Yumi Yogurt Returns to Redwood City

Fro-yo girl here. After closing in September 2019, Yumi Yogurt made its triumphant return to Redwood City. It reopened on November 28.

Yumi Yogurt RWC was the first Yumi that I visited and the one that I went to the most often. I visited the new location in the same shopping center as the original. The original building was demolished.

The new Yumi Yogurt features 8 soft serve flavors a day, hard scoop ice cream, Flavor Burst, and shakes. It’s counter-serve, the way it used to be. During my visit, the following flavors were available:

• Vanilla custard
• Italian chocolate
• Chocolate peanut butter Carbolite
• Graham cracker cheesecake Carbolite
• Pistachio cream Carbolite
• Oreo matcha WowCow
• Georgia Peach WowCow
• Cold Brew Coffee WowCow

Carbolite is low sugar, low carb, and low calorie. WowCow is low lactose and low sugar. Ask for samples. I prefer regular yogurt to Carbolite and WowCow, so it’s disappointing to see so many Carbolite and WowCow flavors and so few regular yogurt flavors.

Froyo prices: Small ($7.20), Medium ($8.30), Large ($9.75), Quart ($16.50). Keeping with Yumi’s tradition, portions are very generous.

Décor was simple but pleasant. The logo on the wall says Yumi Yogurt was established in 1985.

* YUMI YOGURT, 1019 El Camino Real, Unit B9, Redwood City, CA 94063

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.

History of Sweet Retreat & Treat Ice Cream

 

Fro-yo girl here. Sweet Retreat used to have multiple locations in the South Bay (Bay Area). I think the one at 846 Blossom Hill Rd. in San Jose is the last one standing. The first one probably opened in the 1990s. Sweet Retreat is known for soft serve mix-in style frozen yogurt.

The customer picks the size and the mix-ins (candies, frozen fruit, nuts, cookies, etc.). The mix-ins are blended in a Swirl Freeze machine that looks like a drill using Treat Ice Cream’s tart vanilla froyo base. The base is tangy, thick, smooth, and creamy. The use of real fruit also makes it taste natural. It’s expensive (a small is $7.90 + $2 for each add-in), but the portions are very generous.

Former Sweet Retreat Locations

• 15545 Union Ave, Los Gatos was old school. I’m not sure when it opened (before 2006, possibly in the 90’s), but it closed in 2017.
• 6061 Cahalan Ave, San Jose, might have opened in the 1990s, closed in 2016 due to a fire
• 97 E 3rd St, Unit C2-1, Morgan Hill, opened in 2019 and closed in 2023
• 744 S Wolfe Rd, Sunnyvale, not sure when it opened or closed, but all the reviews were all written in 2006

Sweet Retreat also offers hard-scoop ice cream from Treat Ice Cream. Treat Ice Cream had a factory in San Jose, CA. Treat Ice Cream was founded in 1951. It was acquired by Marianne’s Ice Cream in 2021. Marianne’s owners plan to continue to produce Treat Ice Cream. The original owner of Marianne’s, Sam Lieberman, learned the ice cream trade from the original owner of Treat Ice Cream, Al Mauseth.

Mix-in style real fruit ice cream is having a moment right now. Sweet Retreat was ahead of its time.

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.

Froyo Scene in Los Gatos, CA

Auzzy The Bear

Fro-yo girl here. Beautiful Los Gatos, a city that’s south of San Jose and in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, was once home to one of the best tart froyo shops in the Bay Area, Café Delatti. Sunny Kim opened Café Delatti in 2007, when tart froyo was still new and novel.  Another location opened in downtown Pleasanton in 2008. It wasn’t quite as good as the Los Gatos location.

Residents of Los Gatos are quite fond of their froyo. Sweet Retreat, TCBY, or Yogurt Delite was the first “old school” froyo shop in Los Gatos. We found nine closed froyo shops and one bakery that’s still open but no longer serves froyo.

