My initial review was a perfect 5 stars but here’s the thing… these bowls are kinda samey and get old after a few times. Chipotle, on the other hand, is delicious and has been delicious since like 2011 when I first went to one in LA.
Chipotle bowls are way more delicious, imo, though they’re not as big or filling. Roots gives you more per dollar. If I can choose the best made bowl at either place, I would choose Chipotle every time. Roots is healthier, though.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Vipul Singh
Party of 4 went for lunch on a Friday afternoon in October. You have to order food at the counter, they prepare the bowl right there, you pick it up and bring it to your table. Not ideal for my party because we had 3 senior citizens. Food was really good quality, and enough quantity for 1.5 meals I'd say. I had the Balboa bowl which was really really tasty and also felt quite healthy. I replaced the feta with broccoli and black beans, to which they had no issues. The place is loud, especially close to the food counters. Total before tips came to around 70 bucks for 4 bowls and water.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Peyton
I mobile ordered tonight and when I pulled up through the drive through they said they were still working on my order and asked me to pull up and they would bring it out to me. After 10 minutes of waiting I went back through the drive through and told them I had been waiting for almost 20 minutes so I was curious about the status of my order. They told me they had given the order to the wrong person and would remake it for me. I waited another 10 minutes and when they went to hand it to me it was the wrong order so again I waited 10 more minutes to get the correct order. I was hoping after waiting 30 minutes for a mobile order I would be given some form of compensation but instead was rushed out the door. I love roots and I am a frequent customer so I was upset that this experience was not up to their standards :(
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 2
Autumn Moore
I really appreciate having Roots nearby. It’s my go-to spot for fast, healthy food, and I usually enjoy both the meals and the convenience.
During my most recent visit, though, the experience felt a bit off. My bowl included ingredients I hadn’t ordered, and the dressing had leaked through the bag and onto the container. When I asked for a replacement bag and dressing, the team provided them, which I appreciated, but the interaction felt transactional rather than welcoming. There was no acknowledgment or apology.
On a past visit, when my dressing was missing, I called and was told I could return for a new bowl. That gesture really stood out as great customer service, but when I came in, the handoff felt awkward instead of warm.
I’m sharing this because I truly enjoy Roots and want to see that friendly, intentional service match the quality of the food.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 2
Alex Kohler
This place gets worse each time you go. They will either forget a topping or have something that was not supposed to be in bowl you ordered. 9 out of 10 times you go you will get rotten avocado. Employees at this location could not care less.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Nate \u0026 Amy Glover
It is an amazing experience every time at Roots Natural Kitchen. I’ve been both to the North Hills and South Hills locations. Specifically the South Hills staff is so friendly and goes above and beyond to make you feel welcome and provide you with delicious food! Thank you so much South Hills Roots Natural Kitchen.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Robert Kominski
Fast food bowls and salads with lots of ingredients.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 5
Bruce J
We ordered two bowls on 10-11-25, Roots Cochran Rd Mt Lebanon. The “Mayweather and the El Jefe. I have mostly had pleasant experiences we meals from Roots, but today I was disappointed. I requested substituting the Arcadia greens for the Kale. The greens in my meal were wilted, old and slimy. It was quite disgusting. Disappointed!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
Emily P
I had nearly given up on this location after a few mishaps but returned yesterday and got the best service from a young man with long hair working the drive through. Kudos to him for amazing service!
Perfect dishes every time! We love the El Jefe and The Balboa. The El Jefe has fresh avocado, black beans, brown rice, kale, red onions, feta cheese, chicken, and pita chips mixed with cilantro lime dressing. I get mine without the charred corn. It is a huge portion always enough for leftovers! My son enjoys the Balboa made of brown rice, roasted sweet potatoes,
charred corn, avocado, pita Chips, feta cheese,
lime-pickled onions,
lemon tahini, caesar & Frank’s Red Hot. Roots is the best for excellent healthy meals in no time via their drive thru.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Miranda Atwood
Visited Roots for the first time today and it was so delicious! Fresh and wonderful food, lots of options and a professional and kind staff. Great price for the amount of food you get. Can't wait to visit again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Balboa
Tricia Pro
First time trying this new neighborhood restaurant - I opted for the vegetarian version of creating my own bowl, since there are so many choices when you enter. It’s a lot like Chipotle where you tell the workers behind the counter as you go down the line and choose what you want to add to your bowl or salad.
