A Freezing Edinburgh Morning, an Açaí Reset: Inside Oakberry’s Fresh, Fast Energy Fix
After a bitterly cold start and a frantic Festive Style Edit run, Oakberry delivered the clean, energising lift we desperately needed.
Monday gave Edinburgh one of those bright, razor sharp blue sky days, beautiful but absolutely freezing. We had been out early prepping for the Festive Style Edit, moving between shops with more bags than sense and realising we had not stopped for air, let alone a drink. Too thirsty for tea, too early for our usual Diet Coke benchmark, and the slump was starting to bite. Neither of us had managed breakfast.
Then Oakberry got in touch and invited us over. Açaí might not be the obvious choice when your hands are blocks of ice, but the clarity of the day made it feel right. Something fresh, clean and energising rather than another hot, heavy option. And since it was only a few steps away, we went. It turned out to be exactly the reset we needed.
If you know your Erewhon from your Salomons you will already be fluent in the açaí world. If you are not tracking LA health stores or the latest It girl trainers you might not have tried this teeth tingling blend of frozen berries, fruit and toppings.
If you are unfamiliar with it, an açaí bowl is a thick, frozen blend made from açaí berries grown in the Amazon. The purée is naturally earthy and not very sweet, so it is usually blitzed with banana or a little juice to give it that smooth, cold, sorbet like texture. It is then topped with fruit, granola, seeds or nut butter. Think of it as a cold, dense, antioxidant heavy breakfast that sits somewhere between a smoothie and a soft serve, only with more substance. It can lean clean or indulgent depending on how you build it.
The balance at Oakberry is excellent. The base is deep purple and not overly sweet. The toppings make it easy to keep things honest. Fresh fruit, chia seeds, granola, nut butter. Straightforward, filling and not trying too hard.
The Edinburgh franchise is run by sisters Zulaica and Tania, each bringing a sharp professional background to the table. Tania's experience lies in client-facing roles within the automotive industry, most recently in management and client experience at the luxury Genesis Studio on Multrees Walk. Zulaica, who was holding the fort when we visited, comes from a fashion and brand partnerships background—something that shows in the polished, lifestyle-led feel of the space and the way the product is delivered. Meeting her added another layer to the experience. It’s always good to see women—particularly sisters—shaping the local food landscape with such clarity and purpose. If you want to support that, pop in.
Oakberry is a small, efficient setup. You order, you watch it being built and you are out the door in minutes. On a freezing blue sky Monday that speed mattered. No waiting around, no fuss, just a clean hit of energy that kept us going long enough to finish the Festive Style Edit run.
Oakberry Edinburgh
20 Leith St, Edinburgh EH1 3AS