Rush Bowls is a new restaurant on SW Jefferson Street, just south of Lincoln near Bellagios. They sell Acai bowls and healthy snacks like their bite-sized banana bread bites. Acai bowls have a base of blended or pureed acai berries that are mixed with other fruits and sometimes vegetables, to get a certain texture or taste. They also often come with toppings of fruits and grains like granola. This new location is one of over 50 Rush Bowls around the US, according to their website, and they have over 100 restaurants currently under development. 

So, what exactly is a Rush Bowl? A Rush Bowl, according to their website, is a blend of all-natural fruits and vegetables topped with honey, organic granola and a choice of fruit toppings. They seem focused on offering people healthy food that is dense in nutrients, which is something I admire especially in a location where many restaurants serve fast food.  

Furthermore, each Rush Bowl has no artificial sweeteners, artificial preservatives or artificial additives. They also have options that are vegan, vegetarian, nut-free, wheat-free, soy-free and none of their bowls contain Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), meaning that customers with a wide range of dietary needs can eat there. 

Another thing I love about Rush Bowls is their website. It allows you to order food online and view nutritional details and it’s easy to use.

The Rush Bowls restaurant on Jefferson is open for 10 hours a day from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., so you can get food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

I’ve been to Rush Bowls several times now, and I must say that the food tastes great. The fruit is fresh, ripe and delicious, the granola is crunchy and sweet with the honey drizzle and the blend of all-natural fruits and vegetables, which is different depending on what bowl you buy, is creamy. 

Although I like the food, the same cannot be said for the price. Each Rush Bowl is $12.99, and, in my opinion, this is overpriced. Another thing I didn’t like very much was the wait time. The service was good and ordering food was quick, but waiting for my food to be ready took about 15 minutes; half of my lunch time. This is an aspect that may discourage many students from going to Rush Bowl.

Another acai bowl restaurant in Portland is Moberi. Both the website and bowls look fairly similar, but Moberi has bowls with different layers of blends and more complex patterns of granola and fruit toppings which make the bowls look much better. 

Bowls are $12 or $14 for small sizes while all large sizes are $18. The small bowls appear to be about the same size as a Rush Bowl, so Moberi acai bowls are either a dollar more expensive or a dollar cheaper than a Rush Bowl, depending on what you buy. They currently have five locations in the Portland area: three in Portland, one in Beaverton and one in Lake Oswego.

Rush Bowls on SW Jefferson Street may be a new establishment, but their story isn’t. Their healthy and tasty approach to the food industry has paid off as they have a lot of franchises with many more on the way. As long as you’re willing to pay $13 on a bowl, I would recommend trying out Rush Bowls, as long as you have the time.