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Hospitality veteran David Lindo worked his way up from dishwasher to proprietor. Now, he’s readying to open his newest venture, The Juicy Lounge — a smoothie, juice and açaí bowl paradise in Hell’s Kitchen.
The 9th Avenue shop, which will officially open its doors today (Friday February 17), plans to offer Kuvings slow-pressed juices, smoothies and açaí bowls in a wide variety of fresh flavor combinations like the creatively named Sip of Relief (pineapple, apple, lemon, ginger) and the Pink Panther (cucumber, spinach, lemon, ginger, apple), as well as Harlem-based Dell’Aria coffee roasters, all served up in a cheery, colorful, retro-inspired space designed by Peter Sibilia.
It’s the culmination of Lindo’s decades in the restaurant industry. After immigrating to the US from Spain in 1992, he went “from dishwasher and busboy to manager,” he told W42ST. After managing multiple restaurants and owning the East Village establishment Yerba Buena from 2008 to 2018, Lindo was asked to build brand design and websites for his many area contacts, including the recently opened CHI Chinese eatery. He found a new passion in the work and opened his own firm, NYC Restaurant, to help other New York establishments develop their web presences.
Operating his own joint still called to him, however, and when a space opposite CHI opened up on 9th Avenue, he took the opportunity to snap up a storefront and build a new go-to juice bar for Hell’s Kitchen’s many fitness buffs.
“We wanted something a bit more unique than just a juice bar,” said Lindo. From the centerpiece sofa — a set of lips inspired by the Salvador Dali Mae West sculpture — to the playful rotary phone and bookshelves accenting the walls, the space exudes a warm, familial energy. Which is exactly the point, said Lindo. “We wanted it to look like your grandmother’s living room, but with a modern twist.”
After a few soft-opening “test runs”, there’s already a groundswell of support among Hell’s Kitchen locals and his fellow restaurateur community. “We’ve already seen the guys from Tavola and CHI and a bunch of the 9th Avenue restaurants come by,” Lindo said. “People really love it.”
He’s excited to be setting up shop in Hell’s Kitchen and welcoming everyone from locals to Hudson Yards office workers and Javits Center visitors for a relaxing smoothie. “I know the area really well, and I’m really happy we’re on 9th Avenue and not a side street,” said Lindo. “It’s a really good area.”
The Juicy Lounge is located at 493 9th Avenue between W37/38th Streets and will be open every day from 7am to 7pm.