Smash Cafe: Fresh Food At Your Fingertips

One thing I’ve noticed about Colombia is they really love their juices and fruits. If you walk down the street of almost any city (including Medellin) you will run into a street vendor. But, Smash takes its food and drinks to another level. 

Anyone from the East Coast and West Coast of the USA will be familiar with shops such as Playa Bowls. These blended fruit bowls are a staple along the shore back home in New Jersey. 

If you’re missing this fresh goodness, you’ll love Smash. Smash Cafe offers blended fruit bowls and so much more. Let’s take a deep dive into the menu of this delicious cafe. 

What to Eat at Smash Cafe? 

While you’re enjoying your stay at the Soul Lifestyle Hotel you will likely notice the cafe in the lobby. This Cafe serves fresh and healthy foods and various brewed beverages such as teas and coffee. 

I first tried Smash Cafe on my second day at Soul Lifestyle. I woke up feeling rather groggy and went to the lobby to get myself some hotel coffee. But, behind me, I heard a blender going off and my interest was piqued! 

I was so tired the day before that I somehow missed the nice little cafe in the corner of the lobby. So, I made my way over there and checked it out. My first thoughts were that the espresso shots they were pulling at that moment smelled excellent.

However, that was just the tip of the iceberg. There was so much more to be discovered!

Deep Dive into the Smash Menu

What to eat at Smash Cafe depends a little on your preference and mood. They serve a large variety of dishes, most inspired by fresh and clean eating. Here are a couple of my top picks on the menu.

Smoothie Bowls

My very first food at Smash Cafe was the Golden Smoothie bowl. I was attracted to this dish because they had banana and mango blended together. I knew at a glance that this bowl would be a favorite of mine. 

This is a photo of my dish and I must say you feel a little guilty digging in. As you can see, the aesthetic of the bowl is simply stunning.

They also have an acai bowl on the menu. This bowl incorporates the nutty flavor of the acai with chocolate protein powder. It’s topped with fresh fruit and coconut flakes.

The tropical bowl was also a favorite of mine. It blends pineapple and papaya and is topped with strawberries and mangos. Each bowl combines chia seed and vegan granola, which I really enjoyed.

Burgers for Vegetarians, Vegans, and Carnivores

Now on to the best dishes for any omnivores in your life. Smash Cafe offers some of the best burgers and wraps. But they don’t serve your traditional burger. Rather, they incorporate fresh flavors into this traditional dish. 

They currently offer two varieties of vegan burgers: the spicy and the original. This may not be meat, but my meat-loving boyfriend certainly found them satisfying. Or, you can always go for the salmon burger made with ground salmon meat and quinoa. According to my boyfriend, this one was also great. 

I personally really loved the vegan spicy burger topped with the avocado mayo. I didn’t expect something so fresh and unique in Colombia. 

For the health-conscious, all of these burgers contain high amounts of protein and nutrients. They are topped with fresh tomatoes and kale.

Wraps at Smash

There are tons of wraps on the menu, but my favorite was the vegan wrap, which incorporates semi-moist falafel. Those are mixed with passion fruit vinegarette and fresh veggies.

In terms of other wraps, both the chicken and salmon wraps tasted very fresh and were great for a light lunch. One thing I’ve noticed about the fish in Colombia is that it tastes very fresh. Despite being from New Jersey (next to the ocean) I never had fresh Salmon, it’s always been frozen.

The chicken wraps come in a spinach wrap and the salmon wrap is made with a whole wheat wrap. The chili mayo on the salmon wrap really pairs well with the saltiness of the salmon.

The Bowls

For those looking for a whole food dish, the various bowls at Smash Cafe in Medellin are ideal. These bowls incorporate protein, rice or salad, various vegetables, and sauces. They do have vegan and vegetarian proteins, but there are also some delicious meat-based bowls.

The options include a salmon mango bowl, the Smash Bowl (which incorporates grilled chicken), and a vegan bowl. In my vegan bowl, I had their falafel paired with sauteed rice accompanied by yellow peppers, zucchini, and garlic oil.

Smash Salads

Do you want something a little light, yet satisfying? Smash offers a convenient “build your own” salad that starts with the base of mixed lettuce. You can then select from a list of tasty toppings including grilled chicken, curry tofu, various cheeses, and more.

If you don’t feel like doing the leg work though, there are four delicious premade salads to choose from. They offer a classic Ceasar salad that many from Jersey would love. It’s just like the ones you’d find in a healthy salad bar back home.

The salad I personally recommend is the Super Green Salad. This salad contains mixed lettuce paired with green apple, pepper, blueberries, and a sweet basil vinegarette with honey mustard. I got this one three times during my stay.

Toasts and Bagels at Smash 

Smash Cafe offers toasts and Bagels all made with multigrain breads, but with different toppings.

