Hey—juice. It’s a thing. How do I know it’s a thing? I get, on average, about 3-4 emails a week promoting books about juicing, the advantages of juice, and juice products. And not just any juice; the kind of juice that requires special equipment and can actually serve as a meal replacement. Just last week, there were three separate posts on the Bites blog about juice shops. And one of our local foodbloggers writes primarily about juice (and related topics, plus some restaurant reviews) at The Nashville Juice.
So yeah, all of a sudden, juice joints are popping up all over the place. And, frankly, I’m really glad. A lot of these places are just like coffee shops, but serve juice and related products instead. I don’t drink coffee, so I appreciate the option of having a place to hang out with friends or have meetings where I can actually purchase something I want to drink rather than a $3 cup of tea. So, here are the juice options that I know of:
Juice Nashville
Juice Nashville is kind of the grandaddy of the Nashville juicerias, though it doesn’t yet have a brick and mortar location. They’re working on that, though, with plans to open in June in The Gulch. But what’s unique about Juice is that they offer comprehensive cleanse plans and delivery of their products. So if you need to detox, you can order one- or three-day cleanses with just the right combination of nutrients you need. Or you can order any of the (currently) 13 different juices separately. These juices are good, y’all. I mean, I don’t even like beets, but the “Whoa.” was truly delicious. The ginger helps a lot.Though I will say that if you spill any, it will look like a dang crime scene. And the “Carrot.” was great, too. Nothing but carrot, but good, sweet carrots.
Until they get their shop opened up, you can order online or buy selected bottles on Saturdays at the West End Farmers Market.
The Juice Bar
I wrote about The Juice Bar for Bites already and I am so excited that these guys are here. But I have to say it’s less for the juice and more for the food (salad, spring rolls, and daily specials). Before I heard about them opening The Juice Bar, I already knew of Veggieland, thanks to The Traveling Vegetarian. My real hope is that they expand into a bona fide restaurant. There’s as much room here for good quality, healthy food as there is for juice bars. As in, a lot of room. In the meantime, they’re focusing on juices and smoothies (often using organic and local produce; choose from the menu or blend your own) and gluten-free food and snacks that keep in line with a healthy diet and lifestyle.
The Juice Bar
128 Pewitt Drive, Brentwood
The Urban Juicer
I haven’t been to Urban Juicer yet, but those I know who have been really liked it. They got their start with juice bars set up in the YMCA locations in Bellevue and Green Hills and recently opened a standalone location on 8th Avenue South. In addition to juices, they serve “frushies,” smoothies, snacks, and a couple of salads and wrap sandwiches, many of which are vegetarian or can be prepared vegetarian. The menu on their site also includes nutrition facts, which is a big bonus for people counting calories.
The Urban Juicer
2206 8th Ave S
Whole Foods
Both Nashville-area locations (Green Hills and Franklin/McEwen) have juice bars, which I believe use mostly or all organic ingredients. I haven’t had any of these juices, but Vui Hunt (of the aforementioned The Juice Bar) previously manned the blender at the Whole Foods in Franklin and it’s what prompted her to feel like the market was “ripe” (sorry; couldn’t resist) for a juice bar just a bit further north in Brentwood.
The Turnip Truck
The Turnip Truck location in the Gulch has a juice and smoothie bar and like The Juice Bar and Whole Foods, they use organic and local produce as often as possible (seasonality and cost are the two major factors preventing all concoctions from being 100% organic). They’ve got a list of really delicious-sounding specialty blends, but I believe you can get blend-your-own as well.
The Turnip Truck
321 12th Avenue South
Alright. As far as I know, that’s a comprehensive list of juicerias and juicers (aside from Smoothie King and Orange Julius) here in town. Though this list is only current as of today. As a friend mentioned, juice is the cupcake (ha!).
