Full Lotus Juice Bar & Café

When I walked in, I was confused as to why it was located as just a 4 ft bar and a small menu inside of a resturant. However, I browed the menu and stood and waited for roughly 15 mintues. After sighing quite loudly quite a few times, a man came over and asked if I was asking for friends…“uh, NO I want a juice…” he then informed me the lady is only there twice a week. Would have been lovely to know on these reviews before I drove out of my way to get there. A couple days before, I had started a juicing fast and was «greatful» that there was a juicing bar in town… sad to say I was quite pissed when I left. Don’t go there… if you can even find the place without walking down the block 5 – 6 times like I did.

When my company’s office moved to Durham from Youngsville, I discovered Full Lotus while searching Unilocal for «juice» on a craving whim. Like others, I scoffed at my phone’s GPS when it said I had arrived, but once you find Blue Corn Café, you’re there.
This is REAL juice at its REAL price. I agree that it’s not affordable for most as an every meal or even every day purchase, but you are truly getting what you’re paying for. I’ve been making my own juice/​raw food at home and letting Full Lotus fill in the gaps once a week or so when I’m too busy or just want to hang out and people-​watch on 9^th Street for a while. Anyone who «juices» knows how much solid produce actually goes into a 12 or 16 ounce juice. Full Lotus is completely reasonable in this regard, they stock a lot of ingredients you won’t find elsewhere. I’ve also tried the raw zucchini «noodle» salad — delicious, free of salt for the sensitive, and enough for two full meals if you’re doing the raw thing.
Ordering from and talking to Clarissa is like a free quick mini-​consult/​therapy session. Since I started blind on my journey, she has always provided advice when I told her what state I was in. Every person I’ve ever seen her talk to while waiting seems like they are a long-​time friend, and I always feel great when I walk back out onto 9^th.

Basically my favorite place in Durham. The owner, Clarissa is such a kind and generous person. Make sure if you go that you sit and chat with her a bit. She’s a certified holistic health counselor, and the advice she gives is pretty amazing. She’ll work with you on specific health issues, help you get used to eating healthier, give you new ideas and encourage you to try new things. When you buy from her you’re not just a customer, you become a friend. I’m so glad I found this lovely little place!

Durham is very fortunate to have such an awesome juice bar!
The lovely owner, Clarissa, obviously has a nutrition background, and it shows by all of the delicious, yet super-​healthy juice concoctions she makes. I love the fact that all of the juices are made fresh to order. Anything that fresh and delicious is going to be costly to make, but Full Lotus’s juices are totally worth the price (and way less time-​consuming than making it at home!)
Even though it is located inside of Blue Corn Café, Full Lotus has it’s own vibe. I forget I’m actually inside of a different restaurant when I’m there. Plus Clarissa really makes an effort to get to know her customers, which I personally love! You can just tell she genuinely cares about the local community and their health!
You really owe it to yourself to stop by there soon and treat your body to something amazing!

I love Full Lotus juices; they are seriously the healthiest and most delicious juice you can get in Durham. The owner is fabulous, friendly and very knowledgeable. She can make juices that specifically address health concerns as well.

I discovered Full Lotus recently, and all I can think is, «Why have I been so behind the ball in finding this place?» Love it, love it, and love it some more.
As others have noted, Full Lotus is located inside Blue Corn Café. This may not make a lot of sense, but just go in the café and then it will. You’ll get the hang of it immediately.
I was introduced to Full Lotus because Clarissa, the owner, began carrying Spread. Spread is a nut-​based cheeze (it’s vegan), and it is fabulous. It’s made locally, and for awhile it was hit or miss at the Durham Farmer’s Market. I started showing up at Full Lotus to get the Spread.
Of course Full Lotus is a juice bar but to be honest, I have a juice at home and tend to make most of my juices. However, I have had two juices and two smoothies from Clarissa, and they are amazing. I ordered all of them in advance and got them frozen. They defrosted beautifully and being frozen did not impact the taste. You can also get fresh juices as well.
I mostly go to get the Spread and other little tidbits that Clarissa sells. Her chocolate chip cookies are divine. They are tiny but worth it. They will melt in your mouth. Today I got a piece of raw cheesecake. I should have taken a picture to share, but instead I ate the cheesecake and thought about the picture later. Sorry! The flavors pop in your mouth. It’s way better than most baked cheesecakes.
If you’re new to juicing and are curious about it this is definitely a great place to start your journey. Talk to Clarissa about what you like, and she’ll figure out what will work for you. She’s great at listening to you and knowing what will suit you. Plus, Clarissa is just a beautiful person and exactly the kind of business owner we need. You’ll fall in love with her and the bar.

