by: Hayley Strahs
Editor in Chief

Calling all smoothie slurpers and açaí aficionados! Palmetto Superfoods recently opened locations in Los Gatos and Santa Cruz just in time for summer. As a longtime fan of their Santana Row location, I’ve tried the good, bad, and ugly options on the menu. With my years of expertise, here is my (very subjective) guide to Palmetto Superfoods.

Palmetto Superfoods is known for its bowls. When I visited for the first time, I opted to build my own concoction rather than try one of their pre-selected combinations. But if you’re completely new to smoothie bowls, I recommend trying one of their signature items. For breakfast, I’d recommend the “Bom Dia” A.M. Blend bowl, complete with açaí, coconut, chia pudding, and cinnamon steel-cut oats. While I haven’t personally tried this bowl because of my distaste for chia seeds, I can vouch for the other three main components. If you’re also moderately picky like I am, Palmetto Superfoods makes it easy to customize even their pre-selected bowls, so don’t be afraid to pick and choose what you want on it.

When building your own bowl, choose your bases wisely. Steel oats are hot, while the other bases are cold. Avoid mixing steel oats with traditionally cool flavors like Passion Orange Guava (P.O.G.), Mango, and Tropical Spirulina. Moreover, stick to four bases max; the more bases you have, the less of each you get. I usually opt for two: P.O.G. and Açaí. For nut butter proteins, I HIGHLY recommend Caotella. It’s like Nutella but thicker and supposedly healthier. It is 100% worth the 50-cent upcharge. Granola and toppings are pretty self-explanatory, and I don’t feel the need to share my go-tos and preferences. Play around and feel free to take anything off that you don’t like.

In addition to bowls, Palmetto Superfoods sells smoothies. From what I’ve tried, I am not a fan. My first Palmetto smoothie was the Blue Bondives, which tasted wonderful even though I normally dislike coconut. Unfortunately, the smoothie has granola, which gives it a strange, seedy texture. After throwing away my Blue Bondives, I ordered the Golden State Smoothie. Despite all its flavors, I could only taste the turmeric and coconut in the concoction. Most of Palmetto’s smoothies have coconut milk bases, which is good if you enjoy coconut. I don’t. Moreover, Palmetto Superfoods runs sweet. Their smoothies and bowls are more like desserts rather than meals, so take note when ordering your breakfast. It is worth mentioning that while I haven’t tried any of them, Palmetto has some protein-oriented items meant to be full meals.

With a new location in Old Town, Palmetto Superfoods is an ideal spot for a decadent lunch or an afterschool pick-me-up if you order strategically. Hopefully, this review opened your eyes (and taste buds) to the world of smoothies and bowls. Happy sipping!

(Source: Palmetto Superfoods)