This was my first time at a Playa Bowls location. I was drawn to the location because of the extensive menu. I was hesitant to go because reviews for other Playa Bowls locations say that there were long waits. When we arrived at the Cranford location on Black Friday, I immediately smelled cleaning supplies. It was not an overwhelmingly bad smell but one to indicate that the establishment was clean. I LOVE that. I browsed the menu and the seasonal favorites and decided on a few items for myself and my family: a 12oz mermaid fuel juice, 12oz Beach Break, an almond joy chia seed pudding, and a 16oz aloha smoothie. The total was # Both juices were great and made with just the veggies, no additives. The Aloha smoothie was a bit bland. I'll probably add coconut or honey as an additional sweetener next time. The same can be said for the chia pudding bowl. The chia pudding base was a bit chalky and could use some vanilla flavoring. Overall, the staff was great! Things got crowded during our visit, but the two-person staff handled everything with ease. I especially appreciated the freshness of the ingredients. I will definitely visit again. read more

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Super easy, convenient, and great service. Of course the playa bowl is always delicious and fresh. The beachy vibe is always nice. read more

Playa Bowls - Goldie Mango - Acai Bowls Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

Why is your online ordering off for your app but you guys are open on uber eats?! its 45 minutes after the store opened (8:45 am) and I am trying to call the store but its going straight to voicemail. it looks like what is being prioritized is uber eats over the actual playa app. Edit: I was able to order just now (9:46) through the playa app but when I was ordering I noticed the price went up by a couple cents. why would a business do that? don't up the prices if you guys cant even answer the phone. this place is a scam. why am I paying a credit card fee as well if I am paying with my debit card? I should not be subject to a surcharge whatsoever. read more

Shauna was very sweet and helpful she had great attitude! Although we came at closing, she was still very accommodating read more

Playa Bowls - Acai Bowls Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

We have got bowls from this location three times now. Customer service is good. Portions are good. Fruit & ingredients always berry fresh. No complaints and a good alternative to a meat & taters meal. read more

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I was craving an Acai bowl so I ordered through DoorDash. I ordered the Nutella bowl but subbed Nutella for peanut butter and added mango instead of strawberries. Overall it was very good and filling. I will order again. Also, it was $12. read more

Playa Bowls - @food_ie_gram - Acai Bowls Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

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Third time stopped at this location. Never had an issue with my order as previous reviews state. Pacific bowl is my favorite kale base. Fresh cold ingredients! read more

Playa Bowls - Pacific - Acai Bowls Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

2nd time at this location in a month. Disappointing. Three woman working and only one preparing orders. Was the only person in the store and waited over 20 minutes for an oatmeal bowl. Cashier was rude and not supportive to other staff working. read more

Love the bowls! Hate the customer service and dirty environment! Literally run by children with seemingly no adults to supervise! Bathrooms are disgusting! If I owned this place I would fire everyone who currently works here! Totally gone downhill! read more

This place is dirty, the bowls were not appealing. I ordered a pura vida, added mango and banana and my experience at playas in the past, they place the fruits nicely over top of the açaí. This was not my experience at all at this location. They placed the fruit sloppy and not to mention the fruit was not fresh. I do not recommend this location at all. It's dirty and messy and the food is not fresh. The garbages were over flowing, just gross...Cranford location really needs to step it up. I will not be returning. I'd give it no stars if that was even an option. read more

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Reading reviews while I wait and mostly all describe my experience too - super long wait for one smoothie, 5 employees seemingly annoyed with everyone which is beyond obvious from their behind the counter gossip for all to hear and attitude towards customers....haven't been here in forever and came out of convenience....I'll go back to my usual of Juice House and A Better Me Juicery. read more

My biggest grievance with this place is that it is so loud inside. I wish they would turn down the music or find some way to better the acoustics near the blenders. Additionally, the seating is just very much fashion over function. None of it is very comfortable and it's somewhat sparse and scattered. It's near impossible to have a conversation inside so this place works better as a grab-and-go. With that said, their bowls are pretty delicious. I vary between getting an açaí and kale base and both are very yummy. However, how they're made does differ depending on who makes it and sometimes the bowls I ordered are overloaded with Nutella and sometimes they just have a touch on top. And the staff inside are always super friendly and smiley. So ups and downs with this place but I still enjoy it. read more

Playa Bowls - Menu board. - Acai Bowls Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

What is with the ATTITUDES? I have been here twice this week and both times the employees were snappy and upset that I asked for a modification to my order due to a dietary restriction. read more

