and so I wouldn’t discourage going. But if your meal isn’t right, do better than us and send it back. You deserve a good plate of food.

Great seasonal food, pretty much the perfect place for a date night

Great menu at an amazing location. The atmosphere and view from the front porch is incredible and timeless.

A favorite stop of ours. It was here that we found the listing for our current home in Canandaigua, NY. Came back for our "anniversary". While here a couple a table over was also looking at houses.... Maybe it's a thing? ???? Great food here, whether you are looking for a house in the Finger lakes or not.

An excellent restaurant, the place is cool inside with a unique menu many locally sourced items and wine. A full bar and many interesting foods come check it out and leave a note in the drawer when you go. The servers here a very friendly and are happy to make recommendations from their great menu and the food is great.
We stopped in for Sunday brunch and tried the black bean sweet potato burger (pictured) and the sausage gravy and biscuits (pictured) both made on site and very good. We tried some of the wine and the house mixed tea as well many unique things to like.