I stopped at Tropical Smoothie Cafe on Baltimore National Pike in Ellicott City this morning after arriving on a red-eye flight and heading to a family member's home. I wanted a smoothie, found this location on Google, and decided to give it a try after hearing friends rave about the chain. Unfortunately, I regret stopping here. I ordered online and when I walked in, I initially didn't see any employees. Then I noticed a woman dressed entirely in what appeared to be street clothes: pink beanie, shirt, sweatpants, and Crocs. At first, I honestly thought she was a friend or family member helping out in the store because there was no uniform or name tag. Then I realized she was actually making my drink. Not once did she greet me, acknowledge me, ask if I needed help, or even make eye contact. I stood in the pickup area waiting while she slammed blender containers around and appeared visibly irritated. She poured my smoothie, put the lid on, slapped the sticker on the cup, and dropped it on the counter without saying a single word. I reached for the drink and said, "Thank you," and received absolutely no response, just a look. The customer service was terrible, and unfortunately, the smoothie itself was not good either. First impressions matter, especially early in the morning when customers are tired and simply hoping for a pleasant experience. Please train employees on basic customer service skills. A simple greeting, acknowledgment, or "have a nice day" goes a long way. And if employees are unhappy or not prepared to work professionally, they should not be interacting with customers. read more

Using the mobile app is everything. My order is ready and accurate for pickup every single time. I needed something quick and the açaí bowl is my favorite. Will definitely return. read more

Tropical Smoothie Cafe - My order - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

Smoothie flavor is inconsistent at this location. Service is fast but staff is not very receptive if something needs to be remade due to quality issues. Smoothie was bland so asked if it was possible to be remade since it usually had more flavor, and they did add a little more fruit, but wasn't enough to make a difference. Was hoping they would be able to accommodate request of it being remade entirely, but staff seemed annoyed by request. Unfortunate because the smoothies/food/service at this location has been good the past couple years. Switched to Columbia location which has better flavor. read more

I ordered two pair and save items, and only received the sandwiches. The smoothies were missing. I called the store, and spoke with a very rude employee who basically blamed the Door Dash driver, and told me I needed to call back tomorrow to speak with the manager. Also, told me I needed to contact the Door Dash driver who I am unable to reach. Zero accountability and ownership. Every time I order from them the food is like warm and smoothies are always melting. read more

Got a turkey bacon ranch sandwich and when i removed the turkey this was all there was. Basically no bacon and two tiny little pieces of tomato. Not even one normal piece. Also asked for no lettuce and received a bunch. This was an online order but super basic. Not sure how they think giving this little amount of bacon is ok when Bacon is in the title for the meal!! read more

Tropical Smoothie Cafe - Turkey Bacon Ranch Sandwich - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

This place is just what the Dr ordered lol Smoothie are overly delicious Food is scrumptious and the service is right on point. Very clean Owner is very pleasant and treat customers as if she just opened up for her grand opening Healthy for the mind body and soul!!!!! Bon Appetite read more

Excellent excellent service by Mike last night. I requested something old and he made my day by making it for me. Great customer see

Smoothie was made out of powder. I tasted like sugar water. No fresh fruits. Horrible service.

More than just smoothies! Delicious, nutritious meals and smoothies that are affordable. The place is clean, comfortable and the service is great. I enjoy looking at the tropical wall...Takes me away. I highly recommend downloading the app. You can order ahead and earn points immediately, giving you $5 discount for every $55 spent. We got meals for four (2 adults, 2 kids) with three kids smoothies under $25! Where can you get deals like that? Here read more

Tropical Smoothie Cafe - Interior - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

Quick and fresh lunch spot! Grab a good smoothie and wrap, you can never go wrong. There are also options to do vegetarian instead of meat! (Chicken substitute). read more

If you have a taste for a smoothie, tropical smoothie is your spot. They have a variety of smoothies and food options as well. My go to is the Bahama Mama which consist of strawberry, pineapple, white chocolate and coconut. For the longest I stuck with smoothies. I finally tried the Thai Chicken Wrap. It is really good. The sesame flavor, chicken with the crunch of the lettuce is satisfying. They have rewards that I haven't explored but I invite anyone to check it out. Let me know if you do. If not, I'll provide and update. read more

We got to TSC at 6:54 for the free smoothie which cut off at 7pm. Upon entering there were no signs to direct us where to order and a hoard of people blocking the path to the register. After finally reaching the register at 6:59 the cashier was on the phone for over 2 mins while 4 other employees ignored us and did not take our order. We were then told that we would not receive a free smoothie since it was past 7pm. I tried to explain that we were in line but no one was there to take order but I was denied service. DO NOT GO HERE. It's clear the manager that spoke only cares about the bottom line and not their customers. read more

