Big Island Bowls
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Premade acai, not a fan of the consistency this makes or the lack in flavor. Service not extremely friendly. Small seating area.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 :)
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!
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.
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.
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.
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
1 year ago
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
6 months ago
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
5 months ago
2 years ago
Premade acai, not a fan of the consistency this makes or the lack in flavor. Service not extremely friendly. Small seating area. read more
1 year ago
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
1 year ago
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
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
3 years ago
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
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
8 years ago
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
6 years ago
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
3 years ago
6 years ago
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
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
5 years ago
8 years ago
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
7 years ago
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
6 years ago
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
4 years ago
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
9 years ago
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
9 years ago
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
4 years ago
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
8 years ago
10 years ago
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
10 years ago
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
7 years ago
7 years ago
6 years ago
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
6 years ago
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More info about Big Island Bowls
133 SW 130th Way
Ste A
Newberry, FL 32669
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(352) 717-6396
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https://bigislandbowls.com/newberry
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