Justin Whitaker opened Wild Berry Acai in August 2021, and it’s a shame I am only just now hearing about it. Located at 819 Main Street in East Nashville, Wild Berry was an altogether fresh take on acai bowls for me.
I absolutely loved their soft-serve take on acai and their combination of fresh ingredients and toppings made in-house! After finishing a Nash Bowl and a Ten Cent Pistol smoothie, you could say I went wild for Wild Berry. I look forward to trying other bowls from there, especially given the reasonable prices.
I took the bus over to Wild Berry using my Commodore Card where a bus stop was conveniently placed right in front of the store. Justin, the owner, welcomed me in. As soon as I walked in, I was greeted by a massive menu with a wide variety of options all with fun names like the Raspberry Beret Bowl. I decided on the most popular item, the Nash Bowl, featuring 100% organic acai topped with granola, strawberries, bananas and honey; I added peanut butter to mine. When I ordered, I learned that Wild Berry is completely dairy-free and offers vegan and gluten-free versions of all their items. My order was ready in no time at all, and I enjoyed it at one of the tables inside while other customers filtered in and out.
First, let’s talk about the base of the bowl: soft-serve acai. The consistency was neither icy nor soupy as is so often the case at other acai places I’ve tried around the city, and the toppings seemed like they were a higher quality, too. Many of the toppings like the almond butter drizzle and the peanut and almond butters are made in house. Additionally, everything mixed easily, which is not always the case with the way that other places pack their bowls. While the acai was a little too cold at first, it was still extremely refreshing, and the taste still pleasantly lingers in my mouth hours later.
After business slowed down, I tried the Ten Cent Pistol smoothie consisting of acai, strawberries, bananas, peanut butter, chocolate and cashew milk. Justin said it was his favorite, and I can see why. I first noticed that all the smoothies are made without any ice, and if there’s anything I hate, it’s an overly-iced-down smoothie—you could definitely tell the difference. While I preferred the bowl, the smoothie perfectly topped off my meal.
From start to finish, Wild Berry was phenomenal. The store itself was extremely clean, the food was fantastic and if I had wanted there was a fridge with a few different drink options I could have enjoyed. My only complaint is that Wild Berry is so far away from campus. But, I have good news: they deliver! You can order online or through DoorDash and have Wild Berry brought over to campus for a quick meal between classes or when you don’t feel like trekking over to whichever dining hall is serving something you actually want to eat. If you’re interested in learning more, check out their Instagram and head over to Wild Berry as soon as you can!
