MONTGOMERYVILLE – Many people would consider their favorite beach treat out of season this winter. Still, Playa Bowls is here to ensure that you will have countless options to satisfy your Acai cravings this winter.

With over 150 locations nationwide, we traveled to “Playa Bowls” in Montgomeryville to put their Winter Menu Specials to the test. The winter menu includes pure acai bowls, cold-pressed apple cider, and gingerbread protein bites. We put the North Pole Acai Bowl, the Avalanche Coconut Bowl, and the Gingerbread Smoothie to the test.

North Pole Acai Bowl

The North Pole Acai Bowl was quickly one of my favorite sweet treats this season. My go-to order is a Nutella bowl, which compares very nicely. The bowl was made from a pure acai mix topped with blueberry flax granola, banana, raspberry, Nutella, mint, and crushed peppermint. Although fresh fruit doesn’t exactly remind me of winter, being paired with the Nutella and the peppermint sprinkles on top gave it an excellent holiday flavor. The nicest part of the peppermint was that it was not too overbearing, so the whole bowl didn’t taste like toothpaste. 

The price came out to about $15.00, a little pricey, but the taste made up for it entirely. The bowl was filling and served as a fantastic lunch, but it wouldn’t be something you could bring home without melting. Overall the bowl exceeded my expectations, and I would order it again and recommend it to a friend!

Avalanche Coconut Bowl

Looking at the bowl, I was excited to try it, and I had some nerves looking at the blue coloring. The blue spirulina base had many different ingredients, like blueberry flax granola, banana, strawberry, walnuts, coconut flakes, and cinnamon. I was so surprised when I took the first bite because the crunchy granola and coconut flakes tasted so good with the base. The different textures added so much to the bowl. The cinnamon on top reminded me of the holiday season and added so much flavor to the fruit on top. 

This bowl was $15.00, which was expensive for the amount of food, but I would buy it again. The bowl is best for lunch or a late afternoon snack. The environment in the restaurant reminded me of summertime, and I enjoyed the bowl and the experience that came with it.

Gingerbread Smoothie

The Gingerbread Smoothie had a nice flavor but wasn’t gingerbread. The smoothie had a nice strong flavor but wasn’t gingerbread. The main ingredient was banana, which was all we tasted. We don’t like bananas, so the flavors were bland. The smoothie wasn’t terrible, but it didn’t exceed our expectations.

The smoothie came in two sizes, 16 oz, and 20 oz. We ordered the 16 oz smoothie, which came at $8.99 and included ingredients such as banana, vanilla protein, blueberry granola, gingerbread spice, cinnamon, and almond milk. We probably wouldn’t order this smoothie again because the flavors weren’t very strong or holiday-like. It wasn’t a bad smoothie, but we wouldn’t recommend it to a friend looking for a gingerbread flavor.

Overall, our experience at Playa Bowls was welcoming and enjoyable. The environment is very upbeat and colorful, and we would return and recommend the winter specials to others. If you’re looking for a new favorite sweet to get you through the winter, we recommend The North Pole Bowl and The Avalanche Coconut Bowl!