Comparisons between Nooxo and Moka Bro’s are inevitable. The healthy bowls, the smoothies, there are vegan and vegetarian friendly options, there are a lot of similarities between the two. But Beijing is a big city and we could all use some more options for our ”healthy options” dining list. Oh, did I mention that all of Nooxo’s dishes are also dairy free?
Nooxo does however stand on its own merits and is worth a visit.
“Nooxo started with a really simple idea: to create a lifestyle brand that focuses on building a healthy and active community with our signature smoothies and Nooxo bowls.” – Nooxo
Located on the second floor of The Crib on ChunXiu Lu, Nooxo is right next to the Le Fromager de Pekin and the popular Canvas bar and weekend brunch spot.
It represents a development in the F&B industry here in Beijing that I am very happy to see. Healthy but tasty food, in the same vein as Moka Bros, Tribe Nutrition and GLO Kitchen.
The Crib on Chunxiu Lu Serves as an F&B Incubator
Dramatic Art Deco Entrance
Find Nooxo on the 2nd Floor
Ordering Counter Displays Healthy Ingredients Alongside Guilt-Free Desserts
Nooxo’s Menu
Focused primarily around bowls of all varieties, Nooxo is refreshing in it’s simplicity. Pick a bowl, and then if you need or want to, add your protein choice of grilled chicken, grilled beef or tofu.
You can also pay RMB 10 to add their soup of the day to your Nooxo Bowl order. All soups are vegan. We lucked out and came on a Saturday night so we got their Cauliflower and Pickled Lotus Root soup, which nailed it.
Other soups for other days of the week include carrot & ginger, sweet potato & tahine, corn & lemongrass, etc. While the portion of the soup isn’t massive (served in a small bowl), the cauliflower soup was super tasty and well worth the extra 10 kuai.
Nooxo Soup of the Day: Cauliflower & Pickled Lotus Root
Sharing between three, we ordered three different bowls with either grilled chicken or beef to each – the Broccolicious, Grainbow and the Caveman.
Grainbow came out on top of the flavour wars in our group, but honestly there is a good range of options that will sate all palates.
The added grilled chicken was surprisingly good. I’m always a bit hesitant to order grilled chicken fearing it will be super dry, tasteless chicken breast, but Nooxo’s chicken was moist and had a lovely smoky grilled tinge.
Grainbow (RMB 45 + RMB 18 for grilled beef)
Quinoa, Brown Rice, Coix Seed, Nooxo Guacamole, Spinach/Kale, Broccoli, Corn, Pickled Lotus Root, Raisins, Mixed Seeds, Lemon Dressing
Broccolicious (RMB 45 + RMB 12 for grilled chicken)
with Broccoli, Black Rice, Buckwheat, Orange Segments, Spinach/Kale, Semi Dried Cherry Tomato, Cashew and Lemon Dressing
Caveman (RMB 45 + RMB 18 for Grilled Beef)
Grilled Eggplant, Spinach/Kale, Mixed Mushrooms, Pumpkin, Cauliflower Couscous, Goji Berries, Mixed Seeds, Tahine
To round off our healthy bowls, we decided to try their desserts and ordered a smoothie bowl, the almond cake and the truffles.
The almond cake was moist and left us wanting more. The truffles were divisive. Half the group loved them and the other half didn’t.
The only thing we felt was underwhelming was the Mangoconut smoothie bowl. It looks gorgeous in the photo, I love the colors and presentation, but it fell flat when it came to taste. It was pretty watery for something that sounded so good on paper.
Almond Flour Cake (RMB 16)
Dates & Pumpkin Seed Truffles (RMB 13 for 3)
Mangoconut (RMB 40)
Mango, Ginger, Lemon and Coconut with Goji Berries, Almond and Nooxo Granola
A Dining Area on the Other Side of the Bathrooms on the 2nd Floor of the Crib
The Crib itself is huge and they’ve got so many different F&B options ranging from fusion jianbing, dumplings, noodles by Mr. Shi, donkey sandwiches, Thai food, Pizza, etc. There’s a mishmash of both local Chinese bites, fusion and Western options.
While you can easily be overwhelmed for choice walking in circles around the different food options, it’s obvious that people continue to make a beeline for Nooxo, which really stands out for its healthy offerings.
Final verdict: go try out Nooxo if you haven’t already. It’s a nice little addition to the burgeoning “health scene” here in Beijing!
Nooxo Contact Details:
- Address: 2/F, Yu Food & Lifestyle (The Crib), 1 Workers’ Stadium North Road
- 地址：北京市朝阳区工体北路一号育膳房二层nooxo
- Tel: 8069-8604/183 1119 6742
- Email: [email protected]
- Opening Hours: 11:30am-9:30pm
About Kristen
Kristen Lum has an accomplished background in PR, communications and events in China. Born and raised in California, Kristen has been based in Beijing since 2006 and is founder of the lifestyle blog called LumDimSum, covering mostly restaurant news and reviews alongside upcoming events around town that relate to Beijing’s muti-faceted, quickly-developing creative industries like art, music, film, health and fitness, fashion, nightlife, charity events, and travel tips.
