Miami's Original Expensive Smoothie Spot Is Gone for Good

Dr Smood, the original healthy smoothie and trendy sandwich shop in Miami with a sleek aesthetic (pre-Pura Vida Miami), and its sister café, Café Smood, have closed nearly a decade after first launching in the Magic City, shaking Miami's health scene forever.

The beginning of the end was near when on November 30, 2023, Dr Smood announced it had permanently closed its Sunset Harbour and South Miami locations. The brand also announced it had closed its Coral Gables location. "To our valued Sunset Harbor and South Miami customers: Today is our last day open," the company wrote on Facebook at the time. "We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all the years of loyalty. We will miss you!"

The last remaining Dr Smood was in Brickell, which has since closed. Dr Smood also had locations in New York City. (They have all since closed, as well.)

In 2023, Dr Smood transitioned to e-commerce to focus on health bars and organic pastas. This is also when the brand launched a new restaurant concept called Café Smood. It opened the first Café Smood at its flagship Wynwood location of Dr Smood in 2023, appealing to a crowd wanting an all-day café with a sit-down atmosphere, full menu, and even dinner options. (You can already imagine who was its biggest competitor.)

Unfortunately, this didn't last long. On August 31, less than a year after opening, Café Smood announced it closed its doors in Wynwood via an Instagram post to its followers.

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A post shared by Café Smood (@cafe__smood)

"We have a bittersweet announcement to make," begins the post. "We've loved creating a space for you to chill, sip, nourish, and connect with us, evolving from our previous fast-casual health food concept to a more cozy and personal sit-down vibe. But as much as we've enjoyed the journey, our Dr Smood packaged goods game is calling us to go all in."

The caption continues, "Café Smood was everything we had envisioned, and thanks to you, we built an amazing community. We wanted to test new ways of offering better-for-you food, and the reception was nothing but incredible! Now, it's time to double down and focus on bringing Dr Smood to even more people through our packaged products. Café Smood is closing its doors today, August 31, and this is the end of this wonderful chapter."

Fans of Dr Smood and Café Smood immediately took to the comments, with one writing, "I'm so sad. This place was my all-time favorite. Can I petition to not let this happen?" and others writing, "Damn, worst news ever" and "Oh, wow. So happy for the whole Smood team and extremely grateful for the clean and delicious food that Miami needed. This will forever be an OG spot!"

The Cultural Impact Dr Smood Had on Miami

Café Smood, which was formerly Dr Smood, was located at its flagship location along Northwest Second Avenue in Wynwood since December 2015, at the original turning point of Wynwood.

For those who witnessed the gentrification of Wynwood firsthand since 2011, you'll know the gravity and significance Dr Smood's closing of Café Smood has on the community.

When Dr Smood first opened during Art Basel week of 2015 in Wynwood, a cultural shift occurred. Panther Coffee had started the wave, but Dr Smood took Wynwood to a trendy — and expensive — place where people spent exorbitant amounts of money on a so-called healthy lunch or smoothie. It opened right before influencers even existed on social media (pre-2017) and way before TikTok.

Dr Smood was truly ahead of its time.
In 2015, Dr Smood was a brand-new café concept in Miami because it specialized in organic food and drinks (we only had overly processed Smoothie King before). Choosing locations like Wynwood and South Miami for its first build-out before heading to Sunset Harbour meant the smoothie shop was ahead of its time in Miami.

While the Denmark-based company didn't invent the healthy and bright fast-casual concept (it's been a big deal in Europe for years), Dr Smood brought its abundantly bright, natural, and light aesthetic with walnut wood slats on the ceilings, tiled concealed doors, Carrera marble countertops, and library millwork to Miami.

There is no doubt that it paved the way for Pura Vida Miami, Carrot Express, and other healthy spots in the city. While Pura Vida Miami first opened in 2012, before Dr Smood came onto the scene, its bright aesthetic and menu wouldn't be possible without the pioneer that came before it.

Dr Smood is now a fully e-commerce company with products being sold on drsmood.com.