Very pleasantly surprised by this find! I wasn't sure based on mixed reviews but my husband picked up takeout for us and it was delicious. We both got poke bowls and everything was very fresh and delicious. Serving size was perfect and we both enjoyed our meals. My only complaint is that you can't build you own bowl, you can only select from their premade choices. read more

Big Island Bowls - Acai Bowls Near Me - Newberry, Florida

I was driving by Tioga Town Center in Gainesville. I wanted a protein smoothie. When searching, Big Island Bowls popped up. I easily found curbside parking in the Town Center. It was just a block to the shop. I was immediately greeting upon entrance. Young lady was very friendly. During our conversation, she's only been working a few weeks. This retail shop has good vibes! Pop music playing in the back ground. Amazing beachy island photos on the walls. Cool colorful chairs and wall decor. I ordered a bee Healthy smoothie with protein. $13. This smoothie was made with banana, honey, parent butter, cacao nibs, bee pollen and apple juice. With protein. We talked as she prepared my Bee Healthy smoothie. This was a very nice stop for a mid morning pick me up. Mahalo read more

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The service was fine and my food was ready before the pick up time. Unfortunately the bowl was very underwhelming. I think there may have been 6-7 pieces of tuna and it wasn't the best tuna I've had. The thing that made it worse was the excessive amount of what I'm assuming is the spicy aioli sauce on it, it was like soup. I'm a big sauce person and also love spice but it was just too much in the bowl and had no flavor. Pretty disappointing for my first time trying it. read more

Big Island Bowls - Spicy aioli poke bowl - Acai Bowls Near Me - Newberry, Florida

I love coming to this cute little spot for a healthy treat. The fruits are always so fresh, and they have the best açaí. All this place needs is bigger smiles and warmer welcomes. I love to tip big, but I just wish the young ladies would be a lil more thoughtful and excited to greet the guest. Keep up the good work with treating the community with the best. read more

When I walked in, the place had this unique smell, but it was seriously overwhelming. It made me feel sick and nauseous. I wanted to wait outside for my food to be made, but I thought that would be rude so I just suffered through it. The design of the place was cool and eclectic with some background music playing. When I found out they did poké, I was excited. As I watched the person making it, I was surprised at the generous portions. Customer service was very kind and friend However.. when I was driving, I saw the teriyaki sauce literally pooling up on the sides of the container. When I got home, and mixed the food together, the first few bites were bearable, but then it was just so overwhelmingly salty. They added so much teriyaki sauce that not only did the rice soak it all up, but there was still excess! After eating about 8 bites, I genuinely started to feel nauseous and sick. I was also smelling that same unique scent in my food that I smelled earlier in the store. Also, I've never had such weird-tasting tuna before. The consistency was chewy, slightly harder and stringy than it should've been. Tuna is supposed to be silky & melt in your mouth.. I'm throwing my food away, unfortunately. I hate that I paid over $15 for this and tipped. Definitely never going again. read more

Big Island Bowls - Teriyaki Poke Bowl - Acai Bowls Near Me - Newberry, Florida

Premade acai, not a fan of the consistency this makes or the lack in flavor. Service not extremely friendly. Small seating area. read more

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It was my first time going to big Island bowls and I got the lifeguard. It was absolutely delicious. Very filling very healthy. I will definitely be going back and also the service was really prompt and courteous and I loved the surrounding of the area it made you feel like you were on an island somewhere. I give 5 stars for sure!! read more

Now I should say that I don't have much to compare it to since I've never had an acai bowl, but if this is the standard then I'm impressed. I got the Shaka bowl because I wanted some almond milk in mine. There are fresh strawberries on top with coconut (and although I'm not a fan of coconut, it actually was quite pleasant with the other flavors). The standout for me is the granola. It holds the entire bowl together. It has a hint of cinnamon and is super crunchy which is great so it won't be soggy whole you're dealing with so many brain freezes. Although this wouldn't be my first choice if I was famished, I would definitely come back for an afternoon refreshing treat. read more

