Walking into Playa Bowls\u2019 new location in Bucktown, you would not be faulted for thinking you have just entered an oceanfront surf shop.<\/p>\n
The new a\u00e7ai bowl and smoothie shop, 1735 N. Damen Ave., screams beach. White and pink surfboards hang from the ceiling and some counters are lined with pineapples. A light blue neon sign reading \u201cWelcome to Pineappleland\u201d sits just inside the front entrance to welcome customers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI walked in and felt like I was in Florida, which is something you don\u2019t get in Chicago in October,\u201d said Alex Gabor, who lives just two blocks from the store. She said she was drawn to the store, which she described as \u201cbeachy\u201d and \u201crefreshing,\u201d due to the healthy options it offers.<\/p>\n
Bucktown\u2019s Playa Bowls is open 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Friday and 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.<\/p>\n
In all of its bowls and smoothies, Playa Bowls uses fresh fruit \u2014 as evidenced by bundles of bananas lying around the food prep area. According to its website, all food and drink options also use natural sugars.<\/p>\n
The Bucktown store has more than 30 bowl options with bases including a\u00e7ai, pitaya, oatmeal, coconut, mango, greens, and banana. Smoothies and cold brew are also on the menu.<\/p>\n
The options and the health food chain\u2019s reputation drew large crowds during the Bucktown location\u2019s grand opening last weekend. Dozens of customers lined the block in anticipation.<\/p>\n
Despite the store\u2019s beachy vibes, Playa Bowls actually comes from New Jersey. What started as a single-cart business founded by two avid surfers in northern New Jersey has turned into a franchise spanning more than 280 stores.<\/p>\n
Most Playa Bowls stores are on the East Coast, but the brand has looked west in recent years. The Bucktown location is the first Playa Bowls in Illinois.<\/p>\n
[Image description: A light blue neon sign reading “Welcome to Pineappleland”]<\/p>\n
Though the Bucktown location is Playa Bowls\u2019 first in Chicago or Illinois, ownership hopes it won\u2019t be the only one for long.<\/p>\n
Andy Frukacz, head of operations for the Chicago Playa Bowls franchisee group, said in selecting where to put the first Playa Bowls in Chicago, he and his partners felt Bucktown was \u201cvery consistent with the edginess of the brand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe thought that our brand really fit in well there,\u201d Frukacz said. \u201cThat\u2019s the type of community that we think our product serves very well \u2014 families, young kids, [people] with interest in fitness and sports. Bucktown has it all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Playa Bowls\u2019 leadership does not want the Bucktown location to be its only one in Chicago. In a statement to Block Club, Chief Development Officer Jayson Tipp said Bucktown is the first of 10 planned Chicago locations to open in the next five years.<\/p>\n
Though the exact locations of these spots have not been determined, Frukacz said they\u2019re considering Lakeview, the West Loop, and downtown Evanston, home to Northwestern University, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe really think it\u2019s the best product in the a\u00e7ai [and] smoothie category,\u201d Frukacz said. \u201cWe think Chicago\u2019s a bit underserved in this category, and we\u2019re super proud and excited to be the ones that are delivering this brand to this new market.\u201d<\/p>\n
Playa Bowls has brought a refreshing addition to the Bucktown neighborhood, and with plans for more locations on the way, it\u2019s an exciting time for health-conscious residents in Chicago.<\/p>\n
* What is Playa Bowls?
\nPlaya Bowls is a chain of a\u00e7ai bowl and smoothie shops that uses fresh fruit and natural sugars in all of its products.
\n* How many bowl options are available in the Bucktown location?
\nOver 30 bowl options with bases including a\u00e7ai, pitaya, oatmeal, coconut, mango, greens, and banana.
\n* What are the hours of operation for the Bucktown location?
\nBucktown\u2019s Playa Bowls is open 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Friday and 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.
\n* Are there plans for more locations in Chicago?
\nYes, Playa Bowls plans to open 10 locations in Chicago over the next five years, with potential locations including Lakeview, the West Loop, and downtown Evanston.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Playa Bowls Brings Fresh Juice, Smoothies And ‘Beachy’ Vibes To Bucktown A Beachy New Arrival in Bucktown Walking into Playa Bowls\u2019 new location in Bucktown, you would not be faulted for thinking you have just entered an oceanfront surf shop. The new a\u00e7ai bowl and smoothie shop, 1735 N. Damen Ave., screams beach. White and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3048,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3047","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dining"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/bcc-newspack.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2024\/10\/PLAYA-BOWLS.png?w=1920&resize=1920,1248&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3047"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3047"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3047\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3049,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3047\/revisions\/3049"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3048"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}