Tropical Smoothie Cafe

Tropical Smoothie Cafe provides over 30 distinct smoothies, many of them having the iconic taste of a “smoothie”. If I were to think of a typical smoothie, Tropical Smoothie matches that image perfectly in both appearance and flavor. Some of the smoothies are seasonal drinks, whereas others are made up of unusual combinations, yet each one blends so well together. Whether you’re craving a tangy, tropical smoothie or pure greens or protein health shake, Tropical Smoothie is the place to go.

When I first walked into the cute, aesthetic cafe, it was like I was walking into a classic hotspot in a movie. The bright colored chairs under the wood patterned tables and the hanging lights all tied together to create that picture perfect bistro. Although hard to notice over the loud, uprising churning of the blenders, there was a good choice of music playing in the background. Additionally, there was a television displaying the song playing and advertising certain events and new smoothies.

Greeting us with a wide smile and “Hi, how may I help you today,” the lady at the front desk was very kind and approachable. Also, I really appreciated the menu as it had the number of calories listed next to each item. Our order also arrived very fast. As the lady handed it to us, the vibrant colors of the smoothies popped out at us. One of their best sellers, and my personal favorite, Sunrise Sunset, is filled with fresh, zestful fruits. At the first sip, I could taste the perfect blend of mango, strawberries, pineapple, and orange. Each fruit battling to overpower the flavor of the smoothie and, as if on cue, Summer Days by Martin Garrix playing in the background made me envision myself on a beach enjoying the hot breeze. Specifically, the flavorful mangoes took me back to my trip to Punta Cana and I recalled all my sunny memories. The mangoes tasted as if they were freshly cut off a mango tree on a tropical island.

Not only did Tropical Smoothie have a perfect summer drink to take me back, but they also had the ideal drink to get me ready for the fall season. The Salted Caramel Smoothie was overpowered with banana, but blended with the cinnamon and caramel, the banana concoction smoothly and delicately flowed into my mouth. Even the Triple Berry Blast didn’t fail to succeed my expectations and I am not one to normally enjoy protein shakes. The granular texture of the mixed berries allowed each one to gush into my mouth and burst. Drinking such a healthy, yet appetizing smoothie made me feel good about myself. However, my mom says that their fruits are not fresh and we could make much more natural, tasty smoothies at home. Well, she tried, and Tropical Smoothie still has my heart.

Although the smoothies were way beyond my satisfaction, I was struck with disappointment when I bit into my Veggie Hummus Wrap. To start of, there were absolutely no vegetarian options except a Veggie Hummus Wrap and a Veggie Hummus Salad Bowl. You know those advertisements that display the most perfect, mouth-watering foods that when your order arrives you believe it is the wrong meal. The pictures of the wraps around the shop looked fresh and herbal. However, when I unveiled my own, it looked like a fat, spotted pig leg. I hoped that at least the inside would be as depicted on the giant poster beside my face. To my dismay, I tasted dry, unflavored vegetables stuffed inside the pig leg skin. In fact, I wondered if they dumped extra, dried out salad that was getting old into a tortilla and weakly wrapped it up. The rice was as hard as rocks. Not only was the taste, well, tasteless, but it was bigger than my face. I looked down at the wrap in fear of it devouring me before I could proceed to another bite.

But the parched food will not keep me from going back. The well-blended, diverse flavors of the smoothies have captured my tastebuds. If you ever find yourself near a Tropical Smoothie Cafe, go and get yourself a refreshing smoothie, but stay away from the wraps or you’ll be wrapped up with regret.

Tropical Smoothie Cafe

24995 Riding Plaza, South Riding, VA 20152