These are yucky times, and it’s easy to feel yucky. The solution? Beets. Better yet: Bani’s Beets.
The beet-centric wellness spot, located in Beverly, began as a health experiment while founder Auriel Banister was navigating an autoimmune disease. In search of something that made her body feel better, Banister began juicing regularly and experimenting with different recipes. One ingredient quickly stood out: beets.
“It was a small adjustment that made a large impact,” she says. “It wasn’t too sweet, but I loved it—and my body wanted more.”
Turns out, her body knew exactly what it was doing. Banister explains that beets are a bona fide superfood, best known for supporting the liver—the organ that decides what stays, what goes, and how well the entire system runs. “It’s basically the engine of the body,” she says. “If it’s not working properly, it shows up everywhere.”
As Banister’s health improved—powered by steady chugging of vibrant purple concoctions—curiosity followed. Coworkers began requesting juices, and soon the office culture shifted. Before long, Banister had a business, fueled by social media, word of mouth, and a whole lot of hustle. In the early days, she delivered juices in parking lots before expanding to farmers’ markets in Hyde Park and River North, and she eventually opened a brick-and-mortar storefront in 2018. Banister currently serves about seven thousand customers annually.
Her Beverly location exudes freshness, with a menu centered on five beet-based juices, each $8 and designed for different wellness needs.
Credit: Gabrielle Brown
Beyond juices, Bani’s Beets offers wellness shots, smoothies, smoothie bowls, salads, and vegetarian toasts. Banister also caters events and offers delivery, along with monthly juice and wellness-shot subscriptions and a curated detox program. In addition, she runs an adjacent event space available for private rentals, hosts live music, and offers free “health talks” where medical professionals and community experts tackle a range of wellness topics.
Who knew the path to feeling better—and building community—could start with a simple root vegetable that stains everything?
Bani’s Beets
10305 S. Hale, banisbeets.com
Best of Chicago 2025 Credit: Cover and section photography by Kirk Williamson. Creative direction and prop styling by Shira Friedman-Parks, Amber Huff, and Kirk Williamson. Design by Corianton Hale.
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Editor’s note: March 2026 Best of Chicago issue
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