Trying to stay healthy during my business travel, I looked for a juice spot that offers pressed juice. This place came up with a great review, so I went to check them out.
This place can get really crowded really fast, based on what time of the day you go. The inside was much larger than I expected, with lots and lots of bright natural light coming in from windows. It was situated on a corner lot, with windows covering most of all the exterior walls. The decor was pretty cute with cactus and old wood poles. I liked the desert-inspired decor.
They had a good amount of seating, counter, table, bench, and even some sofas by the entrance. Even with this much seating, it can be a bit of challenge to get a seat during the morning rush. Avoiding morning and lunch rush hour would be best. I loved the door leading into their kitchen, it had a large smiley face on it. Cute!
I actually visited this spot twice, once in the morning to get a juice, and then second time for lunch. When I got there, they had the entire Pressed Juice part of the menu covered up. I thought maybe their machine is broken today? Since they also had enticing shakes, so I decided to get one of those. I chose Scooter Monkey ($7.25/16oz). It is made with chocolate whey protein, peanut butter, banana and almond milk. Since they are made to order, it takes a while for it to come out. When my shake finally came out, and took one sip, and I was in love. This shake was awesome! Very banana-y and not too peanut buttery which was perfect for me. It was super delicious! Creamy and velvety, went down smooth like a liquid gold to my tummy. It disappeared very quick, and I knew my body was thanking me for feeding such high quality deliciousness. It filled me nicely and I was satisfied, energized to go on for the rest of the morning.
The second visit was for lunch. And again, the Pressed Juice section was covered up. I asked the staffs if they are no longer offering the pressed juice, and he told me that they offer the pressed juice that are already bottled up in the refrigerator. And there they were, next to the ordering counter, all the pressed juices that they offer, neatly stored in the refrigerator.
Since I wanted to have something that is made fresh, I decided to go with their shake again. This time, I chose Universe ($9.25/24oz), made with banana, blueberry, almond milk and vanilla whey. There was an option to “make it green” which adds kale and spinach for extra $1. I chose to make it green, so it made my shake to be $10.25. The shake came out to be kind of grey. The color itself was not very appetizing, but the taste, my goodness, so delicious! It was banana-y, sweet without being too sweet, natural sweetness from the fruits and green. Doesn’t taste like some bitter green juice. Simply delicious. Got a bit foamy at the end, maybe I wasn’t drinking fast enough. Still super delicious regardless!
For food, I really wanted to try their Protein Bowls ($12). It comes with your choice protein, grain, and sauce. I went with chicken, brown rice, and ginger miso sauce. This item is also made to order, so I was given a number and waited at the table.
When it arrived, I was surprised with how big the bowl was. And I mean HUGE! It had loads of chicken, roasted sweet potatoes and veggies. The brown rice is on the bottom, providing a nice fluffy bed for all the ingredients. I poured the sauce all over, and gave it a last lingering stare with adoration before I went in for a bite.
Chicken pieces were tender tasty, sweet potatoes were soft and comforting. Broccoli and Brussels sprouts were solid and crunchy without being too hard. The only thing was, the brown rice was a bit dry… Having a decadent sauce definitely helped. And speaking of which, ginger miso sauce was great! It had some kick to it from ginger, really tasty went perfect with the chicken. I think I also tasted bits of mango in the bowl? They had Sriracha and other condiments on the side wall. I couldn’t resist adding a little sriracha on my bowl…and yes, even more delicious! It was sooooo filling, I was completely stuffed. Great value for $12!
Maybe it would have been better if I just had water instead of shake, but I didn’t know how filling this bowl was going to be… They have complimentary water with lemon near the entrance. I actually took a cup of water as I was leaving, very nice pallet cleanser.
This place was definitely my number one favorite spot in Phoenix. I wish if this place existed in NYC… If you are visiting Phoenix and want some healthy and delicious dining option, put this place on your list!
Kaleidoscope Juice – 1 N 1st St., Phoenix, AZ 85004