Bowls News
Dallas indie rolls out healthy vegan bowls in the Design District
One of the things being said about the coronavirus is that your chances of fighting it are better if you're healthy — if you're eating good food and getting exercise and fresh air. So here's a healty bowl option, and it's from a Dallas entrepreneur and not one of those big chains.
Called Bowldega, it's a small, independent operation located in the Amli apartment building in Dallas' Design District, at 1400 Hi Line Dr.
It's not only located inside the apartment building, it's located inside the little convenience store/bodega, with whom it shares kitchen space.
The menu is entirely customizable: You create your own bowl starting with a base, then granola, then toppings.
Base options include:
- Açai
- Pitaya
- Coconut
- Chia Original, Chia Coconut, Chia Matcha
- Matcha
- Blue Majik
There are three granola options: hemp; honey almond nut; and a rotating special.
Toppings include fruits and nuts such as: Strawberries, Bananas, Blueberries, Sweet Coconut, Toasted Coconut, Unsweet Coconut, Pumpkin Seeds, Flax Seeds, Chia Seeds, Hemp Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Banana Chips, Goji Berries, Cacao Nibs, Almond Butter, Peanut Butter, Espresso Powder, Cinnamon Powder, Matcha Powder, Pumpkin Spice, Cocoa Powder, Agave, Apple Honee, and Date Syrup.
His bowls come in three sizes:
- 12-ounce small for $8
- 16-ounce medium for $11
- 24-ounce large for $14
Beyond the joy you reap from supporting an independent, Bowldega has a few other things going for it, says owner Tony Tran.
"It's all vegan, that part is important to me," he says. He also insists his offerings are superior.
"My product is not a powdered version," he says. "Some of the other acai bowls out there, what they're doing is more of a liquid. You can put a straw in it. Mine, you put in a spoon and eat it. It's a different texture. Mine is more like sorbet or gelato."
"Some of the other places say it's 'a smoothie in a bowl,' but for me, that's less satisfying as a meal," he says. "You can't drink my bowls."
The acai is the best seller but his papaya coconut bowl is a close second.
Tran became familiar with the space because he lives in the building and knew there was a built-in audience for his healthy fare. He deliberately started small with this location, which he opened in June, but he already has a second location in the works, at 2515 Inwood Ave., at the intersection of Maple, currently under construction, set to open in the fall.
"It's near UT Southwestern, and it'll be a standalone," he says. "It's about being healthy."
