Get fresh-pressed juices and custom salads at newly opened Jugo

We all want to eat better but we don’t always have time (or know how) to create cold-pressed juices and healthy snacks for ourselves. Luckily, the latest trend in fast food taps into our inner health nut. Refreshing juices and crisp, hand-tossed salads are up for grabs at Jugo Salad and Juice Bar.

Located near Save Mart at Champlain and Perrin, Jugo (pronounced hoo-go) is a new spot that offers healthy foods with a modern vibe. The owners are Lewis and Alexandra Everk, and they want to make fresh food available for people in a hurry.

I asked Alexandra to tell me a little about her business, and then decided to try some food for myself.

FresYes: When did Jugo open?

Alexandra Everk: We opened March 15 of this year! We have not had our official Grand Opening quite yet, but are planning to soon!

FY: Who’s the owner of this cool spot?

AE: It is local! My husband, Lewis Everk, and I opened this concept with the hopes of bringing a fresh and fast healthy restaurant to Fresno that offered a little bit of everything.

FY: So, what kind of things does Jugo offer?

AE: We have a salad bar where you have the option to build your own custom salad or choose from one of our signature salads. We offer fresh, cold-pressed juices that we press fresh daily, smoothies, as well as açaí, pitaya, and oatmeal bowls. A lot of our menu items are customizable so our guests can make theirs order exactly how they like!

FY: What is the most popular item on the menu so far?

AE: I think it’s a tie between our salads and juices! The custom salad is probably the most popular salad, and the Blk Majik wellness toniq is the most popular juice.

FY: Any tips for a first-time visit?

AE: I would definitely recommend sampling all of our cold-pressed juices and house-made dressings. It gives our guests the opportunity to find exactly what they like and leave with something they love!

…

After interviewing Alexandra, I decided to grab a salad. Basically if you say a food to me, I will want to eat it.

On arriving at Jugo, I noticed a cute outdoor eating area with orange tables and cute succulents that have their own hashtag on Instagram (#jugosucculents). Inside, the vibe is modern with stainless steel and a large salad bar. Giant photos of fruit on the wall punch things up and add happy colors to the area.

You can order a signature or custom salad with options ranging from kale to romaine and every topping in between. There are six signature salads which include the Health Kick, featuring mixed greens, warm quinoa, black beans, avocado, chickpeas, carrots, edamame, cucumber, scallions, and pesto vinaigrette; the Kool Kale, which has kale, apple, candied walnuts, bacon, goat cheese, and apple cider vinaigrette; and the Seashore with grilled salmon, mixed greens, corn, red onion, tomato, strawberries, avocado, feta, and raspberry vinaigrette.

Not only can you design your own salad, you can also build your own açaí or pitaya bowl or, if you’re feeling more traditional, you can build an oatmeal bowl. The smoothies have delicious names like Chocolate PB and Rocky Road, but are filled with healthy offerings like cacao powder and chia seeds. Finally, there are the cold-pressed juices that you can sample and enjoy. The popular Blk Majik consists of apple, lemon, activated coconut charcoal, agave, and spring water.

I ordered the Wok It Out salad with shredded chicken, wontons, cilantro, edamame, and more. It came with a miso vinaigrette, which I sampled first. I was tempted to try the sriracha peanut dressing, too, but one taste of the miso vinaigrette and I was ready to drink the bottle. There’s just something about homemade salad dressing! You can choose how much dressing to have on your salad, from light to heavy.

All of the ingredients in my salad were fresh and healthy, but really my favorite part was the dressing. It was a generous salad and I wasn’t able to eat the whole thing. I definitely didn’t have room for a smoothie or açaí bowl. That just means I’ll have to go back.

Jugo Salad and Juice Bar definitely makes healthy eating accessible. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that not many of us keep activated coconut charcoal at home, but now you can enjoy the benefits of it without having to find it at a grocery store. Just pick up a smoothie at Jugo!