Juice Bar Collective

Absolutely spot hitting. Got the organic black bean polenta and veggie patch juice. It was all delicious and fresh.

I love this place I come whenever I forget to pack a lunch for work. The people are super nice and they have delicious healthy food. I’m gluten free and they have a great selection for me. Love love love

A wonderful place. Delicious, healthy food — their kale and beet salad is a favorite, as is their black bean polenta and veggie bahn mi. What really keeps me coming back, however, is their vegan chocolate pie. Holy cow. That pie is my favorite dessert in existence, no question.
The atmosphere is friendly and local. The people working there are helpful and knowledgeable. Would be five stars, but IVE got to take a star off for their relatively high prices and limited seating.

The Juice Bar Collective, located in North Berkeley’s Gourmet Ghetto, is more than just a juice bar. I’m surprised at how much food and drink this little shop churns out, from lasagna and pizza to salads and sandwiches to muffins and pies. The business is owned and run by an energetic and enthusiastic group of ladies. It’s a great place to get a nutritious and wholesome meal or snack, quickly, to go.
The store hardly has any seating. It’s mainly a takeout joint. There’s one table inside and a few small ones on the sidewalk just outside the storefront. The open kitchen takes up most of the space. When standing in line, you get a front row seat to all the hustle and bustle. It’s neat to see the stores of different ingredients and the ladies skillfully working their craft. Note the business’ somewhat limited hours: 10am to 4:30pm, Monday thru Saturday.
Almost all the ingredients the Juice Bar Collective uses in its food and beverages are all-​natural and organic. They have fresh orange and carrot juice, housemade ginger soda, and smoothies containing ingredients like banana, orange, apple, grapefruit, carrot, kale, beets, celery, ginger, nutmeg, spirulina powder, and hemp protein powder. Other ingredient options include organic milk, organic soy milk, and housemade peanut butter and yogurt. You can expect to spend anywhere from $ 4 – 8 each on juice (12 or 16oz) and $ 5 – 7 each on smoothies (16oz only). Each drink is made to order.
The housemade ginger soda is delicious. It’s made with fresh ginger, honey, lemon, and sparkling water over crushed ice. Crisp, cold, and refreshing with just the right amount of ginger bite.
If you’re looking for a smoothie suggestion, consider the Sunset smoothie which is made out of banana, orange juice, and yogurt (or soy milk). I suggest adding carrot juice for added flavor and nutrition. This finely textured smoothie is revitalizing.
The foods have a satisfying home-​cooked look and feel. Most dishes are vegetarian and made from scratch daily. The quiche, spinach lasagna, and baked vegetarian mac and cheese are popular items. The mac and cheese is available Monday and Saturday only. Expect to spend about $ 6 per serving. About a half-​dozen salads are available, selection varying by season, and can be served with brown rice and sauce. Sandwiches, about $ 6 – 7 each, utilize local and organic breads.
As for sweets, suggestions include lemon cream pie, bourbon sweet potato pie, honey-​sweetened apple pie, and strawberry-​rhubarb pie. Availability varies by season. All pies are handmade and some are available for purchase ready-​to-​bake at home. Neat.
Service is good. The staff is friendly and efficient.
If you’re on the go or looking for a healthy meal, snack, dessert, or drink to take home or to the office, the Juice Bar Collective has some excellent options.

They did not take the time or care to remove the sticker from the produce used in my smoothie (which I found as I was drinking it).

Limited selection of unremarkable smoothies from the land of Berklandia. Come for the people watching, and when the novelty wears off, buy one of their lovely salads to go.

Home cooking with historic presence in north Berkeley. It’s a bit expensive but much of it is organic so I would say the price is fair.
The service ranges from friendly to a bit snippy; a lot of people working hard in a tiny space. The portions are usually filling.

So happy I found this place! It is amazing and all I’ve had so far is the ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ with ginger. Excited to try everything else!

C’mon guys! The red pepper, artichoke and feta quiche today had TWO SPECKS of red pepper! Besides that, it was very bland. I’m not crazy either about the dressing on the kale salad. Let’s bring back the turkey pot pie please.

Well… if i keep coming back here craving healthy food, i have to give it five stars. Their service doesn’t wow me but it’s fine. I still love their brown rice bowl. I ask them to put all three kinds of salad. Thank you guys. I love your food.

One of the cutest spot in North Berkeley. The ladies here are so bubbly and friendly and the food is amazing!!! I had their organic black bean polenta and I hate all kinds of beans… but I took a leap of faith and tried something different and it was so delicious! It was so good that I walked back in and got a cookie for later. Definitely coming back for more.

