Malibu-Based Juice Bar To Open On The Upper East Side

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — A taste of Malibu is heading to East 59th Street.

SunLife Organics, a California-based juice bar known for its Instagrammable smoothies with ingredients like adaptogenic mushrooms and colostrum, is setting up shop on the Upper East Side-Midtown border early next month.

The new spot, opening March 5 on the ground floor of Bloomingdale's at East 59th Street and Third Avenue, will be open for four months, as a part of the department store's beachy "surf shop" pop-up.

"We are basically bringing Malibu to New York City," Euan Franco, the brand and operations manager at SunLife Organics, said.

The brand, which opened first in Malibu in 2011, now has 22 locations nationwide and opened its first New York City outpost in SoHo last April.

If the pop-up proves successful, Upper East Siders may see more of Malibu’s smoothie culture sticking around, Franco said. Franco said New York expansion is a priority this year, with the company eyeing potential permanent locations in the West Village, Williamsburg and the Upper East Side, depending on how the pop-up goes.

For the Bloomingdale’s pop-up, SunLife created three exclusive drinks that won’t be available elsewhere.

One, dubbed the "Big Brown Smoothie," nods to Bloomingdale’s iconic shopping bag and features a chocolate blend of hazelnut spread, plant protein, raw cacao nibs, raw peanut butter and almond milk, Franco said. A strawberry matcha smoothie will also debut, along with a "Malibu" smoothie designed to resemble the ocean in a cup.

"There’s not a lot of restaurants or health bars that are a hundred percent all organic," Franco said. "Everything we use is intentional. Everything has a benefit. We don’t use any seed oils or gums. All of our protein and superfood powders are intentionally picked."

Sampling will be available inside Bloomingdale’s from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on March 5 and March 7, Franco said. The company is also planning a promotion for opening day, though details have not yet been finalized.

The pop-up will run until July 5, Franco said. SunLife Organics will be located at 1000 Third Ave. in Manhattan.

Know of a business opening or closing in Manhattan? Email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.