Popular vegetarian café to close this month

A vegetarian café and deli in Barnstaple is set to close its doors on Tuesday, February 25.

Roots Café, owned by 49-year-old Lila Schiffer, has been a local favourite since it opened in July 2020. 

The café is also home to Otis, a rescue dog rehomed three years ago, who has become a "therapy" dog for some of its older customers.

Lila, who has a background in marketing and events, started the business with her two daughters in Gammon Walk, Barnstaple. 

Her aim was to provide “tasty, fresh & healthy food – that just happens to be meat-free.”

She said: “You don’t have to be veggie or vegan to enjoy delicious meat-free dishes.”

ABOVE: A glimpse inside Roots, known for its cosy atmosphere and vibrant meat-free dishes

Announcing the closure in a public Facebook post, Lila wrote: “It has been one of the hardest decisions I have had to make, having personally put so much of me into Roots over the last five years, and serving up my love of tasty meat-free food.”

Initially, she ran the business alone, and it quickly grew during the lockdowns of 2020.

“Having started on the lovely Gammon Walk, one of the most community focused independent streets in Barnstaple, with the tiniest place ever,” she said, recalling how demand led to long queues for ‘grab and run’ wraps and salad boxes.

As the second lockdown hit, Roots adapted by offering an evening menu through Just Eat. However, the café’s small kitchen, accessed via a hazardous spiral staircase, became impractical.

In search of a new venue, she moved Roots to a larger premises on Boutport Street in Barnstaple. 

Around the same time, she also opened a second café in Braunton, but the quieter winter months made it difficult to sustain, leading to its closure in early 2023.

Speaking to the Gazette, Lila explained that the Barnstaple location also faced challenges: “Although Boutport Street has given us the opportunity to offer dine in, the ‘grab & run’ lunch market has disappeared, partly due to location, partly due to more working from home and also effected by recession. Evening takeaways were busy at first and we then loved opening up the cafe for pop-up evenings. It’s such a cute little venue when the lights are down and everyone is enjoying the atmosphere and delicious homemade food.”

Despite the closure, Lila remains passionate about promoting plant-based cuisine.

“I will continue to cook up some bright, colourful delicious dishes at various retreats in the future and am investigating ways of trying to increase local kids understanding of the many tasty food options that you can eat without meat.”