Glen Ellyn restaurant brings joy through healthy food

The JOY Bar co-owner Megan Mulcahey Scheck (from left) and employees Allison Galitz and Avery Scott tend to customers at the The JOY Bar, which recently opened at 548 Crescent Blvd. in downtown Glen Ellyn. The JOY Bar sells organic juices, along with smoothies, salads and other items.

GLEN ELLYN – Customers are getting their fill of organic juices and smoothies at The JOY Bar, which opened in May at 548 Crescent Blvd. in downtown Glen Ellyn in the space that previously housed Euro Crepes.

"Business has been good," said Glen Ellyn resident Megan Mulcahey Scheck, who owns and operates The JOY Bar with longtime friend Alicia Parker Skodol. "It's been really good."

The "joy" in The JOY Bar stands for "juicy, organic, yum." Cold-pressed juices made at the restaurant are among the items on the menu.

The juices are chock full of fruits and vegetables. For example, the Revitalized juice contains beet, apple, lemon and cucumber, while the Joyfuel juice is a blend of pineapple, jalapeño, cucumber, lemon and apple.

The JOY Bar also sells a variety of smoothies and smoothie bowls, which are smoothies with a variety of toppings. Since the restaurant is located only a few blocks from Glenbard West High School, it is only fitting that one of the smoothie bowls is called the Hilltopper.

The Hilltopper bowl contains acai, spinach, almond butter, banana and almond milk topped with granola, coconut shreds, blueberries and honey. The almond milk can be removed or substituted with coconut milk or coconut water.

And for those who like their toast topped with more than just butter, The JOY Bar offers plenty of options.

"We have eight different choices," Scheck said. "We have one that has almond butter and banana and honey. We have others that have different kinds of hummus on them and cucumber."

The Malibu toast – which includes avocado mash, red pepper flakes, tomato, sprouts and hemp seeds – has emerged as a favorite among the toast items on the menu.

"It's really popular," Scheck said. "I just was looking the other day, and that's probably the most popular."

Lindsey Griffin, a broker associate with Glen Ellyn-based real estate company Griffin/Harvey, has been coming to The JOY Bar since it first opened. She is good friends with both owners.

Griffin and her 11-year-old son, Joey, both decided to order the Malibu toast when they were in the restaurant the other day. Her son also was enjoying a Pura Vida smoothie, which is his drink of choice.

"It has a really good flavor and a smooth finish," he said.

Griffin, meanwhile, had ordered a Joyfuel juice.

"This is my favorite juice," she said. "This is so good. What I love about the juice is that it's got a jalapeno kick to it. And cucumbers and jalapenos are two of my favorite things. I feel like it's so nourishing but also really zesty and delicious. I feel like it's fueling my body with joy."

Skodol's business, Reasonably Raw Mama, folded into The JOY Bar. Reasonably Raw Mama featured gourmet vegan cuisine. Skodol said she is happy to see the response the restaurant has been receiving.

"We love that the community is coming out and checking us out," she said. "We've had a lot of returning customers. We'd love for more people to keep checking us out. We're just happy to see smiling faces come in."

The JOY Bar also sells coffee and tea, along with salads and healthy snacks.

"We want healthy food to taste good," Skodol said. "And we know people are searching for healthy food and healthy options. And we hope we can provide that to everyone, with a great taste and good experience."

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If you go

WHAT: The JOY Bar

WHERE: 548 Crescent Blvd., Glen Ellyn

HOURS: 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays, closed Sundays

INFO: thejoybar.com, 630-504-0669