Today, you can get froyo at Auzzy The Bear, Easy Breezy, and Rosy Yogurt. The first two are relatively new self-serve froyo shops. Easy Breezy hails from San Francisco and makes proprietary flavors from scratch. Rosy Yogurt is the “old school” counter-serve froyo shop in town; it used to be Yumi Yogurt and Yogurt Delite before that.

Los Gatos has 33,529 residents and the median household income is $407,500. It’s one of the nicest places to live in the Bay Area and is considered to be part of Silicon Valley.

Current Froyo Shops

• Auzzy The Bear, 33 E. Main St, opened in the former Yogurt & Love space in the summer of 2022. More than a froyo shop, Auzzy The Bear also serves boba tea, Vietnamese coffee, espresso drinks, smoothies, and banh mi. The froyo is self-serve.
• Easy Breezy, 307 N Santa Cruz Ave, is in downtown Los Gatos. This is Easy Breezy’s first shop in Santa Clara County; it opened in May 2022. The soft serve is hand-crafted and made with organic ingredients whenever possible. Since the soft serve is made with the best Italian soft serve machines, the froyo/soft serve texture is better – thick, smooth, creamy, but not dense. It’s self-serve.
• Rosy Yogurt, 464 N Santa Cruz Ave, opened in 2016, taking over from Yumi Yogurt. I made it to Yumi Yogurt in Los Gatos and I’ve been to Rosy Yogurt. It’s not that different from Yumi Yogurt. If you like old-school, counter-serve froyo, Carbolite, and Wow Cow, Rosy Yogurt should satisfy your cravings. Rosy Yogurt also serves Lappert’s Ice Cream, coffee, acai bowls, smoothies, floats, shakes, frappes, etc.

Past Froyo Shops

• Café Delatti, 42 Elm St, opened in 2007, bringing tart froyo to Los Gatos. I remember how much I liked it. It was on my list of Top 10 Bay Area Froyo Spots in 2018 and the subject of my 500th Yelp review. The shop closed in 2010. The space was taken over by Sips & Sweets Too.
• Happy Yogurt, 13 N. Santa Cruz, was a no-frills small self-serve froyo shop that opened in 2009 and closed in 2011. They served six froyo flavors a day. There was a froyo shop with the same name in San Francisco. It looked similar and was also very small.
• Sips & Sweets Too, 42 Elm St, opened in 2014 and closed in 2015. The shop served boba, smoothies, froyo, shaved ice, and more. They kept the Café Delatti froyo machines and fixtures.
• Sweet Retreat, 15545 Union Ave, was an ice cream shop that also offered mix-in style froyo. You would choose the mix-ins and the employee would blend the mix-ins with the froyo. There were multiple locations in Santa Clara County. Sweet Retreat Los Gatos was old school – not sure when it opened (before 2006, possibly in the 90’s), but it closed in 2017.
• TCBY, 13 N Santa Cruz Ave, may have closed in 2008? I’m not sure when it first opened.
• Tutti Frutti, 42 Elm St, must have been open in 2011 – 2014 before Café Delatti became Sips & Sweets Too. The American Italian Delicatessen took over the space in 2015. It would have been a small, self-serve froyo shop, part of the international self-serve froyo chain.
• Yogurt & Love, 33 E Main St, was part of a non-descript national self-serve froyo chain. The Los Gatos shop opened in 2014 and closed in 2018. They were known for their extensive toppings selection, with over 50 toppings.
• Yogurt Delite, 464 N Santa Cruz Ave, was one of several old-school froyo shops in the Bay Area. I’m not sure when it opened but it was taken over by Yumi Yogurt in 2008.
• Yumi Yogurt, 464 N Santa Cruz Ave, was a counter-serve old school froyo shop known for generous portions. It closed in 2016 and the space was taken over by Rosy Yogurt. It seems to have opened in 2008.

Still Open but No Longer Serves Froyo

• Icing on the Cake, 50 W Main St, is a local bakery that opened in 1985. I liked their cupcakes. They also added froyo around 2008? I’m not sure how long it was offered – not that long.

