This Bowl landed on my radar via one of my close friends who had great things to say about it. While bowl spots can be dime-a-dozen in Midtown, there seemed to be a lot of hype around this place and the menu looked tasty. I had some time to step out and grab lunch today, so one of my colleagues and I decided to check it out.
This Bowl hails from Australia, and currently has three locations in NYC. As we approached, we were greeted by a line that stretched outside - both due to it being peak lunch time and also because anything with enough hype in NYC these days will have a line (This Bowl? More like This Line!...I'll see myself out). Despite looking intimidating, it moved quickly and we placed our order within 10 minutes of arriving. The space is small, though there are a couple of tables and high ceilings that makes it feel open.
Bowls are pretty much the only item they offer - they have pre-set flavor/protein combinations but you can also build your own. Since it was my first time, I decided to go with The O.G.; this contained kale, beets, red onion, edamame, roasted sesame, seaweed salad, avocado, spiced scallion crunch, and tobiko. For my base I went with brown rice, and they offered a choice of chicken or salmon sashimi as a protein (I chose the former).
The bowl was quite good - despite looking small, it was very filling and tasted super fresh. I appreciated the sheer number of ingredients which added lots of different textures and played well together. Service was efficient - and honestly, they need to be. With how popular this place is and the number of people coming here on their lunch break, there's no time for delays. I give them a lot of credit for turning it out despite being slammed.
Overall, I had a good first experience at This Bowl. The fresh and tasty food along with the efficient service definitely earns it a spot in my rotation of work lunch spots. read more