Love this location, it's small but so cozy! The layout of the location gives me chill and relaxing vibes! Picked up my usual Nutella Açaí bowl read more

Playa bowls is not like a franchise coffee shop where the quality is hit or miss depending on where you go. For me playa bowls has been on point at every location that I have visited. From their original store down the shore to the shop in Ridgewood New Jersey. But this place is by far the worst run place I have ever been to. I ordered the Power Bowl, bought some protein bites and a bottle of water. That was $22!!! Although I was stunned I chalked it up to being in the current economic situation that everyone is enjoying (sarcasm intended) so I didn't complain and waited for my order. Got my bowl and left. Once in ny car I opened it up and the first spoonful was downright awful... The Power Bowl blends açai berry with chocolate protein powder and as stated before when you go to different locations it tastes the same... you can still taste the açai berry... but for some reason whoever made this bowl decided to dump more protein powder into it destroying the flavor. It made it unbearable it was absolutely disgusting the banana tasted green and not sweet. The only reason I choked it down was because I paid a hefy price for it but IF I decide to go back to that location I'm definitely gonna let them have it. That was THE worst experience ever at a Playa Bowls location. Hopefully the owners sees this and makes changes. If you're going to raise prices do NOT diminish quality. I hope the owner loses this store and stops giving a bad name to such a cool company read more

Playa Bowls - Outside - Acai Bowls Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

Three girls were working and I ordered a mobile order. Got there 10 minutes after i placed the order and i was standing there for another 20 minutes before i got it. ALL three of the girls had MASSIVE attitudes and the other customers and i were visibly uncomfortable. The THREE orders before me were given back because they were WRONG. I got my order finally and it was mediocrely made at best. On the side counter there was garbage and wendys. There were flies everywhere and they were SPRAYING CHEMICALS while cleaning when they were MAKING the food not even 2 feet away which made my food INEDIBLE because it tasted like WINDEX! It was 9:00, and they were more focused on CLOSING an HOUR EARLY rather than helping the customers. Those three girls are energy vampires with MASSIVE attitudes and should NOT be working a customer service job. Disappointing. February 1, 2025 at 9pm for owner reference so you can check who those three girls are because they need to be FIRED. read more

I just about reached the point of obsession. If it wasn't for the fact that I only eat the Nica bowl, I could seriously become a spokesperson. Fresh, delicious, filling, I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's almost always consistently good except for that 1 time. It must have been a newbie. Update: I tried the SAME bowl at the Millburn location. It just wasn't the same. Glad it wasn't my first time because I don't know if I would have gone back. Stick to Cranford store!!! read more

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Bowls hit different. Stupid Cupid is a personal fav. Bowls are a lil pricey though and it do be filled with those Sephora 10 year olds. Place though is good and staff is friendly. read more

Great bowls. Don't order from them late though. They have a tendency to cancel your order minutes before the estimated delivery time, and don't give you any notice of it. You end up stuck with no time to order something else. On THREE occasions, I've ordered food before 8 pm, and was notified via the Doordash app at 8:45 pm that they were canceling the order and issuing me a refund. It's nice that I'm refunded, but at that point no one else was delivering, and I was stuck eating fast food elsewhere. read more

Playa Bowls - When it gets late, they cancel your order and you're not notified until your food was supposed to be there. - Acai Bowls Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

I took my daughter there this morning. She ordered a power bowl with strawberries. It was fine until she got to the shards of plastic that she bit down on. I took it back to the store to find out we were not the only ones that it happened to. The staff promptly refunded our money and gave me the phone number of the owner Alan. I called and texted him and he has not yet been in contact with me. I'm taking her to the doctor UPDATE I just spoke to the owner and he explained what happened and also how the situation was rectified. He was professional and very courteous. I will be returning to his store. read more

Playa Bowls - Pretty disgusting - Acai Bowls Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

This mermaid is hooked! I caught the Playa Bowls wave and I JUST. CANT. STOP. This has become mine and my boyfriends post gym tradition every Saturday for the past FOUR Saturdays, crazy I know. The menu is huge and there's always something new to try. Bowls, Oatmeal, Smoothies, Juices, COFFEE! So what exactly is a Playa Bowl? Choose a base of Acai puree, Pitaya puree, Banana Puree, Green Puree. Then, this base is typically topped with a granola, followed by anything from nutella to coconut flakes, goji berries and of course lots of fresh fruit. You haven't lived until you've had an Electric Mermaid Bowl. Have you ever had Pitaya before? I know I haven't, but I certainly love it. Pitaya is a type of dragon fruit that is delicious. I felt so revitalized after eating this and FULL. Ocean Ave bowl is another classic i love. Th Cranford location has street parking only, some pretty awesome cold brew options (i think there was a chocolate stout?!) the staff is super sweet and friendly. Cash & Cards are equally accepted. Try it!!! Until next time, Tara B. read more

