Nektar Juice Bar

By far the best spot on campus to get a fresh juice or smoothie. Super friendly staff and they are always super helpful. You can’t go wrong with starting your day off here at Nekter.

Meh… it’s not that the food or service here is bad in my opinion, but I can’t get past some of the prices. A large smoothie is 8 dollars?
An orange crush, as stated from the online site is made «with an orange juice base, strawberry, and agave nectar blended with ice». What on earth is making this drink 8 dollars? Orange juice, some strawberries and agave nectar has me paying as much for a full lunch in a cup?
I just feel like it’s really over priced for what’s been served in regards to smoothies.
My service was great and surprisingly it wasn’t ridiculously busy when I arrived. Also ordering a smoothie is pretty fast and my order was out far sooner than I expected. The smoothie I got (berry burst) was certainly satisfying for the sweet cold drink I wanted, but forking over 8 dollars made me cringe a bit. The convenience of a smoothie shop on campus is great, but I can’t fathom coming here that often to fulfill my want for a nice refreshing drink.
I’m glad I visited, but I’ll definitely keep my visits here to a minimum.

5 stars for the friendly staff! I finally realized that there was not enough money in my USC card and he just charged me less for kindness! I am so grateful for that! Next time I will bring my thankfulness and pay back for the rest of money~ You really make my day guys~

The acai bowls are yummy, but customer service is lacking. If you ordered through an app like tapingo they will not call you no matter how long you and your food just stand there.

Slow. After you order, be prepared to wait. And wait. The acai bowl was decent, but not worth the long wait.

NEVER WANT TO COME HERE AGAIN. Service is so bad and they always forget orders. Waited for half an hour and they don’t even bother asking me why isn’t my order done yet. Waste of my time

On a good day, 5 stars, on a bad day, 1 or 2 stars.
When the line gets long, the quality goes really down. The acai bowls become watery and sometimes even inedible because it’s made improperly. But, when there’s not line, the bowls and the juices are how they’re supposed to be, and great.
If you’re not sure what to get, just get the Trojan Bowl. I like the Pitaya bowl and the acai bowl too, but not the pb bowl because it just tastes like peanut butter and jelly. The bowls feel like a light lunch, or a snack.
As for juices, I only tried the flamingo and it’s fine. Not really a taste you’ll crave but if you ever feel down and like you need something to help you feel like you’re eating healthy, chug down one of the juices.
Otherwise, nah.

The Nektar on campus is a hit or miss, but with a higher likelihood of a miss. Since the employees work for USC and not the actual Nektar company, they do not seem to have the proper training to make all of the menu items.
That being said, I’ve tried all of the açai bowls they offer. The Trojan bowl is my favorite, and I like it with kale and spinach added in. The PB bowl is second, but can be overloaded with peanut butter, making it too thick to eat all of it. The pineapple in the tropical is too acidic and hurts my mouth after eating it. The bowls I have had ranged from too watery/​soupy to way too thick, or they have too much granola and almost no fruit on top.
This Nektar is very inconsistent and usually makes subpar açai bowls. If you are looking for an açai bowl/​smoothie around USC campus, I would recommend Amazebowls instead. (Or to check out the Nektar in Westwood or Santa Monica if you’re in those areas).