I like the food here. We've eaten in several times and decided to do a curbside pickup Friday. The woman came out. No gloves. No mask. Right up to our car. I won't be doing carry out or eating there again at least through this virus time. Shame on you tropical smoothie. read more

It's the second time in a row we have had missing items on our online order. We have gotten the smoothies but always missed the food and side. I live about 20 minutes away and order from here when I'm on the way from dog sitting or friends house so I have to drive 20 minutes back just drive another 20 minutes to get home. When I lived in Ellicott City I loved coming here but the last two months they have missed multiple things from a group order. I'm not coming back and I'm sad that they are starting to go downhill. read more

Always get your receipt! I say this because if you make any customizations and you notice something off, you have proof that you asked for it! The cashier is someone I've noticed who has been there since they opened I believe, and she is kind don't get me wrong, but it's a bit of a turn off when you're ordering from them while they're texting and have airpods in. Also, I always ask for half turbinado because their smoothies are generally very sweet.. but more often than not, I always see them put a full scoop instead. The other Columbia location doesn't usually mess this up, and I didn't want to be THAT customer who asks them to remake the smoothie for me.. but if they don't pay attention to how the customer asked the smoothie to be made there could be some serious health complications with that (specific allergies, etc) I think next time I'll be sure to remind them to do half. Maybe it's because the worker who made the actual smoothie just got the order by mouth rather than looking at the order receipt. read more

Lazy workers, went in to pick up online order. The guy with dreads told me it should be up at the pick up counter, when it was obvious there's nothing there. Dude didnt even check the status of my order after that. And finally when i interrupted a lady talking to a customer she told me it should be ready in a few mins. The guy was cutting the bread so slowly like the knife was plastic or something. Get faster, people dont have much time on there hands. read more

Fast, clean, and delicious variety of customizable real fruit smoothies. Haven't tried their food but it looks good. Only one size smoothie though and it's a large. I don't mind but will others? If it's as good as we say it is, then probably no. You can also do curbside pick up, which was also easy to do online and fast. Just pull up to the front of the store and they'll bring it out for you quickly. Big thumbs up from me. read more

The quality drop from the previous administration, my smoothie was mix in a rush they didn't mix well, and when I ask for a fix, they pour a lot of water and end up with a 1/3 that my original product, they didn't even ask me if I want the portion ,they throw it away. I never come back again. read more

I'm pretty proud of myself whenever I go here instead of heading to chik-fil-a for lunch lol. Everything on the menu accommodates most diet restrictions and it's all fresh. Although the prices aren't that cheap, it's a clean pick-me-up and it'll leave you content for the rest of the day. I always get the blimey limey smoothie. It's perfectly sweet and tart. The workers in this specific location could be a little more friendly though. Most of them seemed to be students and none of them broke a smile once. Sheesh. read more

The kiddo working forgot to add yogurt to the smoothie I ordered, and to compensate seemingly added way more sweetener than whatever is probably legally allowed. Won't be back. read more

Just ordered and never got half of our order also nothing was cut in half and it was soggy. Do not recommend

Only giving a one star cause you can can't leave a review without one ! TERRIBLE ! my first and last time ever coming to this tropical smoothie ! My smoothie (peanut butter cup smoothie which is obviously supposed to be sweet) taste like just ice and water !! The kids working there are too interested in hanging out and chatting with their little friends that are there! My smoothie lacks taste I've been to millions of tropical smoothies as I love this place but this location is the worst DO NOT COME HERE UNLESS YOU WANT A WATERED DOWN ICY SMOOTHIE ! doesn't even taste like there's any peanut butter or even chocolate for that matter smh ! DO BETTER !! read more

The smoothies are good, but the food is pricey for some veggies and no meat. I have ordered the jerk chicken wrap the first time and the chicken was these tiny little pieces that I thought they forgot to put the chicken in it. Second time pics provided, I ordered tropical chicken salad and it only has a smear of it. Disappointing when it's $6.99 + $3.50 to make it a combo. My other complaint is that you ask for my name when I place my order, yet when your order is ready, your staff calls out food name. So why should I bother giving you my name? Oh and after I check my bag, my apple slaw was missing and when I inquired about it, i get asked "oh, so you want a side?" Ummm! Yes! I paid for a combo. read more

Tropical Smoothie Cafe - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

See all

Just ordered a buffalo wrap with no tomatoes. Get home take like two bites. My mouth is pure buffalo sauce and soggy lettuce. Gross. Take another bite cuz maybe my first one was bad luck. This time I get a mouth of soggy buffalo tomato. Decide to just give up and squeeze out the wrap contents to see what else awaits. Check out the pic attached. Yeah never again. read more

