Green Grotto Juice Bar
Less than a year old, Green Grotto Juice Bar has already comfortably made itself at home in Downtown’s Spring Arcade Building. Enter the bar’s cozy lawn-inspired store-front and you’ll be greeted by a friendly staff. With familiar reggae and oldschool R&B tunes playing, this bar invites you in for more than just juice.
“I wanted people to come and feel like they’re just hanging out in their own living room,” says owner Kieran Roberts. Wanting a change from the unhealthy lifestyle he had gotten used to, Roberts thought up the idea for a juice bar as a means to get his body back into shape. His Jamaican background inspired him to name the bar after the Green Grotto Caves, formerly known as the Runaway Bay Caves, where escaped slaves took refuge.
After considering several different, heavy traffic LA neighborhoods like Santa Monica and Studio City, Roberts ultimately chose Downtown. The neighborhood reminded him of his Brooklyn roots. “Downtown is a mixture of so many different cultures in one condensed area,” says the bar owner.
The menu offered is just as impressive as the space itself. “Nice Fibes,” a delicious concoction of kale, mango, pineapple, cinnamon, and banana reigns high on Green Grotto’s list. If you’re on the hungrier side, give “The Dreamer” a go. At a reasonable price of $8.95, this hearty açaí bowl will leave you feeling utterly — and healthily — satisfied. It’s a tasty blend of açaí, strawberries, blueberries, banana, and peanut butter, topped with raspberries, blackberries, and almond butter.
In keeping with the homey vibe of the bar, Green Grotto also offers freshly baked Jamaican beef, chicken, and veggie patties available at the register, baked daily by Roberts himself.
If you haven’t visited the historic Spring Arcade Building yet, make Green Grotto Juice Bar the reason you do.
Written by:
Janet Sung
Photographed by:
Samantha Romero
