Playa Bowls set to open May 18 in Rehoboth

Playa Bowls, a maker of açai bowls, pitaya bowls and fresh juices, is set to open on Rehoboth Avenue Saturday, May 18.

After more than a year of talking about it, it’s exciting for the store to finally be opening, said Manager Alex Glassheim.

Playa Bowls is a New Jersey-based company, begun as a food cart by Robert Giuliani and Abby Taylor in 2014. The two grew up surfing Jersey beaches during the summer, and during the winter, traveled to tropical locations to stay on the waves. Everywhere they went, they noticed people enjoying açai or pitaya bowls, so they decided to give them a try in Belmar, N.J.

In five short years the company has grown to over 70 locations, and Glassheim said she doesn’t see the momentum stopping anytime soon. People are much more aware of the food they’re putting into their bodies, she said.

“This is not a fad,” she said.

One of the early locations was in Newark, near the University of Delaware, and almost immediately, Glassheim said, it was apparent there needed to be one at the Delaware beaches. A lot of customers up there come to Rehoboth during the summer, and they kept saying they wished there was a Playa Bowls, she said.

Glassheim said Playa Bowls is a surf-themed business with music playing and employees having fun. It’s somewhere tropical and exciting, she said.

The menu features açai bowls, pitaya bowls, coconut bowls, green bowls, banana bowls, chia bowls, oatmeal bowls, juices, smoothies and coffee. Glassheim said the fruits and vegetables are delivered daily and prepared fresh to order. The smoothies and bowls fill a person up, without leaving them bloated, she said. Pitaya is a nutrient-rich South American fruit that became known as dragon fruit when it was introduced in Asia.

“It’s healthy comfort food,” she said. Glassheim said unlike the açai used by other stores, Playa Bowls açai, touted as a superfood, is only available at their stores. It’s sourced from Brazil, shipped to the company facility in New Jersey and then distributed to all the locations, she said.

After a soft opening May 18-19, Glassheim said beginning Friday, May 24, the store, 220 Rehoboth Ave., will be open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week. For more information or to order online, go to www.playabowls.com.