Belli’s

What a gem to find in this little nieghborhood. I was staying in an Air B and B in Pilsen, over did it the night before at the bars, and was in much need of green things and «detoxicants» for breakfast. I got a beet/​apple/​carrot + ginger juice and the avocado toasts with nuts and everything was delicious. Highly recommended juice bar, healthy eats stop in this hood for sure.

This place is everything. Belli’s is not another smoothie /​juice bar. And to be honest I’ve only tapped into a quarter of the awesomeness of this place, but back to smoothies…
These aren’t any kind of smoothie these are carefully curated craft smoothies. When I say it’s delicious, it’s like I say to myself, «…hold on is this really packed with locally grown healthy fresh food?» type of delicious. It takes a real understanding of flavoring and food pairings to get a good tasting/​I crave it type of smoothie. There’s one smoothie that literally tastes like a chocolate milkshake. There is no dairy even in it.
The owner is my morning buddy and she is a part of my morning smoothie ritual. These smoothies, plus the craft kombucha on tap — is the business. The kombucha and smoothie are the equivalent of a Starbucks morning stop. It gives me energy and it doesn’t leave me sluggish or craving more coffee or sugar. Don’t be afraid of the kombucha too — it’s also local and it doesn’t have that weird funky taste like bottled kombucha that you may find at a WholeFoods.
I don’t just buy smoothies I’ve done 2 juice fasts/​cleanses. Each where I have lost nearly 10 pounds, I’ve kept off about 5 – 6 pounds this far. Her juice cleanse is really great, she has a masticating juicer (aka all the nutrients and good stuff in your body stay in the juice vs. other juicers that end up accidentally heating up the juice and good nutrients are lost).
I feel this is the hidden Gem of East Pilsen! Please support her and her smoothies are cheaper than WF, taste better and don’t include Alex!
Happy juicing peoples!!!
My favs: Belli Fresh 16 oz and Ginger/​Palo Santo kombucha on tap 10 oz.

My sister and I did the Grubhub thing today and, both ordering smoothies, within sips both said they were the best smoothies we had ever had. And I make a lot of smoothies. (Well, I did back when I had a blender leeching off my mom during college days).
Anyway. Amazing. 10 star smoothie and 10 star service. The owner Alex is awesome and you can tell right away she’s a real person.
This place makes living in Pilsen awesome for me. 2 block walk for organics.
Well priced too. Organic tomatoes and pasture raised eggs are cheaper than Whole Foods.
Thanks! You guys rock.

Ridiculous. I ordered a salad and avocado, tomato toast. and it took two hours… and then when I opened the box, there was one slice of soggy avocado toast (7 dollars for this!?) and no salad in sight. Ridiculous all around.

This place is AWESOME! From the fresh organic produce to the locally grown herbs, this place is a holy place to a raw vegan like me! I have been here several times to get cold pressed juice and unique organic products that I seem to be able to get only here.

C’est magnifique!
The juice gives me an energy boost that would make coffee cry.
The owner, Alex, is passionate about what she does, and it shows.
Plus it’s named after an adorable frenchie.
What’s not to love?

I have fallen in love with Belli’s. It’s perfect for a quick fresh pressed juice stop and for gluten free snacks.
I’m looking forward to trying more menu options such as the acai bowl! So far everything I have tried has been great! The owner is always pleasant and informative. Overall great place to visit.

Yes, it hit the spot! Great juice and smoothie place.
Highlights: Fresh & delicious juices and smoothies at a very reasonable price, Friendly staff, Location easy to find, Clean with an Open kitchen.
Can improve: Breakfast sandwiches? They seem to carry some produce so could be an option.
Benchmark: They set the standard for fresh juices and smoothies in my book.
Dined in Aug 2015 and will return if I visit that area in Chicago.