They have one which is aptly named the gringa. This toast comes with avocado spread (of course!) topped with bacon, tomato, and spinach. This toast is tasty, not overwhelming, and very satisfying. 

I personally prefer a lighter breakfast, however. So my toast of choice while at Soul was the Classic. This is a simple multigrain toast topped with avocado spread, salt, pepper, and a little lemon and olive oil. To me, it paired perfectly with their macchiato (which we will get to!).  

The bagels come in familiar flavors from plain to everything bagels. You can customize whichever you choose! They offer marinated salmon, feta cheese, and/or fried, scrambled, or hard-boiled eggs! But, I personally recommended the banana peanut butter bagel for special mornings-yum!

Pancakes

The pancakes at Smash Cafe are light and fluffy with a huge selection of flavoring and ingredients. They have avocado pancakes and chocolate protein pancakes.

Their vegan chocolate protein was not grainy like most vegan protein powders I’ve tried to make pancakes with. And, the flavor really pairs well with the bananas, blueberries, and Greek yogurt that you can top them with.

The avocado pancakes definitely feel more decadent, since the avocado makes the pancakes feel somewhat creamy and fluffy. These pancakes are served with chocolate chips, strawberries, bananas, and toasted almonds. Just be sure to order your breakfast before 12 pm each day!

The Snacks 

The snack I enjoyed the most was the pita bread and hummus. Their hummus is really awesome, and I believe they make it in-house. It adds so much flavor and creaminess in their dishes.

Another good choice is their guacamole, which is homemade and full of flavor. I enjoyed eating this along with their tortillas when I was working in our suite.

The tacos made a great afternoon snack. They have chicken, tofu, and salmon with chili mayo. All of them were great, but my personal favorite was the tofu with curry.

Desserts

Smash Cafe offers amazing brownies that are rich and gooey. If you have a sweet chocolate craving, these brownies will absolutely satisfy you. They also have a vegan chocolate mousse. This mousse is creamy and rich just like the originals, even though it is vegan!

Other desert options include an exotic avocado lime cheesecake. Don’t forget to add a scoop of chocolate gelato on the side.

The Drinks at Smash Cafe

Whew! That was a lot to get through. Now that you’ve taken a look at some of the solid things on the menu, let’s move on to the beverages.

Buckle up because there’s a lot to cover!

Juices

If you’re looking for something cleansing and tasty first thing in the morning, check out their juices. These a freshly squeezed beverages made with veggies and herbs.

I enjoyed the Youngblood blended juice. This is made with beetroot and carrots with a little kick of ginger and the sweetness of apples. I really loved this before a workout, but my all-time favorite for starting my day was the King’s Green.

This was a delicious blend of kale, cucumbers, and celery. I think the celery is the taste that stuck out the most in the drink, but not in a bad way. It was a super refreshing beverage!

Other Drinks

My all-time favorite drink was definitely the peppermint lemonade. But, my boyfriend would disagree. He was partial to their coconut lemonade.

Their coconut lemonade is made with sweetened lemonade mixed with coconut cream or milk. This creates a surprisingly creamy, tangy beverage that reminds me a little bit of a creamsicle, but with lemon instead of orange.

They also have great sodas and bottled drinks. I recommend you try the iced tea known as Hatsu if you’d rather try a bottled beverage.

Smash Smoothies

I really love a good smoothie, and Smash Cafe doesn’t disappoint. If you want something exotic, give the vanilla date smoothie a try. Dates really make amazing smoothies with a sweet undertone and little chunks that taste a lot like candy.

I used to get a similar smoothie from my local Whole Foods. So, if you enjoy the date smoothies from Whole Foods, you’ll love this one!

But, if it’s your first time in Medellin, definitely get the “Welcome to Colombia”smoothie. This is a great blend of local fruits along with honey.

Coffee

In terms of the coffee, the espresso was amazing, which to me is the true test of every coffee shop. The closest comparison (although not nearly as good) is the blonde roast espresso from Starbucks.

My absolute favorite coffee beverage is the iced latte with almond milk while my boyfriend’s favorite was the mocha latte. He would get this with lactose-free milk. This was one of the best parts of this cafe-they have a milk type for almost every preference or need.

If you’re looking for American drip coffee, I would recommend the Americano. For those unfamiliar with the Americano, it is basically a drip coffee made with espresso shots and hot or cold water. For iced Americanos the shots are typically queed over ice and with a little cold water.

If you’re more of a tea drinker, they offer golden milk lattes, matcha lattes, and chai lattes. I really loved their matcha. It’s much more traditional and comes unsweetened.

Start and End Your Day Right With Smash Cafe

I really can’t recommend this cafe enough to anyone visiting Medellin. It has a fresh, open-air feel with a nice patio for enjoying your food. If you’re staying at Soul they will actually bring your food to your room once it’s done.

Plus, their staff can all speak English and if you need help navigating the menu, don’t be afraid to ask!

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