By: Eilis O’Neil | Public Relations Coordinator
Bellevue Plaza’s newest addition is a new health food restaurant that serves energy teas, protein shakes, and protein coffees: Bellevue Nutrition, right next to Star Nail Salon and I M Sushi. As a college student, balancing a hectic workload and a healthy diet can be hard to do, so my roommate and I decided to give the new local business a try.
The indoor environment at Bellevue Nutrition is COVID-conscious, offering a nice getaway from campus to do some homework and study for finals. Employees and customers are required to wear their masks. All tables are socially distanced and a plexiglass barrier separates the counter space from the customers and the baristas.
A shake and tea are the default order for $10, and upgrading to a mega tea is $12. You can pick from an arrangement of flavors of shakes that range from ice cream, breakfast-inspired, berry-licious, sweets, and I ♥️ PB. The basic tea flavors are raspberry, lemon, peach, cinnamon, and chai, with an aloe add-on flavored with either mango or cranberry. Their specialty teas, also known as mega teas, are available upon request! There are many options to accommodate each customer’s favorite flavors.
Since this was our first experience, owner Tracy informed us about each “step” a customer takes when ordering, along with the nutritional benefits of the shakes and teas. My favorite thing about the teas is that they are caffeinated, but they aim for the adrenaline system rather than the nervous system so you do not get that caffeine crash as you would drinking a coffee, per se.
I decided to try the shake and mega tea combo. One of the shake flavors instantly caught my eye: “Dunkaroo,” which was one of my favorite childhood snacks. Taking that first sip was nostalgic for sure! My roommate got the cookie dough cheesecake and she said the first sip felt like she was in heaven. It was an amazing balance of both flavors in one, even with some whipped cream on the top.
The tea was my favorite part: it was so refreshing on such a gorgeous day when we went. It was a nice energy booster compared to a cup of coffee. The energy did last for the majority of the day, where I was able to fall asleep at a decent hour of the night. My roommate tried the tea that came in the $10 bundle, and her flavor was lemon with mango aloe. She thoroughly enjoyed it.
Both the teas and shakes were the perfect size and the perfect amount of everything. I love the opportunity I have to go grocery shopping and stop in for a tea and shake combo whenever! This will definitely be a new staple when I come back in the fall.
