The grand opening of the new and long-awaited food spot, Natural!, has finally arrived as of Feb. 16.
The new food option located in the Ratcliffe Community Center on the Owings Mills campus serves anything from fresh fruit smoothies to food items like paninis, wraps, sandwiches and salads.
The smoothie bar is now open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. and Saturday through Sunday from 4-9 p.m.
I decided to go check it out on opening day.
My first order consisted of a strawberry-banana smoothie and a Cuban panini. For any food item, you simply grab it from fridges located to the side and then bring it up to the register.
The strawberry-banana smoothie, containing strawberries, banana, and orange juice, was sweet and leaned much more to the banana flavor.
Unfortunately, the panini press was not up and running, but the panini was still delicious.
I decided to give it another go around the following Monday.
This time I ordered the wild blueberry smoothie and another Cuban panini. This time they were able to heat the panini on the panini press which made it so much better.
The smoothie made with oat milk, blueberries, banana, ginger, pomegranate juice and chia seeds, was tart, but overall tasted as expected. I could tell that the staff were getting more comfortable with the space and placement of items because it was ready in half the time.
Natural! replaced the old apartment resident favorite, Jazzman’s, where you used to be able to quickly grab chips, ice cream, candy bars, or even microwave meals.
The slogan “we believe in a thing called fruit” now marks where students used to grab their indulgences.
“I really like it so far. I think that it’s a great addition to Stevenson’s dining, especially if you are a smoothie person,” said freshman Anna Willey. “There’s a wide variety so I’ve liked trying the new smoothies every time I go.”
I would say I have to agree.
I love a good smoothie and healthy food option, but I also wish I didn’t have to drive around the corner for something sweet. The prices are also fairly affordable for college students.
Natural! is a great solution as a new convenient and healthy option to grab a bite to eat on-campus.
