Have you ever been hungry after school but were too full to eat a whole Chipotle burrito? Then look no further than Playa Bowls for your next after school treat. Playa Bowls is located on 51 Memorial Rd in Blue Back Square right across the street from campus, but there are over 104 locations nationwide. Playa Bowls serves smoothies and smoothie bowls with an array of toppings. As a once-a-week patron of Playa Bowls, it never fails to impress me, and I know it has something for everyone. Make that quick walk across Troutbrook to try a refreshing treat yourself!
When ordering a smoothie bowl, there are seven different bases to choose from, such as acai, pitaya, coconut, and chia to name a few. Other smoothie bowl places don’t have as many base options as Playa Bowls, which certainly sets it apart. There are many different toppings that can be added to each base, along with granola. Some of my favorite toppings are bananas, blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, nutella, honey, and peanut butter. They will let you customize a bowl with any toppings you would like. In contrast, Robeks, another smoothie place in West Hartford center, only has five different smoothie bowl options on the menu and only two different bases to choose from. Playa Bowls also has a wider variety of toppings and fruits than Robeks.
My usual order at Playa Bowls is an acai smoothie bowl with granola, strawberries, bananas, nutella, and peanut butter. It tastes similar to a berry smoothie, but with a thicker texture and the perfect consistency. The fruit complements the flavor of the nutella and peanut butter, and the granola adds an extra crunch. The granola is one of my favorite parts of the smoothie bowl, and it tastes incredibly delicious with the acai base. Taking a bite almost makes all your worries go away, as the flavors just light up your mouth. A smoothie bowl or a smoothie from Playa Bowls hits the spot after a long, hard day of school, homework, and sports.
After the school day has ended, it may not be in your best interest to wait around for your smoothie bowl to be made. However, it is extremely easy to order online at Playa Bowls because the website is very easy to follow and organized. When ordering online, you can pick a specific time that you want the bowl or smoothie to be ready, and you can order it hours in advance. The employees at Playa Bowls there have never once messed up my order, and they keep the smoothie or smoothie bowl in a freezer until you get there so everything stays cold. Every time I have ordered to-go, they include napkins and a spoon in the bag so I have never had to worry about grabbing my own. I can just take the bag and go, making the entire experience extremely quick, efficient, and convenient.
The service at Playa Bowls is great, and they make the smoothies and bowls relatively fast. They don’t leave you waiting for more than 15 minutes on a busy day.
You can’t miss Playa Bowls’s vibrant blue exterior, and the inside of the restaurant looks super cool and unique as well, giving off a beachy vibe. Whenever I go to Playa Bowls, it reminds me of summer and long hot days at the beach. There is always upbeat music playing which creates a very enjoyable atmosphere; however, the music can sometimes be loud which makes it hard to hear others, especially with masks.
Speaking of masks, Playa Bowls has handled the COVID-19 pandemic very well; they have six-feet markers for people to stand in line and markers directing people to stand six-feet apart while waiting for their food. They took out all of the inside tables so as of right now, you can only get take out. Another option for when it’s nice out is getting it to-go and eating (or drinking) your food on a bench in the center.
Playa Bowls is very close to KO, so I highly recommend taking the short walk for a mouth-watering after-school snack if you get the chance. Playa Bowls is as close as you can get to la playa!
