Smoothie King

Shut down as far as I know. Tropical Smoothie Café on liberty is still open and putting out wonderful fresh smoothies and sandwiches.

Something has definitely been lost in translation from the West Coast to the Midwest. One such butchered parlance is the definition of ‘smoothie’ and quite possibly also ‘healthful.’
I, like Mary B., found Jamba Juice to be my once, twice, or thrice meal-​a-​day (especially in my vegan era). After some seriously brutal fails of smoothie-​getting, once I moved to Michigan (for which I will soon muster my strength in conjuring back up those unbearable sips and write some reviews), I gave up and started making my own damn smoothies. Not to boast too terribly much but they are damn good!
For four years I’ve been content with this DIY solution but some days I am just out of energy and my refrigerator is also running on empty. Today was that kind of day and I decided to brave the Midwest frontier on the smoothie front and landed at the door of Smoothie King.
BAD IDEA.
First off, the interior of this place is hilarious. Photos of body builders and people lifting weights — have you looked around lately? This isn’t even close to being Venice Beach. To add to this, the menu is divided into gimmicky sections like, «energy» and «trim and fit.» Guh. Just give me my veggies and fruits!
I opted for the relatively simple «pineapple surf» and my partner got the «green tea tango» with mango. We both got smalls and even so, I feared contracting diabetes from them. These drinks were like sorbet, only slightly more artificial-​tasting. SO SWEET I thought I wouldn’t be able to finish. I could hardly taste any of the fruit.
So besides the fact that there is nothing about these smoothies that seem fresh or wholesome, there is also the fact that the guy working that night wouldn’t even give my partner a recommendation for a good energy drink. He aloofly said, «coffee.» Sigh. Way to sling your merch with vim and vigor there, dude.
If you want a strange dessert, you may want to go here. If you want a smoothie that will give you natural energy and all the nutrients you need, you’ll have fire up your own blender at home.

Okay, I’m a Jamba Juice purist, and after moving to Ann Arbor from California I realized that there are NO Jambas in Michigan NO!
BUT I finally tried Smoothie King, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I had the Strawberry Kiwi Breeze smoothie, and it was so tasty! I don’t really know how to describe it beyond that. So good! It came with protein powder (I think all smoothies here do), so I basically had a smoothie for lunch and stayed full til dinner. YES.
The only bad thing about this smoothie shop is the shop itself. It’s definitely marketed toward a muscle beach, «I’m gonna pump you UP» kind of crowd to which I definitely don’t belong. You are greeted by a wall of those giant protein powder jars, and the menu has a giant muscly man chest in the middle of it. Why not?
I definitely wouldn’t get a smoothie and stay in the shop, but I will be returning here to get my smoothie fix!
ONE LINE REVIEW:
Best smoothies in Ann Arbor? YES. Best smoothies ever? No, but try one!!!

What would my life be without Smoothie King? Less fun for sure.
I love going there to get a treat, even when the weather’s cold. Admittedly, I always get the same thing (Yogurt Delight) but it always makes me happy afterwards. Not being a big ice cream fan, this is my substitute. There’s a nice area outside to relax and enjoy that 3– month-​a-​year Michigan sunshine.
The pleasantness of my experience depends on who is working. Some people there are a pleasure to see each time. I go whenever I feel like I can afford another smoothie, both on my waistline and in my pocketbook.
The downside is that it can be superslow. But it’s usually worth it for me. Now that OCD guy isn’t working there anymore, service has been much better. If you ever had him serve you, you know what I mean.
I actually found a Smoothie King in Korea. For you random fact people out there, the US «regular» size is a Korean «extra large.» The US kiddie size was a Korean medium.