Independently owned and part of the Leeds restaurant scene for over twenty years, Roots and Fruits can be found tucked away inside the Grand Arcade in Leeds city center. It was on a bit of a whim that I decided to pop into Roots and Fruits for lunch one Saturday not so long ago – I was picking up some chalk paint from the lovely My Vibrant Home a few doors down and wanted to grab a quick lunch before heading home. Somehow I’d never been to Roots and Fruits before but one glance at the menu and I was completely sold. The inside was packed but I was able to grab a table “outside” in the arcade itself (this is a view from my table, not of my table!).
Roots and Fruits serve both vegan and vegetarian food. However, they recently updated their menu to focus more on plant-based options as they found that’s what their customers wanted. I have to agree – even though I’m vegetarian, if there’s a vegan option it will always be my first choice. The resulting menu is imaginative and nutritious – also important factors! – and had some ingredients I’ve never seen on a menu before such as pulled jackfruit.
As well as the usual drink options, you can create your own smoothie by choosing from a list of ingredients, all of which they promise will go together well including mixed berries, mango, chilli and agave. I have to confess I can’t remember what these exact combinations were but they did include ginger!
Food-wise, I went for the The Whole Bowl, a mix of chipotle black beans, brown rice, mango salsa, topped with guacamole, coconut sour cream, fresh coriander and a vegan cheesy sauce. Pete went for the Jerk Jackfruit served with tortillas, mango salsa, vegan cheesy sauce and coconut sour cream. The components of each dish were full of flavor and the jerk jackfruit was an especially big hit. Pete wasn’t a big fan of the coconut sour cream but that’s more down to him not being a coconut fan.
Looking for more vegetarian and vegan food in Leeds? Why not check out Nourish and Bundobust!