A smoothie bowl concept with a relaxed surfer vibe has made its debut in Dallas: The chain, called Mamaka Bowls, was founded by an entrepreneurial mother-daughter team and is now open in the Knox neighborhood in a former Session Dry Bar at 4618 McKinney Ave.
This is the first Mamaka location in Dallas, but there are eight across the country and five in Texas, including a location they opened in Fort Worth in WestBend in 2021.
Mamaka was founded in 2018 by mother and daughter Carrie Hudson and KK Goodwin in Fayetteville, Arkansas, but the chain has its roots in Dallas, when KK was a junior at Highland Park High School and Carrie would make herself acai bowls for lunch. Soon, Hudson was making 40-50 bowls for KK and her classmates.
“She did that for a year, and then the whole family moved to Fayetteville a few years later. So Dallas was a full-circle moment when we brought Mamaka back home,” says Goodwin. “I spent a lot of time in Knox as a kid and always loved that area, so it was perfect when we found our little place.”
The bowls are mixed thickly, but there is also a thinner smoothie version for sipping. With flavours such as espresso or tropical, garnished with fresh fruit and muesli, the bowls offer the following highlights:
- The Babe: Almond butter, blueberries, vanilla, dates, salt, almond milk, garnished with granola, blueberries, coconut flakes and cocoa nibs
- The Bean (KK’s personal favorite): coffee, peanut butter, banana, agave, cacao nibs, almond milk, topped with granola, blueberries and banana
- Hangover cure: coconut water, blueberries, ginger, banana, spinach, almond butter and garnished with granola, strawberries and blueberries
- Pipeline: Acai, strawberry, banana, chocolate almond milk, peanut butter, topped with granola, banana, strawberry and cacao nibs
Bowls come in two sizes: a small one for $9.50, a regular one for $11, and a smoothie size for $6.50.
Mamaka also offers coffee, unique lavender or cinnamon-flavored matcha drinks, and lemonade. The meal includes a single breakfast taco with hash browns, egg, and cheese for $3.25.
Even puppies can enjoy the taste, as it comes in a bark shell with peanut butter, banana and a dog treat on top.
With its bright pastel colors and beach hut vibe, the chain exudes a youthful energy that also embodies its company motto: “Life is better when you live it in corduroy shorts on the beach. Laughter and salt air are better than most things, and being a free spirit is a damn good thing.”
Goodwin went literally straight out of college into running a business with her family and her now husband and COO.
“We opened our first store the day I was supposed to walk to graduation,” says Goodwin. “My mom raised three kids and decided to flip the script and start a brand after she got us all out of the house. My husband, Cody, worked full time until we whisked him away to Mamaka after a few years.”
