When craving a fresh, healthy snack, Robeks in Naperville seems like the place to go. Unfortunately, this new, trendy juice bar’s prices and small portions didn’t blend.

Located in a strip mall along with many other quick service restaurants, the storefront is tiny. Parking is limited, and it was hard to find a spot.  Once inside the juice bar, customers are struck by the contrast of dim lighting and  brightly colored teal walls. Immediately, the store feels uninviting. 

When ordering at the register, the first thing to catch the eye is an allergen warning sign. With ingredients sharing the same blenders, juicers and cutting boards, cross contamination is a possibility. The Robeks staff was diligent about communicating possible allergens. 

Short countertops and clear partitions give patrons the opportunity to see the smoothie production process. The ingredients were kept in one cooler, separated in tupperware, but a lot of mixing of ingredients was visible. Overall, the counters were mostly clean and smoothie ingredients looked to be fresh. 

While there are places to dine, the tables are barely able to hold a meal. Robeks is known for its quick grab-and-go service, so dining-in is not encouraged. With four employees working and an empty store, the wait-time for two smoothies and two pieces of avocado toast was around 10 minutes.

The Pina Koolada smoothie was delicious. The pineapple flavor mixed with the creamy coconut is a match made in heaven.Made with mostly fresh fruit and nonfat frozen yogurt, the real star of the show is the pineapple sherbet. It made this smoothie the perfect tropical, summer treat 

If looking for a healthier option, this smoothie is the wrong way to go. A medium Pina Koolada smoothie is a whooping 340 calories. A small 12 ounce smoothie costs $5.29. 

Another winner is the Lean Green smoothie that offers a refreshing treat. The fresh cucumber stands out amongst the many other fresh ingredients, and the raw honey enhances the smoothie by giving it a bit of sweetness. Advertised as “low calorie”, a small smoothie is 160 calories and a large is 340. 

The smoothies were tasty but were gone in about 3 sips. The price point is way too high. A smoothie at Smoothie King can be found at the same price point for 20 ounces rather than Robeks 12. 

Robeks’s food options are very limited giving customers the choice between acai bowls and toasts. The acai bowls have many flavors to pick from including Acai Strawnana Berry, and Acai Tropical Mango. Each bowl costs $6.49. 

There are three different toast options including, Acai Almond Butter Toast, Classic Avocado Toast and Everything Avocado Toast. One piece of toast is $6.99. 

When it comes to the Everything Avocado Toast, the disappointment was overwhelming. It  features avocado and tomato with a blend of everything bagel seasoning on a thick slice of sourdough toast. The toast was bland, soggy and tasted like it had been sitting out for hours. Likewise, the avocado and tomato were room temperature and tasted far from fresh. Everything bagel seasoning usually packs a punch but seemed to add nothing to the toast. One small piece of toast will set you back $6.99.

Though somewhat tastier than the Everything Avocado Toast, the Acai Almond Butter Toast was not impressive. Sourdough toast topped with almond butter with a layer of acai Greek yogurt topped with sliced bananas, dried blueberries and honey sounds like a delicious, sweet snack, but it was still bland and definitely not worth the $6.99 price point. Once again, the toast was overly dry and barely toasted. The almond butter was good, but the yogurt and bananas weren’t cold and felt like they hadn’t been refrigerated. The dried blueberries didn’t really have a flavor and were pointless to the toast. 

If you are looking for a budget friendly snack, Robeks is not the place to go. Though the smoothies were delicious, small portions and high prices made the experience not worth it.