Froyo Scene in San Mateo, CA

Clear Optometry

Fro-yo girl here. San Mateo once had a lively frozen yogurt scene, with self-serve froyo, counter serve classics, and even a few unexpected places offering froyo on the side. Today, only four places in the city serve froyo — and just one of them is a true froyo shop.

Over the years, I found eleven places for froyo that once operated in San Mateo and later closed, plus one business (Clear Optometry) that stayed open but stopped serving froyo. Of the eleven closed shops, seven were counter‑serve, and five opened in 2009, the big year for froyo expansion in San Mateo. San Mateo made my froyo hot spots list of 2010.

The oldest froyo shop in the area, Yumi Yogurt, is still going strong. JJ’s Yogurt was also an older shop, though its exact opening year is unclear.

I also heard that Yogurtland plans to open in San Mateo, but I couldn't find any updates since the initial press release mentioning Yogurtland's expansion plans. If it does open, it will mark the return of self-serve froyo to San Mateo.

San Mateo is a prosperous, well educated Bay Area city with:
• Population: ~103K–105K
• Median age: ~38–39
• Median household income: ~$152K–$162K
• High housing costs, high educational attainment

It seems like a good place for froyo.

Places to Get Froyo

• Nick the Greek, 1324 W Hillsdale Blvd, opened in 2020. The Greek fast-casual chain offers Greek froyo.
• Nick the Greek, 213 3rd Ave, opened in downtown San Mateo in 2024
• Simple Delights, 1226 W Hillsdale Blvd, at the Laurelwood Shopping Center is a bakery that opened in 2020, taking over the JJ Yogurt space. Froyo is still available.
• Yumi Yogurt, 3955 S El Camino Real, San Mateo, opened in 1987; it serves froyo and ice cream.

Former Places to Get Froyo

• Happy Yogurt, 110 S B St, was a small self-serve froyo shop in downtown San Mateo that opened in 2009 and closed in 2011.
• Harmony Frozen Yogurt, 1051 Park Place, was an organic froyo shop that first opened in San Carlos. The San Mateo location, the second Harmony branch, opened in 2009.
• JJ’s Yogurt, 1226 W Hillsdale Blvd, was an old school, counter-serve froyo shop that closed in 2019 or 2020.
• Maquito Yogurt, 60 31st Ave, was a counter-serve froyo shop that opened at Hillsdale Shopping Center in 2009 and closed in 2013.
• Nubi Yogurt, 2015 Chess Dr, was a self-serve froyo shop that opened in 2011 and closed in 2016.
• Quickly, 142 E 3rd Ave, was a boba shop in downtown San Mateo that was open from 2005 – 2019. They offered froyo from 2008 – 2012.
• Snowee Yogurt, 168 W 25th Ave, was a self-serve froyo shop that also served shaved ice and snacks. It opened in 2009 and closed in 2015.
• Teaway, 165 E. Fourth Ave., a sister brand of Tuttimelon, took over the Tuttimelon space in 2011 and still offered Tuttimelon froyo. It closed in 2013 and was replaced by Honeyberry, the roti bun shop. While some Honeyberry locations offered froyo, the one in San Mateo did not.
• Tuttimelon, 165 E. Fourth Ave., was a froyo shop that opened in 2009 in downtown San Mateo. It turned into their sister brand, Teaway, in 2011.
• Yogurtouille, 407 S B St, was a small, bright, self-serve froyo shop that opened in downtown San Mateo in 2008 and closed in 2015 or 2016.
• Yumi Yogurt, 60 31st Ave, opened a small shop inside Hillsdale Shopping Center in 2013 and closed in 2017.

Still Open, Stopped Serving Froyo

• Clear Optometry, 138 E 3rd St., is a luxury eyewear store. It used to have a dessert bar with froyo and housemade mochi in many flavors. They started offering froyo in 2007 and stopped offering it around 2016.

The only places I haven’t been to are the Nick the Greek branches and Simply Delights. The places I miss the most are Harmony, Clear Optometry, and Tuttimelon.

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.

Weirdest Places for Fro-yo

Fro-yo girl here. Fro-yo can happen anywhere. All one needs is the space for a fro-yo machine, a refrigerator, a sink, an area to chop fruit, and room for toppings.

Here's a look at some of the unusual places that offer fro-yo in the Bay Area.

1. CLEAR OPTOMETRY: 138 E 3rd St., San Mateo, CA. One side of the store features a swanky eyewear store with frames from Chanel and other brands, the other side features a dessert bar with delicious fro-yo and several flavors of mochi toppings. Yum. This is my favorite "weird" place for fro-yo. Get your eyes examined there or buy eyeglasses, get free fro-yo!


2. KIWITIWI: 569 High St., Oakland, CA. Part car wash, part convenience store, part fro-yo shop. It would qualify for the strangest place if it didn't have the convenience store as well. While people who are waiting for a car wash have time to sit around and enjoy fro-yo, the fumes from the car wash are less than pleasant.


3. MICHAELI'S WINE & SPIRIT: 2198 Union St, San Francisco, CA. It's not unusual for liquor stores to have delis but this is the first time I've seen one with fro-yo too. What a great idea! I'd rather have a corner fro-yo shop than a corner liquor store.


4. BLONDIE'S PIZZA: various locations. Greasy, cheap pizza and now fro-yo? Blondie's reminds me of college and certainly college students are among those who enjoy fro-yo. I didn't like their tart fro-yo but the sweet flavors might be better.

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

Spotlight on Mochi Balls

Fro-yo girl here. I'll be honest. Mochi balls are the reason I first tried tart frozen yogurt. When I first heard of mochi balls, I couldn't stop thinking about them, wondering what they were like. Most fro-yo shops seem to use Dae Doo Food's bingsu rice cake. Made in Korea, these mochi balls come in a light blue package and can be purchased from the refrigerated section at Kukje in Daly City (and probably most Korean markets). A package costs $2.99. The main ingredients are:

• glutinous rice powder


• sugar


• corn syrup


• salt


• wheat flour

I found another brand of mochi balls, German Bakery, at Kukje. The balls had a stronger rice flavor and were more uneven in shape and size than the Dae Doo brand. However, the mochi balls were harder and not as fresh tasting as Dae Doo's.

I love how the sweet, chewy mochi balls add texture to the fro-yo experience. The downside is that they do become stale. You can spot a stale mochi ball by looking for a dried out, hardened texture.

A few fro-yo shops in the Bay Area make their own mochi balls and these deserve special mention:

* Coco Swirl - made by the owner's mom on a daily basis, comes in white and pink. The pink color comes from strawberries. Add as much as you want since it's a self-serve joint.
* Fraiche Yogurt - the best homemade mochi topping, big, chewy, soft squares. I find their fro-yo bland and not tart.
* Clear Optometry - offers the most variety, six flavors of mochi topping: strawberry, green tea, lemon, orange, original, Ghirardelli chocolate.

Of the three, I recommend trying Clear Optometry.

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

* KUKJE SUPER MARKET: 2350 Junipero Serra Blvd, Daly City, CA 94015
* COCO SWIRL: 35 Crescent Dr Ste E, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523
* FRAICHE YOGURT: 644 Emerson Suite 110, Palo Alto, CA 94301
* CLEAR OPTOMETRY: 138 E 3rd Ave, San Mateo, CA 94401