Açai has been hailed as a miracle berry with endless benefits. Read on to find out more, plus where to get your açai fix in Dubai.
The Body Berry
These dark-purple Amazonian berries were used by indigenous tribes to treat ailments and provide nutrition as they’re crammed with antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, protein, and omega fatty acids. They’re now found in cosmetics around the world and virtually every smoothie being sipped by a health-conscious beauty – Brazilian or otherwise.
With anti-aging prowess to spare, açai berries fight free radicals and inflammation thanks to the powerful antioxidant anthocyanin, which they contain more of than any other food. Açai berries are also nearly 1,000 times higher in antioxidants than any other fruit or vegetable. And if that wasn’t enough, they also boost immunity, speed up metabolism, and aid with weight loss and digestion.
We recommend that you supe up your smoothies with a burst of these Brazilian beauty berries because they’re as delicious as they are nutritionally powerful. Açai berries are commonly pulped and freeze-dried into a vibrant purple powder, like the one below, which can be stirred into yogurt, sprinkled onto salads, or used to boost a post-workout shake.
The Beauty Berry
As well as helping to slow down the aging process, açai berries are crammed full of vitamins and antioxidants that keep the health of your skin and hair in check. Working to repair and prevent damage, they’re also great for those with sensitive skin or acne due to their natural anti-inflammatory properties. Their high content of omega fatty acids means your cells are fed plenty of goodness to keep them strong and supple, and this superfood also helps with skin rejuvenation by increasing elasticity and giving you that gorgeous, radiant glow.
Even though açai berries are small, they come with some seriously big beauty benefits – all of which you can enjoy without having to roam the rainforest thanks to the beauty products that help incorporate them into your skincare routine. Shop Goodness’s favorites, below.
Where to Get Your Açai Fix in Dubai
When it comes to eating açai berries, the best way is to blend them into a delicious bowl of goodness. As Thomas Bator, Executive Chef at The Surf Café Dubai, tells us, “Açai bowls are popular with everyone, especially with health-conscious adults or anyone looking for a refreshing and healthy sweet snack. We serve around 500 bowls of these berries a month!”
See below for Goodness’s top 13 places to get an açai bowl in Dubai.
The Surf Café
Leen’s by The Surf Café serves up healthy berry breakfasts by the beach in a cool and cozy atmosphere. Try the ‘Açai Chia Pudding’ to kickstart your day with a heap of goodness, or the ‘Tropical Waves’ blended with moringa leaf powder, mint, and passionfruit. Perfect when teamed with a cup of aromatic Brazilian coffee. The café also boasts an “açai bar”, which allows you to mix and match ingredients to make your own creations.
Common Grounds
The açai bowls at Common Grounds are not only the prettiest (your Instagram followers will thank you), but they’re also undeniably delicious. Topped with chia-seed granola, cacao nibs, dried raspberries, and tropical fruits, and blended with cacao, this is the bowl that will have you returning for more.
The Acai Spot
This secret little spot in Deira dishes up some of the best açai bowls we’ve ever had. Choose from one of the mixes on The Acai Spot’s menu or make your own creation with toppings like dates, organic cocoa nibs, flax seeds, and Greek yogurt.
Wild & The Moon
When it comes to all things raw and healthy, look no further than Wild & The Moon, especially if it’s pure plant-based goodness and amazing açai bowls that you’re after. Topped with homemade granola, coconut, and banana, they’re bursting with brilliant berry flavor.
Vibe Café
Not only is Vibe one of our favorite new healthy spots in town, it’s also home to some of the best açai bowls ever. With fun and cheeky names including ‘Peanut butter is my BF’ and ‘Thank you berry much’, there’s every possible topping imaginable – our faves being the crumbed pistachio, raw cacao, and coconut powder. Yum.
Pineapple Express
‘Black Forest’ açai topped with raw-vegan brownie pieces and chia jam, anyone? That’s just one of the delectable combinations available at Pineapple Express. Other options include the ‘Aćai Nutter’, (almond milk, peanut butter, cacao nibs, and raw chocolate sauce) as well as your classic fruity fix and the ‘Green Goddess’ made with lime juice, spinach, and mint.
One Café
Boasting a healthy menu that’s bursting with plant-based goodness, the One Café at Life ‘n One is your one-stop shop to delicious and nutritious food. It’s therefore hardly surprising that one of its specialties is a fruity açai bowl, which can come blended with everything from activated charcoal to Amazonian superfruit guarana.
Craft Café
Tucked away in the heart of d3, you’ll find the cool and quirky Craft Café – and some of the very best açai bowls in town. They’re blended with Greek yogurt to make for a dreamy and creamy concoction, given added freshness and zest with an array of healthy berries and tropical fruits.
Arrows & Sparrows
Whether you opt for the ‘Original’ aćai bowl topped with a huge dollop of creamy peanut butter, the ‘Tropical’ bowl brimming with exotic fruits, or the indulgent ‘Chocolate’ bowl that features Oreo crumble, dark chocolate sauce, and chocolate chips – the açai offering at Arrows & Sparrows is not to be missed.
Hapi
The acai bowl at Hapi will make you, well, very happy indeed. Made with 100 percent raw-organic acai and zero nasties like stabilizers or preservatives, it’s complemented by dried banana chips, fresh coconut, and mango purée to keep things fun and fruity.
Projeto Açai
With one of the most extensive açai bowl menus in town, Projeto Açai is a berry-lovers dream. The only problem? Deciding what to load yours with. We’d recommend the homemade sugar-free vegan brownie and berry compote. Or caramelized walnuts with a dollop of Nutella. Or homemade peanut butter and pomegranate… see what we mean?
Açai and the Tribe
Part of Friend’s Avenue, one of our go-to spots in JLT, Açai and the Tribe is also one of our top go-to spots for all things açai. Build your own or opt for one of their in-house creations, such as the ‘Nutty Professor’ or the fruity fresh ‘Hello from Hawaii’, and be prepared to get seriously addicted.
Healthy Little Secrets
Healthy Little Secrets is a secret too good not to share. Tucked away in Business Bay, it whips up delicious healthy super smoothies and snacks, and – of course – all things açai. Keep things light and fresh with a blend of blueberries, pomegranate, and organic goji berries, or opt for something a little more decadent with organic coconut yogurt and raw almond butter. Whatever concoction you go for, you won’t be disappointed.