There were 3 employees working there, with 2 customers ahead of me. The restaurant was not busy and had one family eating outside when I arrived.
An older woman who looked like she could be the manager, started my order. She was not very welcoming as I was trying to decide what I wanted, making the whole experience seem so rushed as I tried to figure out what bases to choose.
She then passed me off to a black man who seemed very annoyed and rude as I was adding on my 5 toppings, and tried to choose my dressing. He was not friendly at all, and maybe was having a bad day, but at least the young cashier was nice upon checkout.
Food was ok, ingredients seemed fresh but it was nothing special as there are so many rice/grain bowl places opening up now. I sincerely hope they work on their customer service skills and cater to new customers better. It was not a pleasant place to visit as a brand new customer who was excited to try a new and healthier place to eat in town.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 1
sum6601 _
I’ve loved the Roots in Oakland for years and was super excited to hear there was one opening right down the road from me in the South Hills. I’ve ordered delivery or drive thru from them about 5-6 times now since the grand opening. There has definitely been some consistency issues and forgetting of add-ons. I get the Balboa every single time because it is so darn tasty. This past Sunday was my last visit and they completely forgot to add the jalapeños I paid for as an add-on and also forgot the pita chips which are typically in the bowl. Half the time the chicken portion has been super light as well considering it’s supposed to be 1.5x serving…I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt and really hope they are just working out the kinks for having just opened. I hope the consistency improves because it’s really one of the best guilty free spots to eat these days. EDIT: I am done with this location. They have consistently messed up our order the last handful of times we ordered delivery from here. They somehow forgot to add the chicken to my Balboa last night, again, which is the main ingredient….and this wasn’t the first time. My wife and I ordered from here about 15x since they opened and they have only got our orders correct around 30% of the time. We always do the Balboa and Pesto Caesar, yet they somehow continue to screw it up by missing ingredients completely or adding copious, inedible amounts of dressing… It’s ALWAYS something. I can’t imagine how it would turn out if we actually attempted to order a “build your own” bowl. It’s a shame because we really loved the first Roots location in PGH and were super excited about this store opening since it is so close and convenient to where we live, but the constant and now expected inconsistency at this point…we’re over it. We’ll stick with the Oakland location from now on.
Food: 3
Service: 3
Maria Tavares
My husband tried Roots for the 1st time. He got the Balboa and really liked his food. He said it's his new dinner spot.
Delicious, fresh, and quick food
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
My initial review was a perfect 5 stars but here’s the thing… these bowls are kinda samey and get old after a few times. Chipotle, on the other hand, is delicious and has been delicious since like 2011 when I first went to one in LA.
Chipotle bowls are way more delicious, imo, though they’re not as big or filling. Roots gives you more per dollar. If I can choose the best made bowl at either place, I would choose Chipotle every time. Roots is healthier, though.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Party of 4 went for lunch on a Friday afternoon in October. You have to order food at the counter, they prepare the bowl right there, you pick it up and bring it to your table. Not ideal for my party because we had 3 senior citizens. Food was really good quality, and enough quantity for 1.5 meals I'd say. I had the Balboa bowl which was really really tasty and also felt quite healthy. I replaced the feta with broccoli and black beans, to which they had no issues. The place is loud, especially close to the food counters. Total before tips came to around 70 bucks for 4 bowls and water.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
I mobile ordered tonight and when I pulled up through the drive through they said they were still working on my order and asked me to pull up and they would bring it out to me. After 10 minutes of waiting I went back through the drive through and told them I had been waiting for almost 20 minutes so I was curious about the status of my order. They told me they had given the order to the wrong person and would remake it for me. I waited another 10 minutes and when they went to hand it to me it was the wrong order so again I waited 10 more minutes to get the correct order. I was hoping after waiting 30 minutes for a mobile order I would be given some form of compensation but instead was rushed out the door. I love roots and I am a frequent customer so I was upset that this experience was not up to their standards :(
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 2
I really appreciate having Roots nearby. It’s my go-to spot for fast, healthy food, and I usually enjoy both the meals and the convenience.
During my most recent visit, though, the experience felt a bit off. My bowl included ingredients I hadn’t ordered, and the dressing had leaked through the bag and onto the container. When I asked for a replacement bag and dressing, the team provided them, which I appreciated, but the interaction felt transactional rather than welcoming. There was no acknowledgment or apology.
On a past visit, when my dressing was missing, I called and was told I could return for a new bowl. That gesture really stood out as great customer service, but when I came in, the handoff felt awkward instead of warm.