Did I miss any froyo shops in Los Gatos? Let me know if I did.

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.

Frozen Yogurt, Past & Present in Dublin, CA

Fro-yo girl here. I can’t think about Dublin, California, without fondly remembering Blush Organic Frozen Yogurt, and the sweet owner, Jonathan Rim. Blush opened in June 2008 and made the best froyo in that area. That location is now Teaspoon, a boba shop. Other froyo shops followed, notably two self-serve froyo shops in 2010: Yogurtland and Tutti Frutti. Blush remained the premium froyo choice in the Tri-Valley.

Today, you can get froyo at Yogurtland, Cuppa Yo, and Nick the Greek. Yogurtland was the last froyo shop standing. Cuppa Yo just opened in March 2024. 

Dublin currently has a population of 71,750 and is one of the fastest-growing cities in Alameda County. The median age is 36.5 and the median household income is $171,168.

Current Froyo Shops

• Cuppa Yo, 3970 Summit Rd, opened on March 23, 2024, the first California location for the Oregon-based self-serve froyo chain.
• Nick the Greek, 5246 Dublin Blvd, opened in 2021 at the old Yalla location. Nick the Greek is a fast-casual café that also serves Greek frozen yogurt. So, it's not a froyo shop, but I'll include it on this list.
• Yogurtland, 6851 Amador Plaza Rd, Ste 102, opened in 2010, a few months after Yogurtland San Ramon, the first Yogurtland to open in the Tri-Valley. 

Past Froyo Shops

• Blush Organic Frozen Yogurt, 4640 Tassajara Rd, Ste A, was a counter-serve froyo shop, that opened in 2008. Blush later expanded and opened shops in Burlingame, Milpitas, Pleasanton, San Francisco, and Walnut Creek. The froyo recipes were proprietary and amazing. The last Blush locations to close were Pleasanton and Dublin, in 2020.
• Menchie’s, 3742 Fallon Rd, Ste 650, opened in 2014 in the Fallon Gateway shopping center and closed in 2019
• Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt, 4930 Dublin Blvd, Ste 720, was located at Hacienda Crossings from 2010 to 2020. The pandemic probably was the reason it closed for good.
• Yalla Mediterranean, 5246 Dublin Blvd, opened in November 2015 and closed in 2020. It wasn’t a froyo shop, but the fast-casual Mediterranean eatery did serve Greek frozen yogurt with Greek toppings. The location was taken over by Nick the Greek.
• Yogurt Delight, 7840 Amador Valley Blvd, was a self-serve froyo shop inside Valero gas station’s convenience store. It opened in 2016 and may have closed in 2019.

Did I miss any froyo shops in Dublin? Let me know if I did.

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.

A Visit to the New Yogurt Spot in Walnut Creek

Fro-yo girl here. I recently had a chance to visit a new froyo shop. Yogurt Spot opened in Rossmoor Town Center in Walnut Creek, CA this summer. It’s more than a froyo shop; it’s a frozen dessert emporium. They offer 10 flavors of counter-serve soft serve froyo (from Sugar Creek/ Honey Hill Farms), a case of gelato, floats, and shaved ice.

The toppings selection is smaller than usual but not bad. They only had one kind of fresh fruit, strawberries. Other toppings included candies, cookies, nuts, marshmallows, cookie dough, popping boba, mochi, sprinkles, sauces, and cheesecake bites. They didn’t have granola or chocolate shell.

Kiddie size, Italian tart

Froyo prices include toppings.

Kiddie ($5.50)/ Small ($7.50)/ Medium ($8.50)/ Large ($10)

The kiddie portion was the right size. Small looked pretty big. They were generous with the froyo and toppings. And the Italian tart had good texture and a nice tang.

The décor was simple but tasteful: a huge counter, warm orangeish paint, lots of lights, attractive hand written menu boards. They have an outdoor patio with seating. I was pleased by the cleanliness of the shop and the friendly service. Samples were offered.

