Astoria Arrivals – Ginger, an Organic Juice Bar

Earlier this week, Mackenzi and I had a chance to check out Ginger, a new organic juice bar from the guys who brought Astoria the crazy popular Grand Cafe. Ginger is located essentially behind Grand Cafe with the entrance on 37th Street.

John Solo, one of the owners, told us that he learned a lot about the health benefits of juicing from a friend who became quite ill and incorporated juicing into their wellness and recovery program. He started juicing and discovered it had a positive impact on his health, so opening this juice bar seemed like a natural outgrowth of his profound experience.

It is a lovely space—distressed wood walls, heavy wooden tables (mostly two-tops), comfortable sage green banquettes, and a gorgeous copper covered bar. A lot of light comes through the front windows. The room used to be a party room for the cafe.

They offer fresh juice made two ways. First, there’s the conventional way, where fruits and vegetables are pulverized through a centrifugal juice extractor (you probably have one at home) that separates out the juice from the pulp. The other way is through their Norwalk juice press, which crushes the fruits and vegetables, extracting the last possible drop of liquid. Here’s what that looks like:

The main difference is that with this juice press no heat is applied to the fruits and vegetables, whereas the conventional juicer creates heat by the blades turning so fast. Cold pressed juice is considered to have a higher enzyme count, and it is believed this type of juice is healthier as a result. It also has staying power—cold pressed juices can last a few days longer in your fridge than conventionally made juices.

We are still big fans of traditional juicing, so we tried two smoothies and a juice blend, pictured below. On the left is the #7 smoothie, made with blueberries, mango, orange juice, yogurt, vanilla, and agave; it is the only smoothie that is not vegan. On the right is the #5 smoothie, made with strawberry, coconut water, goji, and almond butter. In the center is a mix of beet, pineapple, pear, and ginger juices. All were delicious! Juices run $7 for 16 oz. and $9.50 for 24 oz.

They also make cocktails with the fresh juices, and the liquor is organic, too.

Aside from the juices, they offer pre-made salads, a range of snacks, and their own homemade kale chips.

Cold pressed juices are in a grab and go refrigerated section on the south side of the room.

They plan to offer the juices and salads in the cafe, integrating them slowly. Behind the juice bar they’ve installed a window to make it easier to move juice orders from the bar to the cafe.

They are open 7 days a week at 7 a.m. each day and will likely be open until 1 a.m., though their closing time is still fluid. This is a great addition to the Astoria food scene, and since so many of the juices are vegan, many people can partake in their delicious product.

Ginger, around the corner from Grand Cafe, 37-01 30th Avenue, Astoria, NY 11103, Instagram, Facebook

One Comment

Melissa Sarinopoulos June 5th, 2014

Great new addition to Astoria love the organic juices.

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