We like to call summer “acai bowl season,” and here’s why: For a healthful and appealing meal on a hot day, acai bowls hit the spot with frozen, dark acai berries blended with nut milks and fruits, then topped with granola and more fresh fruit.

Last year we published a spread in the print version of My Table magazine on the best acai bowls in Houston. Since then, California transplant Nékter Juice Bar in Greenway Plaza off Southwest Freeway has joined the ranks with a soft opening this past week. (Another location at 304 Gray Street in Midtown is opening soon.) Here you’ll find a delicious menu of smoothies, juices and acai bowls chock full of nutritious ingredients.

For example, the acai mango bowl ($8.50, photo above at left) doesn’t mess around. It’s made with coconut butter, house-made cashew milk, acai and mango churned together and trimmed out with coconut flakes, banana slices and hempseed granola. The smoothie color looks oddly brownish-gray, but the flavor sings with mango notes in a pleasantly thick, frozen concoction.

The pitaya bowl ($8.50, photo above at right) also has tropical notes. A vibrant shade of magenta from the dragonfruit (as the pitaya is also called) creates a colorful bowl; coconut butter, coconut water, pineapple and cashew milk make up most of the ingredients for an equally refreshing experience.

Nékter Juice Bar’s Superfood acai bowl

The “Superfood” acai bowl ($10.50, photo above) contains practically every ingredient currently trending in the health-food world. Think toppings of bee pollen, cacao nibs, agave nectar, goji berry, banana, blueberries and chia seeds that virtually bury the smoothie underneath. This bowl includes a rather excessive amount of spinach bits that can get difficult to work around, but the acai flavor remains unmasked and rich.

More and diverse acai bowl purveyors just keep sprouting in Houston, and we adore them for their use of fresh fruit and customizable component. Nékter’s clean interior, generous portions and reasonable prices make this concept an especially appealing option.

Nékter Juice Bar, 800 Southwest Fwy. #144, 281-501-2300, nekterjuicebar.com
Hours: Mon. to Sun. 7 am-8 pm