‘No snobbery in sight’: Juicebox, Bridge Street, reviewed

What: Neighbourhood wine shop and bar

Where: Bridge Street

Food/drink type: Natural wines, craft beers, small plates and nibbles

When: Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 11pm, Friday 8:30am to 12am, Saturday 12pm to 12am, Sunday 12pm to 11am.

Independent or chain: Independent

Decor

Tastefully stripped back, Juicebox is a calm and casual haunt with invitingly snug seating. It’s far bigger than you’d expect at first glance, winding beyond the bar down a short narrow corridor which leads to even more tables and chairs. 

Georgie and I visited on a midweek afternoon and, despite being fairly quiet at the time, it still had the same buzz you’d expect to be carried through to the weekend, soundtracked by tunes from Childish Gambino, Kendrick Lamar and the like. 

Other than fridges and shelves stocked with colourful bottles, the odd poster and a tastefully decorated bar, the rest of the venue is stripped back. The simple concrete walls and pin-legged tables and chairs leave the wine to speak for itself.

The main event

To drink, we ordered a bottle of White Lies; a South African Pinot Gris by low-intervention wine company New Theory. 

Considered a ‘gentle introduction to orange wine’ (You know. That lovely, fruity, summery stuff that’s in every trendy bar nowadays…) this was just the ticket for ramping up the energy on a Tuesday afternoon. With an apple-orange twist, White Lies is an incredibly smooth and palatable wine that goes down a little too easy, I must say.

The menu here mainly consists of nibbles, side plates and sharing dishes, as well as fried chicken sandwiches on Fridays and Saturdays. With that in mind, we ordered sea salted focaccia with house pesto, the blue cheese plate and the vegan n’duja aged comte served with even more focaccia. Those three dishes were available as part of a 3-for-£18 deal at the time of visiting.

Starting with the focaccia and house pesto, we both noticed how beautifully fluffy, crispy and light the bread was despite having been drizzled in oil and toasted. The house pesto was a good consistency and had plenty of flavour without being too oily and leaving a residue behind that coats your mouth. 

The blue cheese plate was quaint and consisted of Pevensey blue, orange blossom honey, biscuits, fig and almond cake, and a pair of cornichons on the side. The biscuits made you work for them, had a good crunch, and weren’t so sweet that they overpowered the blue. Topped with a drizzle of orange blossom honey and chased with a slither of a cornichon, it was the ideal combination of savoury, sweet and sour. The fig and almond cake was good, too. Moist in the middle with a chewy texture but still held its integrity when you lifted it up. 

We concluded with the vegan n’duja aged comte served on more sea salted focaccia, topped with half a dozen cornichons and a side of vegan smoked cheddar cheese. A fiery dish with a sweet-savoury umami flavour, though, no matter how hard we tried, the cornichons wouldn’t stay put as we took a bite.

Judgement day

Regardless of the time of day or the point in the week, it seems there's an atmosphere at Juicebox. You can choose from countless options of wine (and other quality, independent tipples) and enjoy a simple yet well-chosen bite to eat. 

Whether you’re popping in for one while you’re waiting for your bus, or you’re catching up with old friends over a bottle (or three), you’ll be greeted with the same warm smile and knowledgeable assistance from the Juicebox team.