I’m sharing this because I truly enjoy Roots and want to see that friendly, intentional service match the quality of the food.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 2
This place gets worse each time you go. They will either forget a topping or have something that was not supposed to be in bowl you ordered. 9 out of 10 times you go you will get rotten avocado. Employees at this location could not care less.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
It is an amazing experience every time at Roots Natural Kitchen. I’ve been both to the North Hills and South Hills locations. Specifically the South Hills staff is so friendly and goes above and beyond to make you feel welcome and provide you with delicious food! Thank you so much South Hills Roots Natural Kitchen.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Fast food bowls and salads with lots of ingredients.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 5
We ordered two bowls on 10-11-25, Roots Cochran Rd Mt Lebanon. The “Mayweather and the El Jefe. I have mostly had pleasant experiences we meals from Roots, but today I was disappointed. I requested substituting the Arcadia greens for the Kale. The greens in my meal were wilted, old and slimy. It was quite disgusting. Disappointed!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
I had nearly given up on this location after a few mishaps but returned yesterday and got the best service from a young man with long hair working the drive through. Kudos to him for amazing service!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Perfect dishes every time! We love the El Jefe and The Balboa. The El Jefe has fresh avocado, black beans, brown rice, kale, red onions, feta cheese, chicken, and pita chips mixed with cilantro lime dressing. I get mine without the charred corn. It is a huge portion always enough for leftovers! My son enjoys the Balboa made of brown rice, roasted sweet potatoes, charred corn, avocado, pita Chips, feta cheese, lime-pickled onions, lemon tahini, caesar & Frank’s Red Hot. Roots is the best for excellent healthy meals in no time via their drive thru.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Visited Roots for the first time today and it was so delicious! Fresh and wonderful food, lots of options and a professional and kind staff. Great price for the amount of food you get. Can't wait to visit again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Balboa
First time trying this new neighborhood restaurant - I opted for the vegetarian version of creating my own bowl, since there are so many choices when you enter. It’s a lot like Chipotle where you tell the workers behind the counter as you go down the line and choose what you want to add to your bowl or salad.
There were 3 employees working there, with 2 customers ahead of me. The restaurant was not busy and had one family eating outside when I arrived.
An older woman who looked like she could be the manager, started my order. She was not very welcoming as I was trying to decide what I wanted, making the whole experience seem so rushed as I tried to figure out what bases to choose.
She then passed me off to a black man who seemed very annoyed and rude as I was adding on my 5 toppings, and tried to choose my dressing. He was not friendly at all, and maybe was having a bad day, but at least the young cashier was nice upon checkout.
Food was ok, ingredients seemed fresh but it was nothing special as there are so many rice/grain bowl places opening up now.
I sincerely hope they work on their customer service skills and cater to new customers better. It was not a pleasant place to visit as a brand new customer who was excited to try a new and healthier place to eat in town.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 1
I’ve loved the Roots in Oakland for years and was super excited to hear there was one opening right down the road from me in the South Hills. I’ve ordered delivery or drive thru from them about 5-6 times now since the grand opening. There has definitely been some consistency issues and forgetting of add-ons. I get the Balboa every single time because it is so darn tasty. This past Sunday was my last visit and they completely forgot to add the jalapeños I paid for as an add-on and also forgot the pita chips which are typically in the bowl. Half the time the chicken portion has been super light as well considering it’s supposed to be 1.5x serving…I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt and really hope they are just working out the kinks for having just opened. I hope the consistency improves because it’s really one of the best guilty free spots to eat these days.
EDIT: I am done with this location. They have consistently messed up our order the last handful of times we ordered delivery from here. They somehow forgot to add the chicken to my Balboa last night, again, which is the main ingredient….and this wasn’t the first time. My wife and I ordered from here about 15x since they opened and they have only got our orders correct around 30% of the time. We always do the Balboa and Pesto Caesar, yet they somehow continue to screw it up by missing ingredients completely or adding copious, inedible amounts of dressing… It’s ALWAYS something. I can’t imagine how it would turn out if we actually attempted to order a “build your own” bowl. It’s a shame because we really loved the first Roots location in PGH and were super excited about this store opening since it is so close and convenient to where we live, but the constant and now expected inconsistency at this point…we’re over it. We’ll stick with the Oakland location from now on.
Food: 3
Service: 3
My husband tried Roots for the 1st time. He got the Balboa and really liked his food. He said it's his new dinner spot.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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