Elixiria (25 Beale St.), a health-food takeout cafe on the border of the FiDi and SoMa, has been evolving ever since it first opened on September 28th. It cold-presses its own juices on site, offers lunch made with farmers market produce for less than $10, and even carries vegan cookies and brownies.
Alex Daoudi opened Elixiria after working in financial services for 10 years. "I'd been in a shirt and tie most of my young life, and wanted to venture out to a new business," he said. He found a space just south of Market Street; the address is on Beale, but it's technically in the same building as the PG&E headquarters at 245 Market St.
Daoudi's family is in food—his parents own a grocery store with a deli in the Bay Area, and his uncle also owns a deli in the city—but he wanted to "do something health-oriented," he said. He started with fresh, organic, cold-pressed juices and smoothies made on-site, as well as organic, fair-trade coffee.
From there, he hired a chef who specialized in raw vegan dishes. "When we opened, we didn't have any animal products at all," he said. "We were a plant-based eatery." But raw food is labor-intensive and takes time, and the chef didn't work out. As the fall wore on, customers also began asking for warm food.
So Daoudi hired Remi Bernabe, who's cooked at Aqua and Masa's, used to own Farmers Market Bistro in Oakland, and has relationships with farmers at the Civic Center market that allow him to get deals on produce. Bernabe's goal is to provide organic, nutrient-rich foods, prepared simply to let the flavors shine.
Elixiria still has vegetarian and vegan options, but it also offers three organic and halal meat and fish dishes daily, like salmon, chicken, or grass-fed beef meatballs. Hearty salads are $6 and lunch entrees are $9—a rarity in an area where it's tough to get out the door for less than $15. Elixiria has managed to satisfy a range of tastes; it boasts a perfect five-star rating on Yelp.
While the menu changed somewhat to meet the demands of the neighborhood, some customers have also come to appreciate the health foods. When Elixiria first opened, Daoudi said, some weren't sure about paying $8.75-$9.75 for a bottle of juice. But "the most skeptical customers have become our best customers," because of how they feel after drinking juice.
Instead of being sleepy at 3pm, they're ready to go to the gym. "It affects your energy levels and mindset," Daoudi said. "Food is medicine, and they're not kidding." He added that the "liver healer" is particularly popular on Mondays.
Daoudi said he's the only shop in the area doing cold-pressed juices on site, instead of bringing them in premade from a commercial kitchen. He infuses them with a variety of herbs, particularly from East Asia; goju berries, fo-ti and wild yam are a few of the ingredients you'll find, and he said many Asian customers recall their grandparents using them. Daoudi only uses fresh fruits and never adds sugar or preservatives, so Elixiria's juices must be consumed within three days.
Elixiria is open Monday–Friday, 7am–6:30pm.
