Blendery, Jenkintown’s New Smoothie Shop

Blendery slipped onto Washington Lane with a soft opening this past November, promising real fruit blended and ready-to-order in many delicious forms such as hefty yogurt, açaí bowls, and, of course, smoothies.

 Their menu is speckled with variety, offering smoothies with flavors ranging from “Peach Wave,” to “Kiwi Cooler,” and for some reason, even “Carrot Sunshine” and “Beet Passion.” Prices land on the higher side for a quick snack, with standard smoothies being almost $7, açaí bowls running close to $12, and extra toppings adding $0.80; it’s easy to imagine trying every combo becoming a small project (and a hit to your wallet).

Owner Bottrakhem Kaing, who got his start in Philadelphia running food trucks like Sip & Smooth and P n’ S, keeps the focus on whole fruit and fast service. Kaing, who studied Management Information Systems at Temple University’s Fox School of Business, said, “Our focus is always the smoothies.” Despite graduating just last year, he has both trucks still rolling, now with Blendery as a permanent anchor.

I ordered the Blendery Mix, and it came out thick and silky, with no straggling ice bits. The flavor leans strawberry more than anything else, with the banana only coming in once the previous fruit’s taste had diminished. 

I sampled Golden Glow at the counter, and aside from the brain freeze, I think all the flavors work very well with each other in that smoothie. The texture felt real, unlike my first choice, whose blend had a mildly chalky consistency. 

The Blendery açaí bowl was cold, smooth, and tangy, with a base that stayed firm instead of melting into fruity mush. The fruit on top tasted fresh and the granola kept its crunch, so every bite moved from creamy to crispy in a very good way. 

Bowls come stacked and photo-ready. The açaí is cold and smooth, with granola that stays crunchy longer than expected, plus fresh fruit that actually tastes fresh. With nearly endless optional additives, the açaí bowls can start to get a bit… creative, starting with basic things like protein, but also sea moss, hemp seeds, and blue spirulina, an algae-born pigment extract.

While the endless customization is probably a blessing for people who know exactly what they want, the detailed menu combined with minimal spatial heating left me overwhelmed with choice, and cold.

The shop’s interior feels very modern, however the abundance of various plants and flowers help to dilute the shop’s corporate atmosphere. Hanging woven baskets filled with warm lights combined with the counter’s underglow gives the shop a unique, comforting feel. While this may just be a byproduct of its recent debut, much of the decor feels purposeful and artificial, and the heavily Instagram-tailored vine-covered-wall adds to the uncanny artifice.

Kaing started his occupational career working as a cashier for a Kentucky donut shop, which he claims much improved his “skills in customer service.”

Overall, Blendery lives up to its advertising: the fruit tastes real, and the plethora of options let you dial to perfection whatever you may want at that moment, provided you have an idea of what that actually is. Prices can be up there, but at least in my opinion, if you were to shop there, the extra cash for the sweet and tangy açaí bowls is well worth the overdraft fee.