Vitality Bowls

I’ve been on this new acai bowl craze. Trying to check out all the acai spots in San Francisco. I actually heard a lot of good things about this spot, so I walked over for breakfast one morning. There was no one in the store so I figured it wouldn’t take that long. But man, I waited almost 15 minutes to get my bowl. How long does it take if it was a busy morning? I get everything is made to order– but still.
I got the Tropical bowl. It was good but honestly for the price (almost $ 11) and the long wait– I’ll walk over to Blue Hawaii instead.

I have tired this place a few times, each time hoping like a mad woman that the experience will be different. No matter the number of customers in the place, my wait time for a smoothie is 20 minutes. It’s gotten to be a running joke at my office. 20 minutes for a barely competent smoothie or sandwich is ridiculous. Thankfully I’ve decided to stop the madness!

I’m not a fan. And you shouldn’t be either. I’ve been 3 times, and without fail, every time the experience is poor.
1. WAIT — this place is full of employees. fooling around, not doing much, with an inability to multi-​task. For example, there is no one taking our order, but there are two employees slowly stocking the fridge and washing celery. Wait part 2 — when they make the food. Oy. The worst is when you go in and NO ONE ELSE is in there and they’re just gossiping and 4 people are working on 1 basic acai bowl. Sigh.
2. Quality of food — MEH. MAN I’d be ok with anything if the food was good. But the price that is paid for a watered down acai bowl and a sunken ¼ of a banana is unacceptable at $ 12/​bowl. I eat acai bowls often in Hawaii and LA, the bowls are beautiful, fresh, and prepared in half the time. At vitality, get ready to bite into a half frozen blueberry.
3. They have some unique superfoods on their menu. The employees don’t even know what they’re selling, don’t bother asking.
If you’re craving an acai bowl, do yourself a favor and go to Blue Hawaii. It’s not much further in the fidi.

Refreshment in a massive bowl.
Vitality Bowls serve up standard acai bowls inside the Rincon Center.
I ordered the Detox bowl, which came with almond milk, flax seed, kale, spirulina, bananas strawberries and was topped with additional bananas, blueberries, almond, and goji berries.
The portion size here is big — as is the price. I enjoyed my Detox bowl — but I’ve definitely had better acai bowls at other businesses in the city for a more reasonable price. While I appreciate that acai spots are popping up in the city, and I find acai bowls to be energizing and a healthy mid afternoon snack — they still contain quite a bit of natural sugar — which one should be cognizant of — if you’re watching your sugar intake. For this reason — I wish I could have had the option to order a more modest sized portion.
Also — be prepared to wait. The bowl making process seems is lengthy here and even though I was the only customer at the time — I found myself checking the clock a number of times.
Trust.

Love their acai bowls! Affordable and tasty alternatives to their over priced cousins in the city. Try the one with peanut butter. Yum!!!

This place is alright. The acai bowls are tasty and the portion size is huge but they are also on the pricier side. Nothing new for the financial district. The service, however, lags so bad that I wouldn’t suggest getting anything here if you’re eating with a group because you’ll be the last one back. They take almost forever to make their bowls. If you have even 2 – 3 people waiting in line before you I would not come here.

This is place is aite. It’s a convenient way to have a healthy/​detox meal and/​or satisfy your acai bowl craving if you work in the SOMA and don’t want to trek over to Blue Hawaii in the Embarcadero area. But, MAN, the wait is long as EFF. I get that it’s made to order but srsly, why does it take so long to put together cut up fruit on top of something blended? DEFINITELY recommend ordering online first. I think I waited like 15 minutes after I ordered.
Starts at $ 9 for an acai bowl, I believe, which is pricey but on par with most places that do acai bowls. The medium was enough to fill me up!

I think they have some of the best acai bowls in the city and definitely the most bang for your buck. Yes, they are expensive but compared to other places, you get a lot for the price.
The nutty bowl is SO good!

Got an acai shake, it was good. They were s bit slow on account of the lunch rush. I would try this place again.

Came by Rincon Center for to grabs quick bite for breakfast. Saw this new place and gave it a shot. I don’t usually go in for super foods smoothies for breakfast but they looked good on the menu. Had a great smoothie for breakfast. I was surprised how fresh and tasty. Takes a couple of minutes but well worth the wait.

