Showing posts with label Bay Area. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bay Area. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Fremont Froyo History

Yoswirl, 2008

Fro-yo girl here. I’m in Fremont several times a year, so I’ve tried about every froyo place there, past and present. The froyo scene was much more vibrant in the past. It peaked around 2010. Only two froyo shops are still standing in 2020: Yogurtland and Menchie’s. It seemed like Yogurt De Lite (4378 Thornton Ave.) would stay open forever, but it finally closed last year. Yalla Mediterranean stopped serving froyo last year at all their locations, including the one in Fremont. Sad.

Yogurt De Lite opened decades ago, I’m not sure when. I’m pretty sure that the ownership changed a few times. Honestly, it wasn’t very good, though maybe it used to be better. It was close to a few schools though and there weren’t many other options in the area to get a snack or treat.

Fro-ggie (1554 Washington Blvd.) which opened in March 2008, was the first of the new froyo shops in Fremont. Independently owned, it was modeled after Pinkberry offering 4 counter-serve tart froyo flavors a day. They were even one of the few shops that served soy froyo. I liked it! Frog-gie closed in 2011.

A few months later in May 2008, Fremont got its first self-serve froyo shop, Yoswirl in Warm Springs (43773 Boscell Rd.). I was at the grand opening and there was a huge crowd. The froyo was definitely on the icy side. Yoswirl closed in 2012.

Back in 2010, Fremont was a froyo hot spot. At the time, I wrote:

“Fremont is now home to Fro-ggie, Yoswirl, So Frais Frozen Yogurt Cafe, Cafe Verona, Yogurtouille, Sweet Orchid, Yogurtastic, Pink Swirl, and Yogurt Bees. Old school Yogurt Delite is still around. I get the feeling more fro-yo is on the way.”

More shops opened, including Freshberry (a franchise, later it became Pure Yum) with cupcakes and froyo, Fusion Mix, Yogurt Mantra, Menchie’s and Yogurtland. The dates the shop existed appear in parentheses.

  • FreshBerry, 2010-2014
  • Yogurt Mantra, 2012-2015
  • Fusion Mix, 2014-2019
  • Pure Yum, 2014-2016

Yogurtland and Menchie’s both opened during the summer of 2013 and both are on Mowry Ave. While the Menchie's and Yogurtland were late arrivals, they have survived longer than most of the independent froyo shops.

  • Menchie’s 5030 Mowry Ave, Fremont, CA 94538
  • Yogurtland, 4069 Mowry Ave, Fremont, CA 94538

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Top 10 Bay Area Fro-Yo Shops


Fro-yo girl here. Now that I’ve tried over 100 fro-yo shops, I’m often asked for recommendations. These are my top 10 Bay Area fro-yo shops:
· Culture Organic Frozen Yogurt (Palo Alto) – creamy & thick in texture, tastes natural with less sugar to mask that fro-yo flavor, organic fro-yo made from Straus and unique housemade toppings like brownies, chocolate meringues and seasonal granola - my cup of Culture yogurt is pictured above
· Café Delatti (Los Gatos) – every tart flavor tastes great, especially the mango tart, dense & creamy texture
· YoCup (Rincon Center, SF) – the most balanced fro-yo I’ve encountered in terms of flavor, texture, everything
· Tuttimelon (Irving St, SF) – extra sour and the best bargain in town, a small original is still 99 cents and they pack on the toppings like no other place I know of
· Caffe Ambrosia (SF) – natural and clean tasting plain tart, icy, soft and smooth
· Red Mango (Palo Alto) – not as tart as the others on the list but with a sophisticated subtle tang and an ultra creamy texture
· Harmony Yogurt (San Carlos) – dense and smooth, made with organic Straus Creamery yogurt, almost gelato like in consistency
· Yogurt Harmony (Berkeley) – rich, heavy and dense, four delicious tart flavors a day
· Yumi Yogurt (Redwood City) – best place for sweet fro-yo with the largest portions
· Poco Café (San Jose) – best place for mix-in yogurt, plain yogurt mixed with your choice of frozen fruit, chunky & tart

None of the self-serve shops made the cut. I’ve found higher quality, better tasting fro-yo at the non-self serve fro-yo shops.

I’m also asked how one person can eat so much fro-yo and not get sick of it. I can’t answer that question yet.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.