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

YOGURT SPOT: 19808 Tice Valley Blvd, Ste B, Walnut Creek, CA 94595

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.

Easy Breezy Opens in Los Gatos, CA

Fro-yo girl here. It’s been so long since I’ve been to Los Gatos. The last time I went was to get froyo at Yumi Yogurt (RIP). Well, froyo brought me back to downtown Los Gatos. Easy Breezy opened last month in the heart of downtown Los Gatos, at 307 N Santa Cruz Ave. It’s the first Easy Breezy in the South Bay.

I visited recently and I’m happy to report that EB Los Gatos continues to serve the freshest, highest quality froyo, custard and soft serve – and it’s self-serve. I believe it’s the first self-serve froyo shop in Los Gatos. It’s certainly the only self-serve froyo shop in Los Gatos right now. The premium quality and cuteness really suit Los Gatos.

Their soft serve is hand-crafted and made with proprietary recipes. They use organic ingredients whenever possible. They also use the best soft serve machines, so their froyo/soft serve texture is better – thick, smooth, creamy, but not dense. And there are so many options: custard, yogurt, and vegan soft serve. Love the owner, Ariel – she’s the best!!!!

There were four machines serving 8 flavors. It’s self-serve like the other Easy Breezy locations. Toppings included warm sauces, candy, cheesecake, mochi, cookie dough, popping boba, fresh fruit (the blueberries and strawberries were organic), brownies, chocolate chips, yogurt chips, coconut, cereal, nuts, sprinkles, etc. I love the Belgian butter waffle cookies they have. It’s $0.94 cents an ounce. Yes, it’s not cheap but it’s Los Gatos and the product is high quality.

Flavors of the day:

• Vanilla custard
• Chocolate custard
• Original tart
• Vanilla bean yogurt
• Root beer
• Coconut crème pie (vegan, coconut milk)
• Vietnamese coffee (vegan, coconut milk)
• Strawberry Breeze (vegan, coconut milk)

Ask for samples and get a stamp card.

* EASY BREEZY: 307 N Santa Cruz Ave, Los Gatos, CA 95030

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.

Frozen Yogurt History and Update on Current Froyo Scene in Oakland, CA

Fro-yo girl here. It’s been seven years since I’ve had a post dedicated to frozen yogurt in Oakland, CA. An update is long overdue. Which frozen yogurt shops are still swirling in Oakland? There are four, with the year of opening:

• Tutti Frutti, 2066 Mountain Blvd., 2013 - present
• Tutti Frutti, 4214 Piedmont Ave., 2009 - present. I heard this location closed but people are still reviewing it, so it seems to still be open?
• Yogofina, 6140 Medau Pl., 2010 - present
• Yogofina, 3261 Lakeshore Ave., 2010 - present

The four remaining shops are all self-serve.

Yogurt Delite (4139 Piedmont Ave.) and Yogurt Deluxe (3203 Lakeshore Ave.) were the oldest froyo shops that I remember. Both were full-service shops. Yogurt Delite also had smoothies while Yogurt Deluxe offered ice cream and smoothies. They were open long before the 2nd wave of froyo. Yogurt Deluxe closed in 2018 and Yogurt Delite closed in 2014. Both faced froyo competition on the same street; Mr. Green Bubble and Tutti Frutti on Piedmont Ave. and Yogofina on Lakeshore Ave.

