A brand new Playa Bowls “Acai Shop” opened this morning in Washington Township NJ, in the Tower Square shopping center located on Egg Harbor Road near the 5-points intersection. (Many know the center from the Village Pub)
This new Sewell location is owned by a Gloucester County family, Krissy and Greg… who with their three young girls are excited to be offering the delicious and healthy Playa Bowls product line to the Gloucester County community! Plus wait until you see how awesome the store’s interior is! You’ll be transported to the beach!
If you are unfamiliar, Playa Bowls’ signature items are bowls typically built around a frozen but smooth base fruit such acai berries, banana or coconut. The also offer smoothies and fresh juices.
For the bowls, after a base is chosen they are then then topped with a variety of other delicious flavors including bananas, strawberries, apple, blueberries, peanut butter, granola and even Nutella.
The combination of delicious frozen base and fresh sweet and healthy ingredients on top, really makes for a delicious treat and healthy meal that people eat throughout the year.
Playa Bowls is for everyone of all ages, but its also one of those places that has a fanatical following particularly with young adults. While it maybe newer to us older folks, trust me… for the under 30 crowd it’s well known and loved.
Just take your kids to the new Playa Bowls… they’ll love you for it!
Playa Bowls was founded in North Jersey and today has over 200 locations.
The brand’s tagline is “New Jersey’s original Acai Shop” which lets you know that the acai base is their signature product base.
The acai berry is renown for its vast range of energy-boosting, cell-healing, immune-stimulating properties. This berry is what got this whole party started! The purple berries are made into a delicious, lightly sweet smooth frozen base… which I would say is slightly thicker than a water ice base. More on that down below.
While I am focusing on the signature Acai Bowls, the menu is extensive and likely has over 50 different options.
Bowl Categories are; Acai, Green (Kale), Pitaya, Banana, Coconut, Chia Pudding, Oatmeal and a variety of special bowls. The also offer 11 different smoothies and 7 fresh juice options!
Playa Bowls Sewell – Locally Owned
As mentioned, the Sewell Washington Twp location is locally owned by a Gloucester County couple, Greg and Krissy!
I loved Greg’s line at the Grand Opening ceremony this morning “It’s like a 30 minute vacation every time you visit”
And when you visit the store you will realize he’s not exaggerating… as the interior design and decor of the store really is awesome, carrying a tropical beach theme throughout with amazing festive wall murals… which even has a big shoutout to the community!
I was fortunate enough to be invited to the Playa Bowls friends and family event last night and then I stopped in this morning for the Grand Opening. The event was hosted by the Washington Twp Chamber of Commerce and was also attended by the Township’s Council and newly appointed Mayor, Laurie Burns.
The entire family then cut the ribbon!
These are stories I really love writing because the owners are just regular Gloucester County people doing good things in life who decided to move into their own business.
The inspiration for owning a Playa Bowls started after a vacation to Puerto Rico, where they tried a variety of Acai bowls from local vendors. The flavors and experience stayed with them when they returned home… which led the couple to decide that Playa Bowls would be a great business opportunity for them in Gloucester County!
Supporting the community is important to the family, which is one of the bonus aspects that attracted them to Playa Bowls. Playa Bowls puts a significant focus on working with the community, and features fundraising opportunities and other benefits.
I was at Playa Bowls Sewell early this morning and left around 10:30am as they were getting ready for the official opening at 11:00 AM.
The couple also have three young girls who were also on hand to help out at Mom and Dad’s Playa Bowls Grand Opening, handing out drinks to some of the over 150 people who were there waiting in line for the opening!
Festive balloons were set up out front, a DJ was playing outside and a henna tattoo artist was getting ready (although I’m not sure how long the tattoo artist and DJ will be there).
Tell Me More, What is Playa Bowls and Acai?
So I’ve already described how the signature bowls are first started with a base of a smooth but frozen product such as acai, coconut, banana, or other choices… and then a variety of delicious toppings are added on top.
If you’ve never had Playa Bowls before and feel intimidated buy the options, I strongly recommend the Tropical Acai bowl!
And don’t worry you don’t have to think too hard about coming up with your own tasty combinations, as Playa Bowls maintains an extensive menu of delicious preconfigured recipes!
So now you’re wondering “what the heck is acai?”
Acai it is a small fruit found on acai palm trees in South America. The berries are very similar to grapes.
The flesh and skin of the acai berry is packed with vitamins and nutrients, and is also low in calories. Acai is considered to be a “Superfood: where it provides benefits such as antioxidants, fiber, heart healthy fats and calcium”
The berries are made into a purple paste like-texture which is frozen to a smooth consistency. It’s delicious and sweet without being too sweet.
Their menu features almost 40 different bowl recipes, which they update for different seasons of the year.
Bowl categories include acai, pitaya (dragonfruit), coconut, banana, chia pudding and oatmeal bowls.
They also offer plant based products the “green” category features five different bowls based on a kale blend, which is then also topped with delicious and fresh fruits, granola and coconut!
Links and Location
Playa Bowls Sewell
137 Egg Harbor Road, Unit H
Sewell, NJ 08080