I don’t know if it’s possible for a juice bar/​grocery store to be 100% local. But Belli’s comes pretty close!
Nearly everything they sell is from the Chicagoland area, and they often have a great deal of products from Pilsen-​based businesses (though I saw less last time I went there, a couple weeks ago).
The highlight, though, are the juices. I have not had all of them, but all the juices I tried, I liked. I especially like the carrot-​based ones.
Apparently I am drawn to Belli’s when I am craving Vitamin A or beta carotene.
I have also stopped here for party food, beach food or foodie birthday gifts in a pinch as it’s just a couple blocks from my apartment. There is always something a little different each time I go.
They also usually have some kind of vegan sweets or other vegan food. I just can’t resist a vegan cupcake, even if it’s gluten free.
Don’t get vegan, gluten free cupcakes unless they are chocolate flavored, by the way. Yellow gluten free vegan cupcakes taste like rice with frosting on top. Yay for wheat flour!
It’s a little pricey, of course, by Pilsen standards. Hence only four stars. For an occasional treat of fancy juice, though, it’s worth it.

Who knew fresh beet juice could taste so good?
Did you know that beets (from
beets article):
1. Are nature’s viagra (not sure why this is such a big deal, but I guess it’s cheaper than viagra)
2. are high in many vitamins and minerals
3. are a tonic for the liver (so they help prevent cancer)
4. help your mental health with betaine
5. are a high source of energy
So next time you’re in the neighborhood, grab a beet juice here. They also have other kinds of smoothies that are good too. Try the beet it juice and the one with cashews is good too.
They have other health foods as well including a very small grocery section.

Gluten free snacks !!
And I am a sucker for snacks and this place is a heaven sent especially since I have a gluten allergy.
I was soooo excited, I live so close to a place with fresh stuff.
Their Juices are super yummy and the kombucha on tap is great.
The staff is friendly and will take their time to explain things to you, they also have a punch card.

Was looking for a healthy drink joint and stopped by. Completely unexpected, but so glad I stopped in! The juices and smoothies are all natural ingredients and made fresh. Def will be coming back as a regular. The yutaro is my fav! I really enjoyed the options of being able to add flax, chia etc into my drink. Easy to take on the go and great customer service.

I walked into Belli’s feeling like death after a night of drinking and a lack of sleep and had the Belli Boost drink. Not only was it delicious but helped me get my life back together for the day. I also appreciated that they gave me discount when they didn’t have the 12 oz cups. I’ll definitely be back here and thanks!

I happened upon this Permanent Farmer’s market as I was walking back from the Public library! All I saw in the window was «Juice Bar’ and I had to check it out or I would be thinking about it all day. I walked in and a very friendly girl greeted me… from the reviews I read, I assume her name is Alex. I asked her what juice she recommended and she said «all of them». I decided on the Belli Blaster (carrots, pineapple and something else). She added a little ginger. Thankfully she seemed very down to Earth and approachable so I started asking her lots of questions which she answered. She told me about the Belli Baskets and I asked her to sign me up for this.
Belli Baskets are a bit of a commitment. You pay 150 $ for 10 weeks (once a week you get a bag of veggies). I signed up because this whole «farm to table» is new to me. I’m still learning about it and I really do want to be more of a clean and healthy eater. I want to educate my children on being healthy clean eaters as well. I feel like I’m paying for a mini-​education on local farming and produce. That in a nutshell is my experience at Belli’s and I hope to add more to this review as time goes on.
I will add that my Belli Bag came with a couple of helpful suggestions and recipes as to how to put the veggies to use. I don’t want any of them to go to waste and I’m going to start cooking up my soup right now!

Alex is the best. I come in here all the time not just for the awesome juice and kambucha but also just to chat with her and get her advice on DIY food stuffs. She is a really great resource! She can also hook you up with a $ 15 /​week buy in to one of the urban farms, though I think the season for it is ending soon.
The kambucha here is on tap and switches up every few weeks. The last two have been really great, the one right now has tumeric (!) in it, which I’ve never heard of before but gives it a unique flavor. For the juice, ask Alex for recommendations of course if you need them, I like the Belli Booster a lot, the Blaster is also a favorite.
As for the produce, I haven’t tried too much of it yet but what I’ve had so far is good and really cheap. I avoided it for a while out of fear of it being too expensive for me, no longer.
One of my favorite businesses in the neighborhood for sure.