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Yummy and delicious! So many bowl bases and toppings I had a hard time picking one. The staff was super friendly and let me try a few of the different bowl bases and I instantly fell in love with the acai berry one - so vibrant and refreshing! I got a modified nutella acai bowl -no strawberries, coconut flakes, no banana but added pineapple, kiwi, and cocoa nibs. I know I know I destroyed the essence of the bowl lol but I liked my version :). I must say I have no idea how others ate their whole bowl in one sitting. It was super filling with like 10 spoonfuls lol. Very good concept and I will definitely be back for another bowl. I also tried their orange protein smoothie on a previous visit and is was also super yummy and refreshing! My only complaint is there is waaaayy too much granola in the bowl so I'll just ask for less next time. read more

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I've been wanting to check this place out after seeing their other location and having it nearby me now but it was a bit disappointing. I was really excited with the variety of choices here and the young girl behind the counter was super friendly and nice, also knew her stuff. Service wasn't an issue here but walking out I noticed the guy behind the counter was cutting up fruit without gloves on. I made a comment to the three workers about it and they claimed that because he's certified he doesn't need gloves... I had to go look this up because it sounded ridiculous and glancing at chapter 24 of NJ sanitation it states all employees touching food are to wear hairnets and gloves except if they only have minimal contact (like the girl at the cash register who put gloves on to make my bowl). Anyway, it's off-putting to see that in a restaurant. When I got home and opened my bowl it looked a little light. I took a picture but it was not filled to the top. You'd expect for $11 you'd get an overflowing bowl like some of the pictures I saw. Maybe because it's to go? But then to go prices should be less money. Everything tasted alright, definitely not my favorite or best bowl I've ever had. I guess because they pre-cut everything the fruit starts to look and taste like it's been sitting out. My bananas in my bowl looked brown in the center. I'll be sticking to my usual joint. read more

Playa Bowls - Inside - Acai Bowls Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

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I have been eying this place for quite some time now until today I finally decided to go during lunch and get myself an açaí bowl. As soon as I walked in the aesthetics of the place caught my eyes attention. Loved how there were so many bowls to chose from. As a first timer I decided to go with the tropical bowl in which had pineapple, banana and coconut pieces. The bowl was 9 dollars and absolutely amazing. read more

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I'm a bowl lover, but I'm so disappointed with the bowl I ate, all the fruits are not fresh except the banana. We ordered two bowls, I ate my coco berry and felt funny, the strawberry and blueberry in my bowl must stay in fridge for more than 2 weeks. Paid more than $10 but No fresh fruit. Will choose other stores instead. read more

Playa Bowls - Acai Bowls Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

My order was to no ready at 1:03 it is now 1:33 and still no food my daughter now can't eat because they didn't even start making it until until about after I was here to pick up at 1:10. It is now 1:35 PM and it's just starting to make it. My daughter has a softball game and now her next game. They need to coordinate with the stores how busy they are before they give times out when people are planning to feed their children. 136 I just got my food. Terrible terrible customer service! read more

Playa Bowls - I screenshot of my phone when I got my food. First time in my life I've ever given a one star review on yelp! - Acai Bowls Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

Super yummy and always fresh tasty and made exactly as ordered. Always hits the spot when you are craving an Acai bowl.

Tasty fruit bowls and excellent juices. A nice menu to choose from! Online ordering is helpful as well.

I recognized Playa Bowls from the location in Asbury Park and I'm glad it's more locally accessible to me now. I've been extremely hesitant to go to Playa Bowls because I'm weary of trying most foods I deem "trendy." I ordered the Pura Vida, my first açaí bowl. It exceeded my expectations and I really enjoyed it. I don't usually like granola, but the granola there is really good and adds a nice touch to the smoothie bowl. What I liked most about my açaí bowl is that they didn't skimp out on the fruit, which is my favorite part of the bowl. The second time I went here, I ordered the Jetty, a chia seed pudding bowl. I enjoyed this as well. Despite liking what I had, I'm still unsure if I can justify the prices. I haven't had smoothie bowls at other places before, so I'm not able to compare prices. It's possible that these prices are common in comparison to most smoothie/juice places, but personally, I'm a little deterred by the price and can really only see myself coming here as a treat or if friends really wanted to go. read more

