Native to sunny Southern California, I have pretty high standards when it comes to smoothie/juice shops and açaí (pronounced ah-sah-EE) bowls. Craving to fill my empty heart (and stomach), I spent five days eating only açaí bowls to find the perfect spot. Here are the five best places I've tried—from worst to best.
Pure Green
I got the "Coconut Chia" with mango, pineapple, banana, açaí, and coconut water as base and granola, apple, blueberry, coconut flakes, and chia seeds as toppings. I don't like chia so I removed it, but there was nothing I could substitute. The base was thin, and there was too much coconut to even taste the açaí (or anything else). The staff was lovely and the interior was beautiful though!
Price: $8.57 (with 10% student discount & tax)
Address: 60 E 8th St, New York, NY 10003
Hours of Operation: 7am-9pm (Mon-Fri), 9am-7pm (Sat-Sun)
Liquiteria
I got the "Berry Crunch" with almond milk, almond butter, greek yogurt, and açaí as base with strawberries, banana, and granola as toppings. I got bee pollen instead of nut butter, and this açaí wasn't bad—it was just so small I should call it an açaí cup, not an açaí bowl. The amount of toppings was disappointing too. They also have a cup option, so that you can take the açaí on the go if needed.
Price: $7.84 (with 10% student discount & tax)
Address: 145 4th Ave, New York, NY 10003
Hours of Operation: 7am-9pm (Mon-Fri), 8am-7pm (Sat-Sun)
Juice Generation
I got the "Aloha Açaí" which has açaí, banana, and almond milk blended as base with strawberries, pineapple, banana, bee pollen, and hemp granola as toppings. They were happy to grant my personal request of subbing blueberries for pineapples, but the açaí base was too thin and watery. The bowl itself was pretty filling, and the toppings were great too.
Price: $11.92 (with tax)
Address: 28 E 18th St, New York, NY 10003
Hours of Operation: 7am-9pm (Mon-Fri), 8am-9pm (Sat-Sun)
beQu Juice
BeQu Juice has a standard açaí bowl with açaí, blueberries, strawberries, banana, and apple cider blended with granola on top. They also offer toppings for an additional cost- I got my bowl with blueberries and strawberries. The açaí base had pretty good texture, but needed more of the açaí taste and the granola was too hard and chunky at times.
Price: $10.16 (plus tax)
Address: 350 E 9th St, New York, NY 10003
Hours of Operation: 8am-7pm (Mon-Fri), 9am-7pm (Sat-Sun)
Agavi
By far the best deal with easiest customization! I got the "Tropical Açaí Bowl," which has organic açaí, banana, and almond milk blended with pineapple, banana, hemp granola, and coconut as toppings. I got mine with mango and strawberry instead of pineapple and banana. This is by far my favorite place, with super friendly workers, amazing açaí and smoothies, and convenient location!
Price: 9.00 (with 10% student discount)
Address: 72 E 7th St, New York, NY 10003
Hours of Operation: 8am-9pm (Mon-Fri), 9am-8pm (Sat), 10am-8pm (Sun)
Casual reminder that this ranking is solely based on my own personal tastes! I think it's great that there are so many options for açaí now in nyc, especially since most stores are willing to substitute ingredients to your liking. Although my favorite will always be Agavi, I encourage all of you to go and find your berry own favorite combination!