Roots & Grooves Cafe

I've been here a few times and the staff are lovely and create a welcoming environment for their customers. I tried their brie and cranberry toastie during late night shopping and it was so lush! I'd recommend the reuben toastie as well. The waiting times for the food weren't long despite what some reviews say. They have a wide range of plants and vinyls to choose from as well :)

- Ari Senthil -

Found this café while visiting Colchester for the day. Stopped by for a coffee - cappuccino and latte were both delicious and arrived with biscuits - what a lovely thought!! Having looked at the menu we decided to return for lunch later. Our waiter Ernest was so attentive and when I asked for directions to the Castle, he insisted on coming outside to point the way. We returned later for an excellent lunch - I had a delicious tuna melt toastie and my husband tried the"special" ( a salt beef hash with leeks, onions, chillies etc) which hit the right spot!! Ernest was a delightful host with a wide ranging knowledge of food and his service was first class. Definitely a highlight of our first visit to Colchester!!

- Pat Davies -

My son and I have recently discovered this gem over the last 3 months. Staff are wonderful, I spoke with Carly recently for ages and she was so welcoming and lovely. Free biscuits with your coffee whixh is a really lovely touch and the whole place is so relaxed. Wouldn't go anywhere else now!

- Kate -

Only went upstairs to dig through the piles and piles of records they had. Proper selection up there, prices are fair. Great customer service. Will be back to try the cafe, I spent too long going through the records. Well worth it if you’re in the area.

- Tom Lavery -

Great little cafe! We popped in for a coffee and ended up having lunch when the menu looked so good! The atmosphere is perfect, it was so busy (great to see!) even at 2pm but it didn’t feel like it was too loud, we had a little table tucked away and we loved listening to the music while we just relaxed with some lunch! I had the salad and I could chose what extras to include which means you get your own perfect salad (for less than a tenner!) The staff were friendly and did everything they could to make our visit the best! No trip to Colchester is complete without a stop at Roots and Groves now!

- Caitlin Burrows -

The food here was decent and about what you'd expect for this type of cafe. I had a Jacket Potato and my son had a Toastie which along with a Macciato and a Latte came to £23 which is pure nuts. The price is the reason why I've marked the place down but its not alone in Colchester Centre, the prices of most of these independent cafes have skyrocketed. Good music though, the clue is in the name is guess.

- Steven Pennington -

Visited for the first time today. Really loved the atmosphere and friendly welcome from Earnest. I was pleased to see that the menu caters for gluten free and (for my friend) vegan and vegetarian. While the lady prepping the food made clear that for allergies she couldn’t guarantee completely gluten free due to a shared space, she reassured me that things would be thoroughly cleaned down and gloves worn to prepare my food. I really appreciated the care and attention given. The food was delicious, and I’m looking forward to my next visit already!

- Sarah Mills -