4 Great Juice Shops in Los Angeles

There's a growing number of juice joints in Los Angeles, emphasizing the benefits of drinking to your health — quite literally. Fresh juices have become so de rigueur these days that it's not uncommon to hear 'juice' used as a casual verb among Angelenos. And whereas we're not likely to ask anyone if they've juiced for our own reasons, we have tried a number of spots around town, curious about the claims of better health.

A juice habit is an expensive one to maintain — with the majority of the spots charging an average of $6 to $7 per drink. At most of the shops, another underlying similarity is overt mention of the health benefits, from notes on the menu to signages-as-decor. Some health experts view the popularity of juice cleanse programs as a long-lasting solution with wariness. The advice remains to eat rather than drink your fruits and vegetables. Still given the schedule some might have, one benefit juices are a convenient way to pack in a high level of fruit and vegetable consumption — that experts won't argue against.

We selected four of our favorites for the occasional, quick nutritional supplement and organized them according to alphabetical order.

The Refresh and the Endless Summer at Sustain Juicery; Credit: Christine Chiao

4. Sustain Juicery:

Among the four, Sustain Juicery's selections are the least sweet with little to no enhancers like agave syrup. Even the smoothies, like the Endless Summer made of Ecuadorian cacao and Peruvian maca, are noticeably more subtle in comparison. Unlike Moon Juice or Pressed Juicery, the juice orders at the corner shop equidistant between Spring and Main are made on the spot. The boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables in shelves on the right of the counter indicate as much. 548 S. Spring St., Los Angeles; (213) 488-1989.

The Mercer and J-Biebs at Silver Lake Juice; Credit: Christine Chiao

3. Silver Lake Juice Bar

Like Sustain Juicery, both juices and smoothies are made-to-order. The shop sits at the entrance of Sprouted Garden Cafe, which took over what used to be Cowboys & Turbans in Silver Lake. Smoothies are made with almond milk, coconut milk or natural thickeners like bananas as opposed to yogurt. When you're sipping The Mercer, it's easy to focus only on the taste and not the potential health benefits of the blueberry coconut concoction. 2813 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles; (323) 284-8115.

Roots 3 and Vanilla Almond Milk at Pressed Juicery; Credit: Christine Chiao

2. Pressed Juicery

There are seven Pressed Juicery locations in L.A. The Downtown post is a walk-up tucked to left of the Cooper Building entrance. If you were wavering on your resolve to cleanse, the steady stream of fashionable folk can strengthen your resolve. Out all of the juice cleanse programs, Pressed Juicery's is the most comprehensive with clear before, during, and after instructions. The programs vary in three degrees of difficulty, helpful for those new to this kind of regimen. There is a happy hour deal; at the Downtown location, it's 15% off your order from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. 860 S. Los Angeles St., Los Angeles; (213) 688-9700.

A range of pressed juices at Moon Juice; Credit: Christine Chiao

1. Moon Juice

Even without signage, it's hard to miss Moon Juice from the crater design of the shop's veneer. Whereas the juices are pressed and packaged to sell, the shakes are made fresh and taste more like dessert. The date shake is emblematic: dates, almond butter, maca, coffee bean, cardamom, and almond milk. Like Silver Lake Juice Bar, the Venice post has a wall of listed benefits that correlate ailment to aid. Based on the 12 common issues placarded on the wall with beautiful side illustrations, locals in Venice seem prone to encounter problems with hormonal imbalance, hangovers, and low levels of joy and ecstasy. 507 Rose Ave., Venice; (310) 399-2929.

And in related news:

– Now Open: M.A.K.E. Out in Santa Monica

– Scientists Create Low-Fat Chocolate With Juice

– Pressed Juicery: What Hollywood Is (Not) Eating

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