Hi everyone, welcome back to the blog! The weather here is finally warmer (and by warmer I do mean mid 40s), so it’s safe to say i’m in a very good mood. For this week’s edition of my ongoing brunch review series, we have a battle of the açaí bowls. Now granted, there are only two smoothie bowl spots in Amherst. However, as someone who is an absolute açaí bowl fiend, examining the quality of these two spots is very important to me. Once again, I wanted to save my photos of the smoothie bowls for each of their respective reviews, so the featured image of this post is a photo of the Emily Dickinson house that I took on my walk this morning! I wonder if she would have liked açaí bowls…
For the entirety of my first year at Amherst College, there was only one açaí bowl spot in town, and that spot was Kwench Juice Cafe. Kwench specializes in açaí/pitaya bowls, smoothies, and juices, but they also have grab and go items such as coffee, overnight oats, chia pudding, sea moss gel, and kombucha. Something cool about Kwench is that since they blend a fresh smoothie base for each bowl, you can customize the liquid for your base (though I should mention that they only offer non-dairy options). In the picture on the left, I got the açaí bowl with granola, banana, coconut flakes, and peanut butter, and my roommate got an açaí bowl with granola, almonds, blueberries, nutella, and honey. Unfortunately, in our experience the service has often been often quite slow (you sort of have to carve out an hour of your day for a Kwench expedition), the base itself is not as thick as normal açaí, and their granola is personally not my favorite. However, my friends and I were revived on many Sunday mornings by a Kwench trip, so it’ll always hold a special place in my heart. Overall, I give the cafe a 7/10.
Unlike the majority of the cafes and brunch spots in and around Amherst, there’s probably a pretty good chance that you’re already familiar with Playa Bowls. After some quick Googling, there are apparently 275 locations in 23 states nationwide. Impressive. But anyway, while I usually prefer to support local small businesses (namely Coronation Cafe), I can’t deny how yummy Playa Bowls is. First of all, their selection of smoothie bowl options is extensive. But also, apart from their classic bases of açaí, mango, pitaya, coconut, green, banana, and oatmeal, you also have the option of making your bowl base a half-and-half situation. For example, in this photo I got a half açaí half green base with banana, granola, and peanut butter, and my friend got an açaí base with granola, strawberry, and nutella. This cafe also often has holiday specials and random discounts, so I follow their Instagram to keep up with the latest updates (and to see what Amherst College athletes get featured on their page!). Something else about Playa that I really enjoy is the fact that they also put granola at the bottom of the bowl, especially since i’ve been known to accidentally eat all the toppings and be left with just straight up smoothie. I do personally wish they put a little more peanut butter on top, but that also may just be me having a raging peanut butter addiction. Regardless, it’s a yummy, consistent spot, and I’d rate it an 8.5/10.
Before coming to Amherst, I was honestly a little unsure of what to expect from its small town, and I was a bit worried I’d get tired of the selection of offerings. However, something that has left me pleasantly surprised is the fact that it truly seems like there’s always something new and exciting happening in the town of Amherst. Whether it be the arrival of a Playa Bowls or the new cake bakery that just opened downtown (Buttercup Craft Bakery), it always feels like there’s something new to explore. And, just to really try and convey the sheer number of dining options available in this town, I’ll mention the fact that even though Dakota and I have been to so many breakfast/brunch/lunch places, we still are not anywhere close to trying all the restaurants in Amherst. The academic aspects of an institution are obviously a crucial factor when it comes to making a decision about college, but I also love to highlight the environment of the town of Amherst because I firmly believe that a college experience should be more than solely what you can do on campus. Plus, I love any excuse to eat yummy food and then ramble about it. As always, if you ever have any questions about Amherst, please email me! My email is eknauer27@amherst.edu. Bye for now!!