Monkey Bowl's varied menu is a delicious collaboration between a boba tea shop (think milk tea, egg puffs, açaí bowls) & a Mexican snack bar (think bionicos, elote bowls, & enchamoyada de frutas.) Seriously the best of both worlds. As we'd had a late lunch, we ordered a random assortment of items to share for a late, light dinner: elote (although I was eyeing the Corn Bowl topped with Cheetos); a Dragonfruit smoothie I didn't particularly care for; & a Frutas Bowl with sweet watermelon, not-quite-ripe enough mango, & strawberries topped with Monkey Chamoy (aka heaven in my mouth.) Had we wanted something more substantial, we could've added a crepe or a Crazy Bowl -- both of which I'm looking forward to trying the next time I'm in town. (Sidenote: the manager (or owner?) was friendly & got our order out pretty quickly. I got the sense that, had he not been there to keep the rest of the staff on their toes, we might not have received such fast service.) read more

I love everything about Monky Bowl! The fun funky atmosphere, quirky menu, the sweet bilingual staff, but most of all the delicious acai bowls. Bowls are $8 but if you upgrade to a large for a dollar more the portion grows substantially. A great value for what you get. I had the DNutty girl with extra strawberries. The acai is creamy and dense, topped generously with granola, fruit, almond butter and Nutella. Muy rico! read more

Monky Bowl - DNutty Girl with extra strawberry. - Acai Bowls Near Me - Salinas, California

Can't go wrong fresh. Always a good idea! Menu is simple to go off of. I have been to other similar spots like this and found their menus to be overwhelming. Too many to choose from makes it difficult to choose. At least for me. When ever your dealing with fresh food places such as this, I look for cleanliness. This place always meets my expectations in that department. Customer Service is always A+! Lovers Point is delicious!! read more

Monky Bowl - Acai Bowls Near Me - Salinas, California

Overpriced on basic food. (FRUITS!!) Some fruits (like pineapple) weren't cut thoroughly. Service was basic. The only thing I liked was the candy that came with the order. read more

Absolutely disgusting, mushy, flavorless boba! My moon milk tea looked and tasted like watered down milk with some sugar.... Where's the black tea flavor? Wasted 10+ minutes of my life and $5.45 for a small size of that pathetic excuse of a boba milk tea. I should've just gone over to Starbucks and it would've been better tasting and cheaper! The employees were very nice though, but I'm not coming back. read more

Just got 3 bowls spending over $30 and found this blue piece of plastic that cut open my gums . Tried calling but the "cell phone" is off I guess. I don't have the time to go back very unfortunate. They should have land lines! read more

Monky Bowl - Piece of plastic in bowl - Acai Bowls Near Me - Salinas, California

The best Acais in Salinas, everyone tries to imitate them, but the all lack of flavor, or they are not good at all. I have waste my money in all other stores trying their bowls and always come back to Monky Bowl for they bowls and fresh juices! read more

This review is based solely off of their açaí bowls. So far I've had two and both were pleasant. Their large bowl is the perfect size if you're feeling hungry because it will leave you filled but not overly bloated. Their ingredients/fruits are fresh and flavorful. The main thing I would criticize them for is that they don't blend the açaí base enough. I found a couple small chunks of frozen berries in the base of mine both times I've been here. Overall it's a good açaí bowl, I would come here again. read more

Monky Bowl - Power bowl. With added almond butter. - Acai Bowls Near Me - Salinas, California

Best smoothies and fruit juices in town! I will be back next time I'm in Salinas! Strawberry mango smoothie was bomb and the avocado smash with boba!! read more

I was excited to try out this place while I was in town. I ordered an açaí bowl and specifically asked them if it contains any nuts/almonds since I am allergic. She said no but then asked me if I wanted the granola. I said yes, once I received my bowl and was about to take my first bite I realized it had almonds. I went back and told them it had almonds in it when I specifically said I am allergic. The lady responds with "I thought you said you wanted granola" I then respond with yes . Turns out the granola is mixed with the almond and i believe cashews is what she said..Umm hello!! Why wouldn't you say that from the beginning. She doesn't apologize and doesn't let me exchange my current bowl for a new one without almonds. I had to pay for my new bowl. Very disappointed in the customer service here. read more

