New Town Center restaurant brings 'Pineappleland' to Jacksonville bearing acai bowls, more
The cheery greeting "Welcome to Pineappleland” will ring out in Jacksonville as a nationally known acai-centric cafe popular for its healthy bowls, smoothies and juice drinks opens its first Northeast Florida location.
Playa Bowls will hold its grand opening at 11 a.m. Saturday at 4720 Town Crossing Drive, Suite 125 at St. Johns Town Center, near Panera Bread and The Cheesecake Factory. The first 50 people in line that day will get a free bowl and T-shirt, franchise co-owners Mark Williams and Rich Hardman said in a news release announcing the opening.
Featuring a surfer motif, the cafe offers a "slice of summer, anytime" with a menu featuring açaí, pitaya and coconut bowls as well as smoothies, fruit juices, cold coffee brews and more.
The restaurant's trademarked "Welcome to Pineappleland" harkens back to the founding of the company in 2014 by Robert Giuliani and Abby Taylor. Both Jersey Shore natives and longtime surfers, they established the business nine years ago with "a pair of blenders, a patio table, and a fridge," according to the company's website.
"They were inspired by chasing summer on surf trips to Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, California and Hawaii. Almost every exotic surf town they visited offered their own unique version of an acai or pitaya bowl. They decided to recreate their favorite recipes with their own twist at home at the Jersey Shore," the website states.
Franchisees Mark Williams and Rich Hardman said they're "thrilled" to bring Playa Bowls to Town Center.
“I visited one while in New Jersey and really fell in love with the concept," Williams said in the news release. "When I moved to Florida three years ago, I knew this would be the perfect fit! The restaurant has a very laid-back feel, with bright, surf-themed décor. Our customers can relax with their bowls or take it to-go and sip their smoothies while window shopping.”
Playa Bowls are made with a base of acai, pitaya, mango, coconut, banana, chia pudding, green kale blend or oatmeal, and are topped with an array of options, from granola and hemp seeds to blueberries and almond butter.
Among the signature offerings is the North Pole Acai Bowl, which is acai topped with blueberry flax granola, banana, strawberry, Nutella, mint and crushed peppermint.
Another is the Apple Turn Up Acai Bowl featuring acai topped with blueberry flax granola, banana, apple slices, apple butter, chopped peanuts and cinnamon; and the Electric Mermaid Bowl, which is pitaya topped with granola, kiwi, pineapple, mango, coconut flakes and honey.
Topping the smoothie menu is the Pink Pitaya, featuring pitaya, banana, pineapple and coconut milk, Kowabunga with banana, strawberry, blueberry and coconut milk; and for the holiday, the Gingerbread smoothie, with banana, vanilla protein, blueberry flax granola, gingerbread spice, cinnamon and oat milk.
The regular hours for Playa Bowls at Town Center will be 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, Hardman told the Times-Union by email.
New Town Center restaurants planned: Five new restaurants are on the horizon for the Town Center. Here's what we know.
Also in the works: Fast-growing Jacksonville coffee shop concept plans third location at Town Center
Headquartered in Belmar, N.J., Playa Bowls has at least 231 locations in 21 states, including 28 corporate-owned stores. The Town Center cafe is among 21 listed as already open or coming soon in Florida, according to the company.
A second North Florida cafe is in the works at 1260 S.W. 5th Ave, Suite 110 in Gainesville. No opening date has been announced.
Teresa Stepzinski is the dining reporter for the Times-Union. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @TeresaStepz or reach her via email at tstepzinski@jacksonville.com.
If you're a subscriber, thank you. If not, become a subscriber to get the latest dining coverage.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Playa Bowls makes Jacksonville debut at St. Johns Town Center