Really small store, with affordable, healthy and tasty offerings. Only a few little tables outside, but you can find a spot near by to sit, or go to the local park. I have tried their bowls, pizza, juice, and lemonade. Very claustrophobic, especially if its busy, but worth the crampedness for some tasty homemade good food. A little gem in an overpriced neighborhood. Also as a business model, they are a worker coop, which is awesome!

This is seriously good stuff! My only reason for giving the JBC only four stars is that my experience with their products is somewhat limited.
If you’re bored, please read
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I’ve lived in Berkeley like forever and used to walk by the Juice Bar Collective without ever paying attention to their products. I assumed, incorrectly, that it was all about juices (which don’t appeal to me if they’re not fermented) and that the place was too vegetarian and too hippie for me.
Their quiches are wonderful. Same goes for the black bean polenta (which is mentioned in at least half the Unilocal reviews that I saw) and their soups (like today’s white bean soup).
A tip: The polenta can be had with a cheese topping or a salsa topping. If you can’t decide between the two alternatives, you can go 50 – 50. These people are uncompromising when it comes to quality, but they’ll meet you halfway if you need them to.

As a friend used to say, «hilly Billy liberals» find maintaining the food and values of the 60s comforting. Little has changed since then at this Berkeley institution. Organic Brown rice, juices and greens are now non-​GMO, smoothies and Kale. The clientele steeped in meditation and yoga are now in outfits from Lululemon.

Love buying fresh juices from here, particularly the veggie patch special, which has ginger, carrot, beets and I forgot what else (but its delicious). Another great drink I like getting is the jbc kale with carrot juice.
Food is great as well, tasty and different from what’s usually around in the gourmet ghetto. The only downsides to this place is that prices can get very steep, and the juice menu/​smoothie menu is limited. Juices have add-​ons that can make your total prices for a small juice very expensive, so I tend to keep it simple with little to no additions.
Everyone working there is always bustling around but are very friendly and patient. There’s a small table inside for 2 and a couple of tables outside but otherwise, not a lot of walking room/​space to stand inside to wait for your juice/​meal.

My favorite lunch spot in Berkeley! I highly recommend the brown rice bowl with the kale salad. It’s so good! They have a lot of healthy and vegetarian-​friendly options and the employees are incredibly friendly. Their juices are tasty too, though a bit more expensive than others. It’s a tiny restaurant but there’s some outdoor seating that’s great for people watching and enjoying the sunshine. Overall, it’s definitely a place to try.

Juice Bar Collective is a wonderful stop to make if you’re in the mood for a quick and easy lunch or snack.
My mother and I used to always come here after completely our weekly run to The Cheeseboard, just across the street, and pick up some of their delicious goodies.
Placing great importance on cooking with fresh organic ingredients and using only recyclable take-​away materials, Juice Bar Collective certainly fits in quite nicely with Berkeley’s down to earth and environmentally conscious atmosphere.
I was a habitual orderer of their fruit and vegetable smoothies, their vegetarian pizza slices, and their cold sesame noodles. All prepared nicely with kicks of flavor, it was always a pleasure eating their food.
Also offered are a variety of sandwiches, salads, whole grain concoctions, and a scrumptious assortment of cookies and other baked treats.
The small open kitchen is always bustling with action, so that can be a fun experience while waiting in line. Speaking of which, the lunch crowd means business! I always tried to arrive on the earlier side (11:20−11:30) since Juice Bar is known to start quite a line with it’s typically 4 person-​staffed establishment.
Be aware that Juice Bar is not a location you should expect to dine at, there are literally only two small tables up for grabs here, one sitting very snug just inside it’s doors and the other, just outside on the sidewalk. If you aren’t fussy, need not fret, there are plenty of lovely benches and appropriate eating spots on Vine Street.
Always a yummy pleasure, Juice Bar Collective is certainly a worthwhile stop to get some Berkeley culture and cuisine!

