Raw Smoothie Co. — Restaurant in Tampa

I was visiting Tampa today as my husband had meetings to attend. While he was busy I decided to explore by myself. I walked from our hotel to Raw Smoothie Co. to get myself a bowl. It was a super hot day so I was sweating and couldn't wait to get there so I could freshen up in the bathroom before ordering but sadly they didn't have a customer restroom. The man working was kind enough to provide me with a paper towel and some ice water while i sat down on one of the 3 seats available to cool off. They have quite a large menu with instructions on how to build your bowl or smoothie in 3 steps, choose your base, choose your mix and choose your fruit toppings. I opted for the acai smoothie bowl with blueberries and the seasonal fruit, which was raspberry. I asked to not have the agave added and was told I was not allowed to make that deduction, which I thought was annoying, but I figured they have the bases premade somehow, but they didn't, so he could have easily have left it out. Confused about that. The bowl cost me over $16 - insane price. I also watched them make it and I was sad to see that they added 2 big scoops of ice to the smoothie base, I am a acai bowl fan and I will have one everywhere I go this was one of the worse bases I have tried. However the bowl did look very pretty and the toppings were generous, but the base went watery and a yukky consistency after a few minutes, which I knew would happen as soon as I see the huge amount of ice added. They need to learn how to make a bowl properly, the price they are charging isn't justified with the amount of produce used, considering a big part of it costs them barely nothing. One thing I also noticed that needs to change is the music, the music playing was rap with a ton of cussing f-bombs galore and there were children in there, I don't think it is appropriate. 3 stars is because the server was nice and the toppings were good. I hear they are opening another location with more seating, that will be good for them because they will have to offer a restroom then.

Stop with the ice if you are charging those prices!!!

EDITED with an additional star as the owner responded fast and I appreciate the offer of another bowl, unfortunately I am only in town for the day,...

I'm a big smoothie and smoothie/acai bowl fan and this place is 🔥. Small shop with great decor. The staff is super friendly and helpful. When I told them it was my 1st visit, she went through the menu and process they had for ordering. Gave me a great rec for the PBJ bowl and it was excellent. First time I've had greens in my bowl that were not powder or blended and it worked. The kale-spinach-chard surprisingly complemented the bowl. You can choose your fruits and every bowl comes with their mix of toppings. Bowls are made to order so you can take any toppings you don't like, which I was considering for the coconut slices because Every time I've had that in a bowl, it's gummy/chewy. But out of respect, I had my bowl unaltered and it didn't disappoint. The coconut strips were crisp! It was like chips. I've become a fan! The use of cacao nibs was stellar. The bowl had great flavor and the mix of textures was well thought out. I will definitely have to come back for another bowl and to try the smoothies...

There are a lot of smoothie places but this place stands out for several reasons. First off, atmosphere was awesome. Very laid back and spacious, temperature was perfect The music was not too loud.

The girls working but on the counter we're very inviting and helpful with the menu. Seems like there was so much stuff on the menu to choose from and all that looked good... I took a gamble and asked them to surprise me And we certainly did that! It's called Big Guava And it did not disappoint. All of your tropical fruits along with some spinach... I would definitely not only order this again, I would recommend it to somebody who doesn't like spinach even. It's awesome!

And get this, they have paper straws and biodegradable cups! I don't know why everybody doesn't do this but this reason alone will have me coming back there because not only was everything awesome, they're being responsible with their resources and this is so appreciated....