juice

Greenheart Juice Shop to hold grand opening this Saturday in Ballston

By James Jarvis
1/3

(Updated at 5:32 p.m.) Greenheart Juice Shop is slated to hold a grand opening for its newest location in Ballston on Saturday.

The celebration at 4121 Wilson Blvd will include wellness shots, and attendees can enter a raffle for a chance to win gift cards or class packs to local gyms.

This location, which previously housed Philz Coffee, will be Greenheart’s first in Arlington and its fourth in Northern Virginia. A second Arlington location is set to open in Courthouse “sometime this fall,” a spokesperson for the juice shop told ARLnow.

The juice chain began as one location in 2010 in the village of Aldie in Loudoun County, selling health foods such as cold-pressed juices, açai bowls and salads. Since then, the company has expanded its reach across Northern Virginia, adding storefronts in Leesburg and Vienna.

Late last year, Arlington-based hospitality group Wooden Nickel Bar Co., which also operates local restaurants Copperwood Tavern and Brass Rabbit Public House, acquired the shop. Greenheart then set its sights on expanding into Arlington.

“We’ve expanded into Ballston because [owner Reese Gardner]… saw an opportunity to be involved in a community that is very centered on health and fitness,” the spokesperson said, noting that Arlington has been named the “fittest city” for six years in a row.

The new juice shop will compete with another homegrown juice-and-smoothie chain, South Block, which has been open across the street since March 2019.

Juice shop now opening two new locations, in Ballston and Courthouse

By Matt Blitz
1/2

A growing Northern Virginia juice shop chain is now coming to Courthouse, in addition to a previously-announced location in Ballston.

The Ballston shop will be squeezing itself into the former home of Philz at 4121 Wilson Blvd, which closed late last year. The hope is that it will open next month, perhaps by July 15, co-owner Reese Gardner tells ARLnow.

The second Arlington location is set for Courthouse, moving into the one-time home of Rāko Coffee at 2016 Wilson Blvd. That shop quietly closed late last year as well, claiming it was just temporary due to a “out of order” espresso machine. The next month, however, pieces of equipment and furniture were put up for public auction by the county, with the money going towards the company’s tax bill.

It’s not clear when Greenheart will open in Courthouse, though signage is now in place above the door.

This will be the juice shop’s fourth and fifth locations, with other shops in Vienna, Leesburg, and Aldie, Virginia. The menu is focused on cold pressed juices, smoothies, salads, and bowls.

In addition to co-owning the juice shop, which he acquired a few months ago, Gardner also owns a number of other local bars and restaurants. That includes Dudley’s Sport and Ale in Shirlington, Quinn’s on the Corner in Rosslyn, and Brass Rabbit Pub in Clarendon.

Former Philz location in Ballston set to become juice shop

By ARLnow.com
Former Philz Coffee storefront, future home to Greenheart Juice Shop (staff photo)

A juice shop will be replacing a coffee shop in Ballston.

The former Philz Coffee at 4121 Wilson Blvd, in the middle of the Ballston Exchange office complex, is becoming a Greenheart Juice Shop. Philz closed in December after just under four years in the storefront.

The San Francisco-based company has reportedly closed all of its existing D.C.-area cafes. The last remaining Philz, in the District’s Adams Morgan neighborhood, was robbed earlier this month before its expected closing date.

Greenheart Juice Shop was recently acquired by Arlington hospitality group Wooden Nickel Bar Co., operator of local restaurants like Copperwood Tavern and Brass Rabbit Public House, the Washington Business Journal reported last month.

Greenheart has existing locations in Vienna, Leesburg and Aldie. Wooden Nickel owner Reese Gardner confirmed to ARLnow that a new location will be opening in Ballston — and said that another would follow elsewhere in the county.

“The first of two Arlington locations,” Gardner said, declining for now to reveal where the other will be opening. “Same offerings as the other three locations.”

Gardner said the juice shop in Ballston “should be open in July.”

The Business Journal had also previously reported about a Greenheart location planned somewhere in Ballston. The new juice shop will compete with another homegrown local juice-and-smoothie chain, South Block, which has been open across the street since March 2019.

