Alchemy Juice Bar Cafe

Currently closed to the public and only offering appointment only consultations.

This weekend shifted my tastebuds to value the healthier side of dining. Alchemy serves up an amazing organic menu with smoothies, squeezed juices, wraps, salads, soups, dessert items and more.
I loved it immediately. It’s an extremely laid back place and service is snail-​pace slow (the upbeat staff makes up for it) but I didn’t mind the wait. For a small eatery, Alchemy has a lot going on, so I poked around for a while: the café features an Eco-​boutique section, an oxygen bar, and shelves of literature promoting a healthy, sustainable lifestyle. Very cool place– one of the few veg-​friendly eating establishments that I know of in the area.
Wheat grass shot anyone? Organic smoothie made with Cacao, goji, strawberries, banana, coconut, dates, and berry tea? That’s just one option in a list of dozens of incredible juice/​smoothie/​tea choices in the Café.
For lunch, I decided on the Alchemy Wrap, which combines warm, sweet yams with black olives, red peppers, ripe avocado and sesame seeds. I didn’t expect such full dimensions of flavor to come from a few simple ingredients– but I was blown away. The olives and yams provided the most delicious blend of salty and sweet, balanced with the smooth avocado– this was topped off by a refreshing order of cold ginger, honey & lemon tea.
My dining companion enjoyed a hummus wrap with veggies, seeds & greens, as well as a very spicy Chakra Rock beverage (Apple, pear, carrot, celery, parsley, ginger, garlic… cayenne pepper optional. She sprung for the pepper).
So, needless to say, we experienced quite the veggie feast. Prices can be steep: up to $ 10 for a smoothie (my wrap was only $ 8!), so that can be a downside.

Great food. Unique atmosphere. Free wifi. Runs lots of great food co-​ops, yoga, and wellness programs for the community. Beware of crazy high food/​drink prices ($ 15 for a smoothie?!). The destination for all things green/​organic/​vegan/​etc in Hartford. Great break from usual processed food, just be prepared to pay up to eat here on a regular basis.

Food co-​op with a splendid array of great gluten free options. Smoothies are great, too. Ignore the unfortunate pseudoscientific crap on the walls and you’re in for a lovely meal.

So I’m vegan and I love this place. I heard about this place many times on my travels through West Hartford and Hartford and searched for it up and down until finally utilizing Google Maps. I drove by it at first because its not clearly marked, but when I got inside I was so happy I had finally made it. For those vegetarians and vegans out there we are all used to being patient with restaurants in making sure that our food is prepared properly. While there was a bit of a wait to get my smoothie and wrap it was well worth it. You can also spend an extra couple bucks to get a jar to put your smoothie in that you can refill any time you return! The staff was engaging to my conversation and the knowledgeable about their product. That is a huge plus.
The veggie wrap, with a raw hummus spread, was phenomenal, nothing else like it around. The smoothie was a blend of bananas, strawberries and raspberries. That was out of this world. Let’s not forget all the yummy deserts which were vegan friendly as well.
The open kitchen was very clean from what I could see and everything organized, A+ in that department. They also had a small oxygen bar which seemed like it needed a bit of cleaning, but the dining area was small and cozy. Great place to hang and study especially if you go to nearby Trinity College.
They also sell some trinkets along the wall. Sustainable, vegan friendly items of course. It’s a diamond in the rough. Check it out.

A group of us pit-​stopped here for a late lunch about a month ago and I left feeling a little «off.» Don’t get me wrong… this place has a very fun and liberal vibe and I loved the adorable glass juice jar that I was able to purchase for just $ 2. I may have ordered the wrong thing on the menu or maybe my palette for raw foods just isn’t sophisticated enough yet?
I did NOT enjoy the raw juice mixture that I ordered at all. It started off well enough, a little pungent and congealed but after a few minutes… I just didn’t feel so well. Whatever was in the murky reddish glass was just not jiving with my stomach. My friend ordered a fresh fruit juice cocktail of some sort and seemed quite happy with her choice. I was probably waaaaay to ambitious in my selection of beets and god knows what else?
The raw Alchemy wrap fared much better with avocados, roasted red peppers, seeds, and tasty yams. It was very filling. The others in our big group all seemed pleased with their lunch choices as well.
I skipped on over to their Eco-​Boutique section and found a great kit of GREEN home cleaning supplies in trial sizes for 50% off that I snagged up. I noticed on signage throughout the space that Alchemy hosts workshops, classes, and other events that promote a more sustainable and healthy lifestyle as well. Very cool if you happen to live in the area.
On our way out, the owner gave us sample of vegan fudge. They were gooey and fantastic. A great way to try and get that raw juice taste out of my mouth.
I would certainly suggest tasting an assortment of the bakery goods here. They all looked amazing.

