San Diegans love to dig into their favorite sweet and healthy treat: açaí bowls. What looks like a smoothie in a bowl adorned with granola and fruit is actually a Brazilian superfood packed with antioxidants that’ll fuel you at any time of day. Let’s take a look at some of San Diego’s hot spots for these addicting, healthy concoctions.
Nekter Juice Bar
Photo courtesy of Bicky Lenh
Located in La Jolla, Nekter Juice bar dishes out açaí bowls that are massive, a bang-for-your-buck, and totally delicious. They offer a variety of different types of açaí bowls here, with toppings ranging from pineapple to coconut flakes and peanut butter. For beginners, I’d recommend the banana berry bowl (a simple blend of açaí, topped with granola, fruit, and a hint of agave).
Juice Crafters
Photo courtesy of @denizorbay on Instagram
If you’re a health nut that preaches organic and all-natural produce, Juice Crafters is the place to go. Their açaí bowls are large enough to replace a meal — seriously, when you get one, you’ll find yourself holding a bowl of healthy, delicious goodness the size of your face. Their açaí blend isn’t as sweet as that of other places, which proves their motto of no added sugars.
Juice Kaboose
Photo courtesy of @captainmorgan810 on Instagram
Blended with soy milk or apple juice, açaí bowls from Juice Kaboose have a smoothie consistency and are topped with a large portion of crunchy flax seed granola and a huge pile of fruit (enough to be a fruit salad on its own). Portion size is not an option at Juice Kaboose — they don’t serve their açaí in bowls, but in large cylindrical tubs that are be meant for soup. You can also add extra toppings, such as mangoes, chocolate chips, and pineapples.
The Mad Beet
Photo courtesy of themadbeet.com
Located in Pacific Beach, The Mad Beet has an incredibly large menu with funky names for their açaí bowls, such as the Beyonca and Bananas Foster The People. All of their bowls are made with a sorbet-like açaí blend and topped with an assortment of toppings, including fruits, nuts, and nut butters.
If a bowl can’t do you justice, how about eating your açaí bowl in a cantaloupe? Order the Cantaloupe Fiasco and you’ll be getting your healthy dose of açaí, plus another three servings of fruit from half of a cantaloupe.
Whole Foods Market, La Jolla
Photo by of Sandra Shu
Whole Foods, La Jolla has EVERYTHING for any kind of diet known to mankind. Hidden in the corner of the store is their juice bar, which serves up açaí bowls that keep me coming back. Their açaí bowls use an açaí blend from the company Sambazon, which tastes like a sorbet.
You can customize your bowl with different toppings, including cacao nibs and goji berries. I always go for a more traditional route and top my bowls with their pumpkin, flax seed granola, bananas, berries, and a swirl of honey.