Rosslyn South Block Aiming for Late August Opening

By Ashley Hopko

South Block is hoping to open its new Rosslyn location by late August.

Owner Amir Mostafavi told ARLnow yesterday (Monday) that he’s “excited” about the summer opening, and is planning a block party to celebrate.

“We anticipate opening in late August followed by a community block party in September,” said Mostafavi. “The block party will consist of a live DJ, Bash will be there, we will be handing out swag bags to the 100 blockstars in line, free samples and more.”

The new eatery (1550 Wilson Blvd) will take up part of the space that previously housed Cafe Asia, next to Bash Boxing.

This will be the fourth South Block to open in Arlington and the tenth total since its founding in 2011. The latest South Block to open was the Ballston Quarter location in March.

The burgeoning local chain serves juice, smoothies, acai bowls and toasts. The new Rosslyn location will serve up a similar menu.

Mostafavi previously told ARLnow that he picked the location for its proximity to Bash.

“We’ve always had a really strong relationship with Arlington’s fitness community, so this is just a really good fit,” he said.

Coffee and Juice Bar Serving Up Smoothies, ‘Superfood’ Debuts in Clarendon

By Catherine Douglas Moran
1/4

A new shop serving up smoothies, coffee and “superfood” recently opened in the lobby of an office building in Clarendon.

The Waterhouse Coffee and Juice Bar debuted last Tuesday (Oct. 30) with a soft opening for the office building tenants to sample the food and drink, Connie Kim, the owner and manager, told ARLnow.

Located at 3033 Wilson Blvd, customers use the street entrances on Wilson Blvd and N. Garfield Street or the sliding doors in the lobby of the office building to reach Waterhouse.

The tenants have come back since the soft opening, Kim said. While Kim said she is familiar with tenant customers from her first and, now-closed, business in the building shared by CNN and the U.S. Department of Education, these customers surprised her.

“I never knew tenants could be this intimate and regular,” she said.

The menu spans hot and cold coffee and teas to smoothies and freshly squeezed juice for drinks. The “natural fruit smoothies” are made from ice and fruit juice, while the “power boost smoothies” pack in about seven different ingredients, Kim said. Food options include toasts, salads, sandwiches, acai bowls and all-day breakfast.

“I wanted to do really good coffee, really good juice and smoothie bars, where it’s a very comfortable place,” Kim said.

The name “Waterhouse” popped into her head while sitting in an airport about four years ago, Kim said. Initially, she wanted to open a taco place, but then decided a coffee shop would be a better fit for the space by the Clarendon Metro station. Previous establishments at the space include a cafe and deli known for its vegan sandwiches and an Italian hoagie and Mediterranean food shop.

Waterhouse seats about 15 people inside the shop, with an additional 15 seats in the lobby. Kim plans to have four tables outside in the spring.

The shop is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day.

South Block Plans New Rosslyn Location in Old Cafe Asia Space

By Alex Koma

South Block will soon bring its array of juices, smoothies and acai bowls to Rosslyn.

The Arlington-based chain is planning its fourth location in the county for the former Cafe Asia space (1550 Wilson Blvd), next to the forthcoming Bash Boxing workout studio, according to founder and CEO Amir Mostafavi.

“Our Clarendon spot has turned into such a busy location, and we’re growing as a company, it just seemed like it was needed for us in that area,” he told ARLnow. “Regulars can attest that if you come in on a Saturday in Clarendon, it’s just packed. So now we can spread out a bit and help the serve community better.”

Mostafavi expects that the Rosslyn location will open in the late spring of 2019, just a few months after South Block opens its third Arlington store in the new Ballston Quarter development. He says both new locations will offer the same line-up as the rest of its shops, including the toast options he’s recently added to his menus.

In an unusual twist of fate, both the new locations will be located next to Bash Boxing’s gyms, with the fitness studio also planning a Ballston Quarter location.

Though Scott Parker, one of the studio’s co-founders, says the pairings were largely a “coincidence,” Mostafavi expects the businesses will easily compliment each other.

“We’re calling it a one-two punch,” Mostafavi said.