Big Island Bowls - The Shaka bowl - Acai Bowls Near Me - Newberry, Florida

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I heart their acai bowls! Looooooove! I had one for breakfast three days in a row while in the area visiting family. The homemade granola is the best- slightly chewy and sweet. I also had the Bee Healthy Smoothie and it was great!! They sell Bai bottled drinks which I love too. The staff were friendly each time I was there. The space is upbeat-comfy-tropical. It's not cheap but they use quality ingredients including alot of organic. read more

Big Island Bowls - Acai Bowls Near Me - Newberry, Florida

I like the idea of fresh & healthy & that's why I originally tried this spot. My first visit was fine & I enjoyed the teriyaki tuna poke bowl. This last visit, not so much. When I got home the rice was swimming in the sauce & as much as I tried to enjoy it, I couldn't because it was soggy & salty. I called & asked if they could remake it & they did, but it just wasn't good, plus it gave me the bubble guts the next day. I appreciate the good customer service & the portions, but this last visit was quite disappointing. read more

I've been obsessed with acai bowls ever since I had my first one in Puerto Rico. Anyways onto reviewing this place. I'm loving the vibe of this place, super beachy, great bright decor and cute little coconut bowls if you order in. I noticed it's pretty well staffed and the employees were very friendly. I ordered the Waterman acai bowl $8.50, which comes with acai mixed with apple juice, homemade granola, sliced bananas, blueberries, coconut and honey. Whatever they put in their homemade granola is amazing, it's almost like cinnamon rum sugar or something. Great first experience, just wish the bowl was a bigger but the overall taste was fantastic! I love the little photo opt section too and games if you want to hang out. read more

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I have been to big Island Bowls 4 times now and I have a few observations. The first. The food and smoothies are really terrific and I have not comsume anything that has not been excellent. I usually ask the person helping me what they recommend and I have not been steered wrong yet. The second. In the four times I've been here I have not been helped by the same person twice. Oddly enough it has been the same day of the week and not the same two people. One thing that worries me is turn over. I have not been steered wrong yet, but when talking with the folks behind the counter they don't seem super happy. I hope this is not the case. I like the food a lot but if the owners are not taking care of them I can't support the business. The third. I had heard of something called 'Jack Fruit' (not to be confused with Jack Wagon), but had never tasted it... On my first visit to Big Island Bowls the young lady helping me recommended it as being incredible. To be honest I was kinda afraid to try it based on the description, but she told me it was terrific so, I forged ahead and gave it a shot. Ok, let me say this - I am not a vegetarian and I love meat, but this was every bit as good as meat. In fact, I saved half of the bowl to allow 4 other confirmed carnivores I know to try it. Now all 4 have called me from big island bowls to tell me they are eating Jack fruit from there again, but I better never tell anyone (since I didn't mention their names I think I have fulfilled my promise). The forth. I have now told seven people how much I like big island bowls and all seven have tried it and agree it really is terrific. The other day I was there for a business meeting. Yes I chose the location... I arrived early and asked for something small and simple. Yet another different person behind the counter recommended a smoothie. I chose coconut, but they recommended a passion fruit smoothie (I don't like passion fruit - at all!) I told her I don't like passion fruit!!! She said, I still recommend it. So, I tried it trusting her. I was not disappointed, it was also terrific. I don't know what was different, but i devoured the whole thing. So I will stop second guessing the food and smoothies and just order what's recommended. I would give this 5 out of 5 stars, but the place has a weird feel. It is either build on a Native American burial ground, or the owners are not creating a great environment. I'm not sure what it is, just feels weird to me. Each time I've been in there something is off. The two people working are always nice and friendly, but they don't seem happy. So, 4 out of five stars it is. Of note: if it happens to have been build on a Native American burial mound.... close shop and return it to nature :) read more

