M. Collins

Joe and the Juice offers the comfort of your own home in a place where you are able to do your work and chat with friends. The location in Evanston had fresh food served at your finger tips.

Whether a customer is looking for a sandwich, juice, smoothie, or even a sweet treat, Joe and the Juice is the place to be.

Joe and the Juice is a sit-down restaurant as well as a pickup café. It is a quick and efficient spot for either breakfast or lunch. It opened this year on February 15 on Central St., in Evanston. The menu has a variety of selections. The restaurant offers its famous tunacado, sandwiches, juices, smoothies, coffees, and desserts.

As I stepped into the restaurant, it had a very modernized and bohemian look to it. There were plants, and the paint on the walls was a brownish, caramel color.  The orders are placed on an iPad and the to-go orders are placed in floating cubbies. There are two couches and a coffee table. The inside of the restaurant is smaller than your average restaurant.

When I walked into the restaurant, the menu was on the screen and had pictures next to it, and according to Joe and the Juice’s website, the menu is online too. There is an option to sit down anywhere or take out with either the online app or ordering in-store. I chose the takeout option by ordering on the online app.

I ordered four items at Joe and the Juice. I received the famous tunacado that is all over TikTok, the spicy tuna sandwich, an iced matcha with vanilla syrup, and a carrot cake. These four meals came out to a total of $36.48, which is on the pricier side.

The first food item I tried was the tunacado. The item cost roughly $11.30, which is more pricey than usual. This sandwich consists of Joe’s classic bread, which is a whole wheat bread toasted in a panini-style, with avocado, tomato, tuna mousse, and vegan pesto. The sandwich also comes with a gluten-free bread option. The sandwich has a very good taste to it with the crunch of the bread and the extreme flavor of the vegan pesto. All the ingredients were paired nicely, and I enjoyed it.

To wash down my tunacado, I drank my iced matcha latte with vanilla syrup. The pricing of this 16 oz matcha was $6.65, which is normal pricing for a matcha. To be frank, the matcha would have been very bland if the vanilla syrup had not been added. It was easy to sip on but not something I was extremely excited about. Although it was not my favorite, I would get it again when I go back to Joe and the Juice.

I then tried the Spicy Tuna sandwich, which was also $11.30. This consisted of Joe’s classic bread, avocado, tomato, tabasco, vegan pesto, tuna mousse, and jalapenos. This sandwich also had a great crunch to it, but the combinations did not pair as well. The tabasco was overused and one of my bites was solely hot sauce. It was an average sandwich that I could eat every few months.

Lastly for dessert, I indulged in the carrot cake. The price of it was $4.30 which is a very reasonable price. On top of the cake was a delicious sesame seed frosting. This dessert was way better than what I was expecting. The cake part was very moist and the frosting on top paired with it perfectly.

I recommend this place in Evanston if you are looking for a quick breakfast or lunch. It was delicious, but the only hard part is that there are five in the whole state of Illinois. It is a healthy place with above-average meals.