Now offering Full Indoor and Outdoor Service! Come enjoy from-scratch goodness in our underground dining room, right outside on our patio, or upstairs on our new deck! Soak up the views while chowing down on homemade eats. We also offer curbside pickup and delivery through Favor. We have dedicated pickup parking spaces right outside our front door so getting your order will be quick and easy.
Call 512-392-5158 to place your order for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! Here at Root Cellar Cafe, our professional waitstaff and seasoned chefs are sure to provide an extraordinary experience that will keep you coming back time and time again. We specialize in upscale casual dining using locally-sourced fresh food.
Call 512-392-5158 to place your order for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! Here at Root Cellar Cafe, our professional waitstaff and seasoned chefs are sure to provide an extraordinary experience that will keep you coming back time and time again. We specialize in upscale casual dining using locally-sourced fresh food.
Services
The Root Cellar Cafe sits on the bottom floor of the historic Donaldson building, on the corner of Fort St. (now Hopkins) and Austin St. (now LBJ). This building has known many faces. Root Cellar Catering is a locally inspired group devoted to serving delicious food, using only the freshest ingredients presented in an elegant, relaxed style.
Reviews (23)
Jeylin A.
Feb 01, 2022
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LeAndra G.
Jan 28, 2022
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This place is delicious ALWAYS!! Most of menu is all made in house, and it reflects in the taste. It's my go-to when I have friends in from out of town! Their biscuits and gravy are . Beet burger is even my 9 year old enjoyed it!! Truly don't know that you can go wrong with anything on the menu. Vegetarian & vegan friendly!!
Lovin Pappy
Jan 26, 2022
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2 words: complete trash. I don’t know how this place is so highly rated. In terms of food quality, expect food on par with prepackaged hot foods you would find at a grocery store. I’m not even sure if anything was cooked in house. I’m fairly certain the hummus is simply store bought hummus, served along store bought slices of pita bread that has been microwaved. The bourbon pecan chicken had a sickly sweet bourbon sauce that did not taste good at all. Boxed mac snd cheese? Not sure but the sauce was pretty processed. Finally, the pasta was undercooked and not even salted properly.
TLDR;
TLDR;
Kira W.
Jan 24, 2022
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Laura N.
Jan 19, 2022
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Food was pretty and service was great but had to subtract one star for 2 reasons. First of all, we waited an hour for our food to come out and when it finally did it was somewhat cold which was pretty disappointing. I got the Rae sandwich and it made it a little soggy and did not taste like it came fresh out of the kitchen. Really cute vibe and restaurant though.
Christina
Jan 18, 2022
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Great spot for good meal, the place itself is cute and quaint, a homely vibe. Service is great, it takes a while to get your food, but it is understandable given the circumstances of what’s going on presently in the service industry. The pesto pasta is fantastic. Would love to try their breakfast food next time.
Skih N.
Jan 05, 2022
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Karen D.
Dec 17, 2021
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Came here on a Friday for dinner. Got the Islander salad, which was chock full of different ingredients like oranges, strawberries, bacon, walnuts. It was light and refreshing with just enough crunch from the bacon and walnuts. For the main, we tried the bourbon pecan chicken. I really liked the sauce in this dish! We had the fried asparagus as a side, and it was the highlight of the meal. The service was a bit on the slow side. The ambiance is like a homey cabin, and the decor in the restrooms is whimsical. Overall an enjoyable meal!
Rachel S.
Dec 09, 2021
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What a throw back! I had errands to run in Austin, and stopped in San Marcos, my old college stomping grounds to grab a bite to eat. Wow.. has this city changed for the better. The Root Cellar Cafe is located right off "the square," with no designated parking lot, you will have to search for free, street parking. Looks tiny from the outside, which is located basically in a basement, but so welcoming once you walk in!
Like nothing has changed from 13 years ago. There are a few patio tables available, and seating at the bar as well. Great services, great food, small but clean bathrooms
Like nothing has changed from 13 years ago. There are a few patio tables available, and seating at the bar as well. Great services, great food, small but clean bathrooms
Tanya O.
Nov 28, 2021
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Samah D.
Nov 19, 2021
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Ana Maria Troche
Oct 29, 2021
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Catherine I.
Oct 29, 2021
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I went for lunch today and I would definitely recommend! This place is really a cellar imagined into a more elegant and spacious design. The mimosas and food were perfect. The staff were so friendly and helpful. The parking is an issue and it gets busy around lunch, but the restaurant can't help they're popular! This place is awesome!