Big Island Bowls - Acai Bowls Near Me - Newberry, Florida

If it's not broken don't fix it. :( Unfortunately they tried to fix it with a new menu. They added on poke burritos, which in theory sounds great, but my burrito was pretty bad. After ordering and finding out the price was more expensive that what was listed on the new paper menus, I waited 20 minutes for my food. Because of the long wait time the cashier offered me a free drink. I took my wrap to go, and started eating and noticed that it didn't taste great. I asked for crispy Jalapeños to be added, instead they added crispy wonton strips. I didn't want to complain about the price because fresh fish and avocado can change depending on the market, so I said nothing. After I'd eaten one half of the wrap I noticed it didn't taste right... I figured I could open it up and eat it like a bowl and maybe it would be better.... that's when I realized it wasn't good because it had absolutely no avocado in it (like what I read on the menu and ordered). I paid $14 for a bunch of rice and stuff I didn't ask for. I'm really disappointed. read more

I still adore this place and their poke bowls. I do however want to express my feelings towards their new price changes. I know that they are making some of the freshest smoothies in town but I was already thinking that $5 was pricy for their smoothies. They have now increased the price to $6.50. If I get a poke bowl and a smoothie I'm buying a $20 meal. Again I know they are good quality and you get what you pay for I just really enjoyed this place because I could get it for that price. Makes me reconsider purchasing one. Also something that really upset me was during the middle of lunch hours they are bleaching the floor and dragging a towel across it. Not only was looking a a wadded towel with them dragging their feet around it was silly (Buy a mop?) really just looked like they didn't know what they were doing. The smell was so overpowering and I immediately noticed it upon entering last time. I have no problem with a place being clean but that's what you do before and after you open and close. No one wants to be paying $20 for a fresh meal just for it for be exposed to bleach in the air. It's really not safe more than anything. Please clean your floors before you open and after you close unless a spill! Really don't know what they were thinking doing that. read more

I was excited to see somewhere local had poke bowls! So we finally made the stop in today. Let's just say, not impressed at all. I'll start with the passion fruit smoothie. It was probably the only thing worth getting there from our order. It was good, but a tad over priced in my opinion. $7 for it seems a little steep but at least it was enjoyable. I also ordered the bang bang poke bowl. I am confused on why it has the name. It was bland. The poke did not even have any flavor at all. There was also barely any fish in the bowl. It said jasmine rice, but tastes mushy and over cooked. It was basically just wontons and over cooked rice. For $13 I expected way better!! The bowl itself had no flavor to it, very poorly made and not something I would ever want again. The avocado was old, shouldn't have been added to the bowl in my opinion. Maybe I expected more being as we moved here from Hawaii, but I can say this is 100% not what poke bowls or poke in general is like in Hawaii. Not only that, you can about 5x more for half the price over there. Save yourself the trouble and don't bother going in. You'll just be disappointed. I will however say the inside is very cute and relaxing! read more

Big Island Bowls - Basically all wontons, and the little bit of poke. - Acai Bowls Near Me - Newberry, Florida

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I was very pleased with my foot sweet and spicy bowl with Tuna. Service was good as well. More seating with tables is the only reason it didn't get a 5 star. read more

I've been here MANY times in the last year and a half since moving to Gainesville - probably 40+. I keep going back because I love their poke bowls and find them way fresher than Bento, I've got dietary restrictions that limit my choices for a quick grab, and because it's important to me to support small businesses. It's also a cool location, right there with CYM and the nursery. HOWEVER. Holy hell, they are SO inconsistent and inconvenient! It's 50/50 at best if they're ever gonna answer the phone to take an order; if and when they do, they won't have even started on it yet when you get there. Some employees randomly make the same items differently, and they've been out of a key components a little too often. I've driven over twice during normal business hours to find them randomly closed. I've occasionally waited more than 20 minutes from placing my order, for them to hand me my food, even though it's just combining items in a bowl. Today is the first time I've gotten undercooked, hard rice. Usually I deal with spotty, slow service because the food is so rad but this is new so I decided to lay it all out here. I'm giving them 4 stars because it's a decent ambience and I want them to do better so I can go get poke bowls all the time, and recommend them without all these caveats! read more

