Jaluka Natural Bistro

Stopped by for a quick lunch with friends a few months back, in the sweltering heat of summer. Unfortunately, it didn’t feel like they had any air-​conditioning in the shop at all! That aside, I ordered a lemonade and it hit the spot. It was fabulous, cold, and definitely tasted homemade and freshly-​squeezed.
The sandwich that I ordered was disappointing, however. The appearance of my chicken pesto sammie was a little off-​putting: it looked slapped together and the meat had been precooked and was just reheated. My friend ordered a salad with chicken, and I remember her not finishing her dish. I wouldn’t go out of my way to have lunch there again, but I would definitely go back to try other drinks on the menu.

I love this place. Terrific fresh sandwiches and smoothies. I especially enjoy the chicken ceasar wrap and the banana/​peanutbutter/​chocolate smoothie. My ten year old is crazy for the cheese bread, but get there early cause it sells out. This is a family owned business and the owners are charming and accomodating. Plus the sanitation rating is 102, the highest I’ve ever seen.

Oh, how I miss Jaluka. It’s still there… I just don’t live down the street anymore. I used to drive 5 minutes to Southern Village to get coffee and a muffin at Weaver Street before work. Then I discovered Jaluka and my whole morning routine changed. There’s not much more that I love more than fresh juice (fav combo: carrot, beet, apple, and celery) and smoothies (I get strawberry/​banana with an OJ base and my husband likes the Acai one). So instead of coffee, I switched to drinking fruit and veggies in the AM and occassionally I’d order a homemade blueberry muffin (especially when they were still warm from the oven). It IS pricey but that’s because fresh organic fruits and veggies are not cheap. They don’t use fillers like yogurt or ice, it’s just straight fresh produce. They also have soups and sandwiches for the lunch crowd. The owners are lovely and I always felt good supporting a locally owned shop.

Smoothies are pretty outstanding. I’ll start there. This is a relatively new find for me, as I just didn’t ever care to get out and try one. Once I did, though, I found I could easily be lured by the prospect of having one prepared for me rather than messing up my kitchen.
So it was that I found myself standing in front of Jaluka, being pulled in by the promise of a multi-​fruit flavored snack-​treat/​drink. I was surprised to find that they also had a few sandwiches and soups available. I got the Thai Chicken wrap and a broc & cheese soup, which were good but not great. That may have as much to do with my awkward pairing choice as anything else.
Afterwords, I washed it down with a nice smoothie. I’ll definitely be back to try some different food items. What I had was good enough to warrant another try (this time with less mixing of flavors) and, after all, the smoothies will pull me through the door sooner than later anyway.

Jaluka is a natural, healthy juice bar, that fresh squeezes all of their juices, and offers a small selection of food and coffee as well. Whenever I’m in Southern Village, I drop by for the fresh-​squeezed orange juice, it’s delicious. I’ve had the roasted garlic tomato soup before too, and while not the best soup I’ve ever had, it was pretty good as well. It wouldn’t be a bad place to go and read or study, due to it being partially out of the way, and the quiet atmosphere inside and outside.

A cozy space that serves all natural fresh juices, such as, vegetable, orange, apple and a Swiss lemonade (liquefied limes with the skin & sugar), smoothies, soups, healthy sandwiches, wraps & salads. It’s located on Market Street in Southern Village a couple of doors down from O2 Fitness.