This bustling shopping center in Forest Acres has a new restaurant. What to know
There’s a new spot for smoothies, acai bowls, wraps and more in a bustling shopping center along a high-traffic road in Forest Acres.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe, which has locations across the U.S., recently opened a new spot at 4711 Forest Drive in Forest Acres near Columbia. That’s in the shopping center that is anchored by a Lowes Foods supermarket and includes a host of other businesses, including an Eggs Up Grill, Lillian’s restaurant and more.
“Need a smoothie and acaí bowl fix?” the city of Forest Acres queried in an April 23 Facebook post touting the cafe’s opening. “Tropical Smoothie has you covered! Plus, sandwiches, wraps, quesadillas and more.”
The city’s social media post also offered “three cheers” for the fact that Tropical Smoothie’s opening marked the third new restaurant debut in recent weeks in Forest Acres. Other recent debuts include the opening of Jimador Real Mexican restaurant, also in the shopping center at 4711 Forest Drive, and Chopt Creative Salad Co., which has a new location at 4840 Forest Drive in trendy Trenholm Plaza.
There are more than 1,700 Tropical Smoothie Cafe locations nationwide, according to data website ScrapeHero. There are more than a half-dozen locations in the general Columbia and Lexington area.
The menu at Tropical Smoothie Cafe includes, as you might imagine, a number of smoothies, including fruit blends, super veggie smoothies and fusion offerings. The restaurant also offers acai bowls, wraps, flatbreads, and more.
The new Forest Acres Tropical Smoothie is along the busy Forest Drive stretch that includes scores of restaurants, stores, apartments, offices and more. About 27,000 cars per day travel down that section of Forest Drive, per SC Department of Transportation data.
This story was originally published April 27, 2026 at 11:38 AM.