If you’re in a pinch, Juice Bar Collective is an ideal place to pick up a healthy, balanced lunch on a busy work day. They’ve been a fixture in Berkeley since the late 70s, owned and run by the employees. They place emphasis on fresh, organic ingredients and eco-​friendly principles, serving a wide range of vegetarian, vegan, gluten free options with a couple of sandwich options featuring poultry and fish. I wouldn’t recommend coming here if you’re hoping to have a sit down lunch because there’s literally one table and a bench. Luckily, take out is their specialty.
While I never find myself seriously craving their offerings, I never regret opting for more fruits and veggies. The juices are the main reason why I drop in. Every juice is fresh squeezed, made from organic produce, and flat out heavenly. My favorite is the grapefruit but I also fancy the orange and carrot. The smoothies can be tasty, my favorite being the Seamonster (a blend of their amazing orange juice, bananas, spirulina), but I am partial to ones with lots of greens. Kale alone just ain’t enough!
It’s pretty amazing how JBC manages to prepare so many different kinds of dishes in this little space. They cook up lasagna, mac and cheese, polenta, pizza, quiche, sandwiches, soups, lots of salads, a variety of baked goods, and more on a daily basis. Though it’s not the friendliest place for someone with specific food allergies, I make it work. My go to items are the spicy Asian noodle salad and the beet salad. The noodles are tossed in a ginger lemongrass dressing and topped with an assortment of chopped vegetables. The beets are doused in a citrus vinaigrette with feta, herbs, and walnuts. If I’m looking for something starchy, the black bean polenta hits the spot. Sometimes, the food could use some more seasoning but no matter what you get, it’ll be prepared with quality ingredients.
If you’re in the «gourmet ghetto», you’ll be hard pressed to find a better deal on a lunch as wholesome as this. See you soon, Juice Bar Collective.

Time: 2:08pm
Purpose: Running around all day from clients to clients needed a healthy alternative.
Ambiance: Worn and beat down but that’s why it’s so unique it brings out that homey buzz feeling. I really felt like I was in another universe when I enter here like all I needed was some 70’s clothing and VW beetle I’m good from there. It’s lesser of hole in wall but you can enter no seats only for a light greenish wooden bench with a small table by the corner right hand window. I think one time or another there must have been a remodel of the original but they kept the same past look that’s why it 2 thumbs up.
Staff: 3 girls and two guys working like busy bees each worker has a specific task. Friendly and helpful as I didn’t know so of the items in the display.
Cleanliness: As clean as it can get without changing the tone of place.
Eats: Small organic OJ $ 4,egg salad sandwich $ 5.75,and a slice of two crust sweet potatoe pies $ 5.25 a slice.
Products: All wholesome organic items sold here. Juice, smoothies, breakfast, lunch, sandwiches, soups, desserts, quiche, pies, drinks, vegetarian etc.
Punch Line: Fast, efficient, encentric, friendly, eco-​friendly, orgainc, health conscious, inexpensive.
Final Thoughts: I can’t even remember the last time I came here all I knew is that Unilocal didn’t even existed yet. As they say Berzerkely is weird type of people but their health are better than some that lives in more elegant cities fill with chain stores that sells junk foods. I will be back when ever I can as Berkeley is one of my routes is sales.

I had high hopes for Juice Bar Collective. I searched for their menu online, and it sounded scrumptious!
I got there close to closing time (around 4:15), and there was a line (both in front of me and behind me). They were sold out of most of the things I wanted to try (the Tofu Bahn Mi, the vegan chocolate pie), but they did have the Black Bean Polenta Casserole, of which I ordered two slices.
It was a little bit bland, to be quite honest. I melted some Daiya cheese and that actually elevated the flavor a lot. They should do the same! Or add some fresh avocado, maybe? Or, if you wanted to get crazy, a side of jalapeños for us spice fiends. ;)
I ordered the Strawberry Kale, which was a special smoothie of the day ($ 8.50).
It totally missed the mark. Granted, I fancy myself a bit of a smoothie connoisseur, but there was one glaringly obvious mistake: I couldn’t taste any berries. It tasted mostly of banana and kale. I love those two together, but I really missed the fruitiness of some strawberry action, especially since it was the most expensive drink on the menu.
I can definitely appreciate a focus on organic and vegetarian foods, but I wish they had a few more vegan options, especially to someone who works until the afternoon and literally has to hustle over just to make it on time.
I wish I could give them 3.5 stars, but I’m gonna have to round down because counter lady was a bit grumpy towards me, even though she was jovial and kind to one of her regulars. I would think that they would try to be nice to new faces in hopes that they might return.
And would I return? Hmm. Possibly. The polenta was decent, but it didn’t really wow me, and my smoothie was not very good. $ 21.50 for a smoothie and two pieces of polenta casserole seems really pricey to me.
I feel bad because I can tell that the cooks work very hard and toil over their food with lots of love. Perhaps the next visit will be better.