Smoothie Spot Puts Affordable Twist on Healthy-Eating

A new restaurant has come to town and it’s just 250 steps away from building 1000 at Wolfson Campus. Open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Smoothie Spot is located at 228 N.E. 1st Ave.

“We just opened three weeks ago and so far the business is going great,” said Joshua Mendez the assistant manager of the restaurant in downtown.

Smoothie Spot has three locations. The second location is in Kendall, located at 15708 S.W. 72nd St. They opened their third location on Oct. 28 near Cutler Bay, at 20916 S. Dixie Hwy. They also have two mobile food trucks.

According to Smoothie Spot founder Daniel Carmona, their philosophy is simple.

“Many people do not eat healthy simply because there are not many choices around. Smoothie Spot wants to be that option. A quick, full of nutrients and delicious option,” reads the company’s website.

Angel Olaves, 51, the lead chef at the downtown location vouches for the restaurant’s menu.

“We select carefully all our ingredients and make sure they all are natural, nutritious and healthy; we don’t use any preservatives,” Olaves said. “We also prepare meats with our special recipe, like chicken, steak, shrimps or turkey to guarantee wonderful flavors …the idea behind our menu is to offer a fresh and healthy option for a meal that is affordable.”

The menu is very simple to build. Customers construct their meal from a selection of bowls or tortillas. There are five types of tortillas guests can choose from ranging from white flour, wheat, spinach, garlic herb or tomato basil.

Guests are then allowed one type of meat and five fresh toppings ranging from cheese, pico de gallo, beans and many others.

“It is really hard to choose one favorite option but I will recommend any of the creations with turkey. And don’t forget the cilantro sauce, especially if you order chicken in your combination, ” said Olaves.

You can also accompany your meal with a smoothie. There are several mixes to choose from, with ingredients like pineapple, maracuya, kiwi, kale, acai, peanut butter, and banana among others. Guests have around twenty smoothie options to choose from, and they can also create their own smoothie with up to four fruits, one mixer, and protein. Smoothie Spot uses only natural ingredients and doesn’t add any sugar to their smoothies.

On average, you can have a great meal for $7. However, if you add a smoothie, you can create a combo with a smoothie, tortilla or bowl, and chips for $12. Don’t forget to ask for the 5 percent discount for students and 10 percent for teachers.

“The smoothies are delicious, I just ordered the Tropical Acai with strawberry, pineapple, orange juice and of course acai,” said Leonor Pacheco, a frequent customer. “You can try a different flavor every time you come, it makes me want to come again to try a different one.”

Additionally, you will find a breakfast menu and smoothie bowls with flavor options like acai, mango and strawberry. Toppings include granola, coconut or blueberry among others.