10 Must Try Acai Bowls in NB
Acai berries contain antioxidants, fiber and heart-healthy fats known to provide energy, strengthen the cardiovascular system, promote good skin, prevent aging, and suppress the growth of cancer. Acai is considered a superfood because it has more antioxidants than any other commonly eaten berries, like cranberries, blueberries and strawberries. It is a delicious and healthy way of life here in California, and especially so in Newport Beach where the choices are endless.
The Lee family started Al Cappuccino Coffee House in 2002 but sold the business years later, only to return again after the shop was abandoned by the previous owner. It took a while for old customers to realize that the Lee family was again running the coffee house, and after a slow start, Al Cappuccino Coffee House has since seen a resurgence of old customers coming back for the bagels and acai. The Sambazon acai here is served in a cup topped with your choice of soy milk or apple juice, vanilla granola and fresh bananas. It is meant to be eaten with a spoon and is one of the coffee house’s best sellers! Highly popular with the locals.
Founder Joe Bard, a huge surfing enthusiast takes every opportunity to nourish surfers by serving his acai bowls at surf competitions. The Newport Beach location is the company’s newest installation, sitting in a prime location on 22nd Street just steps away from the beach. Banzai Bowls prides itself in using the best ingredients with no fillers. Everything is served in its purest form, for example, all the honey and bee pollen is sourced from a local beekeeper that they’ve been using since they first opened. At Banzai Bowls, there are eight acai bowls to choose from including the signature Banzai Bowl with your choice of apple juice or soy milk, papaya, banana, a variety of berries, bee pollen and coconut shreds.
After a visit to Hawaii where Brandon Beazer and his father-in-law, Dan McCormick, fell in love with acai bowls, and thereafter, set out to create recipes that sit on Bowl of Heaven’s menu today. Founded in OC in 2010, Bowl of Heaven’s goal is to create a healthy casual concept where they’re able to delight and nourish their customers. But it’s a lot more than that. For example, the Red Zinger came to fruition because a customer couldn’t eat strawberries, but wanted a delicious and nutritious acai bowl, so Dan and Brandon spent months trying to perfect a tart and tangy recipe comprising raspberries, blueberries, mango, and pineapple, combined with the company’s proprietary Maq 7: a juice blend developed with 7 exotic super fruits to enhance the nutrition of each bowl and smoothie you order. There is no dairy or added sugars. Stop by Newport North Shopping Center and check out the personalized service Bowl of Heaven offers.
Wanting to commit to advocating an organic lifestyle, three like-minded individuals came together to found KRISP Fresh Living, to create products for optimum health. The trio hired nutritionists and chefs to develop a line of nutritionally balanced products for KRISP. At KRISP you can choose from a variety of six bowls including Berry Orchard which blends cold-pressed apple juice, frozen acai, blueberry, strawberry and banana. Other options include Pink Himalayan, Greens Blend, Cacao Bliss, Lime Cabana, Pitaya Guava.
My Galley is a quaint little café nestled within a residential neighborhood several blocks from the Fun Zone on Balboa Blvd. The café offers both indoor and outside seating, and is a perfect spot to stop and grab some acai while walking your dog – My Galley is dog friendly! The café opens early, at 6am, so if you’re craving a healthy, simple acai breakfast, the one here is a smoothie with a mix of acai, bananas, strawberries and apple juice topped with granola. Sip it, or spoon it, either way, it’s a great boost to start your day off right.
Founded in Orange County by Steve and Alexis Schulze, Nekter Juice Bar is now a household name in southern California. Its Corona del Mar location off PCH is just one of 56 corporate and franchise locations in five states. Nekter acai bowls uses only natural, fresh, whole ingredients – never any refined sugars or processed foods. Starting with 100% organic, unsweetened acai (or pitaya) fruit is added for natural sweetness and blended with raw sprouted cashew milk (made fresh every day at each of the locations), or unsweetened coconut water. The bowls are topped with hempseed granola, fresh fruit, coconut flakes, and a touch of agave nectar. The Acai Banana Berry Bowl consists of acai, strawberry, blueberry, banana, and housemade cashew milk blended together and topped with hempseed granola, fresh strawberry, blueberry, banana, and agave nectar. Or, choose the brand new Acai Superfood Bowl which packs even more energy and immunity-boosting superfood ingredients such as spinach, kale, chia seeds, goji berries, cacao nibs, hemp hearts, and bee pollen.
Founded in 2014 by peninsula locals, Newport Coffee Company is a vision based on a life-long dream of building a quaint, exceptional coffee shop for all to enjoy. Located just steps from the ocean in front of Newport Pier, you can grab a morning acai bowl after a run, or as you are leisurely enjoying the view.
The acai bowl is topped with hempseed granola, sliced bananas, strawberries, blueberries & honey. Or alternatively, you can choose the acai smoothie which consists of acai blended with mixed berries, banana & apple juice.
PorroVita’s founder Chase Bray wanted to find a way to share his love of feeling energized and motivated after drinking healthy juices. In fact, the idea came to him after a week-long juice cleanse where he felt so clear-headed he wanted to share it with the world. Well, in Newport Beach at least. Located on the corner of PCH and 30th Street, PorroVita means “long life” in Latin and everything on the menu reflects that philosophy. The acai bowls here are all topped with granola, coconut flakes and fresh fruit depending on the one you choose. The Kona includes strawberries and raspberries, while Berried Alive adds blueberries to the mix. Hulk is an even healthier version with spinach and kale and if you’re a fan of pitaya, Dragon Bowl is sure to please.
Sambazon was founded in California by three surfers after a trip to the Amazon in 1999. Wanting to make a product economically beneficial from and for the Amazon, Sambazon uses only hand-harvested acai and provides over 10,000 jobs to the locals and preserves countless acres of rainforest while doing so. Need any more reason to add this tiny, powerful purple berry to your diet? Didn’t think so! The acai bowls at Sambazon are always organic, fair trade, and GMO-free ingredients sustainably sourced in the Brazilian Amazon. Try Açaí Berry + Guaraná, packing powerful antioxidants and healthy omegas.
The Urban Dictionary lists “Sejuiced” as the act of seducing someone with the offer of juice. At Corona del Mar’s Sejuiced Superfood Juice Bar, the seduction clearly goes way beyond juice. Owner Kelly Meeker and her husband are CdM locals and are extremely proud of the organic-only produce offered at Sejuiced. The shop located next door to Summer House on PCH offers a menu packed with superfoods to include into your healthy lifestyle. The acai bowl here is named The Warrior Bowl, comprising organic acai with banana, strawberry, pineapple, and sprouted almond milk. It is simple, yet nutrient dense to help you combat the rest of your day, or just to replenish after a strenuous workout, but best of all, everything is strictly organic.
