Bona Fide Juicery: Bellevue Opening Day

Saturday, January 23, 2021 was the opening day for Bona Fide Juicery’s second location on Monroe Avenue in Bellevue, not too far away from where I now live. I had never gone to their first location in De Pere, but I've been aware of them for a long time. With the new year upon us, this was the perfect opportunity to try something in the healthier avenue for both my husband and myself, so when we embarked upon our errands that morning, we stopped in for a visit.

Their menu offers several healthier options than what I would expect to find at a lot of breakfast/lunch locations, and those options are in line with what one might expect from the name alone. Prebottled juices fill a cold case near the register if you’re looking to grab and go, or you can order salads, acai bowls, or smoothies at the counter. We decided to do a little bit of both in our continuing effort to be better to our bodies in 2021.

My husband ordered their blueberry based smoothie and absolutely demolished it before we even got home from picking up our Target Order and stopping to say goodbye at Nala’s Cheese and Wine. I had a strawberry and banana based smoothie which was delicious flavor wise, but I will never be able to get over the texture of strawberry seeds in my teeth. I got through maybe ¼ before giving it up to my husband’s consumption for later. I do not expect this to be my experience with all of their creations, because they have so many choices for smoothies.​

Their space itself is lovely and well equipped to handle doing business in the time of COVID with a self checkout kiosk toward the front of the store if you’re not looking to get yourself a salad or anything. If you’re a grab and go person getting juice or bottled cold brew, you can get it out of the case, put in your order, and go. Smoothies are also available at this kiosk, and they’ll call out the order when it’s ready for you.

You can eat in if you’re getting a salad or acai bowl or even soups (which are options!), but when we were there near lunchtime, most of the customers were doing the same as us-- grabbing a smoothie to go and continue on their way. With the tables spaced carefully along the wall, sitting down for a healthy meal isn't a risk for those concerned with the current pandemic. The setup of the building allows space for customers and employees alike to maintain social distancing in nearly all aspects of Bona Fide. I expect I’ll be looking for healthy mid-day options at Bona Fide for a long time to come.

Bona Fide Juicery is a welcome addition to the growing business area on Monroe Avenue. January is a time when so many people are looking for ways to be healthier, and when it’s as convenient as a self checkout kiosk, it makes it a lot easier for those of us who run out of steam on our New Year's Resolutions early. I’ll be a frequent customer to their new location as a Bellevue transplant, and I encourage anyone in the area looking to become or stay healthy to give them a visit. There are so many options, no matter what your tastes are.

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