Community Food & Juice—which opened its doors on Nov. 2—hopes to become a neighborhood mainstay with its eclectic, health-focused menu, and juice bar.

The new upscale restaurant replaced the nightlife fixture, Nacho’s Kitchen, which closed this summer. Community Food & Juice offers a different atmosphere from that of its predecessor—it even boasts certification as a green restaurant. Located across the street from Deluxe and Tom’s Restaurant, Community Food & Juice is trying to establish itself among Morningside Heights residents.

Community Food & Juice owners, DeDe Lahman and Neil Kleinberg, are enthused about the opening of their business in the area. “We really like the space,” said Lahman, whose brother is a Columbia alum. “We have lots of years to work towards building a client base. We love the community.”

The menu consists of a combination of bistro and American cuisine. It also reflects the restaurant’s emphasis on healthy dining, noting the fact that the restaurant uses “grass-fed, antibiotic beef,” “free-roaming and corn-fed” poultry, and “wild and never farmed” fish.

The restaurant, located in a building owned by Columbia, also contains a juice bar. “Columbia asked us to do a healthy concept. The juice bar definitely does that,” Lahman said. “It is much less like a juice chain—more like a juice boutique. You can see all the ingredients before you. It isn’t only a la carte, but you can make your own juice blend.”

The owners of Community Food & Juice pride themselves on introducing a serious and more environmentally sound dining concept.

“We built our whole restaurant to be as green as possible—our takeout cutlery is made from potato starch to ensure that our materials are as eco-friendly as possible,” Lahman said. “Even our tables are made out of reclaimed lumber and reclaimable wood.”

Yet Community Food & Juice’s prices are substantially higher than those of its nearby competitors, such as Nussbaum & Wu Bakery and Tom’s Restaurant. Community Food & Juice’s breakfast prices range from $2.50 to $14. It offers House Granola for a steep $7, and lunch salads and sandwiches are priced between $8 and $13. Juice bar items range from $3 to $6, depending on the size.

“It seems pretty pricey, but it’s not different from anything else around here,” said Zarah Iqbal, CC ’10, who has not yet been to the restaurant but has looked over the menu.

Lahman maintains that there is a fine distinction between Community Food & Juice and other restaurants such as Tom’s or Deluxe.

“What makes us different, besides the green aspect, is how seasonal we’re cooking in terms of how many fresh ingredients we use—we’re a real American restaurant without being a diner.”

“We’re also very chef-driven,” Lahman added, pointing out that her husband, Neil, is a Beard notable chef and has been in the industry for over 30 years.

According to Tom Sperduto, the manager, the restaurant served about 275 patrons for opening brunch.

“It’s exactly the response we’ve been looking for. We can see the community spirit,” Lehman said.

The reporters of this article can be reached at news@columbiaspectator.com.