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Chelsea: Raw Press

Breakfast review at Raw Press, London

Tucked away on Ellis Street, which is a five-minute walk from Sloane Square, we discovered healthy cafe and juice bar, Raw Press.

The founders say “over the past few years, cold-pressed juicing has exploded in popularity in the US, where juice bars look to be on track to become as popular as coffee chains.

This trend is here to stay and we boast two of the first stand-alone stores in London.

Swap your soft drinks for some cold-pressed kale, embrace your brassicas and discover that being healthy doesn’t have to be hard!”

Breakfast review at Raw Press, London

Breakfast review at Raw Press, London

Boxes of Monopoly and draughts are on the shelves crying out to be played in this healthy cafe and it is so tranquil that we were tempted to pull them out and get going.

The setting

First impressions are that Raw Press feels like a secret gem of a Glowcation hidden away from the rest of the world. We walked into a super calm and relaxed environment.

The little things

The decor is cool and fresh – tables lined in bright yellow, wheatgrass running along the walls and yellow toasters sitting on the tables waiting to be used, we are told, by customers at lunchtime who fancy some toast and nut butter.

The green juice test

Raw Press is all about the juice and we had not one but three green juices to choose from:

/ Super Green – cucumber, celery, coconut water, spinach, Swiss chard, lemon, ginger and mint

/ Green – cucumber, celery, apple, spinach, kale, ginger and lemon

/ Sweet Green – pineapple, apple, kale, Swiss chard, lemon, ginger and mint

We tried the Green and loved it – by far one of the best green juices in London.

What we ate

We loved the help-yourself-buffet breakfast bowls. We had fun filling beautiful bright china bowls with overnight Bircher muesli made with green juice, matcha, dates and oats.

Don’t let the green colour put you off. It is delicious!

We added chia seed pudding made with almond milk, coconut yoghurt, blueberries and strawberries. And we got creative with the jars of bee pollens, nuts and seeds that we could sprinkle over the top.

Breakfast review at Raw Press, London

We were told that lunch is a selection of superfood salads prepared on site by the resident chef. These include courgette, roots and slaws, grains, greens, beans and kale as well as hot bowls of cauliflower cheese and courgette lasagne.

Breakfast review at Raw Press, London
Breakfast review at Raw Press, London

What else?

The staff were super friendly and some of the best we have come across on our search for London Glowcations.

They are passionate about the business and they are knowledgeable about the juices.

There is activated charcoal in the water on the tables and free WiFi with the motivational password “healthynothard”! The music is chilled out and current.

This healthy cafe also runs a delivery service with Quiqup.

The Bill

We paid £7.80 for our delicious breakfast bowl and £6.50 for a small juice (375ml).

What made us glow?

The whole place made us smile and glow- the bright colours, the toasters, the creative ‘make your own’ breakfast bowls.

The atmosphere is friendly and the format original.

Oh, and did we mention we sneaked one of their home-made Bounty-style bars in as we left?!

Breakfast review at Raw Press, London

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Chelsea: Juicebaby

juice bar review of london based juicebaby

Juicebaby is an ‘on the go’ juice bar in an area called World’s End at the end of the Kings Road.

They say “we source the absolute best produce, cold-press our juices on a daily basis and maintain the highest standards possible.

We never pasteurise, water down or add sugar to our juices. We avoid the use of dairy, eggs, gluten, soy, chemical additives or preservatives of any kind. We avoid cartons and cans.” They sell juices, acai bowls, homemade soup and takeaway salads.

Juice bar review of london based juicebaby
Juice bar review of london based juicebaby

The setting

Juicebaby is at the end of the Kings Road in Chelsea. It’s a busy drop-in cafe with a small amount of seating so be prepared to wait for a seat at busy times. It’s a self-service Pret-a-Manger vibe which is perfect if you need to grab and go. There were also people sitting working on their laptops.

The little things

We like the take-out small bottled salad dressings – turmeric mustard, macadamia balsamic, miso sesame, sunflower cheese, aioli, Caesar and Thai peanut.

The walls are covered with power statements and the music is upbeat.

We found it difficult to find the WC so some signposts would be appreciated.

The green juice test

We tried the Mean Green which was £6.95 for 500ml. It was bright green, cold-pressed and contained cucumber, seasonal leafy green, celery, ginger, lime and parsley. We were not offered a glass or a straw. It was very watery.

What we ate

We came for a late lunch. We asked to try the soup and bean stew before buying as we couldn’t decide which to go for and we were offered tasters happily. We chose the pea and mint soup which was homemade and super delicious. It tasted fresh and well seasoned and came with plain gluten-free toast with no butter.

The bowl was a cardboard take-out kind of thing so don’t expect china.

We also tried the kale crisps – simply the best we have ever tasted and worth a trip to Juicebaby for these alone. They contain curly kale, cashews, red pepper, sesame seeds, nutritional yeast, salt and lemon juice and come in a cool zip-lock bag.

At £4.95 they are not a cheap snack but they are a super tasty treat and great to pack when you travel.

What else?

We noticed lots of people dashing in with sports gear on post-workout. Others were working away at their laptops although we struggled to get on the house WiFi. It’s a conflicting environment – relaxed but busy.

Juice bar review of london based juicebaby

We also chose an acai bowl (acai, banana, dates and almond butter) which came in a plastic bowl with a plastic spoon. It looked beautiful with vanilla granola and coconut chips but was too sweet and heavy.

The Bill

£26.10 for soup, kale chips, green juice and an acai bowl so Juicebaby isn’t a cheap option.

Juice bar review of london based juicebaby

What made us glow?

The cheezy kale chips were a huge hit and think they are the best we have found in London.

It’s a great Glowcation if you are on the run or you are working or playing in World’s End.

We like the take-out salad bowls – the power, taco, yam yam and the market Caesar salad and the mix and match salad dressings.