I'm a big fan of acai and poke bowls alike, so my standards here were very high, I'll admit. The interior of the shop is bright and inviting--decorated in a very generic Hawai'ian-themed manner. The staff are very friendly and nice, as well. However, that said, my poke bowl was far, far, far too salty. I could not finish eating the rice, it was so very salty from the sauce used. The Outrigger acai bowl was very good, however. In both cases, it seemed the ingredients were fairly fresh and again, the staff seemed upbeat and concerned their patrons enjoyed their food. So the place has potential, however: --it needs a bit more variety, more options. --playing reggae music at a Hawai'ian place is just . . . it kinda suggests all islands are the same, or something. I don't know what exactly. I'm really into Hawai'ian culture so that put me off a bit. --A soy-based sauce need not be so horribly salty. They could easily improve on this and probably save money in doing so because soy sauce isn't cheap enough to drench everything in sight with anyways. I'll come back but they have room to improve. They could add some more Hawai'ian or Polynesian foods, also--that would be nice. I think looking at Hawai'ian food in greater detail would help them--as they say in Hawai'i, "Ho'olohe ke pepeiao nana iI kamaka hana kaa lima"--listen with care, watch with your eyes, and work with your hands. read more

Big Island Bowls - Outrigger bowl. - Acai Bowls Near Me - Newberry, Florida

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This spot comes right out a Summer ad, I love it!! Bright and colorful, Big Island Bowls offers up some tasty Acai and Poke bowls, along with delicious smoothies!! Equipped with plenty of comfortable space to sit and enjoy your healthy treat, I love that the interior is so bright and bubbly! The staff is extremely helpful and are happy to breakdown the menu for you if you're a newbie and I love it. I ordered the Spicy Tuna Poke bowl and was beyond pleased! Fresh, spicy and delicious, I was scraping the sides of the bowl! The young man at the cash register and brought us our food was so sweet, along with the young lady prepping our food! I truly enjoy the ambiance, the service and the yummy food, can't wait to visit again! read more

Ordered food online and paid for it. I got a "your order is ready" notification and went to the restaurant. When I got there the restaurant was closed. I called and requested a refund and was told my information would be given to a manager. I never received a callback. read more

Big Island Bowls - Restaurant closed upon arrival - Acai Bowls Near Me - Newberry, Florida

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I've been here a few times and have gotten delivery a few times. It's been hit or miss. The poke is honestly not that good. There isn't much flavor and the temperature is never right. The acai bowls are great. They are big and semisweet. I've eaten both inside and outside the restaurant. The outside has a severe fly infestation. It was like a swarm attacked my food. They need fly traps ASAP. read more

Big Island Bowls - Acai Bowls Near Me - Newberry, Florida

Hawaii quality acai bowl - so so yummy!! I have had them in many different states and this one was the best i ever tasted hands down!!!! read more

Amazing foods. We had classic açaí, spicy tuna poke, and Thai Buddha bowl. Great service Knowledgeable staff A little hard to find. Behind the coffee shop but worth it! read more

Big Island Bowls - Fun things to do while you wait - Acai Bowls Near Me - Newberry, Florida

Really enjoyed this spot! The inside says to me, "vegan surfer." I got the Lifeguard acai bowl and swapped blueberries with strawberries, they were super accommodating on swaps, which is always nice. The bowl was EXCELLENT the hemp seeds were a game changer for me. I will undoubtedly be back as Big Island is typically on Hooked as well as GCM, but I did find it was a little pricey for the bowl size. read more

Right next to cymplfy, you can get salads, açaí bowls, poke bowls. Everything is fresh. I always get the sun goddess bowl, the dressing is amazing. It's spacious inside big island bowls so you can bring a big party if you want. Never had a bad experience here. read more

Big Island Bowls - Goddess Sun Bowl is my favorite. The dressing is amazing. - Acai Bowls Near Me - Newberry, Florida

This was the third time I've been by there. Today was the first time it was open. I asked what the regular hours were and she told me they open every day at 9 AM. I ordered the bee healthy smoothie -when I got it it was warm. Is that a thing? Are smoothies for $9.00 supposed to be warm?? read more

This place is so adorable!! And the açaí is my absolute favorite in Gainesville. Would come back here for the immaculate vibes and bowls-- I mean just look at the pictures. read more

