In 2014, two adventurous surfers, Abby Taylor and Robert Guiliani from New Jersey, opened their açaí (pronounced ah-sigh-ee) bowl shop in Belmar. Now, there are more than 170 locations across the country, including 10 stores in New York. One of these locations is Playa Bowls Nanuet, situated in the Shops at Nanuet. Opened in the summer of 2021, it has since gained popularity among Nanuet High School students for their vivacious variety of freshly-made juices, salubrious smoothies, and their famous açaí bowl. With an almost overwhelming assortment of sweet treats, a plethora of fruity and savory toppings and an array of interesting snacks, not to mention the beachy, care-free atmosphere, Playa Bowls is bringing the untroubled atmosphere of beach towns to the not-so-beachy hamlet that is Nanuet, New York.
For many, playa was the go-to on the beach, and once it arrived in Nanuet, it’s no wonder people associate their fond memories of the beach with one of their açaí bowls. Açaí bowls, being a common boardwalk treat, especially in the Jersey Shore, are often associated with the beach, vacations, and summer fun. Although Nanuet is no coastal town, the establishment has found tremendous success. So, what’s on the menu at Playa Bowls Nanuet?
What’s On The Menu
These bowls are a hot commodity, with a basic bowl costing $11 pre-tax and $0.99 for most toppings. The juices and smoothies are going to cost $6.99-$8.99. Some of their juices include the Mermaid Fuel, which mixes apple, kale, mint, and pineapple for a green yet fruity- apple-juice tasting concoction, and the orange-colored Dawn Patrol juice made of carrot, ginger, lemon and pineapple. Their smoothies include an earthy matcha smoothie to a protein-packed Dolce smoothie, with peanut butter, banana, and protein powder, to a classic strawberry-banana smoothie. For a grab-and-go option, they sell bottled juices, such as the Daylight Detox with its lemon and dragon fruit taste and the Blue Mermaid Wave, which is filled with lemon, simple syrup, and spirulina to give it a naturally blue appearance. They also sell potent elderberry and ginger shots, which aren’t meant to have the usual pleasant taste the rest of their food has but, rather, are densely packed with nutrients.
Besides the classic açaí bowl, other bowls include the coconut bowl, pitaya bowl, green bowl, and banana bowls, but there are also specialty bowls that make their smoothie bases out of other ingredients. This includes the Valentine’s Day special: the Stupid Cupid Bowl. Although this bowl was meant as a limited edition holiday item, it became so popular that it is now around all year long. It is made of a strawberry-banana base and adds bananas, strawberries, nutella, white chocolate, cacao nibs, coconut flakes, and granola for an uber-sweet, pleasantly pink and deliciously decadent bowl that has beat the odds to make its way to the top. This year, Playa Bowls learned from its previous success and introduced a new Valentine’s Day bowl: the Bae Bowl, made of half pitaya and half strawberry-banana base and topped with granola, strawberries, coconut flakes, and goji berries, and includes a secret sauce of sorts in the form of white chocolate drizzle “infused” with pitaya to make it a perfect shade of pink. The other specialty bowl is the Booster Bowl with its ultra-creamy base made of banana, peanut butter, vanilla protein powder, spirulina, flax oil, and cashew milk that, oddly, tastes somewhat like cookie dough despite its green hue. A new addition to the Playa Bowls menu is the mango bowl with a unique orange base. Can’t decide between two different bowl bases? Don’t worry – Playa Bowls also allows you to split your bowl into two different bases, so you don’t have to choose between pitaya or coconut. Talk about an overwhelming amount of options.
If you’re gung ho on making Playa Bowls at home but can’t seem to find the right taste, don’t worry: the store sells their blueberry flax granola by the pound along with their honey. And, if you’re a caffeine addict, they also make lots of lattes from their “New Orleans Style” coffee concentrate made from chicory. They can also blend their coffees into a smoothie. One inedible but irreplaceable perk from Playa Bowls is their adorable stickers that are free with purchase and are rotated based on the season and holidays. The stickers are high-quality and make great water bottle decals or laptop decorators.
To accrue points and potentially save money on your order, just create an account, punch in your phone number and you’ll get points every time. Unlike some coffee chains that seem to take years to accrue enough points for one free pump of syrup, Playa points stack up pretty quickly. Also, they often have promos for double points and send texts to notify customers of discounts.
Convenience and appeal
The transparency in knowing each ingredient in your food can be refreshing in an era of fast food prevalence. The bowls are made fresh right in front of you. I’ve noticed in recent visits that they’ve gotten the wait times down considerably and that, sometimes, bowls are out in a minute or less. At this point, sometimes a stop at Playa Bowls is actually faster than fast food.
Basically On The Beach: A Lesson In Interior Design
The atmosphere takes the coastal sense of the Playa Bowls brand to the next level. From surfboard-shaped wooden tables to the blue walls covered in beach-themed art, Playa Bowls has mastered the art of coastal design. Its menu is a spectacle, with gorgeous calligraphy and fun fonts spelling out every ingredient in each bowl. Photographs of piers and picturesque shores along with endearing paintings dot the walls. Care-free summer bops are always playing, which keeps the atmosphere upbeat and cheery. Sometimes, on the snowiest and dreariest of winter days, I find Playa Bowls to be a source of hope and a summery escape.
Overall
The atmosphere of the shop is simple: it’s a little beach for Nanuet, with a beautiful interior, and the multiplicity of food options leaves the store a resounding success at the Shops At Nanuet, where stores are notorious for closing as soon as they arrive on the scene.