What is Açaí?
The word açaí was foreign and hard to pronounce when Patty and James Schniederjan first heard it on a visit to San Diego a few years back. What was this bowl of deliciousness that they kept finding themselves craving while on vacation in sunny SoCal and how in the world they could treat themselves to this anytime they wanted, not just while they were on a tropical vacation? After several visits to see their oldest daughter, Jessica, who moved to California in 2012, Patty and James decided this was something too good not to share with their fellow Amarilloans. But first they had to learn how to pronounce it. Ah-Sah-Ee… it took some time to roll off the tongue just right but now a little over a year later after officially opening The Açaí Bar in Amarillo, everyone all over the Texas Panhandle has it down!
Açaí is a palm berry and is considered a mega superfood packed full of nutrients and antioxidants native to South America. The base and foundation of the Açaí bowl consists of the Açaí berry blended with a variety of fruits to create a thick creamy consistency, topped with organic granola, honey, and other super-foods custom-made to your liking. Simply put, it’s your custom “smoothie in a bowl”. The Açaí Bar sources fresh ingredients so you can be sure that you are eating clean. All bowls are topped with a variety of the freshest fruit, honey, organic granola, and organic coconut shreds. The most popular bowl is the Monkey Bowl which is topped with organic granola, pineapples, bananas, strawberries, dairy free mini chocolate chips, organic coconut shreds, and honey (regulars would recommend adding peanut butter too!). The Açaí Bar does not use any dairy in any of their bowls or smoothies, so if you are Vegan, we got you covered!
Our Story
The Açaí Bar started out as a pop-up tent at the Amarillo Community Market the summer of 2016. Patty wanted to be able to offer something truly unique so she started playing with the different flavors and recipes of traditional açaí bowls and eventually came up with her own customized recipes based on the freshest seasonal fruits. She would rotate different bowls each weekend to give a sample of what all she could offer to see how the folks of Amarillo and the surrounding area would react to this traditional Brazilian treat. Soon enough, word was spreading throughout the city and her bowls became a staple at the Community Market. Patty and James officially opened a store front location in the heart of Amarillo January 23rd, 2017 and have felt the love of their local community and are incredibly grateful for the continuous support. Being born and raised in this city, they know first-hand about supporting local businesses and strive to give back to their community by providing a healthy and nutritious spot for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Where can you find us?
The Açaí Bar is located at 7306 SW 34th Ave in the Summit shopping center next door to Beef O Brady’s. They are open Monday – Saturday from 7 am to 7 pm. You can dine in or call ahead (806-367-9724) or order online to have your order ready for quick pick up.