Sambazon Acai Cafe

I’ll sometimes crave an acai bowl right after surfing. I surf up and down the coast and having this nearby San Elijo has officially locked me into this spot now :-) it’s close by, awesome acai bowls and fresh fruit hit the spot!

Yummy! Oh my gosh the acaii bowl just tastes so so fresh and healthy and delicious. So divine.
Perfect place for a little healthy dessert after having brunch across the street at pipes.

I’ve been looking for a good acai bowl in north county and this is definitely it. I ordered the large bowl which was only $ 8.99 and it was a good amount of food. The two women working there this morning were so nice too. Quality and price are perfect here and I look forward to making this a regular stop.

Sure the prices are a little high, but I think you’re paying for location here. Right next to my favorite Seaside Market — I love this place. The bowls are amazing, the combinations are endless and I’ve always had extremely fast service.
I was surprised to see the mediocre reviews for this place, it’s always busy and I’ve never been disappointed! I always order a create your own acai bowl with peanut butter, bananas, strawberries and granola. I prefer to have it not blended, my fiancé did his first time and regretted it — you didn’t get to have the fun of putting together every bite and the flavors were just all mixed together.
Definitely love this place!

I ordered an Acai bowl that tasted like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Need I say more!!! Great options, good food, and good coffee!

Yummy! I love the fresh ingredient display up front, and all the options that they have here. While there is a menu, you can also pick and mix & match as well. Cute inside area with a little bit of seating, and the whole plaza outside if you’d prefer there as well. I will say that the team could be a little friendlier! There was no greeting, salutations or thank yous from any of the staff during our visit, early on a Saturday morning.

Cute location. Dog-​friendly shared patio.
Prices are average for acai-​centric. Inside was a little stuffy though. But that’s okay since the patio was so inviting. Ordered one of the acai bowls in their smallest size to share along with a kale/​ginger bottled drink. Gf wasn’t feeling too well prior but everything from here seemed to help. Very refreshing.
Large parking lot. That’s frequented by various patrons for the brewery tasting room, restaurants, or simply the grocery store that share the plaza. Will definitely be back if in the area again. Acai is the best option for whenever you’re looking for a healthy snack/​treat!
One thing I noticed though: their bowls are compostable, but there’s no compost bins around. They should really push for some way to better dispose of their waste.
Remember: Food adventures are out there. So eat ‘em up!

Awesome menu! I got helped by Steve and Hannah today and they were both great. Usually I don’t write reviews but they demonstrated excellent customer service!

First time for everything! I LOVE the idea of this to start off the morning with. Sometimes I just get tired of eating eggs and bagels every single morning. The employees were nice. The fruits were fresh. I wish they had a Sambazon café on the East Coast.

This place makes a quality bowl and I love the set up, however the portions a abysmally small, the bowls are way over priced and everyone who works there is so unfriendly.
Hit up BEAMING in La Costa or Del Mar if you want a better priced bowl that has all the same quality ingredients and is ginormous.

Fast, friendly service. The acai bowls had a really good taste. A little disappointed with the size for the price. We got out of their with tip for like $ 18 for a small and a medium bowl. Seems a little steep for what we received.

As far as Acai goes, Sambazon is one of my favorite places to frequent in the San Diego area. Sure, it’s a bit pricey, but that’s to be expected from an Acai place. I personally think that the price is relatively fair for what you get. What sets this place apart for me is that I enjoy a less-​watery Acai, and Sambazon delivers on this. When I want to get an Acai bowl, I expect something closer to froyo/​ice cream consistency, not a smoothie in a bowl. Only downside to coming here would be that it’s a bit out of the way for people living in La Jolla.

Yummy acai, but very high prices! I love coming here with my friends we always stop by on the way before or after the beach.

I had the Amazon protein bowl, and to be clear, the food does taste good. I really liked the combination with the peanut butter taste that wasnt too overwhelming. The ingredients were fresh and delicious. The décor is adorable and this would be a fun place to sit and chat if it weren’t a beautiful day where you could sit and enjoy SoCal weather.
However, I’m not 100% sold on going back. Service wasn’t great and the prices are pretty high for the portion size.

