Five of the best: London juice bars
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
Lab Organic
With its all-white interior and medical display cabinets, Lab Organic certainly feels clinical. The antioxidant-packed “alkalising juice” (£4.75) is refreshing, with pear and lime offsetting chard, celery, spinach, lettuce and broccoli. The “green power blend” (£4.75) looks like sludge but is delicious: banana, spinach, almonds, dates, coconut water and spirulina, the superfood of the moment. Like all the bars listed here, Lab Organic uses a cold press not a centrifugal blender. The heat generated in a blender kills important enzymes, the argument goes, and leaves a foamy pulp. Cold pressing is slower, preserving the good stuff.
58 Neal Street, London WC2H 9PA; laborganic.co.uk
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Juice Tonic
This diminutive Soho favourite serves an array of juices, smoothies, herbal teas and flavoured water (anyone for a “chlorophyll H20”?). The “enzyme solution” (£6), with pineapple, ginger and wheatgrass, is a tasty way to ingest the latter without having to take it neat. But, if you do fancy a wheatgrass shot – famously disgusting but health-giving – Juice Tonic thoughtfully serves them with an “orange chaser”.
3 Winnett Street, London W1D 6JY; juicetonic.com
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Roots & Bulbs
The signature blend of Marylebone’s uber-healthy juice bar is “G1”: cucumber, celery and spinach. It’s sugar-low, nutrient-rich and punishingly good for you (think cold vegetable soup). For the uninitiated, “G3” (£4.99) is a better bet: cucumber, kale and, crucially, pineapple to sweeten the pill. There are a few cork-topped stools to perch on but this is really a grab-and-go kind of joint.
5 Thayer Street, London W1U 3JG; rootsandbulbs.com
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The Good Life Eatery
This popular Kensington establishment feels more like a café than a juice bar: all exposed brickwork and wooden tables. Patrons tuck into hearty salads and gluten-free brownies, as well as sipping on juice. The “lucky seven” (£6.55) is beetroot-based but not overwhelmingly so, sweetened with pineapple, orange, apple and lemon. The “cashew mylk” smoothie has delicate coconut oil, date and cinnamon flavours.
59 Sloane Avenue, London SW3 3DH; goodlifeeatery.com
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Lovage
This tiny kitchen adjoining the Ace Hotel in Shoreditch serves juices, shakes and tea through a hatch in the wall. You can also order from the hotel lobby, though I waited 15 minutes for someone to take mine. Juices are rich and earthy rather than thirst-quenching – try the beetroot “ruby” and the green “vividian” (kale, fennel, squash, apple). “Coral” is sweeter, with cauliflower, pepper, carrot and apple (£5).
100 Shoreditch High Street, London E1 6JQ; acehotel.com/london/lovage
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