The art of açaí

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Price range: $$$ Get Fresh recently opened in downtown Iowa City and let me tell you, this has to be the best bowl I’ve had in the area. Their first permanent location opened at NewBo City Market in Cedar Rapids a while ago, and when I heard Iowa City was getting a location I got so excited! The menu has so many options to customize your bowl and plenty of subs...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Price Range: $$ Jamba Juice is probably the most popular place to find acai bowls and was the first to start selling them in the area. Does everyone remember the time where all we saw on people’s stories were pictures of bright and colorful smoothie bowls? Those were most likely from Jamba Juice. They definitely have the most variety, with acai, “nutty strawberry”, ...

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Price range: $$$ Another recent addition to the local acai bowl scene is Smash Juice Bar and Eatery, a cute little place in the North Liberty area. With a great menu that they plan to expand, this is definitely a place one should check out! They have a few different acai bowl options and very helpful employees. All their bowls can be customized and are made with fresh ingred...

⭐️ Price Range: $ Bread Garden’s cheaper price definitely correlates with a lower star range. Their base is incredibly soupy, which causes all the toppings to sink below the surface. The flavor itself is too bland for my liking and in order to get one before their breakfast menu closes you have to get there before 10 am.! If I’m going to wake up that early, it’s not going to be for a ...

⭐️ Price Range: $ I decided to try Dunn Brothers after hearing about their delicious toasts and coffee. When I arrived I was pleasantly surprised to find out they served acai bowls as well. When I got the chance to try one, I was not as pleasantly surprised. The bowl is very cold, with small chunks of ice in the base that weren’t blended, giving the bowl a watery taste and consistency. T...

Price range: will vary depending on the ingredients used With so many new acai bowl options popping up around the Iowa City area, it’s easy to forget one of the simplest and yummier options: making your own! The internet is filled with hundreds of recipes with yummy variations and twists on the classic acai bowl. Here’s one of my favorite recipes. Frozen acai can be bought at many different gr...