I was at work and in the mood for a smoothie, so when I Unilocaled it and this place came up I decided to check it out. Not reading enough reviews first I didn’t notice that it was in the front of the Blue Corn Café and the sign is not very prominent either, so I walked up and down Ninth St. a few times trying to find it.
The service was really great. I couldn’t really find what I wanted on the menu, and when I explained to the owner that I was picky and new to this kind of stuff she graciously made me my own concoction with fruits and veggies I told her I liked. It is really great to know that she will listen to her customers and try to accommodate everyone’s desire.
She had blueberry muffins on the menu as well so I ordered that. I was very disappointed when it came completely frozen and there was no way I was going to be able to eat it anytime soon. I almost didn’t buy it, but then she told me it would only take 15 minutes to thaw (not even a little true) but I believed her and brought it back to work with me. I couldn’t eat it the entire afternoon, it just sat on my desk staring at me. I took a bite finally like 2 hrs. later and it wasn’t very good so I ditched it. Very disappointing.
Also disappointing… this place is extremely overpriced. For my frozen muffin and juice it cost $ 11! I couldn’t believe it. I understand everything is fresh but whoa, that’s crazy.
While the service was great and I appreciate her making me my special smoothie, I probably will not be back, as I can’t make a habit of spending that much money on a drink.

This place is awesome, although pricey. A true juice bar, not like one of those corporate smoothie places that give you high calorie sweetened beverages. Full Lotus serves up purely fresh pressed veggie juices that give you energy and it feels like you are drinking pure goodness. The big downside is that the hours are bad, and she also decides to close at the last minute when she has to travel or any number of reasons. It’s not good to not have a reliable schedule — I don’t want to plan ahead of when I’m getting my juice, or show up and find it closed when normally would be open.

I told the owner I was new to juicing, and she said she’d ease me in with a special concoction. That drink turned out to be the Green RX made ‘extra-​sweet’ for my newb sensibilities. I watched as mounds of fresh veggies were converted into a bright green sippable substance, and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Tasted ‘clean’ (like celery), sweet (from the apple), and a little peppery (from the ginger).
Clarissa mans a little counter space immediately on your left as you enter Blue Corn Café. The wall behind her is an apothecary of glass containers filled with oats and other additions for smoothes. The bakery case below displays gluten-​free goodies… raw chocolate, and more. On the chalkboard above, two menus (one featuring juices and one featuring smoothies) are scrawled out with prices. The price is $ 7+, which seems high; but of course, you’re getting a helping of local produce and saving yourself the work of juicing. On her website, you’ll find detox packages… of particular interest to me right now, post-​Superbowl party! :)

I really really wanted to check this place out and will revise my review when they are there. during business hours they posted. they simply. were. NOT. there. I spoke to an employee at Blue Corn Café and offered to sell me a salad or other vegan item but I had come down to try one of their juices and ended up grabbing some fruit instead at Whole Foods. He said I could come back in 30 minutes and the owner would be there. Makes perfect business sense. I arrived around 11:45am on a Friday a pretty prime time to step away I would think… looking forward to trying their fare the next time I ma in Durham.

Awesome healthy vegan smoothies! If they weren’t so expensive ($ 7.50 each) and the hours were more convenient, I would come more often!

Please note that this is in the front of Blue Corn Café on Ninth Street! It’s quite an interesting set up and a fantastic idea, but I wouldn’t say that it’s extremely well done. My friend and I ended up waiting 20 minutes while the owner was out buying more produce at Whole Foods. If I was looking for some sustenance on the run than that would not have been optimal. The juice was quite good, but overpriced. I understand that all of the ingredients are extremely fresh, but I feel that investing in a juicer would be cheaper than paying $ 7 or $ 8 per cup. The other components of the café looked interesting, but it seems like most of them were sweet, which was unexpected when the place has «café» in the name.
The concept os pretty cool, though, so I will probably come back as she gets it going further.

There are no words to describe my love for this place but I will try! Full Lotus is located in the front of Blue Corn on 9^th St. Ever since it opened, I have a frequent customer for Clarissa’s fresh juice, amazing smoothies and some of her amazing raw and vegan food creations. It is a order at the counter kinda place and you can either take it to go or eat at the counter.
The owner, Clarissa, clearly knows her stuff and also runs a nutritional program as well and is a Certified Holistic Health Counselor as well. Full Lotus is the real deal when it comes to juice bars. Everything is fresh, organic and raw. No prepackaged juice, sugar or dairy in your smoothie thank goodness! Clarissa is very knowledgeable and can help guide your decision in what to order. She can even make raw and vegan chocolate chip cookies taste like heaven.
Juicing has changed my life and provides excellent nutrition, energy and cleansing. Everyone should check Full Lotus out at least once and give it a go. You may be surprised at how amazing healthy food can be!