Christy Based
Oct 26, 2021
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Shawna J.
Oct 23, 2021
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Roxanne Castro
Oct 19, 2021
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Dale W.
Sep 22, 2021
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I had a pleasant breakfast at the Root Cellar Cafe. Surprised that I had never stopped here before, it is easy to miss on a busy street with many other places.
Lina was polite and helped make the experience enjoyable.
The patio was small and at certain times of day, the sun will be annoying. They try to alleviate that by providing umbrellas, but it only partially works.
One negative, dropped the experience to 4 stars.
-) Some of the blueberries had stems and it was necessary for me to remove them.
Lina was polite and helped make the experience enjoyable.
The patio was small and at certain times of day, the sun will be annoying. They try to alleviate that by providing umbrellas, but it only partially works.
One negative, dropped the experience to 4 stars.
-) Some of the blueberries had stems and it was necessary for me to remove them.
Marcus Block
Sep 14, 2021
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I stopped by the Root Cellar Cafe today and grabbed The Rae Sandwich, which was advertised as $6.50, plus $2.00 for protein. I go to check out carry out, and my total comes out to be $12.99. Basic math does not check out. The cashier explains that they rose the prices, plus attach a $1.00 carry out fee. The menu plastered outside of the restaurant does not accurately represent the cost of the meal. My meal was 30% more than what was advertised. Will not be returning to this business. The food was good though. (not worth $12)
Edit: might be important to add that I did speak to the manager about
Edit: might be important to add that I did speak to the manager about
Maddi B.
Sep 05, 2021
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The Root Cellar has a wonderful aesthetic and pretty good food, but is not worth the wait. We went on a Saturday night, so I was expecting a wait, but the wait for food was just way too long.
Once you finish waiting 45 minutes for your table (be sure to add yourself to the Yelp waitlist before you get there to avoid this!), it'll be at least another hour for your food. This might be a good spot on a weekday or at an off time.
At least the spinach artichoke dip is divine-- the rest was not. Shrimp scampi and pasta primavera were soupy and overloaded with broth (not sauce), making it basically
Once you finish waiting 45 minutes for your table (be sure to add yourself to the Yelp waitlist before you get there to avoid this!), it'll be at least another hour for your food. This might be a good spot on a weekday or at an off time.
At least the spinach artichoke dip is divine-- the rest was not. Shrimp scampi and pasta primavera were soupy and overloaded with broth (not sauce), making it basically
B. Reed
Aug 30, 2021
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Could have been a lot better. Got there at 5:30pm on Sat. Had to wait about 30min for a table. They are advertising an Amber beer in can but didn't have it. Then we had to wait about an hour for our meals to come out. They did offer a complimentary appetizer which we appreciated; however that beer bread, along with my ham sandwich was burnt and they tried to hide it by flipping the bread over. The other food (Chicken and waffles, and Pecan chicken) was good, but was not hot upon delivery to the table. We do like the atmosphere and the staff was friendly. They just need to tighten some things up
Jacob James Garcia
Aug 11, 2021
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Rick Z.
Jul 10, 2021
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This charming little place is aptly named. You'll find it recessed into the street headed into the Square, with some rounded doors not unlike a Hobbit Hole. The ceiling is a bit low because the establishment is partially under ground level, providing some natural coolness inside. It is a bit cramped at the entrance where you check-in with limited places to sit and wait. There were four in our party so we had to wait about ten minutes to be seated on a Wednesday night.
We were seated in the far back. The establishment is somewhat enlongated along the street, and there are some cute two-person
We were seated in the far back. The establishment is somewhat enlongated along the street, and there are some cute two-person
Kathleen M.
Feb 08, 2021
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I stopped in last weekend while visiting my sister and was excited to check this place out as it had pretty good reviews and seemed like a cute location! Parking was easy enough with 2 hour parking on pretty much every street nearby and the wait was about an hour as they are only seating outdoors currently and have nine tables, based on what we were told.
Thankfully this is in the heart of the historic city center, so we took a walk around the city and stopped in for some boozy ice cream as we waited (which I recommend, by the way!) We received a text letting us know our seats were ready and
Thankfully this is in the heart of the historic city center, so we took a walk around the city and stopped in for some boozy ice cream as we waited (which I recommend, by the way!) We received a text letting us know our seats were ready and
