The best acai bowls in Singapore

What started out as a small stall in Katong has now grown to an expanding acai brand with sixteen outlets islandwide. Founded by two SMU undergraduates, Anna Ng and Isabel Lee, An Acai Affair aims to spread the gospel of the superfood's benefits while making a tasty and affordable treat for the masses. Try the Triple A ($6.70-$15.90), the most basic acai bowl that comes with fresh fruits and superfoods like chia seeds and almond flakes. If you're looking for something more filling, it also has a range of sourdough bread (From $8.90) that comes topped with cookie butter, berries or fresh avocado.

Slightly off the main shopping belt of Orchard Road, this shopper's respite serves up fresh acai bowls (from $13.50) and smoothies (from $8.50). Each acai bowl comes topped with more superfoods like goji berries as well as fresh fruits for a sweet treat that isn't as sinful as a chocolate pie. Too full for a full acai bowl? Get an acai soft serve that comes in small ($8.50) or regular ($10.50), the latter comes with artisanal granola, a generous squeeze of homemade almond butter, your choice of fruit and toppings for a quick and easy fix. You know you're getting the bang for your buck when the staff slams your cups on the counter – helps rid air pockets – before topping you up with even more acai.

Being healthy isn't always necessarily a hassle. Here at MOAM, also known as Men on a Mission, there is an emphasis on investing in fresh produce, people and general good well-being through nutritious food. Things are kept simple and fuss-free to allow diners to sort a quick meal through a day off hustle in the CBD. The popular acai bowls ($11.90) are named after Brazilian states such as Ipanema, Sao Paulo and Rio. Each contains acai, cacao nibs and in-house salted gula melaka granola while toppings of fresh fruits and nut butter are customisable. The zero-waste policy here ensures you the freshest ingredients each time you visit.

Project Açaí puts this berry superfood front and centre at its Holland Village café. The berry features in bowls ($7.50 to $15.60) with toppings like granola, fresh fruit and goji berries, as well as smoothies ($9) like the Beach Body To-go. The acai is smoothly blended and doesn’t melt easily but we later find out that although they are mixed with other ingredients, the acai purée comes pre-packaged from Sambazon, the same brand that Park Bench Deli uses in their acai bowls. To bring the health food home, pick it up in packs like the original blend with guarana ($12.85/one pack, $21.40/two) or pure unsweetened ($15/one pack, $26/two) to make your own acai bowls. It has five outlets islandwide.

This small café in the east is a surprising contender for the best place to get your affordable healthy food fix. Replenish yourself with one of their savoury hearty bowls or a bowl of superfood magic. A favourite is the Viva Amazonia ($12) – made with acai, banana, rice milk, raw cacao, strawberry, kiwi, blueberry, granola, mixed seeds, coco flakes, and goji berry.

Haakon, pronounced  ‘haw-coon’, is a Scandinavian-inspired café that brings superfoods from Norway to your plate. It only uses premium Norwegian smoked salmon – it’s rich in protein, Omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants – to make dishes like salad bowls (from $12.90), poke bowls ($13.90) and avo toast ($8.90). For those with a sweet tooth, go for Haakon’s classic acai bowl (from $8.90), topped with coconut flakes, banana, strawberries and blueberries for a quick and guilt-free energy boost.

The Acai Collective prides itself on creating a smooth, creamy base without the use of any sugars or additives. The blended organic acai from The Acai Collective then comes topped with fruits of bananas, kiwi, strawberries, and blueberries in the signature bowl (from $7.50), or topped with chocolate buckini (activated buckwheat) and a dollop of nut butter (from $10.50) for a spin on the usual variant. They've also got interesting superfood alternatives such as spirulina and acerola for health food junkies to indulge in.

The minimalist café dedicated to acai serves up Absolute Acai signature bowls and Brazilian bowls ($6.50 to $15.50) in small, medium and large. There’s the option to make your own ($7 to $14), with add-on toppings of seeds, dried fruit, nuts, fresh fruit or superfoods, like bee pollen and dried goji berry ($1 to $2). The acai bowls come naturally sweetened with puréed apples and bananas, with generous toppings of granola to make this a hearty dessert.

With the #eatclean movement on the rise, this vegan deli retailer bar has its sights set on bringing the raw food movement proper to Singapore. Afterglow works with local and regional farmers to procure crops for its inventive fare. So it comes as no surprise that you'll find a mean acai bowl ($17) in the "raw desserts" menu. Made of acai berry, raw muesli, banana, seasonal fruits, raw berry puree, salted tahini 'caramel', and cashew cracker, the acai bowl makes the perfect treat.

This quaint cafe on Haji Lane has got delicious acai bowls hidden amidst the brunch-focused menu. Swing by for a guilt-free frozen treat after exploring the buzzy stretch. Made for acai lovers, the acai smoothie bowl ($15.90) is a tasty blend of organic ingredients, frozen bananas, fresh fruits, homemade nut butter and chia seeds.