I've come here multiple times throughout the past year and Monky Bowl has been quite the treat! I haven't tried many things here but the one item I always come back to is the elote! CheeseMe: This is essentially a regular elote. I usually get it in a bowl and it comes with sourcream/mayo(?) and seasoning. It's absolutely delicious and has been my favorite place to get elote! Almost every time it has been perfectly on point and hit the spot. Being served in a bowl, the corn is already cut and it's extremely easy to consume. The only time it was made a bit more mediocre was when it was busy. The cheeseme turned out tasting less flavorful and almost watered down. However, every other time I had got it, it was perfect, but those times were when it was slow. I don't know if it was from the rush which resulted in a bowl that was subpar, but it was only once so I don't want to think too much of it. Aside from that I'd also recommend the ReCheeto which is the CheeseMe but with nacho cheese and hot cheetos. If you get a chance try it like this because it is oh so delicious! read more

I've been coming here for a couple of months now, and have become somewhat addicted to their dragon bowls, which feature fruit and granola over a sherbert-like frozen pitaya (aka dragon fruit) concoction. I got another acai bowl locally recently, and it only made me want another dragon bowl from here. And I come here despite it being inconvenient. It's like 30 minutes from my house, but I find excuses to come. Now, I have had a "dragon bowl" in the past, but it was essentially a hodgepodge of Chinese meat and veggies over rice or noodles. This is very different. And better. And, surprisingly (to me, at least), they're not that bad on calories, keeping well under 500. The pitaya base isn't particularly sweet and it doesn't taste like it has a lot of sugar added. It's nice if you're looking for fruit instead of Jamba Juice. Interior is actually quite nice. It's very, very white. There's a bar up front and a nice sitting area toward the back. They have free wifi, so it's not a bad spot to hang out at in an area that mostly only features dirty Starbucks for this purpose. The prep area is walled by glass, so you can watch them make everything. There's fruit everywhere, and it does work to reassure you that what they're giving you is fresh, even though it already does certainly taste that way. Is this worth your time and your trip? I think so, yes. It's unique from other acai places because it's not just acai pudding as a base, but offers some variety, and that variety seems to be much more than other places. read more

Love the dmutty girl bowl, the recheeto bowl and my son loves the fruit bowl of cucumber and jicama with lemon and salt bowl. Husband got this shrimp clamato cup which looked so nice read more

Monky Bowl - Acai Bowls Near Me - Salinas, California

Monkey bowl was amazing and very fruity with exotic flavors. My mouth had a party!!! They can make whatever flavor and add-ons to your liking. They also have choices for the kids if you have any. I very much recommend this establishment If you are around this area. Next time I'm going to order the other heathy treats that they have available. read more

I've been here around 4 times and have never had any issues. My favorites are the biónico and the mango enchamoyada, absolutely delicious. Definitely recommend. Friendly service. Usually there's only a 5-10min wait. read more

I used to love this place but will NEVER support this owners business again. This is not the first time I've encountered issues with this business but I always give a place 3 chances! I text them and ordered for PICKUP ahead of time. They responded to my order as usual when I order for pickup. I was on my lunch break and DROVE to their business to pick up my order and the cashier seemed confused, she said there was no order placed. I showed her my order and she turned around to the man and he says "no there's no order & we didn't have time we were busy" FIRST OF ALL 1. Yes there was an order because HE RESPONDED TO MY TEXT 2. He refused to awknowledge that I even ordered and as a customer, and him "running the place, " he ignored my situation as if everything was OK. As my experience working with business owners and pick up orders, THAT IS NOT OKAY AND HIS ATTITUDE WAS UNACCEPTABLE and RUDE. HE SHOULD HAVE HAD THE COURTESY TO TEXT ME BACK SINCE HE HAD THE TIME TO RESPOND TO MY ORDER from the beginning. I didn't drive all the way from my lunch break to not have anything ready and lose my lunch time. 3. I asked the girl wanting to know WHO took my order, she couldn't even answer me and turned to him and he looked over, and then continued to what he was doing when his smirky face knew what was going on. 4. This business is obviously not equipped to handle pick up services, so it's evident their business is not correctly managed and do not know how to respond, nor does this business have any customer etiquette with orders. MONKY BOWL'S texting service is a fail, and if I'm, (or anybody), is going to get that kind of response from a business then they NEED to get rid of that service completely. My coworker had ordered a few hours before and hers was not even ready on time when she ordered way ahead of time, so that alone says how they prioritize their orders. The excuse of them saying they were "TOO BUSY" - well if that was really the case, THEN they should have not responded to my text and SHOULD HAVE opted for a later time than leave me hanging like if I didn't order, assuming that my order was placed because I've ordered before like this. A professional business does not do that, guaranteed. My money for acai bowls will only go to BKM's acai bowls in Salinas now. I've never had a problem with their phone service. Managements attitude at BKM is PROFESSIONAL & better. BKM offers great and tasty bowls as well & more for your buck, so I know I will not be losing out from Monky Bowl's business. Next time you want to place and order to-go or through phone for pickup, save yourself the trouble and call BKM instead. I also uploaded my order with them so you can see I had an order placed and no courtesy text regarding their troubles of being too busy or alternative pick up times. I'm sure this manager doesn't mind losing 8 continuous customers from my work. read more