The sloooooooowest most unprofessional service, i brought my 4 yr old son to get a fresh juice and waited 20-30 mins while the girls behind the counter are joking and forgot about my order...I guess that's what happens when you hire underage workers to run your business... horrible..and I left a tip which I felt like reaching back into the tip jar to take back.. read more

I love the place everyone is kind and nicethey treat everybody really nice and never is rider read more

I'm so excited that we're finally over the whole frozen yogurt thing. Had a Nutella açai bowl and as expected, it was delicious. $11 is pretty steep in price, but the bowl is huge. You can definitely share the bowl with someone. I wish they made a small/large size. The place itself is huge, and I can already see tons of Cranford kids with too much money hanging out here after school. But I'll most definitely be back. read more

Playa Bowls - Acai Bowls Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

Playa bowls is one of my favorite juice bars. This time I got a half acai half pitaya bowl. The acai definitely tasted better than the pitaya, which is interesting because from what I remember I used to like their pitaya more. The granola is really good and I wish they gave more of it. Overall it was a really tasty and satisfying breakfast and I would come again of course. read more

Playa Bowls - Half acai half pitaya Nutella bowl - Acai Bowls Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

Being a student in Union County, I need a place to get a decent meal without gaining a gazillion pounds. I like this particular Playa Bowls. It quiet, quaint, and never crowded. I have literally never waited in a line during any of the times that I've been here. There is also a good parking situation. I never have to circle the block a bunch of times like another location I've frequented ::cough cough Montclair cough:: The employees are friendly and let me sample different bases whenever I ask. The bowls and juices are consistently good and the consistency of the base is never off like other locations. This particular day, my bowl was overflowing out of the bag. It was super messy but on the upside I got a very generous helping of acai. read more

Playa Bowls - Acai Bowls Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

Most of the staff is amazing but I feel like some of the newer staff members need to be trained on customer service. I ordered a bowl with extra Nutella (as always) and I got charged the same amount that I do every time. When the person was done making my bowl, I noticed there was very little Nutella. So I asked if there was a note for extra Nutella (Incase she missed it because it can happen, no big deal). She caught an attitude and told me how I didn't order extra Nutella and that it's an extra .53. I said no, I did already and that I paid the extra amount. She replies saying no, you didn't order it- it's not on the receipt. I said well, I know the order and the amount I got charged because it's the same every time. She proceeds to say no again but midway- asks the girl who took my order if what I was saying is correct. The girl tells her (the girl making my bowl), yes she got extra Nutella- I forgot to include it in the directions. So then I finally got the extra Nutella added, but the girl seemed so annoyed that she had to add it on my bowl and literally stared me down. I'm sorry but first of all, do NOT argue with the customer. Let them explain the situation, especially if they're being polite and informing you that they did in fact pay for an extra addition of something. Second, check with your colleagues before you jump to conclusions. Third, if you hate your job, don't work there... that's fine. However, don't act like it's such an inconvenient task to open up a lid and drizzle the extra Nutella. It's an annoying experience and someone like that can give the impression that the business is run by unprofessional/ incompetent staff. read more

The closing crew on 9-4-2023 was absolutely amazing. I can in an hour before closing and was greeted with three big smiles. I got a Nutella bowl and it was absolutely amazing. The three girls were absolutely amazing and so sweet. I come here all the time and the three of them truly stand out and just so amazing. Everyone should come here! read more

A co-worker brought this is for us one day. Let's just say we're ordering once a week and more if we could! Gosh! Who knew how delicious this would be and the presentation just gorgeous! Lola is my bowl add the bananas! Omg! Yum! read more

This Playa Bowls is definitely my favorite of all the ones I've been to: the lines are usually very short, the fruit is always fresh, and you usually don't have to wait very long to get your order! It's also right in the middle of downtown Cranford, meaning this is the perfect place to come for dessert after dinner at one of the many restaurants within walking distance. read more

Definitely like this spot. The surfer decor is pretty cool and gives off relaxed vibes. Have nothing negative to say. The staff was very attentive and recommended certain bowls to try. I had an Açaí bowl. It was like the first option on the menu (basically I can't remember...lol) and a smoothie & nope I can't remember that name either. I was very pleased with the service & the bowls. I will definitely be back. read more

Playa Bowls - Acai Bowls Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

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Two times in a row I ordered from them and order was wrong. Second time I ordered two bowls they only gave me one even though I paid for two. Manager essentially said to bad you can reorder and come pick it up. Absolutely terrible customer service and apparently their workers are in la la land when preparing orders. I will be going elsewhere to order bowls from now on, the Juice House in Garwood is fresher and way better customer service. read more