Root + Bloom

The menu at this "plant-based café and market" is not what you'd call extensive, but it covers a lot of ground with its creative vegan takes on classic American stick-to-your-ribs comfort food: the "Edna" is a platter of macaroni and cultured cashew cheese topped with barbecue tofu, while the "Shirley" (a stack of snickerdoodle pancakes dusted with cinnamon coconut sugar) is a hit with the brunch crowd, and yes, all the menu options are named this way. The best thing about Root + Bloom, though, is the ambience: though the indoor dining room is obviously de rigueur when it's cold or rainy, the place to be on beautiful sunny days is the breezy patio out back. If you like what you taste, you can even take home your choice of the artisanal vegan products they use in their recipes.

• market
• vegetarian

Address

423 Elmwood Ave.

Getting there

Metro Bus 20 or 22

Hours

Dinner Thu-Sat 5-9PM; brunch Sat 10AM-2PM & Sun 10AM-3PM

Price

$15-25

Phone

(716) 768-1878

Website

rootandbloomcafe.com (opens in a new tab)