Monky Bowl - I ordered for pick up & they told me I placed no order, they knew I placed it & responded but said they didn't have time - Acai Bowls Near Me - Salinas, California

Went into this business and noticed the girl ignored the phone orders like 5 times so unprofessional.

My husband & I came to check it out, we ended up ordering two DnuttyGirl bowls. The bowls were pretty simple & tasted pretty good but wow it took forever to make them plus the prices are too high. It was really really really awkward inside too. Really quite & the air was tense, just straight up uncomfortable. I was whispering to my husband because it was so quite & you could tell people were just tired of waiting & they wanted to leave. They definitely need a better atmosphere & customer acknowledgment. Even if they try fixing the issues, we still won't go back, not memorable at all. read more

Paid over $30 for 2 small bowls (1 açai and one fruit bowl) and a juice. Fruit was obviously frozen and watermelon rotten. For this price they should be more careful on the quality of the food they are selling. Shouldn't be overpricing rotten fruit!! read more

Super yummy. Ordered over the phone and it was ready like in 15 minutes. Pretty much my drive there

I was impressed the first time I went recently I got a acai bowl packed with tons of fruit. Service was great and the whole place smelled of fresh fruit. read more

Yes! This is a great healthy alternative! I feel so good about what I'm eating and satisfied at the same time. Could eat here every day. I got the Pitaya bowl with strawberries, bananas, granola, almond butter, bee pollen, honey, coconut. They add granola on top and bottom, but I prefer less and would just get it on the top to cut down on the refined sugar. Look forward to going back soon! read more

Monky Bowl - Small Pitaya bowl to go. - Acai Bowls Near Me - Salinas, California

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Love this place! So nice to have some healthy options. The portions are huge and they really fill you up. I got the medium and was only able to eat half. So far, I've tried the fire bowl and the pink lady bowl and I would recommend both! The fruit they put on top is really fresh and the service was great too. Not to mention it makes the best Snapchat picture ever I'll be back some day to try their chips! read more

Absolutely loved their açaí bowls. HOWEVER, upon finishing what would probably be my last bowl for a really long time from here, I bit into a solid piece of something inside. My molar felt extreme pressure and when I took whatever was in my mouth out, it appeared to be what looked like a tiny pebble. I could've broken my teeth! I cleaned the pebble off and threw it on our marble table. It ricochet off the table, just how a pebble would. I tried to rule out what exactly could this thing be, but it's certainly not any kind of nut shell of any sort. Completely in disgust from this finding and will likely not return. Really disappointed because their bowls and drinks are good. But if food safety is a concern for me after this experience, I'd rather not come back if I'll be thinking about broken teeth. read more

Monky Bowl - Whatever this thing is, it literally almost broke my teeth. - Acai Bowls Near Me - Salinas, California

Was looking for Tamales de elote and found this place. The first time I was in I ordered wrong and got elote and was just as happy. Later came in for something healthy for my wife and she was really satisfied with her bowl and just last week went in for a crepe and was really impressed, it was big, healthy, filling, and relatively inexpensive. A great find in an unimpressive location. Service was a little slow, but everything I had was hand made, so I understand. read more

Bathroom is unsanitary. The toilet is missing the seat. It's literally just the rim of the toilet. Y u c k . read more

