Another new favorite: Sip N Glo Juicery, Philly

October 10, 2013

It’s getting ridiculous, Philly! A few years ago, I had to go to NYC if I wanted interesting cold-pressed juice. But now, everywhere I turn there’s a new juice bar opening in Philadelphia! As you know, last week I discovered the wonderful Yellow Juice Bar at 20th & Sansom. This week, while spending some time on South Street, I discovered Sip N Glo Juicery, one of my new favorite juiceries. (Is this a word?)
Right across from the Whole Foods and next to a few yoga studios, Sip N Glo’s location is pretty perfect for their desired kind of foot traffic. I wandered in the first time during the lagging pre-lunch hours, so I was the only customer in the tiny place. The man working was bottling juices while I deliberated, and he let me sample a few.

He’s making my juice!

First, he had me try the One Love, a mix of green apple, cucumber, kale, spinach, pineapple, and ginger. The guy said it was his favorite, and I could see why. It was pure heaven! Next, I tried Sweet Greens, which I was biased towards getting to begin with. Mixing kale, spinach, apple, and cucumber, it was one of my favorite juice combos, and Sip N Glo makes it perfectly.
I ordered a large Sweet Greens (16 oz., about $7 after tax), and the craziest thing happened. So, I usually ask for my juices and smoothies to be ‘heavy on the kale’, but I didn’t here because it was my first trip and I wanted to get a true sense of their juice. When the juiceman handed my cup to me, though, he said, “I made it heavy on the kale.” Like he read my mind! Crazy! And no joke, it was one of the best juices I’ve ever had. I don’t understand how they balanced the flavors so well, especially with supposedly extra kale. It tasted like very mild apple juice, but obviously better. Amazing.

Really awesome pictures

I was in a hurry..,

The Green Balance Smoothie

Next time, I ordered a smoothie. Now, one of the downsides of this place is that a lot of their smoothies use Greek yogurt and honey. So, be careful when ordering. I didn’t see any possible substitutes for the yogurt, so I chose a smoothie that didn’t use any to begin with. Otherwise, it would be too far from the original concept and not the best thing to judge. I chose the Green Balance: kale, spinach, chocolate protein powder, chia seeds, and almond milk. Sounded great! I asked the woman working what kinds of protein powder they use, and she said they were all plant-based and vegan. So that part is good! This smoothie tasted fantastic. I wish it was blended with a little bit of ice to make it colder; with no frozen fruit to add in, it was a bit warm. But the taste was wonderful. A large 16 oz. smoothie after tax ran me $8 and change, which is pretty steep.

Some fun wall decorations

Note that this place is very much just a counter that happens to be indoors. There is no seating and the counter runs clear across the space, separating you from the workers (and the bathroom – go across the street to Whole Foods to pee). In pictures online, I thought I saw some outdoor seating, but a) I don’t understand how that would be possible considering South Street sidewalks are crowded and b) it’s freezing out now anyway. But while there is room inside for a few stools, the small space is left completely empty. Maybe they don’t want people lingering. Another downside is the price. Given the South Street location, it’s understandable that the prices are a little higher. They’re not NYC-terrible, but it’s not something I could afford regularly. However, the products are so good that it’s worth a splurge every now and then. Hopefully, they will make the smoothie options even more vegan-friendly (the option to use agave instead of honey would be a nice offer, as well as having something instead of yogurt). On the plus side, they do have punch cards!