Morning Bowls, a short drive away from Camp Foster and Kadena Air Base, is a small blue corner store with a very narrow entryway. The way I usually park there is using my hazard lights in front of the store (I learned from the locals). The inside gives out a Hawaiian vibe, the employees are very friendly and the store has stamp cards that give good rewards, too. The menu is in English and Japanese, so ordering is easy. The wait time is usually 5-7 minutes, but if you are really in a rush, you can call ahead and order for quick pay and pick up, which makes it really convenient.

One thing I love about this place is how fast the bowls are made and served. They offer many other fruit bowls and poke bowls, but hands down the best acai bowl I have ever eaten is here. Although acai is the main ingredient in this bowl, you can customize your bowl by adding other fruit, grains and sauces. When it comes to following through on New Year’s resolutions to eat healthier, this style of bowl may seem like you are cheating because of the burst of flavors that fill your mouth. But don’t worry, these bowls are fit for health conscience people, as well as vegans and vegetarians.

During my recent visit, I customized my acai bowl with blueberries, bananas and macadamia nuts mixed with coconut sauce. No matter what I order at Morning Bowls, it always has a very rich flavor. But the cost wasn’t too rich. After yen conversion, I paid $8.72 for my healthy fruit bowl.

The bowls are typically handed to you cold, which works to my advantage because I always drive to American Village (five minutes away) to eat by the beach and take in the beautiful views.

Eating healthy by the beach is always a great way to kick off the day!

Address: 1-456 Chatan-cho, Okinawa Prefecture, 904-0113

Hours: Mon-Fri. 7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Phone: 098-988-5273