The Hidden Smoothie Gem In The Central Coast.
In 1994, three college friends came up with the idea to open a juice bar that would assimilate with the healthy Santa Barbara culture. Now over three decades later they have become one of the staples of the Central Coast with over eighteen locations in the area.
A couple of weeks ago I was asking my assistant coach about places he recommended to get in the Santa Barbara area. I needed help brainstorming places to go try-out when I visit my girlfriend, and since he grew up in Ventura, he was my best bet. Without hesitation he said four words, “Blenders In The Grass”.
When I heard him say that I assumed it was some kind of trendy vegetarian or vegan restaurant, but I was a little off the mark. He further explained to me it was the best smoothie place he has ever been to and I had to try the, “Peanut Butter with Chocolate”. Being someone with a sweet tooth I was sold and set off to Santa Barbara to go try it myself.
Upon meeting up with my girlfriend I suggested that we go try out Blender In The Grass, and to my surprise she told me that is the most popular spots in town. This claim was corroborated when we arrived at the store to see the line going out the door. Thankfully this gave us enough time to comb through the menu.
After only ten minutes of waiting we decided to order two drinks, the first being my coach’s suggestion and the second being the more traditional “Piña Colada” flavor. The staff was super helpful fielding our questions and also made our drinks within about five minutes of ordering.
When the big moment came to see if my coach was right about the hype, I was blown away by how good these drinks were!
First, the “Peanut Butter with Chocolate” tasted like a Reese’s Butter Cup while still feeling healthy. Normally with drinks that rich it tastes nauseating after drinking it for a while, but I did not experience that feeling at all. In fact, it managed to balance being savory and refreshing perfectly.
As for the “Piña Colada”, that was my personal favorite of the two. The fresh pineapple-vanilla taste with coconut shreds in the drink felt like I just ordered from a place in Maui. I am so glad we ordered a large for this one because both us could not get enough.
Overall, this place was a 10/10 from the service to the product. Everything we ordered was worth the moderate price and will definitely be one of my favorite spots for years to come.
My only complaints is that it this place is so good it makes visits to Jamba Juice regretful and unfortunately there is no franchise South of Oxnard.
Hopefully we can get a location down in Southern California soon but in the meantime this place is worth the drive up!
The Beat @APU 