I was staying at The Hotel Griffon and can’t stand the bar food at Perry’s. I saw a sign for Vitality Bowls on Mission at Rincon Center. Apparently they just opened a few weeks ago. I checked the Unilocal reviews and the menu, and noted that the complaints were mostly about long wait times. Having a doctors appointment across town, I decided to load the app and order online, per the suggestion of other savvy Unilocalers.
I selected a Vitality Bowl with extra chia seeds added in (up charge) and modified gluten free granola (up charge). However, the app would not accept my credit card. I tried five times, and I kept getting a message to call the store to complete my order. Annoying, but I switched to «pay on arrival». The app requested 30 minutes to create my bowl. I showered, dressed, gathered my belongings and walked across the street.
Only one person was ahead of me in line! At 8:45am on a Friday, I was expecting a line out the door. The earlier patron was told his order would be ready in 12 minutes.
At the register, I was told my order was ready and the total came to just over $ 12. It was waiting for me in the large fridge nearby. I asked what the gluten-​free granola consists of, and I got some blank stares; this should have been my first clue.
The small bowl is a very large portion; much larger than anything I ever eat for breakfast! The bowl was topped with bananas that looked fresh and firm. Below the bananas were large, red strawberries, but they look like the kind we used to scoop out of a big white plastic bin when I worked at Dairy Queen as a teenager. It had that gooey looking «jus» which tells me the kitchen team didn’t just slice up these berries they picked up at the farmers market. The acai was tasty and hearty, but I think it’s just too much sugar for a health conscious person like myself. But here’s my major complaint: the so-​called gluten-​free granola that I paid extra for was actually a mix of cereals that looked like Kix, Rice Krispies, and bran flakes. I wish I was kidding. I make my own granola at home, and it’s a combination of raw nuts and seeds I soak in cinnamon and vanilla, then slow roast. It’s easy, packed with protein, and delicious. This was not even granola. Had they offered raw nuts and seeds (they offer chia and flax), I would have opted for those. Instead, I was left with the feeling that this is just another overpriced chain trying to pass themselves off as the next health craze. I see nothing healthy about giant portions of frozen sugary fruits and nutrientless cereals.

I placed an order an hour ahead of time. I arrived to pick it up and had to wait 10 minutes in line just to ask to pick it up only to find they hadnt even made my order yet. So add an additional 10 minutes of waiting for them to fix it. And still they gave me the wrong order. Asked for no sun dried tomatoes. And got them anyways. I now have no time to eat before going back to work. Im really pissed off. I paid $ 16 for bad serivce and not what i had ordered. I feel cheated.

UPDATED!
This was the 3^rd time I tried this place. The first time It was better coz it was fresh and was perfect in taste. Last time it was little liquidy. All the dressings on the top of it started to sink inside after I walk out of the store. But today I am seeing frozen strawberries in my bowl. I am not gonna pay $ 10 for frozen fruits. The sign board says fresh and organic. The fresh part is missing now within a month.
I’ll go back to my usual place Blue Hawaii which is couple of blocks from here which is much cheaper and way way better in quality. I have been going there (Blue Hawaii) for almost 2 years now. This place started well but I dont think its gonna go stay for long with the quality drop I am seeing with in a month.
I’d recommend Blue hawaii if you are tired of this place or had same experience.
UPDATED
Went again after review feedback from owner. This time the quality was really good. This place deserve 2 more stars for living up to expectations. Will go again!

Pros
A refreshing and healthy alternative in the Rincon Food Court
Freshly made to order
Solid variety of options
Tasty smoothies
Cons
Slow to get your order (due to being made to order)
Overall Thoughts
Definitely recommend ordering ahead or getting there early to avoid the wait time

Came here for the first time since they opened a few days ago for an Energy Acai Bowl for lunch. The portions are pretty big for around $ 10 — especially in this area. They messed up on my order so it was delayed, but the store manager attempted to make it up by giving me another topping to add to my order — which was nice of them. My energy bowl consisted of: Açaí blended with Soy Milk, Apple Juice, Guarana, Banana, Strawberries & Flax Seed; Topped with Organic Granola, Banana, Strawberries, Goji Berries, Bee Pollen & Honey AND blueberries because they messed up on my order. Super filling and fruits were sweet. Will be back to try other bowls since I work right upstairs.

Went there today for the first time and wasn’t impressed. Starting with their food: we had a dragon plate a au bowl with fruits and granola. It took them 14min to make it in a off lunch rush hour (3.30pm). It was sweet and not very filling. I will come back but might not be regular here

I just spent $ 17 on lunch.
Was I like drunk or something?!
No, I wanted something besides your standard salad and sandwich fare in SOMA, and I was too lazy to walk across Market St. to Blue Hawaii for an acai bowl. So, hey, Vitality Bowls opened and it’s pretty much the same.
Don’t be fooled by the size labels; «small» is a sizeable portion, especially because it’s acai with a lot of fruit, granolas, etc. and it’s definitely enough to keep you decently satisfied if you’re a light to medium eater. But for those of us who actually enjoy eating loads of food, the large is probably more suitable, or get a small bowl and add on a panini ($ 3.99 as an add-​on, $ 4.99 standalone).
The thing with these bowls and smoothies, though, is even though they don’t add any extra sugar, the fruits they use are really high in sugar content, and once it’s blended, your body’s basically just absorbing all the sugary goodness. so beware.
(FYI, Blue Hawaii used to post their nutritional information, and their products are really similar to those at Vitality Bowls, so if they’re still up, check those out if you’re curious)
Panini was ok, nothing special, but hey, by itself it’s only $ 5. Not bad.
Would I go back? Yes, because the bowls are tasty, but I wouldn’t go too often, as it’s really expensive, even if you were to just get a bowl by itself (at least $ 10). I’d rather spend that money on a big salad instead. Also, it does take quite awhile for them to blend everything up, since it’s fresh fruits and stuff they’re using, so I waited about 10 minutes for my food. I tried to order online, but apparently they add a surcharge (?) so I just decided to suck it up and wait there.
Thanks, Vitality Bowls, for providing another lunch option in the area!

