Acai Bowl Madness
Various places around BVNW sell acai bowls, ranging from little known places to a well known entity like Costco.
November 30, 2019
Robeks: 8154 W 135th St.
Rating: 3/5
Wedged between a T-mobile store and a dentistry, Robeks is a place that sells mainly smoothies and acai bowls. Less than a mile away from BVNW, it is the closest location that was reviewed.
Walking up to the store, it seemed deserted with not very many other people in the store. Robeks is not very noticeable from the street or even from the parking lot. The space is a lot smaller compared to the other two acai bowl places.
The mango acai bowl, which was one of several bowls in the store, was bearable to say the least. It was not nearly as good as Costco or Nekter Juice Bar. The mango worked well with all the other components of the bowl. However, the acai in the bowl seemed too thin, almost having a melted consistency.
Besides acai, the other components of the bowl consisted of coconut, banana, and strawberry. There were not a lot of components to this bowl and there were not enough toppings, which hindered the experience and made it bland, making it nothing that was special or unique.
Overall, this place was good, but not great. There was nothing that stood out with this bowl and the location was not the best.
Price: $6.79
Costco: 12221 Blue Valley Pkwy
Rating: 5/5
About three miles away from BVNW, Costco is the opposite of of Robeks because of the large space it takes up. Costco offers people the ability to multitask; people can shop and then eat dinner. Other menu items include pizza, hot dogs and smoothies.
Unlike Robeks and Nekter Juice Bar, there is only one acai bowl option at Costco. There seemed to be a lot of toppings on top of the acai bowl and the toppings were also more unique and different than the other two stores. Banana chips were on top instead of regular bananas, which provided some texture.
The acai on the bottom of the bowl was the consistency of yogurt and had a significantly better texture than Robeks or Nekter Juice Bar. It did not feel at all melted and had the thickest texture out of all the acai bowls, which made it enjoyable.
Overall, the acai bowl at Costco is unique and better than Robeks or Nekter Juice Bar, yet Costco lacks a variety of acai bowls with only one option.
Price $4.99
Nekter Juice Bar: 5005 W 119th Street
Rating: 4/5
Right down the street from Town Center, Nekter Juice Bar is easier to find. This place is around the same distance away as Costco, as they are really close to one another. The vibe inside is a new and modern, which adds to the experience.
The acai mango bowl was better than Robeks’ version, but the price was almost twice the amount of Costco. One would expect a really good acai bowl for the price of nearly $10, but that was not the case.
The bowl that came out was a bit bigger than the bowls at the other places. This would have justified the price if the contents of the bowl were unique like Costco. However, the bowl itself seemed average at best with nothing standing out. The texture of this bowl was good because of the amount of granola in this bowl. The acai in the bowl was a different color and texture, not resembling typical acai.
This bowl was average in taste, but overpriced. The acai at Nekter Juice Bar is not a good trade off and not worth the expense.
Price: $9.25
