By Brett Callwood
Located just over the boundary in Torrance, the Beach Bowls Acai Café is an intriguing spot right from the first glance. The vibe is All tropical, even if that particularly area of this region isn’t particularly beach-like.
“The Beach Bowls Acai Café team have been the South Bay’s most popular acai bowl specialists since 2011,” their online bio reads. “At our three locations in Torrance and Redondo Beach, we serve hundreds of acai bowls, pitaya bowls and smoothies each day. Your health and happiness are our highest priority.”
It’s worth noting that this is the North Torrance location – they also have one in Central Torrance, and a third in Redondo Beach. The menu between the three is consistent, and they pride themselves on having the freshest ingredients and highest quality.
The good news is that, whether you get an acai bowl, a smoothie, or a pitaya (dragon fruit) bowl, everything is delicious.
The acai bowls look tantalizing, with items such as the Guarana (traditional blend), peanut butter and jelly, apple cinnamon, and sweet cherry sticking out. There are two pitaya bowls on offer–the classic, and the paradise. There’s a third “Caribbean” bowl, made primarily of coconut and pineapple.
Then there are the smoothies, which have such attractive names as Rainforest Acai, Blueberry Muffin Acai, and Berry Twist.
We opted for the Tropical smoothie, which is made with strawberry and mango. To make it vegan, we had them leave out the yogurt and, to make it a super-healthy smoothie, we added spinach and celery.
Spinach is always a great addition to a fruity smoothie, because it’s flavor is overridden by the sweet fruit, but you still get all of the nutritional benefits. Spinach is packed with vitamins A, C, K, folate, magnesium, and iron. According to Wiki, “The potassium, magnesium, and folate in spinach help regulate blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease. Vitamin K and calcium in spinach contribute to strong bones and prevent osteoporosis. Vitamins C and A, as well as antioxidants, in spinach boost the immune system and fight off infections.”
Celery, meanwhile, is low in calories and high in fiber. It contains flavonoids and other antioxidants that protect cells from damage caused by free radicals.
So, while the smoothie was an arguably unattractive green in color, the flavor was magnificent. The fruits blended beautifully, and we could feel good about ourselves as we started the day.
Beach Bowls Acai Café is located at 2118 Artesia Blvd., Torrance 90504. Contact 424-266-9573 or visit acaibowl.com.
