Tenleytown’s smoothie landscape has changed drastically since Robeks’ closure over the summer. When Robeks was open, it was my friends’ and my favorite place to find a nice, refreshing smoothie. Following Robeks’ closure, I set out to find the next best smoothie in Tenleytown. I ordered the same flavor, strawberry banana, at Panera Bread and Wawa, and I ordered a strawberry smoothie at Coffee Nature, as it was the closest comparison they offered. I ranked the three smoothies based on the stores’ distance from school and variety of flavors and the smoothies’ price, taste and texture.
Panera Bread
Distance: 6.5/10
Price: 5.5/10
Variety of flavors: 7/10
Taste: 7/10
Texture: 4/10
Overall: 6/10
Panera Bread offered strawberry banana, strawberry, mango and tropical green smoothies. Panera only offered one size: 16 oz. Each smoothie cost $6.99, excluding tax and tip, or roughly $0.44 per ounce. Panera is next to the Metro entrance on the eastern side of Wisconsin Avenue and is a ten- to 12-minute walk from school. The strawberry and banana flavors were quite balanced in the smoothie; however, the strawberry tasted kind of artificial. The smoothie was not very sweet, likely due to the Greek yogurt base. The texture was very liquidy and borderline juice-like, a departure from my ideal smoothie with a thick, frozen base. While the smoothie still tasted great, there are definitely better options in Tenleytown.
Wawa
Distance: 6/10
Price: 9.5/10
Variety of flavors: 10/10
Taste: 9/10
Texture: 9/10
Overall: 8.7/10
Wawa stood out for having the widest variety of flavors on this list. In addition to ten fruit flavors, Wawa had ten cream flavors, including various dessert-inspired flavors such as bananas Foster, caramel and more. Wawa also offered more customizations than Panera and Coffee Nature, with options such as free whipped cream. Wawa’s smoothie was also the cheapest; their 16-oz. smoothie cost $5.99, or about $0.37 per ounce. However, one major drawback to Wawa was its considerable distance from school, at 0.5 miles or roughly a 12-minute walk. The strawberry banana smoothie had a very thick, frozen base, almost smoothie bowl–like in consistency. Wawa’s smoothie was perhaps the sweetest on this list; however, the smoothie was not overly sweet, as the fruit flavors were also very strong. The banana flavor tasted very fresh, but it slightly overpowered the strawberry flavor.
Coffee Nature
Distance: 9/10
Price: 8.5/10
Variety of flavors: 8/10
Taste: 10/10
Texture: 9.5/10
Overall: 9/10
Of this list, Coffee Nature is by far the closest store to school, and it is arguably the most popular spot among students—for good reason. Though Coffee Nature did not offer a strawberry banana smoothie, I tried a similar flavor, strawberry. A 16-oz. smoothie at Coffee Nature cost $6.59, or about $0.42 per ounce. Coffee Nature is only about a five-minute walk from school. Coffee Nature’s strawberry smoothie had a near-perfect texture with a thick frozen base complemented by a nicely balanced fresh strawberry flavor that was not overly sweet. Coffee Nature offered strawberry, mango, wild berry, tropical, power and avocado smoothies. Coffee Nature’s smoothie was my favorite on this list due to its great texture and fresh fruit flavor.
I would recommend Coffee Nature if you want to grab a smoothie in the Tenleytown area, as it excels in flavor, texture and distance from school. Wawa is a close second, aided by its large variety of flavors and great prices. Panera Bread’s smoothie was not very memorable, as its texture and flavor proved to be major drawbacks.