It’s no secret that Novocastrians love an acai bowl. And we understand why – grabbing an acai bowl to devour in the sunshine is a superb way to spend a weekend morning. 

Thankfully, if you live closer to Lake Macquarie, now you’ll have even more smoothie bowl, poké bowl, protein shake and bagel options. That’s because Warners Bay has become home to Shakey Joe’s, a superfood café with a passion for health and nutrition. 

After starting out as a mobile trailer providing gym junkies and market-goers with their protein shake and acai bowl fix, Shakey Joe’s has become a permanent fixture in King Street, just a short walk from the waterfront.

Shakey Joe’s owner Joe Davis spontaneously bought the trailer in April 2021 after dropping out of a teaching degree that he wasn’t loving. The idea of starting his own business had always appealed to Joe, but it was something he thought he’d do after teaching for a while first.

With a passion for cooking and eating healthily, Joe got plenty of success under his belt at markets and out the front of gyms around Newcastle. Then, the time came to take the next step.

“I loved doing the trailer, but the dream was to have my own store. It was always in the back of my mind – I was always looking at properties online,” Joe said.

“I always wanted Warners Bay too, because there’s some similar offerings in town and I thought that I could capture something out here. There’s nothing like this here, and a lot of people have commented on that since I’ve opened.”

Once the space was secured, the massive task of fitting out the store began. Originally a tattoo parlour, Joe had help from his carpenter brother and tiler father to gut the space and transform it into a café.

“I was very naive in thinking that I was going to be able to pull off what I thought I could. There was a lot of learning,” he said. 

Not only does Shakey Joe’s bring acai bowls to the lake, but poké bowls and bagels too. Both the poké bowls and bagels section of the menu is new to Shakey Joe’s Warners Bay location, and they’re items Joe hopes locals will embrace.

Joe tells us his Burrito Poké with avocado, black beans, corn, pico de gallo, shallots, green sauce, corn chips and coriander (with your choice of protein and grain) has been a best-seller.

There’s also the option to build your own poké bowl, if you want to switch things up.

The new bagel offering includes classics like The Salmon with smoked salmon, cream cheese, pickled onion, capers and dill and The Reuben with pastrami, sauerkraut, Russian dressing and Swiss cheese.

Other menu highlights include Biscoff Overnight Oats with banana and dark chocolate; the Banoffee protein shake with almond milk, salted caramel protein, banana, dates, peanut butter, and pink salt; and the Choc Nice-Cream smoothie bowl, topped with banana, blueberries, housemade granola, cacao nibs, quinoa puffs, coconut flakes, chia seeds and natural yoghurt.

Shakey Joe’s also offers a range of fresh, house-made juices (with an option to create your own), house-made protein balls and a Little Joe’s menu for kids. 

Every item on the menu is available for takeaway, so if it’s a beautiful day, why not take your goodies down to the water? 

“I love it when people come in, then I see on their Instagram story that they’re down at the lake enjoying what they’ve bought,” Joe said.

Time to get yourself to Shakey Joe’s for a nourishing feed – best enjoyed on a sunny day.