After a long morning of classes, students are dying to run out to their cars and grab lunch from their favorite restaurant. One restaurant that students especially love is Ubatuba Açai. Compared to other açai places, like Sun Life and Nectar, Uba’s prices are more affordable, and their bowls taste much sweeter. Because Ubatuba is a few miles away from campus, students are unable to dine there during lunch and return on time for class. Fortunately, that will no longer be the case. A brand new Ubatuba X opened on Topanga Canyon Blvd in Woodland Hills, replacing Carmela’s Ice Cream. With the close proximity of Topanga Canyon Blvd to Calabasas High School, students can finally bring their friends to Uba after a long school day or a tedious morning of classes.
Ubatuba X offers many new and different options, unlike its nearby branches in Tarzana or Thousand Oaks. At Ubatuba X, the food is prepared in front of customers and toppings are unlimited. This small alteration will allow customers to stack as many toppings as they want rather than be restricted by their price.
I ordered a small açai bowl with honey almond granola, strawberries, blueberries, mango, toasted coconut and a hint of honey, and it was very tasty! The açai itself was super sweet and fresh tasting, and the toppings blended together very well. Unlike other açai bowls, Ubatuba’s are thick in consistency but not too filling. None of the toppings took away from the taste of the açai, and the server added the right amount of every garnish.
Another popular dish I tried at Ubatuba X was the breakfast empanada. The dish included bacon, egg, potatoes, cheddar cheese and monterey jack cheese. When I tasted this snack, the dough itself was rather thick and filling, but once I dug deeper into the empanada, my only complaint was that the pastry was dry and more sauce should have been added. Even so, the empanada tasted great; the ingredients mixed together really well and the snack had an overall fresh taste.
What I found most lovable about Ubatuba X was the wider variety of options offered here, compared to the other Ubatuba locations. Açai is not the only base to choose from; customers are also given the choice of pitaya, matcha, activated coconut, oatmeal and chia pudding. Inside the bowl, one can choose to add ingredients not offered at other locations, such as almond butter, honey almond granola, whole milk yogurt and a choice between twelve different kinds of organic seeds.
At Ubatuba X, every order comes in a to-go style bowl, regardless of whether or not the customer chooses to eat at the location. The original ceramic bowls served to customers at other Ubatuba locations gave the restaurant a more homely feel while adding to Ubatuba’s aesthetic. Taking this feature away makes Ubatuba feel more like an everyday business rather than a trendy restaurant to hang out with friends and family.
With that said, Ubatuba X is a unique eatery with fresh food that is perfect for a hot day. For those who enjoy healthy food that perfectly represents Brazilian culture, the brand new Ubatuba X on 5301 Topanga Canyon Blvd is perfect.