Big Island Bowls - Interior - Acai Bowls Near Me - Newberry, Florida

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We were driving through after five hours on the road and eight more to go. We wanted something not too heavy and stumbled across this wonderful place! We split the Big Buddha Bowl salad: carrots, soybeans, peanuts, avocado, cabbage, and lettuce on a bed of pearl couscous with peanut dressing and two bowls. The salad was amazing and we are dreaming about making one at home. We each got a fruit bowl too. For me, it was too much food with the salad, but if you are hungry, it's totally doable to get a fruit bowl and share a salad! Bowls: the lifeguard: good but after having the peanut dressing, the big glob of peanut butter was a little too much. The hemp hearts on top were a nice texture though. Maui bowl: lots of berries on top and if you love dragonfruit, you'll love the base! I hope to never drive through Gainesville again, but if we do, we'll be back! read more

Big Island Bowls - Big Buddha salad. So good! - Acai Bowls Near Me - Newberry, Florida

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My husband and I were passing through on a long road trip. We were looking for something healthy and light. We each ordered spicy tuna poke bowls and shared 'the lifeguard'. Absolutely delicious! Very filling. Great service! It's not likely that will get back to Gainesville, but if you are in the area have a bowl for us! read more

Big Island Bowls - Acai Bowls Near Me - Newberry, Florida

Stopped in for a quick breakfast bite before leaving town to see my grandma in Ft. Myers and was very very very impressed with how friendly the staff was and even more so with the amazing smoothly. I can't wait to try a Poke' bowl the next time I'm in Gvegas! That being said, I'm shocked to see what utter jerks my fellow YELP ELITE folks are about little items that could have easily been discussed with management rather than ranting all over the worldwide web. It's great lots of people read the reviews you post and I urge you all to keep doing so but come-the-F-on and start adulting! If you have a problem, make staff aware of the issue in a polite matter rather than getting butt hurt and hiding behind the keyboard/smartphone...you sound like a bunch of spoiled little tool-bags without anything better to do the b'tch about something mommy and daddy's money won't fix. Some of the critiques are just ridiculous and make me embarrassed to contribute to the community...get it together y'all! read more

I'll start by saying this place is adorable and the staff were super sweet, so I am sure I'll be back to try other items on the menu. I adore poke and I understand that nothing will compare to the authentic, fresh poke I have had in Hawaii.. but I was still disappointed. I was truly wishing this place would be my new go-to lunch spot. It was just okay. I would have loved to swap my rice for greens and toss it in a little more of the poke marinade for dressing. read more

Big Island Bowls - Tuna Poke to go. - Acai Bowls Near Me - Newberry, Florida

If you have been to Hawaii and had poke you will be greatly disappointed. I had to rinse the sauce off the poke it was so bad. They were trying for a spicy but it was no flavor and made everything else tasteless. I made my own spicy sauce to put on it after washing theirs off, and they really smothered it on everything. read more

Big Island Bowls - Left: dish given with part missing so I could rinse off the sauce right is dish with homemade spicy sauce - Acai Bowls Near Me - Newberry, Florida

Delicious acai bowls and smoothies! A great lunch place when you don't want something heavy! The decor is super cute and inside is very spacious! read more

Big Island Bowls - Hibiscus bowl - Acai Bowls Near Me - Newberry, Florida

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I ordered a spicy poke bowl. There were too many large chunks of unpeeled cucumber. The peels create a heavy bitter taste that overpowers the dish. The rice was very warm making the cucumbers warm as well this only furthered to overwhelm the bowl. It was heavily covered in spicy mayo so it was hard to differentiate between tuna and chunks of red pepper. Peel your cucumbers! read more

This place is pretty awesome! I had heard some mixed reviews, but I really wanted to check it out for myself. I got the Mana Kea bowl. It was the perfect combination of salty and sweet! The bowl was pretty cold, so I ate it slowly, which is fine. The Acai was well blended and smooth. There was chunks of frozen banana which were a bit too cold. The honey was lovely, granola was salty and not too crunchy, and the chocolate bits were my favorite! The decor and ambiance make this place even better. It has great big windows wit natural light, bright and comfy furniture, and positive decor everywhere. Being here definitely make me feel happier! It is a great spot to study or work! read more

