Wild Berry Acai Bowls Opens in East Nashville

On my first trip to Puerto Rico in 2013, a woman (now a friend) named Diana took my group out for a post-paddleboarding snack. We followed her to a small building, where acai bowls were made for us while we waited. There was even a moment when the purveyors reached out the window and plucked a mango from a tree, and started dicing.

We — landlocked paddlers that we were, without access to tropical fruits growing in our yards — were enchanted. We were mesmerized by the thick, tart texture of the acai puree. Of the chia seeds that provided crunch. Of the nut butter that brought the saltiness. Of the sweet burst of vitamin C from the ripe mango. We stood in flip-flops, saltwater on our fingers and refueled after a windy paddle.

We came home pined for acai bowls. Eventually, we saw them around Nashville, at juice bars and smoothie shops (and even at Costco). They were a welcome sight, but they were never quite the same. I started making them at home. The combination of the bright red-purple acai puree and the Vitamix made it look like I lost a finger in the kitchen, and getting the right layers meant having tons of fresh fruit at home. 

Many local acai bowl-makers use frozen berry puree, which can have some texture issues. Lots of folks add bananas (a fruit to which I have personal aversion), yogurt (great, unless you are trying to be dairy-free) or ice to blend the berries for the base of the bowl. If you’re a slow eater, which I am when my bowl is loaded with fruit, the ice starts to melt before you get to the bottom.

All of this to say, I’m always on the search for new acai bowls.

And, then all my dreams came true. Wild Berry Acai Bowls opened at 819 Main St., across from my beloved Weiss Liquors sign this summer. Wild Berry uses vegan, dairy-free, ice-free organic acai dispensed through a soft-serve ice cream machine. So you get a smooth, creamy, berry-only base that layers well for toppings, which can be vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free as well. (Those options are for bowls or smoothies.)

The team roasts coconut in-house, makes their own almond drizzle, and none of the fruits are canned or frozen. (No, they’re not picking mangoes off a tree next to the window, but mangoes don’t grow in Nashville, so it is what it is). If, unlike me, you like bananas, you can add them as a topping, but they’re not mixed in with the acai. Owners Justin and Jodi Whittaker moved to Nashville from Arizona to support their daughter Riley Whittaker’s music career, and they’ve built a menu that honors some musical favorites, such as the Bluebird Bowl, the 7 Nation Army Bowl and the Raspberry Beret Bowl. I opted for the Tornado Bowl, because it is topped with coconut oil that manager Madison said functioned like the chocolate shell on vanilla ice cream (among my favorite foods). And, indeed, it does. Wild Berry stores the coconut oil in a liquid state so as it pours on the soft serve, it hardens. A good bowl is all about the layering, and having the granola (regular or gluten-free) on the bottom gave me a good acai-to-topping ratio for the whole dish — which, by the way, is served in a compostable bowl. 

Wild Berry has a small fridge with a few beverage choices, too, including kombucha, cold brew, water, and guaraná soda. Most of Wild Berry’s business is to-go, but I didn’t want to mess up my perfect soft serve peak, so I ate at one of the small tables in the parking lot. Bowls are available in three sizes and smoothies in one. Online ordering is available. 

Wild Berry’s hours are Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. I’ll see you there.