Healthy restaurant chain from America to open first Toronto location

A restaurant chain with origins in the United States of America is now opening their very first Toronto location, and we can only hope it will soon bring the sunshine to the gloomy city in the springtime.

Playa Bowls is a health food chain serving up acai, pitaya, coconut bowls and smoothies, and the company intends to emphasize mindfulness towards community and sustainability.

Essentially, all the bowls on their menu have different blended bases, which are acai, pitaya, coconut, mango, banana, oatmeal, and a green blend of kale, banana, pineapple and coconut milk.

From there, you can choose from different pre-selected combinations of toppings on the menu. Toppings include a huge range options such as blueberry flax granola, pineapple, banana, coconut flakes, honey, mango, kiwi, goji berries, bee pollen, agave, hemp seeds, chia seeds, Nutella, peanut butter, almond butter and cacao nibs.

The menu at Playa Bowls is rounded out with a selection of smoothies made using similar ingredients to the bowls, as well as a couple cold brew options.

“Playa Bowls was born at the Jersey Shore, inspired by a passion for surfing, travel, and vibrant coastal living. Rooted in the energy of long summer days and beach culture, the concept was shaped by surf trips to Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, California, and Hawaii — where fresh açaí and pitaya bowls were part of everyday life,” reads the Playa Bowls site.

“What began as a pair of blenders, a patio table, and a fridge has grown into 375+ shops, thousands of team members, and a shared mission to lead communities toward healthy, sustainable living.”

Playa Bowls currently has hundreds of locations in operation spread out across the entire United States of America, with the closest locations to Canada found in places such as New York, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The chain has been expanding rapidly, growing to hundreds of stores throughout the States, with more than 100 stores up and running spread out across over 20 states by 2022.

While Playa Bowls is planning on starting their expansion into Canada with a store in Toronto, they’re hoping to open many other Canadian stores in the future.

Playa Bowls is slated to open stores in Toronto soon at The Well at 430 Front St. W, and on the Queensway at 197 North Queen St. Unit C in Etobicoke.

The first Canadian location should be opening in Toronto in spring 2026, and there just might be many, many more to follow.