Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

One more juice bar

It turns out that Grantville has a very good juice and torta shop with spicy sweets and tostilocos to boot!

Just when you think that all the juice has been drunk, the smoothies sipped, and tortas nibbled, another option in the vast panoply of Mexican juice bars reveals itself. This time, it’s Tropical Fruit Paradise on Friars Road. And damn if it doesn’t have some outright awesome qualities.

The torta selection lists a few meat-stuffed novelties for $6.99 each. The “Cubano” sandwich has a breaded cutlet, ham, a fried egg, chorizo, cheese, and vegetables. “La Raza” has chiquen (best sensical misspelling ever!), ham, and cheese. They even have “pierna,” which is some kind of braised pork leg in a sauce that tastes of sweetness and raisins. The bread underperformed--too sweet and somewhat unfulfilling--but the metric ton of meats and cheeses got the job done nonetheless.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/nov/14/35447/

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/nov/14/35448/

I should definitely mention that they have tostilocos, which are de rigeur on the other side of the frontera but not quite so commonplace up here.

Juices are all pretty awesome. “A+ Circulation” enamored with a pineapple and celery combo, but the pears and oranges in “Weight Control” looked pretty amazing as well. Frosty smoothies were a bit more conventional, with lots of berries, bananas, and sweet fruits blended with ice. Prices on juices was average at $3.75 for a small and $4.99 for a large.

The did the fruit salads and escamochas that make me swoon, but the real joy was (of course) mangoneada and, a newer one on me, “chamarindo.” I had to try the latter, natch. It was a sweet, tamarind slushie laced with chamoy and served with a straw covered in a layer of spicy candy. Between the two, I think I prefer the version with mango because the fruit is so much sweeter. Tamarind already has a sour flavor, so it doesn’t create the memorable contrast with the chamoy. “Chamarindo” was still pretty rad, however, and I will definitely drink another one!

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/nov/14/35449/

10387 Friars Road
619-584-4786
M-Sat 9AM-7PM
Sunday 10-5

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Best Sports Betting Sites - 10 Online Sportsbooks Ranked for 2024

Best Sports Betting Sites (2024) - Reviews of TOP Online Sportsbooks

Just when you think that all the juice has been drunk, the smoothies sipped, and tortas nibbled, another option in the vast panoply of Mexican juice bars reveals itself. This time, it’s Tropical Fruit Paradise on Friars Road. And damn if it doesn’t have some outright awesome qualities.

The torta selection lists a few meat-stuffed novelties for $6.99 each. The “Cubano” sandwich has a breaded cutlet, ham, a fried egg, chorizo, cheese, and vegetables. “La Raza” has chiquen (best sensical misspelling ever!), ham, and cheese. They even have “pierna,” which is some kind of braised pork leg in a sauce that tastes of sweetness and raisins. The bread underperformed--too sweet and somewhat unfulfilling--but the metric ton of meats and cheeses got the job done nonetheless.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/nov/14/35447/

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/nov/14/35448/

I should definitely mention that they have tostilocos, which are de rigeur on the other side of the frontera but not quite so commonplace up here.

Juices are all pretty awesome. “A+ Circulation” enamored with a pineapple and celery combo, but the pears and oranges in “Weight Control” looked pretty amazing as well. Frosty smoothies were a bit more conventional, with lots of berries, bananas, and sweet fruits blended with ice. Prices on juices was average at $3.75 for a small and $4.99 for a large.

The did the fruit salads and escamochas that make me swoon, but the real joy was (of course) mangoneada and, a newer one on me, “chamarindo.” I had to try the latter, natch. It was a sweet, tamarind slushie laced with chamoy and served with a straw covered in a layer of spicy candy. Between the two, I think I prefer the version with mango because the fruit is so much sweeter. Tamarind already has a sour flavor, so it doesn’t create the memorable contrast with the chamoy. “Chamarindo” was still pretty rad, however, and I will definitely drink another one!

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/nov/14/35449/

10387 Friars Road
619-584-4786
M-Sat 9AM-7PM
Sunday 10-5

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.