As restaurants continue on the takeout and delivery track, bowls continue to surge in popularity. They’re portable, flexible and adapt well to travel. As summer gets into full swing, menu developers are changing up bowls with ingredients that highlight the season. Here’s a roundup of some of the latest to launch.
Moe’s Southwest Grill captured the flavors of a summer barbecue in its new limited-time BBQ Burrito Bowl. It features seasoned rice, pinto beans, a choice of protein, sweet-and-tangy barbecue sauce, and crisp Southwest slaw. As a tie-in, on June 23, customers can enter to win a barbecue kit for one by commenting on Moe’s TikTok feed, @moes_hq. The kit includes a tiny picnic table created by the Squirrel Lady, a wearable napkin, a link to Moe’s BBQ playlist and a $25 gift card.
The newest bowl at Luna Grill is the Coastal Med Bowl featuring Beyond Meat. Along with the plant-based faux beef, the bowl features basmati rice, torshi (Middle Eastern pickled vegetables), Greek cabbage, tomato and cucumber medley and pickled onions drizzled with tzatziki and Mediterranean pesto.
The early summer menu at Sweetgreen features two bowls that spotlight strawberries. The Strawberry Fields is a mix of blackened chicken, strawberries, shredded cabbage, shredded kale, chopped romaine, raw corn, carrots and cilantro with green goddess ranch dressing, while the Strawberries + Goat Cheese focuses on spinach and arugula as the greens, tossed with chicken, shredded cabbage, raw beets, roasted almonds and goat cheese, dressed with balsamic vinaigrette.
The new Perfect Bowls category launched on Noodles & Company’s menu. The bowls are geared to current lifestyle diets, including keto, Paleo and gluten-sensitive. Options include Pad Thai with Shrimp, vegetarian Zucchini Scampi, keto-friendly Zucchini Alfredo MontAmore with Grilled Chicken and Zucchini Rosa with Grilled Chicken with ingredients targeted to Paleo followers.
The Summer Seasonal Menu at bellagreen launched on Monday and will run until Sept. 21. It includes the Summer Melon Salad, a combo of spring mix and arugula tossed with fresh watermelon, cucumber and a citrus-honey vinaigrette. The salad is finished with candied pecans, feta and microgreens. The fast casual’s limited-time menu includes three other seasonal dishes, all naturally gluten-free.
Gyu-Kaku rolled out two new Asian bowls. The Sweet Chili Shrimp Bowl is composed of tempura fried shrimp and steamed broccoli coated in a sweet chili-mayo sauce on a bed of shredded cabbage and served over white rice. For poultry fans there’s the Hot Chicken Karaage Bowl with Japanese fried chicken in a Japanese hot sauce blend; it’s also mounded on a bed of shredded cabbage and served over white rice.
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