Home Food + Drink Shaka Bowl in Hoboken {Hawaiian Poké and Açai Bowls}

Shaka Bowl in Hoboken {Hawaiian Poké and Açai Bowls}

by Jennifer Tripucka
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West Hoboken has been quite abuzz lately — with several restaurants and bars coming into the neighborhood, slowly but surely. One of the newest spots off-the-beaten path is Shaka Bowl, located at 720 Monroe {on the ground level off the street next to Cheese + Wine}. Whether you’re craving an açai bowl or want a taste of the 50th state {Hawaii for those slightly geographically challenged}’s infamous poke bowls, there’s something for everyone at this local Hawaiian-inspired cafe. Here’s a peek at our visit:

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When you walk into Shaka Bowl, you’ll find a full-scale build-your-own bar of organic açai, pitaya, and poké bowls with smoothies and frozen yogurt to boot = perfect for a breakfast, lunch, or even dinner sitch most nights of the week. You may be a bit overwhelmed with the options — as there are a TON. It’s not a Chipotle-style situation where there’s a receiving line to swiftly create your bowl, buuuut it’s an easy order from the prominently displayed table, pay, and then wait at a table for your name to be called, and voila — you’re on your way.

Vepo Clean

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Harborside Sport + Spine

To explain açai, pitaya, and poké bowls further for those not familiar with the terms {and to help you sort out your decision more easily when you visit}:

Hobbs Inc

Açai: a South American palm tree producing small edible blackish-purple berries — which is blended into smoothie form {as an açai bowl with mixed amounts of fruits, granola, and other toppings — yum}!

Pitaya: a different type of fruit, the dragon fruit, which is a fruitier, tarter flavor that can be blended into a smoothie form

Poké: Poké bowls are a different type of dish — as they contain raw fish {usually tuna} chopped up and marinated with various toppings over a bed of rice.

yoga renew hoboken

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^Poké bowls FTW 

For the breakfast crowd, they also serve oatmeal bowls, local tea, coffee, and nitro cold brew — making it a go-to brekky spot for anyone west of Willow Ave. You can build you own bowl or order one of the pre-selected menu items — which they then make fresh on the spot.

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Starting by siblings who went to school in Hawaii in 2014, Shaka Bowl’s owners Kiersten and Krista lived on the Big Island of Hawaii and fell in love with Hawaiian culture and of course — the food. “We knew right away that we needed to share this unbelievable culture with our family and friends on the East Coast,” they share on their website. Just a short time later, they decided to open up Shaka Bowl.

The small space has a pink and silver aesthetic {and even fresh orchids on the table to go with the logo — loves it} with several communal tables, making it easy for dine-in or take out options. The space is bright and inviting, and most days it’s pretty crowded in the mornings as people swing by for their morning ‘bowl’ fix.

See More: Açai Bowls from The Juice Journey are DELICIOUS

A word to the wise for those wondering about the pricing. The poké bowls run around $15 each and the açai and pitaya bowls cost around $10 each {protein costs more for the poké which makes sense}. Not terrible, but definitely not on the cheap side when it comes to a quick pick-up and take out sitch. Either way, the açai bowl ordered was delicious, made promptly, and I must say that it was nice not to feel “rushed” when scouring the extensive menu on the board and not knowing where to begin. Some places definitely make you feel like you should know what you want to order as soon as you walk in, and this was not one of them.

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^Beautiful açai bowl we ordered — they are HUGE and could easily be 2 servings.

For the working crowd, Shaka’s hours range from 7AM-9PM on weekdays {although we’ve been told that sometimes they don’t open til 7:30AM — so make sure you have a backup plan in case you need to be at work early!} and 8AM-9PM on weekends. At this time, they don’t deliver.

Next up to try on the menu: the Mauna Kea Spicy Tuna Poké Bowl and the Honi Bowl — half açai / half pitaya and peanut butter drizzled on top. They also offer dessert toppings like cacao nib and nutella heaven {fyi: cacao nibs are 100%  raw/organic and a superfood}. Too many options, too little time! We’ll definitely be back very soon.

Have you been to Shaka Bowl? What did you think?

RMA

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