Root & Pecker
Location: Gainesville, FL
Cuisine: Breakfast, Lunch, Vegan/GF options
Pricing: $-$$
In recent years, I’ve become a big fan of solo meals out. There’s so much peace in deciding when, where, and why you want to dine at a certain spot. Shoot, when you go alone, there’s no need to even have a ‘Why’!
I can probably say that breakfast/brunch is my favorite meal to enjoy solo. Crazy thing is, a few years back, you couldn’t catch me having breakfast. But now, it’s my favorite meal and I try to make sure I have breakfast daily.
I decided mid-week that I was going to enjoy a great breakfast out. It was just one of those weeks. And boy, am I glad I made that decision. Early on, Root & Pecker was on my list of options. I had passed by it countless times on my way to the mall, but never stopped in, especially not at their very specific hours, (7AM – 3PM, sheesh!) But this weekend, I kept them in mind.
The exterior was absolutely beautiful, keeping with the natural decor theme of most Gainesville restaurants, complete with a garden as a neighbor. It was such a beautiful day out, I decided to enjoy my meal al fresco. Preparing to take a seat, I realized that ordering happens first on the inside, and your food is brought out to you.
I’ve been seeing pictures of bagels everywhereeee, even in my sleep now I feel, so I had to indulge. R&P makes their own fresh Sourdough bagels (and so many other awesome things) in the flavors of: Plain, Sesame or Everything. There were no more Everything bagels available so I opted for Sesame. When it came to freestyling my burger, I kept it simple with: Fried Egg, Avocado, Red Onions and Tomatoes, and added some Candied Bacon on the side. The bacon was INSANE! I loveeee Candied Bacon, although I know I shouldn’t, and R&P truly did it justice. Each piece was thick, sweet and somehow savory in each bite, it’s definitely in my Top 5 bacon baes in the past year. The bagel was delicious BUT, there was so much Cashew Cream Cheese (which was delicious) and I seriously should have cut it in half because I was a MESS! A full mess, but a mess nonetheless. Because there are no Waiters who come to your table, I was left to choose between napkins & a knife and leaving my food alone, or keeping my food safe with cream cheese on my face.
I chose the cream cheese face.
And I don’t regret it.
I enjoyed my breakfast with a cup of Bold Bean Coffee paired with the fresh Almond Milk from Root & Pecker. Sipping my coffee while enjoying, Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the ambiance was absolutely perfect as I enjoyed the lush landscape nearby and I can’t wait to enjoy another breakfast at Root & Pecker!