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I am completely guilty of falling headfirst into the acai bowl trend. So, when I heard that this storefront was opening I was determined to go out of my way to try out the bowls here. The store itself is smack between Cymplify coffee and Root & Pecker. This little area of shops gives off a really nice hipster vibe and presents a great opportunity to take lots of cute pics. The inside of Big Island Bowls is no different. The interior feels a bit empty but is very nicely decorated with bright colors and island scenery. There's even a cool photo area complete with a tropical background, props, and a cardboard cut out! Of course, I didn't come here for the scenery. I came for the bowls. My group of three ordered a Maui acai bowl, classic acai bowl, and a classic poke bowl so I had the opportunity to sample each of the three items. First off, the food comes out pretty slowly. When I went around 5PM on a Thursday there were only two employees. So, even though there were only about 4 orders before me, I had to wait a little over 20min for my Maui bowl. After a wait like that, I was expecting to be blown away by our orders. However, that ended up not to be the case. I will bring up the question that everyone has on their minds: how does this place's acai bowls compare to 3 natives? Personally, I found that Big Island Bowl's acai smoothie mixture was too textured. It wasn't smooth like 3 natives and I could almost be able to crunch little bits of ice. My Maui bowl was also pretty tart- I couldn't finish all of it. Both acai bowls weren't very sweet. The granola in both weren't the sweet chunks like I was used to and was also lacking that crunch factor. The poke bowl was also very underwhelming. There are better (and WAY cheaper) poke bowl places in Gainesville. The portions of the poke bowl at Big Island Bowl is just off. For $12 I was expecting less rice, more tuna, and definitely a larger bowl. Critiques aside, the fruit was fresh and the employees are friendly. I really love how they decorated the place and I love that there are growing acai bowl options in Gainesville. The missteps mentioned above might simply be the results of a brand new store working out its newfound problems. I will definitely return in a few month's time to see if there has been any progress with both types of bowls. I am looking forward to seeing this place grow as a storefront in Gainesville. read more

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So the quality of the food is excellent. Love the choices! Would love to see more authentic toppings! What I don't love is when trying to place to go orders, no one picks up phone. This happens so frequently that I don't attempt to place to go orders anymore. So I only pick up if I have the time to go and order at counter. read more

It's just not worth the price. I'm sitting here eating an açaí bowl that cost me $9 and I'm about to finish it 5 minutes after ordering. The size of the bowl is not worth the price I paid for it. I've gotten bigger açaí bowls for cheaper at other places that were just as good. The bowl itself tastes great! It's presented well and the fruits taste fresh! The space and atmosphere of Big Island Bowls is really nice, really aesthetic, and very clean. It's located in a very cute area, and the interior matches the few of the exterior. The employees were pretty friendly and helpful!! read more

Unfortunately this place did not live up to the expectations. I had just completed a 6 mile hike and wanted something refreshing and wanted to support a local business. This place popped into mind and I headed straight there. Upon arriving there was 1 other patron in front of us, and within minutes I had ordered Shaka acai bowl. The cashier noted that they will bring the order to us, and after a 15-20 minute wait I finally had my acai bowl. Not sure what the hold up was, but the establishment was not busy, and it should not take that long. Once the bowl came out the acai smoothie part was dense and well flavored, however the granola that they use is just untoasted oats and cinnamon sugar dusted on top. Bleh! It was way too sugary and took away from the flavor. I did like that they layered it but for $9 I also expect a bit larger of a serving than I received. Even in Hawaii where they are know for inflated food prices, when I order a large acai bowl for the same amount, it is almost double the size. read more

Big Island Bowls - Shaka açaí bowl - Acai Bowls Near Me - Newberry, Florida

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Quaint spot but excellent food! Staff is nice. Bathroom is clean. I'd totally come back here if I'm in town again.