Thus far the best Acai in the downtown area. Kind of pricey as all Acai bowls are, but completely worth it because of their huge portion sizes. I liked the fact that it was a thicker consistancy and blended with guarana, which makes it feel like more of a meal rather than a smoothy. I beleive what I got was the power bowl. The nice thing about this place is they have many varieties of Acai bowls. Will defiitely be coming back even though its a bit of a walk from my office.

I absolutely love this chain so it’s no surprise I’m going to love the one that’s finally located in the same city as me.
I always go for the nutty bowl. I feel like it’s like when you decide to get strawberry ice cream. You think hey that’s a fruit, it’s healthy. The nutty bowl is kind of like that. Yes, it has acai berries but it also has peanut butter, almonds and honey. If I’m going to choose to treat myself, I usually go this route. I’d pick it over ice cream anytime.
This location just opened so they are still working out their kinks. If you become obsessed like I am and work in the area, I’d suggest getting the app or calling in so you don’t have to wait. Waiting is just going to be a part of the vitality bowl experience since everything’s made to order. Today I’m here right in the smack of lunch time so I’m expecting to wait around 15 minutes from walking in the door to eating.

Time: 2:07pm/68°F intermittent cloud
Purpose: Message came through stating that it will be open today. My respond was, I know that as I’m the one that had it up couple months back. No dohhh!
Set-​up: Located in the Spear street Rincon Center ground floor level across from Nas and Bask. Place is not hard to see, its set up is like other food court style eateries surrounding place. Inside starts with boomerang counter. On counter two registers, napkin dispenser, unregister giftcards, tip bucket, wired dish holder, utensil organizer, partition glass, blender, juicer. Behind counter sink, two menu panel, posters, freezer/​fridge, prep counter, metal food containers. On the sales floor LG flatscreen with pictures of drinks/​bowls on time slideshow intervals, two industrial storage shelfs, sliding two door beverage fridge. No seating inside, its stand and enjoy or take it outside common area.
Staff: Place was well staffed on this opening day. About four girls and two guys. Girls about late 20s while the guys late 30s to early 40s could be DM or store managers. Everyone was upbeat never a dull moment. Seems very well train as no supervision was needed making my order. They explain each items thoroughly before, I just said, the dessert bowl regular please. No push for hard sell as, their body language was to hold down following day shifts.
Cleanliness: Grade A+, immaculate. So clean you can eat off the counter. All products are in box store away in conspicuous areas. Nothing put out that would create a hazard.
Eats/​Drinks: Regular dessert bowl $ 5.99 was delicious. The acai blended with coconut milk tasted natural and very pleasing. However, some of the other ingredients tasted very commercial run of the mill taste. The chocolate chips and coconut shavings tasted very commercial, that of SunRidge Farms dehydrated fruit snacks. Just not a fan out sugar coated dried fruits. Now the strawberries and bananas were cut and slice from real fruit. Overall satisfactory and delicious, plenty of spoonfuls for a modest price.
Main Features: Vitality Bowl and The Green Bowl.
Products/​Services: Acai bowls, smoothies, panini, fresh juice, salads & more, organic rickaroons, giftcards, chips, Reed’s ginger beer, Honest Tea, fruit infused bottle water, coconut juice, add ons/​toppings, kids menu, special of month. Follow them-​FB, Twitter, Instagram. Takes plastic.
Punch Lines: New, high energy, better than your average, pleasing flavors, modest cost, drool worthy, imaginable toppings, warm service, well prepared, light bites, zippy service, lively atmosphere, can’t go wrong, addictive, casual and delicious, worth the wait, share tables/​chairs, food court surrounding, post office, wine shop.
Tradeoffs: No ice or sugar fillers added to smoothies. As natural or close as possible.
Final Thoughts: How I see this trend is like how I see other businesses. This acaí bowl craze may just replace frozen yogurt and some of the boba places as well, just some not all. There are three places that I want to compare all together. These are Basik Café, Vitality Bowl and Bowl of Heaven. So far at Vitality is a winner for me. Stay tuned as I need to try Bowl of Heaven before results becomes conclusive.