Playa Bowls
by: Macy Rhie
Source (middle left photo): Yelp
Source (middle right photo): The Harvard Crimson
Source (bottom left photo): Yelp
Source (bottom right photo): Yelp
Address: 71 Mt Auburn St, Cambridge, MA 02138
Phone Number: (617) 714-5321
Website: https://www.playabowls.com/
Hours:
Sunday - Saturday: 8AM - 9PM
I fell in love with açai bowls a few years ago, and haven’t looked back since. As someone with seven of the top nine food allergies, I’ve tried countless different places, and Playa Bowls is by far my favorite one for a few important reasons. Playa Bowls is a chain açai bowl shop; they sell different flavored bowls with blended fruit bases (açai, pitaya (dragon fruit), coconut, greens, and mango), as well as smoothies. My favorite of their bowls is the “Pura Vida” bowl, which is an açai base topped with strawberries, blueberries, granola, and honey drizzle. It is the perfect combination for when I’m hungry for a meal but want something light, healthy, and of course, allergy-friendly.
My favorite thing about Playa Bowls is how easy it is to make a bowl allergy-friendly. For example, all of their bowl bases are dairy-free and made with coconut milk, and you can request gluten-free granola if you have a gluten allergy (which I do). They have a variety of bowl combinations on the menu, and you can also create your own custom bowl if you so choose. You can tell that Playa goes the extra mile with allergies because of how conscientious they are; for example, their original granola is technically free of gluten, but they offer a gluten-free version that is completely free of cross contamination to be extra safe. I also love how it is a chain restaurant with a core menu; I can always rely on it as a safe breakfast/lunch option when I come across one of their locations.
One thing about Playa, along with most other food chains, is that while the chain brand itself may be allergy-conscious, the bowls are made by the workers on site, which leaves some allergy questions up for discretion (such as cross-contamination). Luckily, one of my best friends happens to work at my local Playa Bowls location. She’s been working there for about a year, so I asked her a few questions about how Playa Bowls really manages food allergies. Here's what she had to say:
What are your most popular bowls and what are their ingredients?
Our most popular bowls are definitely our açai bowls, specifically the “Nutella bowl” (açai blended base topped with bananas, strawberries, coconut flakes and Nutella drizzle), the “Pura Vida bowl” (açai blended base topped with strawberries, blueberries and honey drizzle), and the “8th Ave” (açai blended base topped with bananas and honey drizzle). They are all made from a dairy-free açai base that we receive from our supplier. In addition, they all come with blueberry flax granola which can be substituted for the gluten-free, non-contaminated version upon request.
For the ingredients that contain common allergens, are there any allergy-friendly versions available?
Our granola is a good example: it’s not gluten-free, but we offer a gluten-free version. That’s our main substitution for a common allergen. The drizzles are important to point out, because we do offer bowls with Nutella and almond butter drizzles, but those can easily be substituted for a honey or agave drizzle, or no drizzle at all. Our bases tend not to be an issue for most allergy customers because they are just fruit blends, but if a customer does have a specific fruit allergy, they can choose a different type of fruit base (for example substitute an açai base for a coconut base.) Overall, our bowls are very versatile and can be substituted to fit most allergy needs.
How good is Playa Bowls with cross-contamination?
In terms of preventing cross-contamination, our method is changing gloves and wiping down surfaces in between orders. So, if someone comes in and says, “I’m allergic to bananas,” or we get an online order that says “gluten-free allergy,” then we’ll have one person change their gloves and wipe down the counter surfaces. Usually we have multiple people working on the bowls for efficiency, but if we get an allergy order, then one person will make the bowl all by themself to completely avoid contamination.
What is your favorite Playa bowl and why?
My favorite Playa bowl is a custom bowl with the coconut base, granola, and Nutella drizzle. I really love that combination. I also really love our mango bowl and our açai bowls, too. Lately, I’ve also been having our oatmeal bowls, which is basically cooked oatmeal with a syrup drizzle topped with fruit.
How often are nuts in your facility?
We do use nuts in our facility, such as with the Nutella and almond drizzles, and in some bowls that come with sliced almonds. However, all of our nut products are kept in a separate area, and are not contaminated with any of the other ingredients. If we are notified of a nut allergy, we would go through the cleaning procedure that I mentioned earlier.
What are Playa’s sanitary procedures like?
Every night, we stay an extra half hour to clean up and prepare for the next morning. For example, with our drizzles, we take off the lids and rinse them out completely, dry them off, cover them in Saran Wrap, and put them in the fridge. We wipe down all of the surfaces with sanitary cloths. We save most of the premade bases, but throw out any fresh bases made that day, such as the green base, which is blended in the store. We wash out all the blenders, and we mop the floors. Basically, just a lot of washing stuff and wiping down surfaces!
Menu:
Source: HappyCow
Have you been to Playa Bowls? Planning to go? Feel free to leave your own thoughts in the comment section of this article and/or ask questions about this eatery, and we will try our best to answer!
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