Mostafavi says his real estate broker first showed him the Cafe Asia space a few months back as he eyed an expansion. When he subsequently heard from Bash’s backers that they too were eyeing the space, he figured opening up a juice bar right next to fitness studio would make a good bit of sense.

“We’ve always had a really strong relationship with Arlington’s fitness community, so this is just a really good fit,” Mostafavi said.

By the time South Block opens its two new Arlington locations, Mostafavi says he’ll have 10 shops running across the region.

Photo courtesy of @IAmAru

New Coffee and Juice Bar Set to Open in Clarendon

By Alex Koma
1/3

A new restaurant offering coffee, smoothies and “superfood” is gearing up to open in Clarendon.

Signs promising that Waterhouse Coffee and Juice Bar is “coming soon” recently appeared on an office building at 3033 Wilson Blvd, near the road’s intersection with N. Garfield Street.

Though the restaurant doesn’t have any online presence to speak of just yet, the signs say the eatery will offer Lavazza coffee and espresso, “freshly pressed juices” and smoothies. The store is also set to serve “powerful superfood” including acai bowls and avocado mash.

The signs do not, however, offer any clarity on when the restaurant might open its doors.

Waterhouse is located around the corner from Casal’s Spa and Salon and Hunan Number One.

JRINK Now Open Near Clarendon

By ARLnow.com
1/8

Cold-pressed juice bar JRINK is now open in the Clarendon area.

The store, at 3260 Wilson Blvd, held its grand opening on Sunday. It offers 100 percent cold-pressed, all-natural juice that’s produced locally, at a price of $9-10 per bottle.

JRINK is competing with nearby South Block Juice Co. in the high-end juice space, which has found a market thanks in part to the popularity of so-called juice cleanses. JRINK — like South Block — also offers coffee, smoothies and superfood bowls.

This is the second Virginia store for JRINK, which has four existing locations in the District and a fifth in Falls Church, where its juices are made. The company says the new Clarendon store is the first of its kind in the region with a drive-thru window.

“JRINK’s newest location allows customers to enjoy a drive-thru experience that keeps your health in check, as well as a full storefront offering their signature juices, warm beverages, and superfoods,” notes a press release.

“Each JRINK flavor (ranging from $9-$10 each or $155 for a full, three-day reboot) contains up to five pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables… completely free of added sugar, preservatives and chemicals,” the press release adds.

‘Micro-Juicery’ Coming to East Falls Church

By Ethan Rothstein

The South Block Smoothie & Wrap Co. storeWhile microbreweries are popping up all over the D.C. area, East Falls Church could soon be home to a “micro-juicery,” from the owner of South Block Cafe.

Amir Mostafavi says South Block Juice Company will open at 2121 N. Westmoreland Street in the next few months. The facility will produce the juice served at South Block and will be available for pickup around the area and for home delivery.

Mostafavi said he wants customers to be able to look into the location and see how the juice is made, and perhaps take tours like visitors do at microbreweries. The juice will also be sold fresh next door at Urban Pantry, which opened last week.

“It’s going to be our new production facility,” Mostafavi said. “We needed a larger space for our kitchen. The space we’re making the juice at right now, we’ve just outgrown it. We’re getting a larger juicer that’s going to greatly increase our volume and capacity. It’s something we’ve been looking into for a little while now as we’ve grown in the juice part of the business.”

South Block has been getting its juice from Mostafavi’s kitchen at Campus Fresh on George Washington University’s campus. Mostafavi opened that store 10 years ago and South Block Cafe opened three years ago, but when he bought a cold press a year ago to sell juice in bottles, the business exploded.

“Once I bought the cold press, that’s when the business took off,” he said. “We’ve already been getting a lot of customers throughout the area coming to our shop for the juice for juice cleanses.”

South Block Juice Company will get a revamped website around when the micro-juicery opens, Mostafavi said, which will make it easier for customers to order juices for delivery. That includes the three-day juice cleanse, which includes 18 bottles of juice, to be drank in specific order, for $150.

Mostafavi also said South Block is looking into “satellite locations” in the next year or so, and he hopes to soon begin national distribution.