Way back in 2007, High Street Car Wash at 569 High St. added a froyo shop called Kiwitiwi. It was my first time having froyo at a carwash. I think it lasted until 2010. Freshens was also open in 2007 at the Oakland International Airport. I’m not sure when it closed. Freshens had the worst froyo. Other froyo shops that followed:

• Good Bellies, 2010- 2014. It was a cute eatery that also had froyo.
• Honeyberry, 2014-2016. Primarily a roti bun shop, they had one froyo machine.
• iYogurt, 2010-2014. Located in the Vietnamese part of town, self-serve.
• Miam Miam Lounge, 2010-2014. This was the best, most innovative froyo to have graced Oakland. The owners also owned an award-winning Italian housewares company. They worked with pastry chefs to develop their own froyo recipes and performed extensive taste tests before launching.
• Mr. Green Bubble, 2010-2012. This boba shop is still open but they stopped serving froyo around 2012.
• SoGreen Yogurt, 2009-2010. The space was taken over by Yoppi Yogurt. Their tart froyo was pretty tasty and they specialized in green tea froyo.
• Tutti Frutti Chinatown, 2010-2013. This was a tiny self-serve froyo shop. They even sold sushi and vegan soul food for a time.
• Yoppi Yogurt, 2012-2015. Yoppi converted the SoGreen space to a self-serve froyo format. 

I named Oakland as a froyo hot spot for 2010. In 2010, “Oakland saw the most fro-yo activity. Multiple new locations of Tutti Frutti and Yogofina led the way. Mr. Green Bubble, iYogurt, and Miam Miam Lounge also opened in Oakland in 2010. Last year was a slow year for new innovative fro-yo shops. The one innovative newcomer of note was Miam Miam Lounge in Oakland.”

Sadly, Oakland’s seen many sub-par froyo shops over the years and there’s no decent place to get froyo any longer. There isn’t even a Yogurtland or a Menchie’s. Pretty sad.

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.

Marin County Froyo Guide & Froyo History

Berry Bliss, Larkspur

Fro-yo girl here. Years ago when I went to Marin County regularly, San Rafael was a mini froyo hot spot and there were a few other places to get froyo, like Woody’s Yogurt Place in Mill Valley and Berry Bliss in Larkspur. Woody’s Yogurt Place closed earlier this year due to the rising cost of rent at Strawberry Village. The same family owned Woody’s since 1998 and they were always giving back to the community. Sad. But on a happier note, Easy Breezy Frozen Yogurt opened in Corte Madera this past January, their first location in Marin County.

Berry Bliss (2247 Larkspur Landing Cir, Larkspur, CA 94939), a small, counter serve shop, was notable for being the first tart froyo shop in the area; it opened in 2008 and closed in 2013. Back in 2008, I visited Berry Bliss and wrote the following in a Yelp review, "Fro-yo girl here. Berry Bliss is the first tart fro-yo shop in Marin County (it opened on April 1st). It makes a good effort though I think the flavors could still use some work. They're too sweet but then again, some people prefer sweeter tart fro-yo. They have four flavors a day (some flavors rotate) with fresh fruit toppings, granola, chips, cereal and nut toppings to choose from; eight dry toppings, I think and about 8 fresh fruit toppings. They DO NOT HAVE MOCHI BALLS (I wish I had brought my own).” I was obsessed with mochi back then. Wow, that was twelve years ago and the start of the new wave of froyo shops in Marin County.

Here are the other Marin County froyo shops that are no longer open for business.

• Berry Bliss, San Rafael, 2009 - 2012: Small counter serve shop, same ownership as the one in Larkspur.
• Berry Delicious, Novato, 2014-2017: Located in downtown Novato, Berry Delicious was a self-serve froyo shop.
• Berry Twist, San Rafael, 2010-2020: Berry Twist was a self-serve froyo shop located inside Northgate Mall. It’s no longer listed in the Northgate Mall directory. Google lists it as temporarily closed though.
• Cocoyo, San Rafael, 2011-2014. Cocoyo didn’t change the décor of Tuttimelon but they did change signs. Like Tuttimelon, they offered counter serve froyo and gelato. Later, they added bubble tea.
• TCBY, San Anselmo, the last review was in 2012. I have no idea when it opened but one reviewer wrote that “this TCBY has been here forever” back in 2008. Woody’s was probably around longer but who knows.
• Tuttimelon, San Rafael, 2009-2011. This counter serve shop had froyo and gelato. After closing, the space was taken over by Cocoyo.
• U Top It, San Anselmo: The self-serve froyo shop opened in 2010, changed ownership in 2014 and closed in 2019.
• Yogen Fruz, Novato, 2009-2013: This was a counter serve froyo place with mix in and soft serve style froyo.
• Yolo Yogurt Lounge, Mill Valley, 2010-2105: This was a small, cute self-serve shop which had some made in house toppings and froyo flavors.

