City Bakery Juice Bar Does Juice Right | Tasting Table NYC

Maury Rubin hasn't opened a mere juice bar at City Bakery.

Instead, this new bar is for blending, rendering, squeezing, cold-pressing and pulverizing as well as juicing.

The result is a seven-item menu ($7.50 for 16 ounces) that is as varied as any restaurant menu in town. Rubin credits his baker's background for the imaginative combinations, each with surprising texture and heft.

Fennel meets Greenmarket Kirby cucumbers and cold-pressed sugar cane for a drink that Rubin dubs "lighter than liquid."

Resplendent with a foamy crown is a singular blend of pineapple, cucumber and the rarely encountered purslane. Avocado lends depth and creaminess to the thwack of grapefruit, orange and vanilla in another concoction.

Beginning this week, a rotating special will also join the menu: Look for Chameh canary melon blended with hints of Thai basil and lime.

You can dash to the diner-style bar for a to-go cup, but we implore you to take a seat at one of the round stools for full enjoyment. There, juices come in heavy tumblers and the counter workers top portions with a little extra juice.

We doubt you'll be hungry after a tall glassful. But if you decide to stay, there's always the option to finish with one of those famed pretzel croissants.

The City Bakery, 3 W. 18th St. (between Fifth and Sixth aves.); 212-366-1414 or thecitybakery.com