Horrible customer service. Hire people that smile and put the customers first. I don’t want I continue to come here for overpriced acai bowls.

I’ve been coming to Sambazon for a couple of years now, and to me it’s the BEST acai bowl in Southern California. Yes, in OB you get a gigantic container that is still absolutely delicious, but as far as quality goes, this place is legit.
Like other reviewers, I’m mixed on the pre-​served acai because at least I’m not waiting a century for my bowl, but I do agree that the serving size is significantly less than before. I honestly find that it tastes the same though, so I disagree with the complaints about taste and texture.
My only qualms go to their customer service (I think I had a friendly person maybe once) and of course, price, especially since the serving size has diminished. I live 30 minutes away, so at least it’s still worth the journey – that should say something!

Management has decided to cut costs and increase profits recently, things are very different.
Acai is now premixed and comes out of a machine. Fruits are frozen and defrosted rather than fresh, mangoes are tart, blueberries are not ripe and costs $ 2 more. All bowls are served with bananas to fill up space. They are served in plastic and we get about half of what we did before. The processed Acai paste from the machine is sweet and does not taste fresh, on occasions it tasted rancid and nasty. The stoned kids who work here are much happier now that they no longer have to freshly prepare everything so customer service has improved. However the floor is still dirty and there are flies on furniture. Please see photos. Fortunately for us there are many other places nearby that serve better and cheaper Acai bowls now, I have no plans to come back.
Response to Greyson H of Samabazon Acai Café:
Hello Greyson,
Thank you for your prompt response. I cannot believe CANE SUGAR is added to the Acai!!! I have looked for nutrition facts on your website and in the store and couldn’t find any. It is horrifying to hear from you that I have been eating SUGAR without knowing. Thanks a lot!
Heather

***3.5 stars***
Mango acai with coconut shavings (large for $ 9).
A bit on the pricey side compared to other locations that I’ve been to. It’s also not my first choice but it will do the job.
The acai is lighter and therefore less creamy. It can start to run down towards the end too which isn’t satisfying. The mango and coconuts were fresh but I would like more for the amount. Granola was different and extra crunchy which I did like.
You also have the option to create your own acai bowls — nice but it can get $$.
Good place for acai if you’re near by.

I’ve heard such great things about this place and I was really excited to finally check it out!
Even though it was a tad pricier than other places offering acai bowls, I was really satisfied with my order: medium coconut mango bowl (6.99) which is basically 2 packs acai, apple juice, bananas, granola, mango, and coconut. It was the perfect size for a healthy snack that leaves you satisfied but also energized (YAY!). I also noticed an option to create your own acai bowl and I’m definitely up for the task for next time!
Also, parking is easy — nice parking lot. Customer service is very friendly. The place isn’t too big with indoor/​outdoor seating options. BUT I highly recommend taking your acai bowls across the street to the beach!

My boyfriend works in Encinitas and loves this place. So we finally went yesterday with his family.
The prices here are average I would say.
I ordered a medium sized acai bowl for $ 6.99.
Coconut Mango Bowl
(Acai blended with apple juice, topped with granola, bananas, mango, coconut shavings)
I just realized that my bowl never came with bananas. I guess they forgot. Personally, I felt like the acai was a bit on the sour side and a bit bland. It definitely was not sweet compared to other acai bowls i’ve had. It might’ve been because it was blended with mostly apple juice and ice. The toppings were still good of course. But I don’t think i’ll be coming back for this particular acai bowl.
Amazon Protein Bowl
(acai, peanut butter, topped with granola, bananas, almonds, cashews, coconut shavings)
This is my boyfriends favorite. I tasted some and it was a nice mixture of acai and peanut butter. The peanut butter is not too overpowering but enough to be able to taste the difference. I would probably try this again another day.
I’ve always seen the brand sold in Costco stores, and wanted to try it, but never got the chance to. But that’s pretty cool that they have a café for it.
Overall, I think there’s nothing special about their acai bowls except for the peanut butter protein one.