The Juice Bar Take Over: Here Are Your Best Bets

The fresh-pressed juice mania is making its way into the Denver market. The trend is unstoppable, having swept the coasts already with big followings and large juicing operations from New York to Los Angeles. The juices in question are not protein shakes or the smoothies of the 90s; these are celery, spinach, cucumber, dandelion and kale cocktails or pineapple, apple, mint combinations, or the popular beet, carrot, ginger concoction- all praised by health, diet, and nutrition-obsessed consumers.

From small operations to well-loved restaurants, Denver brings more options for juice-fans every week. Here are your best bets.

ACE Juice Bar is the latest addition to the juicing landscape. A to-go window is open daily from 8 to 11 a.m. There are six different juice varieties, served in 16 ounce portions for only $6. The signature drink is the A.C.E., made up of fresh squeezed carrot, lemon and orange juices, high in vitamins A, C and E. Bonus: the Ace Raw Breakfast Bar, consisting of nuts, dried fruits, flax and chia seeds, almond butter, and honey.

True Food Kitchen opened its Denver location in October and juicing was a big part of the restaurant's program. There are nine pressed juices and some additional lemonades and sodas offered, ranging in price from $4 to $6. Among the most popular are the Kale Aid, a mix of kale, apple, cucumber, celery, lemon, and ginger, and the Hangover RX, a combination of coconut water, pineapple, and fresh squeezed orange juice.

Udi's Pizza, Cafe & Bar on Colfax in the former Lowenstein Theatre has a fresh juice section and what the owners like to call juice-tenders, the newest iteration of bartenders for juice-fanatics. There are six options on the menu with the Watermelon Buzz being a sure winner, a combination of carrot, celery, watermelon, and apple. Udi's also opened a full-on juice bar at the University of Colorado, Business School in Denver.

Parsley, the small lunch restaurant in the Golden Triangle, has been juicing since before juicing was cool. There is a vegetable juice menu and a fruit smoothie section with more combinations that any new juice bar in town. Juices are served in 16 or 20 ounce sizes with prices lower than $5 for all 16 ounce juices and lower than $6 for all 20 ounce ones. Don't miss the Shades of Green, a combination of parsley, spinach, celery, and cucumber, all organic.

Crema Coffee House makes one juice but it is a winner. The carrot-beet-apple-ginger comes in a 12 or 16 oz size for $4 or $6 respectively. The juice is pressed right in front of your eyes and available all day.

Black Eye Coffee rolled out its own small juicing operation. Yellow, red, and green juices are pressed daily and sold in 16 ounce bottles. Among the varieties, the Flush, a cleansing concoction, includes lemon, cayenne, maple syrup, and water and the Green Juice is a combination of romaine, celery, cucumber, and green apple.

Last week, the Pressery debuted its juices at the Boulder Farmers Market. The juices will be available only at the market on Saturdays for the time being, but the owners of this start-up are looking for a brick-and-mortar space.

If you are up for a whole juice cleanse program, not-so-loosely modeled after the Blue Print Cleanse, try Sol Juice, a Boulder-based micro-juicery hat uses only organic produce. Sol Juice delivers in increments of six juices, which represent one-day's cleansing diet. The price for this day of juicing spa starts at $60.

· The Juice Bar at ACE Is Ready to Roll [EDen]
· Kale, the Trendiest of the Greens, Makes its Mark in Denver Restaurants [EDen]