It seems like the health trend continues in today’s world! I like that small cafes offering healthy food and drink options exist in Chicago. Fruit Paradise is a local hidden gem in the Logan Square neighborhood, where the cafe is owned by husband and wife, Marcos and Gabriela, and offers acai bowls, smoothies, desserts, and entrees. Their menu has 40+ acai and fruit bowls and 30 smoothie options, which are their specialties.

Acai and Fruit Bowls

We tried the following acai and fruit bowls, and all of them were really tasty and refreshing. My favorite ones were Great Blue Hole and Tropical Healer.

• Great Blue Hole: Blue Majik, E3RenewMe!, banana, passion fruit, apple juice, coconut water. Topped with granola, banana, apples, mango, amaranth, dates, coconut flakes and honey.
• Ireland: Spinach, wheat grass, brayle grass, banana, mango, spirulina, maca, broccoli, avocado, coconut milk. Topped with granola, banana, blueberries, mango, black mulberries, hemp seeds, coconut flakes and honey
• Tropical Healer: Graviola, pineapple, banana, strawberry, guava juice. Topped with granola, strawberry, banana, pineapple, coconut flakes and honey.
• Samba Bowl: Açai, cupuaçu, banana, strawberry, blueberries and apple juice. Topped with granola, strawberry, banana, blueberry, bee pollen, coconut flakes, hemp seeds, chia seeds, raisins,sunflower seeds and honey.

Smoothies

We tried the following smoothies, and both had a good flavor and tasted fresh.

• Tropical Sunrise (dairy): Mango, pineapple, banana, coconut, orange juice, and yogurt. This is their most popular smoothie.
• Purifying (non-dairy): Pineapple, coconut water, cucumber, celery, apple, and spinach.

Empanadas

The chicken empanada was savory and flavorful. The gluten-free dough is made of yuca, and the empanada is filled with seasoned chicken, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, and creamy cheddar cheese.

Marcos’ and Gabriela’s Story

Marcos and Gabriela are husband and wife who are originally from Mexico and moved to the US about 20-25 years ago. Marcos worked in Skokie for about 10 years in the past, and there were not a lot of healthy options when he took his lunch break. If he wanted a fruit or smoothie, he had to visit the grocery store to buy them. That’s when he and Gabriela started a fruit juice cafe that uses fresh cut fruits and later added ice cream to their selections. Starting a local business can be challenging, and they ultimately moved their primary focus to smoothies and acai bowls after figuring out what makes sense to remain sustainable. They offer a large variety of smoothies and acai bowls among other food menu items, which were received well from customers. By the third year, they started to sell a lot of both items. They found that customers were more likely to return for their acai bowls, which is their bread and butter throughout the year while smoothie sales increased in the summer. Now, Marcos and Gabriela operate out of a small neighborhood in Logan Square, where they have been situated for five years after moving their cafe from Avondale.

A few things really struck me during the visit:

• There is love and care put into everything that they make. Every acai and fruit bowl we received were made to perfection with toppings carefully placed on top and arranged in a visually-appealing way.
• Marcos and Gabriela are humble, friendly, and very hardworking. They treat customers with respect. After customers placed their order, Marcos brought them a glass of water while they waited. The cafe is open seven days a week from 10:00am – 11:00pm, and they’re both present all the time.

I recommend checking them out, and you would support local!

Fruit Paradise
2355 N. Milwaukee Avenue
Chicago, IL 60647
Phone: (773) 676-7321
Website: https://www.fruitparadisechicago.com