Love this place! Found it when I was walking down 18^th Street one day and such a nice surprise!
They have excellent juice choices and smoothies. They even have Kombucha! They also sell locally made foods such as sauces, honey and coffee.
The staff was really nice too, not on top of you but friendly. I hate walking into a place and being bombarded with hellos and can I help you, especially a place like this where there is a lot to look at. But when I was deciding on which juice to get, the guy suggested a couple of his favorites.
I’ll be back for sure!

Popcorn, Caramel Corn, Fair-​Trade Coffee, Grass Fed Beef/​Pork, Pastured Eggs, Veggie Juice, Fruit Juice, Art classes, Yoga classes, Kombucha, Trail mix, Chocolate, oh my. OH MY!
Go see Alex because she is down to earth and not too cool for school. Even though she is probably super cool outside of school. But hey what do I know, right?!
On another note, you can help out an independent business owner in Pilsen while supporting local farmers and you can do all this while drinking sweet green juice on a bar stool.
So let’s all not be lame and look to Belli’s for daily foodstuff and nutriment requirements.

I was exploring Pilsen Sunday and happened upon this place. This looked like my kind of spot. Sooo, what’s up with the 1 star? I honestly don’t know what else to rate them. Maybe a 1 for the lack of service and a 3 for the items. Well, I didn’t actually buy anything. Why? Well because when I walked in, I wasn’t greeted. Now, that in and of itself is not necessarily a deal-​breaker. I always give opportunities for redemption. I walked around a few minutes and saw some pretty interesting items. A gentleman came in not too long after I did and was IMMEDIATELY greeted. Not only was he greeted but he was given extra conversation. Now that for me is a deal-​breaker. I looked up in astonishment because, you know, like shouldn’t everyone who walks in get at least a hello? Me and a young man there made eye contact at this exact moment. Okay. Well, we won’t make a big deal out of it.
Best wishes to them though.
I had to rethink this one because I have some other 1 star reviews that definitely deserve the rating. I was a bit conflicted about the review in the first place. Although there was no interaction here, I’ll just go with two stars. I can’t go with three because although this seems like a place I’d shop at based on merchandise alone, it didn’t feel, I don’t know, welcoming. We’re all human however, so in the interest of being fair, which is a very important concept to me, I have reconsidered and also left my original review.
Let me clarify as well: I did smile and speak to a young man at the counter when I walked in. My greeting was not returned. He never said a word to me. He was still at the counter when I left.
In regards to the comment posted on my review: I have no desire to have a back and forth situation arise from my review. However, I must note that I was never contacted by anyone about my review and I don’t appreciate lies. Someone posted a comment to the review some time ago yes but that was it. While I certainly am not out to ruin anyone in any capacity, I know what my experience was, which led me to review this place. I wish the establishment well but my review stands..

I made a delicious Chorizo Torta with the Grass Fed Ground Beef from Belli’s. Let me tell you how much better that meat tastes than that fatty ground beef you get at say Dominick’s or Jewel.
Alex knows her stuff, and is working hella hard to not only promote local farmers’ products, but also to elevate the consciousness to those who may not already eat organic.
Also, she makes a mean juice. With new culinary endeavors for the new year, I hope to stop by more often to support!

I feel so honored to be the first review!
I’m incredibly impressed with this store. All of the produce and other products are locally sourced, and the owner, Alex, personally knows all of her supplying farmers.
There’s a wide array of produce that look amazing and picture-​perfect (the carrots are seriously the most orange carrots I’ve ever seen in my life)!
There are also other things like jams (the plum noir is the bomb), Patti’s Popcorn (jalapeño cheddar is where its at!), and also meat and cheese such as frozen grass-​fed beef and goat cheese.
The juice bar is also really delicious. I got the grapefruit juice and I couldn’t believe how sweet it was. No need for sugar when you get quality grapefruits!
Dusek’s (the new Longman and Eagle project) actually uses Belli’s juice for some of their drinks, so go there too!