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    Playa Bowls

    3.4 (87 reviews)
    Closed 8:00 am - 9:00 pm

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    Drew O.

    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.

    Clean and inviting space
    Zuryna L.

    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.

    @food_ie_gram
    Natty C.

    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.

    Pacific
    Angela A.

    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!

    Diana R.

    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.

    Menu board.
    Samantha S.

    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.

    Outside

    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

    Mallisa D.

    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!!!

    Pretty disgusting
    Louis S.

    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.

    When it gets late, they cancel your order and you're not notified until your food was supposed to be there.
    Israel L.

    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.

    Tara B.

    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.

    Daniela H.

    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.

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    4 years ago

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

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

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

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - Playa Bowls

    Review Highlights - Playa Bowls

    If it wasn't for the fact that I only eat the Nica bowl, I could seriously become a spokesperson.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    CAVA

    CAVA

    4.1(31 reviews)
    2.6 mi
    $$

    Walking in this place, I didn't know what to get however two employees Danny and Emmanuel not only…read morewent out their way to make sure I had a good experience, but they recommended the most delicious contraption I have ever tasted. Their Customer Service truly exceeded my expectations a place like this I'm used to getting smiles. How can I help you and nothing more. You can tell they truly take pride in what they do and enjoy seeing the satisfaction and excitement on customers faces.

    I wish I could rate this location a zero (0). I visited the Cava in Union, NJ today and I had an…read moreunacceptable experience. Worst service I have ever received in my life. One of my biggest pet peeves is people talking over my food, and that is exactly what happened. While my bowl was being assembled, I added a few items that came with an upcharge. The employee making my bowl informed me of the extra cost, which I understood completely--I've been to Cava many times and know how it works. However, as she repeatedly explained the upcharge, she was talking directly over my food and visibly spitting while speaking, which made me extremely uncomfortable. When I tried to reassure her that I understood and that it wasn't necessary to keep repeating it, her coworker jumped in saying it was "company policy" to ask. I told them that was fine and that I would pay whatever the cost was, but asked that they stop repeating it. Instead of de-escalating, both employees began laughing and smirking, which felt very unprofessional. I calmly explained that I don't like people talking over my food. Their response was sarcastic and dismissive, which eventually led to me raising my voice out of frustration. When it came time to add dressing, the employee intentionally drowned my bowl in dressing to the point where it was completely soggy and inedible--it honestly felt like retaliation. I asked if they would eat something prepared that way, and only then did the manager step in. Thankfully, the manager handled the situation professionally and remade my bowl, which I truly appreciated. I own a franchise myself, and proper food service practices and basic respect for customers are non-negotiable. Talking over food, laughing at customers, and acting spitefully has no place in a restaurant. The manager handled the situation appropriately, but the behavior of the front-line staff was unacceptable and needs to be addressed.

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    CAVA
    CAVA
    CAVA

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    A Better Me Juicery

    A Better Me Juicery

    4.4(11 reviews)
    0.1 mi

    My family was walking and exploring Downtown Cranford and my daughter spotted this one. She wanted…read moreher juice. We ended up going in to check it out. It's a small little shop close to the train station and they have a steady stream of people. Or at least there was always another party of two there whenever I was there. They have a digital menu and I thought the kids menu (12 oz, $8) was a nice touch. Unfortunately, my kid just wanted orange juice and there were no single juices listed, but have no fear! They do make it - it's just not on the menu. I got The Healing (20 oz, $13) which is orange, carrot, apple, ginger, and turmeric. The lady had asked how much ginger and I couldn't make up my mind so told her to surprise me. She got a bit giddy when I said that, haha. This one was really good!! But could have had more of a ginger kick because it was mild. My daughter liked it and she doesn't like ginger. My daughter ended up not really liking her orange juice. They juice it with the skin. That should tell you all you need to know. Haha. She drank more of mine than she did hers. The shop also sells açaí bowls and other blended drinks as well as healthy snacks. A number of them do contain nut products so ask if you have an allergy. One of my kids has multiple allergies to a number of ingredients they use so we played it safe with him. The place has a nice vibe, some limited seats, the drinks were good, and the one lady who worked there was pretty nice! I later returned to ask if she could break a $20 bill and she did!

    Always so friendly! I HIGHLY RECCOMEND the Seamoss! So fresh and made in small batches! Ive been…read moreusing it over a month now and definately have expierenced the benefits. More energy, better skin, and has really helped with hormonal balance!

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    A Better Me Juicery - Menu

    Menu

    A Better Me Juicery - Kid friendly ! Kids love our smoothies & juices

    Kid friendly ! Kids love our smoothies & juices

    A Better Me Juicery

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    Playa Bowls - acaibowls - Updated May 2026

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