Pure Green Plans First San Antonio Juice Bar Near UTSA at The Merc
Northwest San Antonio residents may soon have a new place to pick up a smoothie before class, grab an acai bowl after a workout or add a cold-pressed juice to the morning commute.
Pure Green, a growing juice and smoothie franchise founded in New York City, is planning its first San Antonio location at 5734 UTSA Boulevard, Suite 101B, inside The Merc development near the University of Texas at San Antonio.
A state project filing lists an interior renovation of a vacant 1,115-square-foot suite, transforming it into a counter-service food facility serving juices and bowls. No food will be cooked inside the space.
Construction is currently scheduled to begin Aug. 15, 2026, and reach completion by Nov. 15, 2026. The estimated cost of the renovation is $200,000. Those dates describe the anticipated construction schedule and do not necessarily represent the juice bar’s opening date.
Pure Green Adds a Health-Focused Option Near UTSA
The planned Pure Green San Antonio location will become part of a growing collection of restaurants, shops and recreational destinations taking shape at The Merc, a mixed-use district along UTSA Boulevard near Interstate 10 and Loop 1604.
For students, nearby apartment residents, working professionals and families across Northwest San Antonio, the juice bar could provide another quick-service option in an area where daily traffic extends well beyond the university campus.
The Merc is being designed as a walkable destination combining restaurants, retail, residences and outdoor recreation. Its announced tenant mix includes national brands as well as locally operated concepts, with the first businesses generally expected to begin opening in 2027.
Pure Green’s arrival also reflects the type of everyday wellness business increasingly appearing in mixed-use developments: places that can serve breakfast, lunch, snacks and post-workout customers without operating like a traditional sit-down restaurant.
What Is on the Pure Green Menu?
Pure Green’s menu centers on cold-pressed juice, superfood smoothies, acai and pitaya bowls, oatmeal bowls, juice shots and superfood toasts. The company says each of its juice bars follows a standardized menu and serves centrally produced cold-pressed juices to provide a consistent experience across markets.
Smoothie choices at existing Texas locations include fruit-forward blends as well as options made with ingredients such as kale, spinach, spirulina, raw cacao, nut butters, plant-based protein and grass-fed whey protein.
Its bowl menu includes acai and dragon fruit bases topped with combinations of bananas, berries, coconut flakes, chia seeds, granola, nut butter and honey. Cold-pressed juice shots and juice cleanse packages are also part of the brand’s broader lineup.
That variety may help the new juice bar appeal to several groups near UTSA, from students looking for a fast breakfast to residents searching for smoothies, acai bowls or cold-pressed juice in Northwest San Antonio.
How Pure Green Got Its Start
Pure Green was founded by wellness entrepreneur Ross Franklin, who opened the company’s first location in New York City in October 2014. The brand was created around a mission of building healthier communities by making nutrient-focused products convenient and approachable.
The business has since expanded through retail stores, franchising and wholesale distribution. Pure Green now reports more than 200 juice bar locations open or in development across more than 25 states, while its bottled cold-pressed juice products have reached businesses in more than 30 states.
The brand has also developed partnerships supplying juice to professional sports organizations, hospitality businesses, college campuses and workplaces.
What Makes Pure Green Different?
Pure Green operates in a crowded smoothie and juice market, but its concept is built around a combination of a relatively small store footprint, a broad superfood menu and grab-and-go convenience.
Unlike restaurants that prepare a full menu in a commercial kitchen, the planned San Antonio shop will operate as a counter-service juice and bowl facility with no cooking inside the suite. That model is intended to move customers through quickly while still offering customizable smoothies and bowls alongside bottled juices and wellness shots.
The company’s cold-pressed juice operation is another defining part of the brand. Rather than relying only on drinks blended inside individual shops, Pure Green produces a standardized bottled juice line that can be distributed to its stores and wholesale partners.
For San Antonio customers, the menu will offer a blend of options that fall somewhere between a traditional smoothie shop, a quick breakfast spot and a health-focused café.
The Merc Continues to Build Its Tenant Lineup
Pure Green is among the first wave of businesses announced for The Merc, a major development intended to bring new dining, shopping, residential and recreational choices to the UTSA area.
Plans for the broader district include apartments, retail and restaurant space, pedestrian areas and a nine-hole Park Golf course with flexible outdoor space for activities such as live music, movie nights and community events.
That surrounding environment could be a natural fit for a juice bar. Customers may eventually be able to stop by before walking nearby trails, after playing golf, between classes or while spending time elsewhere in the district.
What Happens Next?
The interior renovation is scheduled to run from mid-August through mid-November 2026. After construction, the operator would still need to complete any remaining inspections, staffing, training and opening preparations.
No official grand-opening date has been announced.
When Pure Green does begin serving customers, it will mark the brand’s San Antonio debut and add a new health-focused restaurant option to one of Northwest San Antonio’s busiest growth corridors.
Stay tuned to My Neighborhood News for updates on Pure Green at The Merc and other restaurants and businesses coming to the UTSA area.
Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.
