Jamba Juice

This Jamba Juice has been at this location for awhile and I dont see it leaving anytime soon. The store is always clean, the customer service is great, and the smoothies are wonderful and healthy.
I went here today for lunch and aside my spending 30 minutes circling the parking lot looking for a spot, I had a great experience. I was greeted as soon as I walked in and asked if I needed any help. I ordered the fit and fruitful strawberry, banana, and raspberry smoothie. It was around six bucks for a small which is awfully pricy if you ask me. Jeez. Good thing I had a dollar off check-​in coupon! They make everything fresh so it took about five minutes before I got the smoothie but it was great. The high prices are the only negative about this place, but what do you expect for fresh and healthy?

Jamba Juice is what it is. Back when I was in college and worked at the Coconuts on the corner of Clark and Diversey, I had a regular lunch break rotation between Panera, Chipotle and Jamba Juice so I’ve imbibed more Jamba Juice in my lifetime than I probably should have.
I think I’ve been to one maybe 5 times since 2004 which doesn’t say much about my loyalty to them, probably because I have none.
After wandering around in downtown Naperville for a few hours, I decided I was thirsty and Jamba Juice was nearby so, that’s where I headed.
One of the things that always annoyed me about other locations is that they are always so damn crowded and you can’t hear anything over the roarrrrr of the blender things. How refreshing that I was the only customer in this one at the time.
Their menu kind of overwhelms me, the smoothies are always so complicated as in, so many ingredients. All I wanted was a damn peach flavored smoothie — so I asked for the most purely peach option possible with the least «other stuff» mixed in.
I think I ended up with a peach pleasure or passion or whatever. Ah, peach perfection is what it’s really called. The «all fruit» smoothie category. (I had to look that up)
It wasn’t bad, but I dunno.
I sat at a table outside for a couple of minutes after I left and watched a couple of foulmouthed skateboarding teenagers attempt tricks in the parking lot where signs stating «No Skateboarding» are more than clearly posted. I wanted to warn them that before they know it, they’ll be 30 too.

I am torn between giving this place two or three stars, since the real score cuts down the middle to 2.5. It’s just like finding a sweater you love. Size medium is too clingy and shows some parts you wish it didn’t, while size large is too generous and swamps the good bits and the bad bits more than it should.
Let’s start with the warm fuzzies. This tidy store in the heart of downtown Naperville is spic and span, full of bright, happy people who deserve to be on the cover of a health magazine promoting optimistic lifestyles. They belong in health commercials that tell you the value of wheatgrass. Unlike other shops, they rarely try to give you an upsale. I appreciate someone not asking me whether I want a fat blaster boost or a mood boost at 7:22 AM in the morning.
Jamba Juice’s location leaves a lot to be desired. Though downtown in the heart of things, it occupies the smallest shopping plaza in the area with an incredibly cramped, skinny lot that pretty much guarantees your paint finish or your bumper are in mortal peril. Whomever designed that lot thought your car was a Mini and had the turning circle of a Playskool or Micromachine. Mornings are clogged by Mommywagons and Porsche SUVs as yuppies run in to get their smoothie or Starbucks fix. I highly recommend trying to park further down Chicago or in the parking structure if you can, and make the desperate dash across Chicago hoping the other caffeine zombies don’t mow you down in their deprived fugue.
Lines are long but the Jamba staff cater to them pretty enthusiastically. Drink options are listed overhead with any number of combinations possible by adding a variety of boosts, additional fruits, and flavours. At the end of the day, I’m convinced you can rarely go wrong if it has strawberries in it. Unless you add wheatgrass, but then you’re just asking for it. Most of their 16 oz smoothies are very filling and carry the calorie counts for an average breakfast, 300 – 400 calories, without breaking the bank. I can sneak in and out without feeling too guilty.
Forget getting anything larger, though, if you are watching your waistline. Smoothies are not healthy drinking a lot of the time, and those empty calories really add up. One of my personal trainer’s favourite suggestions was reducing smoothie or fattening caffeine drinks to improve overall health. The largest sizes are definitely not for regular consumption! I also find that the ice gets really excessive. Make sure you ask them to go light on it if you try to avoid brain freezes.

Friendly Staff. Good location and my drink tasted perfect… although I can’t remember what it was, it was still great! I consider myself a sort of Jamba snob because I’ve been drinking it pretty much since they first started to get popular on the west coast, so around 8 years maybe?
Being away from the west coast, it was nice to have Jamba Juice especially when I hadn’t had it in a while. They made it perfectly here and I will be back if I am ever in Naperville.

Jamba Juice is a chain and they are pretty uniform from location to location. However, even businesses with a clear cut model have factors that can change the outcome. I love JJ with all my heart, but adding too much ice can turn a great smoothie into an alright smoothie. Nothing wrong with alright, but it’s just not great. You know what I mean! This place is OK. Our smoothies were good, but a bit too icy. It also didn’t help that the temperature wasn’t much higher than a fridge.

I love the smoothies I mean they are great. They are expensive as hell and unfortunately at this location the staff doesnt offer the best service. I am paying 6.00 for a smoothie… SMILE DAMN IT!!!

Quick and accurate service, long lines out the door.
Obligatory location ever since Java Juice closed a diagonal block away.
Your typical fare.