Looking for a nearby healthy and diet-friendly alternative? Look no further than the recently opened cafe Soul Bowl — it might be exactly what you’ve been searching for. Located in the village of Clinton, Soul Bowl is a small cafe featuring vitamin- and nutrient-packed bowls that are perfect for breakfast and brunch, or if you’re just looking for a quick bite to eat. Their menu consists of açaí bowls, coconut bowls, pitaya bowls, banana bowls, green bowls, smoothies, toasts, and oatmeal bowls. Their mission is to provide options with whole, raw foods to Central New York, and the menu was created with the intention of being vegan, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free.
Jenna Stanton launched Soul Bowl in June 2018 with the simple idea of creating healthy and inclusive foods that everyone, including those with particular diets or allergies, can enjoy. Her idea stemmed from her own difficulty with finding tasty foods due to her own dairy allergy and her constant concern with the preparation of foods behind restaurant kitchen walls. And so Soul Bowl was launched.
The ambience of cafe is delightfully pleasing, and the tropical-themed decorations match the menu perfectly. The friendliness of staff, including Jenna and her mother, is also pleasant and the entire environment feels extremely welcoming.
As soon as I glanced at the menu, I noticed were the variety of bowl options and a large amount of different natural toppings that could be added to them. From goji berries to matcha powder, they really do carry an array of healthy options. The second thing I noticed were the semi-steep prices. Being from Rio de Janeiro, açaí was a huge part of my diet given its place in beach culture and wasn’t ever sold or marketed as a pricey item. So, seeing the açaí bowls range from $9 to $11.50, I was a bit taken aback.
My friends and I shared the Tide Pool Bowl, the Nutella Daze toast, and a large make-it-your-own açaí bowl. The Tide Pool is one of their green bowls, which uses kale, pineapple, banana, and coconut milk as a base. I added the almond butter drizzle to mine. I ordered a small, which for the price should’ve been the size of a large, but was satisfying nonetheless. The taste was pretty good, and it’s made right then and there, so you could tell the fruits were fresh. The Nutella toast was essentially just Nutella spread over whole grain toast, and, while the taste was indeed good, it wasn’t necessarily worth $5 for a single serving since it could be made just as well at home. The cacao nibs were a good addition to it, though. The açaí bowl, one of their specialties, was definitely one of their best menu items. There are lots of ways to customize the make-your-own bowls, which is fun if you’re looking to try new healthy toppings.
Soul Bowl is a convenient, healthy option for those who enjoy fruits and diet-friendly food. While the price didn’t match the quantity or quality of we got, it’s definitely worth stopping by to try given its near location and authenticity as one of the only superfood cafes in the Central New York area.