I think this place is a little over-​rated but could just be me. I came here for their acai bowls because Amazebowls was closed that day and decided to compare the two. The line was already outside the door so my friend and I did Tapingo and there was a 15 minute wait. Not a problem, so we sat outside until my number was called.
But when I stepped inside 15 minutes later, there was chaos in the kitchen. There was only one person working on the acai bowls’ fruits (and there is always a demand for these), one person blending the acai, and one person doing the juice. No one but the acai bowl fruit person looked busy but the others didn’t look like they were helping either. I asked if my order was taken and they said yes and that my bowl was in the back. My friend’s order came about 5 minutes after so I thought mine would be out soon as well. But they kept calling other peoples’ names and despite asking several times if they had forgotten my order, they said no. I ordered a Tropical Bowl and my friend got the Trojan Bowl. I saw several Trojan Bowls made and even PB Bowls. I waited another 20 minutes to get mine, totaling up to a 35 minute wait just for my bowl. And not only did I get my bowl super late, bur they didn’t even make a Tropical Bowl for me! The person said «Oops I accidentally put blueberries instead of pineapples… is that ok?» I didn’t mind as much because at this point I just wanted my bowl but to wait that long only to get the same bowl as everyone else who ordered after me made me a little ticked off.
Needless to say, I don’t see myself walking all the way over to Nektar again just to get an acai bowl. I would rather go to Amazebowls.

I frequent LA to visit friends and family and love to get a good juice when I travel to help detox and just feel a bit healthier after all of the dining out. I’ve been to a handful of places in the LA area but love nektar! It’s really consistent and I even went three times in my four days here.
I got a classic greens juice made fresh without cilantro. They have a bottled version but I prefer the freshly juiced one with the most nutrients still available before the cold press. It was so delicious that I went back to get it again!
My friend got a pink flamingo smoothie that had pitaya (dragon fruit) and it was really light and not overwhelmingly filling as some smoothies are.
Second time, another friend got a berry banana smoothie which was also good but not to my liking. Different strokes for different folks!
Third time, I got a pb acai bowl which was AWESOME! I loved it. I make these all of the time at home and just couldn’t get enough. I’m wishing I could have one now…

The staff is super friendly, kind, quick at getting orders done. Love this nektar! Even when it gets busy line moves quick because the staff are so efficient! 5 stars!:)))

This is one of the best spots around the area for fresh juice, fruit bowls and all the healthy stuff, all prepared fresh right in front of you by a very friendly staff! This is personally my favorite place inside USC campus. USCArchitecture won’t be the same without these guys!

Perfect place for a fresh juice! The staff is great, very attentive and friendly! Everything is prepared in front of you. Sometimes takes a while, but it is the price of getting everything so fresh!

Really love this place! Always good stuff, awesome juices and most specially, great staff! Ray, Alex, Andrew and everyone else — literally, everyone — is always ready to serve you with a smile on the face.
I feel lucky to have this place in the building I study, because even if it were across the whole campus to me, I’d still visit it frequently!

I am happy to study where Nektar is located. To get coffee and healthy snacks for the day.
The service is always helpful and friendly and is made better by the efficient and well prepared Ray, who is always doing his best to manage the juice bar when it gets a little crowded.

Acai bowls are pretty good, but I’m glad I don’t work there. General manager seems like an asshole. It’s also more on the expensive side, but you’re paying for better ingredients.

The woman behind the counter was literally screaming my name once my order was complete. Not once. Not twice. Not three times. FIVE MOTHERFUCKING TIMES!
PAUL! PAUL! PAUL! PAUL! PAUL!
Whoa there, Nelly, I’m like right here: there’s no reason to scream at me like I just left my baby stroller in front of an oncoming locomotive.
The last time a woman screamed out my name like that was…
Well, truth be told, never.
How do so many yummy sounding ingredients combine to make the most bland tasting concoctions? It’s a bit like USC itself: one of the most diverse campuses in the world, and yet somehow more white bread than a fro-​yo shop in Westwood.

Be prepared to wait 20 minutes!
It’s loud and chaotic. Portions are inconsistent. The juices and smoothies aren’t bad, but this place is poorly laid out. I ordered the PB Bowl and it came less than half full. There were two sad slices of strawberries peeking out under a mountain of granola. So disappointing! Try the Amazebowls truck instead, if you’re looking for a healthy bowl.

So hard to find if you aren’t familiar with the campus it’s in the architecture school

Very convenient location at USC near the architecture school. The acai bowls and the smoothies are great and way better than Jamba Juice