A health-​food restaurant should have a serious spinach salad. And this one does, and it’s excellent. It has goat cheese, walnuts and raisins in perfect proportions. On another visit, I enjoyed something called a Wendy — a cookie bar thing with coconut, peanut butter, almonds and chocolate bits. I think it was gluten-​free and I know it was totally delicious.
When it comes to fresh, homemade, wholesome food with lots of flavor, this place is no-​nonsense good. If you’re in the neighborhood, stop by. If you like to eat healthy or you’re a vegetarian, or if you have food restrictions, go out of your way.
But take note, the coffee’s kinda bad.

If you’ve ever driven from Boston to NYC, you know that CT is that long, boring bit in the middle with nothing but fast food toilets and mediocre diners along the way. Well, Alchemy is the first good reason to love the drive. Tucked into a small funky West Hartford neighborhood with several other ‘green’ shops, Alchemy is an oasis of awesome, fresh, real food. Extensive menu of sandwiches, wraps and entrees. Plus, a great selection of veggie smoothies and fruit juices. I had a veggie wrap loaded with live hummus, sprouts, greens and kiwi. Yes, kiwi! And what an amazing taste dimension it adds! An assortment of organic teas and coffees, and vegan desserts ranging from peanut butter-​chocolate cupcakes to chocolate chip cookies. Less than 5 minutes off Route 84, in that heart of CT. This will be a permanent mid-​way stop on future drives through the state.

This place is fantastic! I went here last weekend for dinner with an old friend while passing through on my way to NYC from Boston. She happens to live in Hartford and is also a vegetarian and insisted we go here, prefacing it by saying it was ‘amazing’ and amazing it was.
I never thought I could love a salad so much! ‘The Lovers Salad’ (no pun intended) consisted of field greens, some choice veggies, slices of kiwi, grapes, and pomegranate (the fruit is apparently seasonal) with a finish of sunflower seeds (without the shells) and a light garnish of balsamic and it was quite possibly the best salad I’ve ever had. I grew up not eating salad but I’ve been trying to branch out lately and this alone could convince anyone that salad is delicious. My friend had a wrap that she said was delicious as well. We also shared a smoothie with ‘super awesomeness’ added on which was very delicious (I don’t remember which smoothie but I do remember they all looked good).
Everything here is organic and most things on the menu looked delicious and nutritious. I walked away feeling happy and healthy and I thought about the salad for the rest of the weekend! (I can’t normally say that about salad or any food for that matter). The atmosphere was very chill and the music was relaxing.
I had a moment where I almost wanted to become a vegetarian sitting in this café… the moment passed and while I still enjoy meat, the memory of this café didn’t.

I live in California, but came home on to CT on Christmas break and my mom took me to lunch at this place. We split the alchemy wrap (avocados, roasted red peppers, sesame seeds, yams, yum!) and I had a bowl of veggies soup (also yum) and my mom had the carrot bisque (which she really enjoyed). The food was really good. I also has this AMAZING drink that was lemon, ginger and honey– which you can get hot or cold. I got hot and I loved it. I am going to try to recreate it when I get home. The food and the atmosphere of this place was great, it felt like it belonged in California. I am taking away 2 start because of something written on the chalkboard wall. The owner (s) apparently believe that ⁹⁄₁₁ was committed by the government, which beyond being stupid just totally pisses me off. It’s people like these that make hippies look like a bunch of drugged-​out morons. That said, they can hold whatever views they like, I just don’t like the establishments where I eat shoving their views down my throat as I am eating. If not for that, I would have given this place 4 stars.

I ordered the tofu platter. It was good-​loaded with vegetables, but nothing special. The specialty seems to be raw foods/​smoothies, but I didn’t try any of the smoothies. One of the nice things was that they actually offered a variety of fresh juice, such as green juice. Most places just offer fresh fruit or carrot juice. They also had some raw deserts, which I did not try. I didn’t enjoy the ambiance. It felt dirty and they kept playing the same tune over and over again, which got extremely annoying. It seemed a little pricey, too, but I think most of their stuff is organic, which explains some of that. I would go back and try a smoothie or juice but would probably take it to go.

Warning: review based on one visit (today) and one entrée (I wasn’t that hungry!) I ordered the Living Pizza, take-​away, since I had to drive to the airport. Pretty good, but the «dough» was thicker than what I’ve had in the past. I’d give it 3 stars on that one entrée, but I have to bump it to 4 because they are so nice! It’s a groovy place sort of tucked in a neighborhood — but what do I know, I was there one day for work. Just seemed very residential. The menu is vegan/​veg with menu of raw food available that day on a chalkboard. If I lived in Hartford, I’d totally frequent this place. They also have an oxygen bar, a concept that confounds me, but hey, whatevs.
UPDATE: I went back again and had the raw fettucine alfredo (prob has a cutesy name like «fettucine rawfredo») — made with sunflower sprouts and pesto. Wow. $ 15 of good.