Tropical Smoothie Cafe - Buffalo chicken wrap no tomato - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

I Love this location! I come here maybe twice a week. Pros: The staff is A.Maze.Zing. They are consistent in their customer service, knowledgeable about their product, and genuinely attuned to your questions. Another cool thing is that they have Happy Hour from 7am-10am where you can get your $6 smoothie for $3.50. Recommendation: For those who are new to Tropical Smoothies, its vital for you to know that there is one size (regardless of the location). This sucks. I would prefer a small for portion control. But....the smoothies are good and they use natural ingredients. My favorite smoothies are Avocolada and Triple Berry Oat. Enjoy! read more

They got that good toilet paper. Food and service are good too but I'm more impressed with that soft tissue

Staff is super helpful and service is prompt. What else would you want out of a TSC? Also, it's never been crowded which I can appreciate when I'm in a hurry. read more

This is a great place! The staff is friendly and courteous and the food and smoothies are the best. Everything moves very quickly as well so there's never a long wait. I go out of my way to stop there for a smoothie. read more

One of my favorite places to pop in whenever I'm craving a smoothie! My favorite smoothie to get is the Acai Berry Boost! It's a good price for the amount of smoothie you're getting as well! They also have some pretty good food options which are a little pricey but I think it's worth it to treat yourself occasionally! I like to get the Caribbean jerk wrap with no black beans and the Miss Vickie's Jalapeño kettle chips as my side! The staff is also nice and always know which smoothie is yours! :) read more

I tried Tropical Smoothie cafe during COVID for their curbside pick-up and it was awesome. They brought the meal to my car right on time and it was delicious. I had the chicken pesto flatbread and kale salad. Both were great and very reasonably priced. I will go back! read more

Good selection of smoothies and food. Price about what is expected for "healthy" food. Maybe because I came between peak hours but staff seemed apathetic to take my order or make my smoothie. Got the token smile as I was handed my drink. Will I be back? Maybe. I'll at least give the place a second try. read more

This place is great, the workers are friendly and nice. Never had a bad experience when I come here to get a smoothie/ meal. I like the atmosphere and it is clean. Tropical smoothie cafe has tofu/ fake chicken you can add instead of chicken with the wraps or sandwiches and it is delicious. I recommend!! read more

Great ambiance, delicious food and smoothies! Only one option food wise if you're a vegetarian (the hummus vegetarian wrap), and no seafood options. Would love if they could offer a little more variety. But they have a decent variety of smoothies, which taste excellent. Would definitely recommend! read more

Tropical Smoothie Cafe - Juice Bars & Smoothies Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

Just recently found out this cafe opened up near my home area. A nice range of smoothie varieties, with or without supplements and a decent menu size in sandwiches (Wraps, Flatbreads, etc). It's great for an after or before workout meal as well! Very clean and great customer service as well! Going to love coming here for smoothies now. read more

Went in the morning and a different guy made our wraps and they were perfect! Im thinking a new employee made the ones before so they werent so good and they were small and skinny with missing ingredients.. Maybe we'll just come in the morning from now on lol. read more

Delicious healthy food and smoothies! Even my kids love it. You can order and pay ahead and earn rewards. So convenient. Glad we have a healthy fast food option in our neighborhood. read more

I like their smoothie overall, the only reason I give 3 stars is because if their inconsistency in taste. Sometimes it's sweeter, sometimes it's less sweet, sometimes it's watery, sometimes it's super icy.. orangey, gingery, kaley.... nothing stays the same. If you're ok with adventurous smoothie trip- good business to go. read more

I am very picky when it comes to my smoothies and food (as I'm a bit of a health nut), and I was very pleased with the staff's ability to explain what was in everything and how it was prepared. They alternated everything to my dietary needs and were patient. Plus it was delicious! Will go back. read more

While out shopping I happen to notice this spot. Thought I would try a smoothie. Once inside I also decided to try the flat bread. Everything was awesome down to the customer service. Definitely will be back. read more

Ordered a smoothie and immediately didn't like it. Way too much cinnamon. Tried to ask the seemingly manager on duty (very young) if I could swap it out or get my money back and she was very rude to me. I was calm and collective and she seemed to take me not liking the smoothie very personally. It took 5 minutes of me explaining basic restaurant etiquette to her to get her to make me a different smoothie. She said she couldn't make me a new one because she said she couldn't have "people trying new smoothies all day" I just wanted a good smoothie dude wtf. When she did give in she confirmed each ingredient with me twice to make sure I wanted it, like the stores finances depended on me liking the second smoothie. The second smoothie was bomb, that's why I gave this location 2 stars instead of 1. read more