A smoothie bowl concept with a chill surfer vibe has made its Dallas debut: Called Mamaka Bowls, it's a chain founded by an entrepreneurial mother-and-daughter team, now open in the Knox neighborhood, in a former Session Dry Bar at 4618 McKinney Ave.

This is the first Mamaka location in Dallas, but there are eight across the country and five in Texas, including a location they opened in Fort Worth at WestBend in 2021.

Mamaka was founded by mother-and-daughter Carrie Hudson and KK Goodwin in Fayetteville, Arkansas in 2018, but the chain has roots in Dallas back when KK was a student at Highland Park High School, and Carrie would make acai bowls for her lunch. Soon, Hudson was making 40-50 bowls for KK and her classmates.

“She did that for a year, and then a few years later the whole family moved to Fayetteville, so Dallas has been a full circle moment bringing Mamaka back home,” Goodwin says. “I grew up spending a lot of time on Knox and have always loved this area, so it felt perfect when we found our little space.”

The bowls are blended thick, but they also do a smoothie version that's thinner, for sipping. With flavors such as espresso or tropical topped with fresh fruit and granola, their bowls include the following highlights:

• The Babe: almond butter, blueberries, vanilla, dates, salt, almond milk, topped with granola, blueberries, coconut shreds, and cacao nibs
• The Bean (KK’s personal favorite): coffee, peanut butter, banana, agave, cacao nibs, almond milk, topped with granola, and blueberries, and banana
• Hangover Cure: coconut water, blueberry, ginger, banana, spinach, almond butter, and topped with granola, strawberry, and blueberries
• Pipeline: acai, strawberry, banana, chocolate almond milk, peanut butter, topped with granola, banana, strawberry, and cacao nibs

They have two bowl sizes, including a small for $9.50, a regular for $11, and a smoothie size for $6.50.

Mamaka also offers coffee, unique matcha drinks featuring lavender or cinnamon flavors, and lemonade. Food includes a single breakfast taco filled with tater tots, egg, and cheese for $3.25.

Pups can even get in on the flavor with a bark bowl featuring peanut butter, banana, and a dog treat on top.

The chain puts forth a youthful energy, with bright pastels and a beach-shack vibe embodied in their company motto that "Life is better when it's lived in corduroy shorts by the beach, laughter and salty air are better than most things and being a free spirit is a dang good thing."

Goodwin quite literally went straight from college to running a business with her family and now husband and COO.

“We opened our first location the day I was supposed to walk for graduation,” Goodwin says. “My mom raised three kids and decided to flip the script and start a brand after she got us all out of the house. My husband, Cody, was working full time until we stole him away to Mamaka a few years in.”