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BUCKTOWN — Walking into Playa Bowls’ new location in Bucktown, you would not be faulted for thinking you have just entered an oceanfront surf shop.
The new açai 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 “Welcome to Pineappleland” sits just inside the front entrance to welcome customers.
“I walked in and felt like I was in Florida, which is something you don’t get in Chicago in October,” said Alex Gabor, who lives just two blocks from the store. She said she was drawn to the store, which she described as “beachy” and “refreshing,” due to the healthy options it offers.
Bucktown’s Playa Bowls is open 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Friday and 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.
In all of its bowls and smoothies, Playa Bowls uses fresh fruit — 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.
The Bucktown store has more than 30 bowl options with bases including açai, pitaya, oatmeal, coconut, mango, greens and banana. Smoothies and cold brew are also on the menu.
The options and the health food chain’s reputation drew large crowds during the Bucktown location’s grand opening last weekend. Dozens of customers lined the block in anticipation.
Despite the store’s 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.
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.
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 “very consistent with the edginess of the brand.”
“We thought that our brand really fit in well there,” Frukacz said. “That’s the type of community that we think our product serves very well — families, young kids, [people] with interest in fitness and sports. Bucktown has it all.”
But Playa Bowls’ 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.
Though the exact locations of these spots have not been determined, Frukacz said they’re considering Lakeview, the West Loop and downtown Evanston, home to Northwestern University, he said.
“We really think it’s the best product in the açai [and] smoothie category,” Frukacz said. “We think Chicago’s a bit underserved in this category, and we’re super proud and excited to be the ones that are delivering this brand to this new market.”
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