Monky Bowl - Acai Bowls Near Me - Salinas, California

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Not impressed. The service and drinks are OK if you order from the owner; however, it's a totally different experience if you order from one of his employees. I ordered a juice the other day (carrots, lemon, ginger, and turmeric) and they made it with limes not lemons and about 1/2 inch piece of ginger. Most juice bars use about 2 inches of ginger (4 inches if you are brave) and I was disappointed with the amount they put in my juice. With a 1/2 inch piece of ginger you can't taste anything. What made me most upset was that the young girl who made my juice grabbed a jar of turmeric, scooped out some ground turmeric and waved it over my drink and didn't even pour it in. At that point, I wasn't going to make a scene. I basically paid for carrot juice, which I could have easily made at home. These employees need training on how to juice and be consistent with all recipes, hey obviously don't know how to measure. If they keep this up, I'm take my business elsewhere. read more

How this place has anything above 2 stars is beyond me... 1 bowl, 1 Juice, and 1 crepe took almost 30 minutes. I'm watching the employees cut fruit slower than molasses, and ended up messing up my order anyways. Asked for no granola, and they put it on the bottom and the top. The juice can hardly be called a juice with as much pulp that's in there, might as well be a smoothie. And the crepe is just plain aweful. Whoever owns this place should get new employees. read more

One of the most HEALTHIEST places to get fresh food here in Salinas! :) I've tried the Pink Lady, Dnutty Girl, The Flamingo, The Hulk, the D burner juice (new fave), and a couple of their flavored bobas and each time I try something new it refreshes my soul! Highly recommend this place for those who are trying to lose weight, have a healthier lifestyle, and reap all the benefits of fruits and veggies! Monky Bowl for the win~ read more

Went in here once to order my pregnant wife an Açaí bowl with my 5 year old daughter. All I can say is managers NEED to double check who they hire. Young girl with glasses took my order and she smelt like MARIJUANA. Very unprofessional. People come in here with KIDS!!!!!! Giving two stars because the Açaí bowl wasn't too bad, but a little overpriced. read more

I have found it more difficult to find healthy alternatives in our town. I travel a lot for work and need to stop for a quick bite to eat once in a while. I found this place through Yelp and was very happy with the menu options. Everything in the store seems to be fresh and I chose to have an oat bowl with Nutella and fruit. It was the perfect size and very filling. I would recommend thid place to anybody looking for healthy options. read more

Great Acai bowls! I Love the service. A lot of different choices. I recommend to everyone.

Monkey Bowl service is awesome. They go the extra mile. Stopped in right at closing and rather than tell us "sorry we're closed" they took our order and hooked us up. Will definitely be back next time we're in town read more

Super good smoothies and bowls. Wayyy better than jamba juice. It's also very reasonably priced. People who work there are friendly. read more

Monky Bowl - I get the hulk bowl and it's so bomb (': - Acai Bowls Near Me - Salinas, California

I'm not from the area and was looking for an açaí bowl and came across this gem. AMAZING! Better prices, better quality, more options than any other I've come across. I checked to see if this is a chain, it should be! Also had a teenage daughter love the corn in a cup. A++ Bring one to Gilroy, this is exactly what we need. read more

BOMB 10/10 food... and they even have almond milk for us vegans omg I'm so happy this place exists now and I love corn so much. I'll be coming here all the time for boba, smoothies and probably corn bowls. I have to check about the açaí bowls I've honestly never had one so I'm not sure what they are made with. Either way just another awesome place to come for snacks and thanks so much for providing almond milk (make sure you specify or they will use whole milk) read more

The shrimp tostada is chefs kiss . It's so yummy and flavorful yet light at the same time . The green bowls are my go to. Yummy and satisfying . :) read more

Fast service, nice staff, great food! You can taste the freshness of the food. I got the cutella and it's so yummy! Definitely coming here again read more

Monky Bowl - Acai Bowls Near Me - Salinas, California

Yummy bionicos! I enjoyed the fresh fruit and the cute wall art. My boys like to get corn on the Cobb with mayo and cheese. This is a one stop shop for an over the top snack or something simple and delicious. The wait time is a bit longer than I would like but still not a deal breaker. read more

Monky Bowl - Cute wall art - Acai Bowls Near Me - Salinas, California

I thoroughly enjoyed the dragon bowl (I think that's what it's called. But came back twice on two separate occasions and the mango was super sour and hard. I think to have a successful business and keep customers happy is to maintain consistensy in their quality of products . I was a bit disappointed because the bowl the first time was perfect .. but not my last two visits. Plus I can see they do work hard behind the counter but they need to either hire more people because they take awhile to make your food or work faster. Be prepared to either call it in or wait 20-30 minutes for your order. Also... if you know anything about authentic and quality milk teas and boba this is not your spot. Not good. I hope they improve though. read more