Bango Bowls opens Friday morning in downtown Bay Shore

Bango Bowls has announced that its newest location is opening Friday morning in downtown Bay Shore.

The doors open at 9 a.m. at 68 East Main Street next to Verde Kitchen & Cocktails, where staff will be serving up frozen berry bowls and cold brew coffees from the tap.

The company opened three locations last year, the first in Massapequa Park in January, another in Huntington Station in August, and a third in East Setauket in December.

Bango Bowls offers açaí or pitaya (cactus fruit) bowls in a Chipotle-style environment, as explained recently by Bango Bowls co-owner Ryan Thorman.

During the ordering process, customers have a choice of either açaí or pitaya (cactus fruit), while selecting from four different granolas, as well as various toppings down the line.

“Other places do not do that,” Thorman told GreaterPortJeff earlier this month in East Setauket.

For the less creative, there are açaí and pitaya bowls already designed, as well as smoothies and oatmeal bowls.

And, there is no extra charge for substituting toppings.

Bay Shore’s is the fourth Bango Bowls location.

What’s an açaí bowl?

Açaí (pronounced ah sigh EEE) is a purple berry that grows on palm trees in Central and South America. Because it is not a fruit native to the U.S., it is commonly sold in frozen, freeze-dried or powder form.

An açaí “bowl” begins as smoothie blended to the thickness of a sherbet. The frozen açaí berry is the key ingredient; it’s typically pureed with almond milk or coconut milk.

The true allure of the açaí bowl, however, is the toppings, which typically include a variety of fresh sliced fruit, shaved coconut, nut butter and granola.

While açaí bowls have been around for a few years now, they’re more popular this year than ever. This could be due to some media buzz heralding the açaí berry as a “superfood” with numerous health benefits.

Photo Credit: Bango Bowls on Facebook (full post below).