And here’s a list of Marin County froyo shops open in 2020:

• Easy Breezy, Corte Madre, established in 2020, lots of organic and vegan froyo options, plus frozen custard. Premium self-serve!
• Loving Cup Greenbrae, established in 2016. Loving Cup was established in San Francisco in 2008. “Loving Cup is the new, old fashioned creamery. Starting with cultured non-fat milk, we make our own yogurt, freeze it, then hand blend each and every cup with your choice of ingredients. The result is super creamy, velvety soft-serve with a rich taste and none of the fat. We offer thousands of flavor possibilities every day made from ingredients like fresh ground peanut butter, chocolate chunks, fruits and berries, house-made salted caramel, and locally roasted espresso beans. We have been hand crafting goodness since 2008 and are proud to be San Francisco's favorite frozen yogurt experience.”
• Mag’s Local Yogurt, Larkspur, established in 2011, “Elliott Magnuson, owner of Mag's Local Yogurt and a longtime Larkspur resident, wanted to create a self-serve frozen yogurt eatery which combined the love for frozen yogurt with that of a fun, inviting meeting place for friends & families to enjoy.”
• Mill Valley Swirl, established in 2010. “Mill Valley Swirl is the brain child of Jeff Shine, a full time stay at home dad, and his wife, Kristine Shine, a working mother. Knowing first hand that today's family dynamic is different from years ago they aspired to create an environment that caters to all ages and tastes, bringing a modern twist to the Main Street Ice Cream Shoppe. Unlike the traditional ice-cream or gelato shops, Mill Valley Swirl recognizes individual taste and a desire for a healthier lifestyle. The basis behind Mill Valley Swirl is frozen yogurt options for everyone, healthy or fun, with the customer being in full control of quantity and selection. In the summer of 2016, owner, Jeff Shine, went to ice cream making school to learn how to make his own homemade ice cream. In 2017 Jeff launched his own ice cream brand, Sweet Annie's, named after his daughter and founded on the idea of everyday deserving a celebration.”
• Swirl, San Anselmo, established in 2009. “Business was run by an absentee owner until March 2017 when a local San Anselmo family purchased Swirl, upgraded all the equipment and yogurt (now gluten free & most are kosher) and added more and better toppings (organic fruits from farmers market, cheesecake bites, snickers, etc.).”
• Tuttimelon Novato, established in 2010. Tuttimelon is still going strong in Novato. “Tuttimelon specializes in premium self created fat free frozen yogurt along with an extensive toppings bar. Featuring "Tutti-WOW" with only 64 calories /cup, all natural, lactose free and very low carbs! Come taste a truly guiltless pleasure. We also serve 26 wonderful flavors of hand crafted, artisan Gelatos. While you're there, try the 100% fruit and vegetable granitas (smoothies) from Italy and the fresh baked gourmet stuffed soft pretzels and Belgium Waffles. The Novato location specializes in creating their own unique flavor offerings in Yogurt and Gelato, featuring the best / healthiest ingredients available.”

Loop Neighborhood Market, 2 locations in Novato and 1 location in San Rafael offer self-serve froyo in an upscale convenience store format.

YOLO in San Anselmo hasn’t posted an update on Facebook since March. It’s temporarily closed according to Google and Yelp. Hmm. It’s probably closed for good since it’s already October and they missed the summer froyo season. But it does say on Yelp that it's scheduled to reopen on April 14, 2021.

I still need to go to the Loving Cup location in Greenbrae, but I’ve been to all the other Marin County froyo shops that are still open (and quite a few that have closed).

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.