Islands Bodega located in Cerritos has been serving superfoods, coffee, matcha, and other quality nutrient-rich items since 2019.
This shop has been blowing up on social media as their TikTok has gained over 60,000 followers.
With locally sourced fruits, more than 10 topping options and more than five nut butters/sweeteners to top your bowl off. They claim to “satisfy all your sweet cravings in the healthiest way possible.”
As you walk into the establishment you get a natural sense of the place. The navy blue walls, the plants that fill up the sitting area, the hanging wooden anchors and even the wooden engraved menu just scream beachy/island style.
There are four tables to eat or drink your items at, and plenty of natural lighting as the shop sits on the corner of the building and has huge windows on most of the walls.
The menu is very easy to read as it gives you step-by-step instructions on how to order your bowl.
You can pick a bowl that is already made for you on the menu, or you can create a bowl of your liking from scratch. Azalia Holguin, a staff member said, “Our Island Bowl is for sure our most famous of our six signature bowls, it was one of our first signature bowls and a lot of people seem to love it.”
You get to choose three sizes, small (12 oz. for $11), medium (16 oz. for $14) and large (24 oz. for $18).
Creating a bowl is more of a popular option as people enjoy the freedom of creating something unique for themselves.
The first step of creating a bowl is to pick the base, you get options such as acai, blended mangos, coconut cream and blue island, those are just a few options.
The next step is to add your toppings, you can pick from different granolas, nuts, fresh fruits, dried fruits, chia puddings, bee pollen, etc. There are endless options to put on your bowl.
The final steps are to add nut butters or sweeteners such as peanut butter or honey and the options to sprinkle powders like cinnamon or cacao.
Not only are you getting fresh and healthy food but also the amount of food you get in your bowl is eye-popping. My bowl was packed to the brim with fruits, toppings and different sauces.
It was honestly so filled that the lid barely fit on it. Kyana D., a Yelp reviewer, also commented on the bowls saying, “They’re also incredibly generous when it comes to loading up your bowl which is a big plus.”
The taste was amazing and all of the flavors meshed well together. The best part was the fruit, the freshness and the taste were amazing.
The usual time that the shop gets the busiest is around 4 p.m. and the weekends are jam-packed according to Holguin.
They also offer different coffee options as well. Such as lattes, cold brews and hot chocolate. They also are coming out with two smoothie options soon with the option to add hemp protein in them.
The staff was very helpful to customers when asked questions about all of the options, providing great descriptions of what items tasted like. For someone who had no idea what they wanted the staff could help guide them in the right direction.
They sell healthy beverages on the side as well, such as Yerba Mate teas, Boxed Water, Clean sparkling Yerba Mate, Better Booch (kombucha) and many more.
Overall Island Bodega was a nine out of ten and I would recommend everyone to try it out for themselves. It’s a feel-good meal that can help you get rid of that sweet craving for the day.
