Root: New Vegan Eatery in Lancaster

Root, Lancaster city’s newest plant-based eatery, will have you at your first, delicious bite. Open since the end of December 2015, Root is making its mark on the restaurant scene in the 717. 

Root walnut tacos

Okay, so maybe eating at a vegan restaurant isn’t your thing, but frankly, the food is so delicious that you may not even think, or care, that you are at a vegan restaurant. It’s just that good. And, it’s an easy place to take even your favorite hamburger-eating friend. I’d easily call it a great “cross-over” eatery for someone who has never eaten a plant-based dish before. Root is more than a bowl of brown rice and steamed veggies.

Root Japanese Sweet Potato SaladEarthy and beautifully appointed with an industrial vibe, I’d describe Root as a “vegan sports bar.” Owner and chef Rob Garpstas is quick to show you the upcycled tables, exposed brick walls and high ceilings. Several wall-mounted flat-screen TVs are strategically placed throughout the eatery so diners can easily catch the latest sports scores while enjoying a nutrient-dense meal.

The menu is divided into four categories: appetizers, salads, pizza and mains. Go hungry, take a friend and plan to be pleasantly surprised with this menu, which, by the way, Garpstas and his culinary team revise and update every four to six weeks.

I got there on the first day of the new menu, and I was in vegan food heaven. Starting with my appetizer of Japanese sweet potato salad (in bok choi purses), each course was expertly prepared—so much so that I overheard fellow patrons saying, “I can’t believe this is vegan, it is that good!”

My meal continued to get more and more delicious with each course, but perhaps the best item was the beet burger. Yes, I said beet burger. It was thick and juicy, piled with tomatoes, onions, lettuce and a special sauce of habanero ketchup. The burger was served on a vegan brioche, which was perfect, and accompanied by a heaping mound of double-fried French fries. That ketchup, though—wow, times 10.

Root beet burger

Oh, and if you are a dessert fan, do not lose hope! Desserts are expertly prepared by Sydney, the Root sous chef, who is also a pastry chef and a graduate of the Restaurant School of Walnut Hill College in Philadelphia.

I say this: get in your car, check your E-Z Pass and head to Lancaster. Bypass the traditional things to do, and head to Root. This is the place to be in #LancLanc (yes, this is the hashtag for all things fun and cool in Lancaster). Get some grub at Root and then stroll in and out of the museums and galleries that await your visit.

It used to be that a vegan restaurant was a quiet, crunchy-granola kind of place, but Root has brought vegan cuisine to the next level. And, who’d have thought that it would happen in Lancaster? Vegan eateries are not just for the big cities anymore.

Root bar listWhen You Go

  • Street parking is available.
  • Enjoy an extensive vegan beer and wine list (yes, vegan, because some alcoholic beverages can be processed using animal products in the filtering process).
  • Many items are gluten-free; just check with your server for the ingredient details.
  • Take the entire family—there’s something for everyone. Really.

One more thing: if yoga is your jam, grab a yoga practice at West End Yoga, then head to its neighbor, Root, for a delicious post-yoga meal.

Root is open Monday–Friday for dinner, 4 p.m.–close; Saturday and Sunday for brunch, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday for dinner, 4 p.m.–close.

Find Root at 223 W. Walnut St., Lancaster; phone: (717) 826-9130.

  • Beet burger photo: Dana Mensah
  • Remaining photos: Char Nolan

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