I finally made it to Big Acai to try one of their bowls. It is located in campustown across the street from Dunkin' Donuts in the new Union Student Housing Building (not to be confused with the Memorial Union). For a guy that craves Chipotle burritos, I wasn't sure if this place would ring the bell for lunch. In fact, I wasn't exactly sure what kind of place it was. Was it a lunch place or more of a treat place?
They have three sizes of bowls. I ordered the Classic, which at $6 is the smallest of the three, but seemed plenty big. And if I didn't like it, I was thinking I would still have room for some other lunch. The other sizes are Power at $8 and Big at $12. Toppings can bump the price, but I'll get into that later.
You start by picking a base bowl from a list of six - Acai, Coconut, Matcha, Pitaya, Blue Majik or Warm Oats. I only knew what two of those were, but I figured I'd go with Acai. It's the name of the place after all. The base bowls come with granola and banana.
Next you choose one free topping, except on Tuesday when it is unlimited toppings day. Normally each additional topping would $1. Topping choices are Almonds, Bee Pollen, Blackberry, Blueberry, Cacao Drizzle, Vanilla Chia Pudding, Cacao Nibs, Chia Seeds, Coconut, Dates, Goji Berry, Hemp Seeds, Mixed Berry, Strawberry and Peanut Butter. Almond Butter and Gluten Free Granola are also available but at a higher charge. I went with the Mixed Berry and Almond Butter. Mixed berry was a combination of strawberries, blueberries and blackberries. The Almond Butter was a $2 up charge.
You can also add Boosters, but I didn't go with any. It looks like they treat Boosters as a topping. I also see from the menu that Honey and Agave are always free. I wish I would have asked for Honey.
There is not much of a wait for the bowl to be prepared. The cold Acai is on the bottom of the bowl and it is so full of ingredients on the top it's kind of hard to mix it up to get started. You do want to mix it up or you will eat all the fruit and still have plenty of Acai left. Nothing wrong with that, but I think it is better mixed up.
The bottom line is that I thought it was great and will definitely return, although parking is limited. My bowl cost $8. When it comes to food, I can be a creature of habit, but there are so many things to choose from a guy could make a lot of trips there to discover even better bowls. They also have Smoothies, Toasts and Salads as well as various drinks. I believe this is a small Iowa based chain that is only a few years old.
They have three sizes of bowls. I ordered the Classic, which at $6 is the smallest of the three, but seemed plenty big. And if I didn't like it, I was thinking I would still have room for some other lunch. The other sizes are Power at $8 and Big at $12. Toppings can bump the price, but I'll get into that later.
You start by picking a base bowl from a list of six - Acai, Coconut, Matcha, Pitaya, Blue Majik or Warm Oats. I only knew what two of those were, but I figured I'd go with Acai. It's the name of the place after all. The base bowls come with granola and banana.
Next you choose one free topping, except on Tuesday when it is unlimited toppings day. Normally each additional topping would $1. Topping choices are Almonds, Bee Pollen, Blackberry, Blueberry, Cacao Drizzle, Vanilla Chia Pudding, Cacao Nibs, Chia Seeds, Coconut, Dates, Goji Berry, Hemp Seeds, Mixed Berry, Strawberry and Peanut Butter. Almond Butter and Gluten Free Granola are also available but at a higher charge. I went with the Mixed Berry and Almond Butter. Mixed berry was a combination of strawberries, blueberries and blackberries. The Almond Butter was a $2 up charge.
You can also add Boosters, but I didn't go with any. It looks like they treat Boosters as a topping. I also see from the menu that Honey and Agave are always free. I wish I would have asked for Honey.
There is not much of a wait for the bowl to be prepared. The cold Acai is on the bottom of the bowl and it is so full of ingredients on the top it's kind of hard to mix it up to get started. You do want to mix it up or you will eat all the fruit and still have plenty of Acai left. Nothing wrong with that, but I think it is better mixed up.
The bottom line is that I thought it was great and will definitely return, although parking is limited. My bowl cost $8. When it comes to food, I can be a creature of habit, but there are so many things to choose from a guy could make a lot of trips there to discover even better bowls. They also have Smoothies, Toasts and Salads as well as various drinks. I believe this is a small Iowa based chain that is only a few years old.
