Painful Froyo Shop Closures of 2017

Fro-yo girl here. Sure, many frozen yogurt shops close every year. Some closures hurt a lot more than others and I wanted to take a moment to remember some of my favorite shops that closed in 2017.

* Blush Organic Frozen Yogurt in Walnut Creek, CA: I remember going for the grand opening back in May 2010. The location wasn’t convenient for me, but at the time, I was addicted to Blush (especially the original Dublin location).

* Fraiche Yogurt in San Francisco and on the campus of Stanford University: I’ve been to both locations multiple times. The one in SF was the one I went to regularly though, especially when the pumpkin yogurt returned. It was even a nice place to do some laptop camping. And they had the best housemade mochi topping.

* Yogurtland Berkeley locations: I went to the one on Shattuck quite a few times. The other Berkeley location was too small. I can’t believe there isn’t a Yogurtland in Berkeley now!

* Pinkberry in Koreatown (Los Angeles): This was the first Pinkberry to offer Pinkbee’s ice cream and they even had afternoon tea. The decor was different too. It always seemed innovative.

* Yogurt Oasis (Lancaster, CA): I never made it there or to Lancaster, but the shop just closed after 20 or so years in business, so it's sad.

* Nubi Yogurt (Sloat Blvd., San Francisco, CA): This was never my favorite froyo shop, but it was close to where I used to live, so I used to go fairly often. It was the first Nubi location in San Francisco.

Farewell, old friends. You are missed.

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.

Palo Alto Froyo Update

Fro-yo girl here. I have a special place in my heart for Palo Alto, CA since I used to live there and they were also way ahead of the froyo curve with Fraiche and Culture Organic Frozen Yogurt. It’s been awhile since I posted an update on the froyo scene in Palo Alto. Much has happened. Red Mango closed and reopened with Auntie Anne’s at Stanford Shopping Center, Pinkberry opened at Stanford Shopping Center in 2010, Yogurtland opened in 2011, and L’Amour, Yoppi Yogurt and Culture (so sad, it still hurts) have closed. 

Today there are five frozen yogurt shops in Palo Alto: Fraiche (the local froyo spot that makes its own yogurt and has two locations in Palo Alto), Pinkberry, Red Mango, and Yogurtland. Fraiche and Pinkberry are counter-serve while Red Mango and Yogurtland are self-serve. 

I hadn’t visited the Fraiche location on the Stanford campus for maybe a year and there have been changes. They remodeled in May 2015 and they added a new savory menu that includes salads, vegan soup, avocado toast, lox tartine, and egg white wraps. These savory items are currently only available at the Stanford location. The items are healthy and “made from scratch with simple recipes that highlight wholesome ingredients.” The items looked really good (I had to get my SF Chronicle special w/ froyo and steel cut oatmeal though). I tried their dairy-free almond milk soft serve for the first time – the chocolate hazelnut flavor was apparent but the texture was rather icy and it was also pretty sweet. I like their soy froyo better but I like soy better than chocolate.

The Axe & the Palm Cafe on the Stanford campus stopped serving froyo (why bother when Fraiche is steps away?) but it now has boba drinks, popcorn chicken and macarons.

Prices have gone way up at Yogurtland. It’s 52 cents an ounce now. It seems like the ownership may have changed.

Pressed Juicery’s Palo Alto location is one of the few in the Bay Area that offers their Freeze dairy-free soft serve. It’s not froyo but it’s refreshing and clean tasting. 

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

* FRAICHE STANFORD: 459 Lagunita Dr, Stanford, CA 94305

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.

San Francisco Froyo Guide

Fro-yo girl here. It’s been almost three years since my Fro-yo Visitor’s Guide to San Francisco post and it’s time for an update. Sadly, some of the frozen yogurt shops on the original list are no longer in business but the good news is that new places have opened. This guide contains the frozen yogurt shops that are worth visiting.

* Hayes Valley: Hayes Valley, the artsy shopping/dining district has long been devoid of good dessert places but all that has changed and the neighborhood is now a frozen dessert mecca with Smitten (freshly made nitrogen ice cream), Miette (ice cream sandwiches made with Straus organic ice cream) and my froyo pick. Souvla (517 Hayes St.) is a crazy popular casual Greek eatery that specializes in spit-fired all natural meats. Get a Greek sandwich or salad, drink some Greek wine or beer and enjoy a cup of creamy Greek froyo for dessert. The Greek frozen yogurt comes in one size and one flavor (plain) with your choice of toppings: baklava crumbles with syrup, sour cherry, olive oil and sea salt or honey. It comes in a cute coffee cup that’s perfect for strolling over to Patricia’s Green (Octavia at Hayes), the neighborhood urban park with rotating art exhibits. 

* Japantown/Fillmore: There are so many cute places to shop in Japantown. My top picks are New People, Daiso, Ichiban Kan and Kinokuniya. Fillmore St. is also a shopping destination with Marc by Marc Jacobs, Paper Source, Jonathan Adler, Steven Alan, NARS, Kiehl’s and Nest. Fraiche Yogurt (1910 Fillmore St.) offers artisanal yogurt and fro-yo made from scratch. The soy fro-yo is excellent and the combination of steel cut oatmeal and fro-yo is an unexpected delight. The housemade chocolate shell sauce is out of this world. I also recommend afternoon tea at the British owned Crown & Crumpet (1746 Post St., make reservations) and Jane (2123 Fillmore St.) for a fresh baked treat and Four Barrel Coffee.

* Union Square: No trip to San Francisco is complete without visiting Union Square, the main shopping destination in SF. Pinkberry (170 O’Farrell St.) is conveniently located at Macy’s Union Square. There are other froyo shops in the downtown area (e.g., Yoppi, Caffe Ambrosia) but Pinkberry is the best one. You can never go wrong with the original tart with fresh fruit – such a refreshing, light treat after a long day of shopping.

* Castro/Noe Valley/Inner Sunset: Easy Breezy Frozen Yogurt (4028 24th St., 718 Irving St., 4092 18th St.) became the International Frozen Yogurt Association’s first Swirl of Honor recipient. Look for the IFYA Swirl of Honor decal and know that you’re in for a treat – hand-crafted unique frozen yogurt and frozen custard flavors (e.g., Lemon Ginger Zinger, Cherry Marzipan, Vietnamese Coffee, Banana Cream Pie), including organic and non-dairy flavors made with almond milk and coconut milk. There are three locations and the décor is super cute. Swirl your own cup and head over to the toppings bar which features local toppings and toppings you won’t see elsewhere. The Inner Sunset location is close to the San Francisco Botanical Garden (9th Ave. & Lincoln) and museums in Golden Gate Park.

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 for Breakfast

Fro-yo girl here. Do you ever crave frozen yogurt in the morning? Ever think that most frozen yogurt shops open too late? 

My answer is yes to both of course. I miss Jubili Frozen Yogurt on Fillmore, which used to open at 8 AM and made wonderful frozen yogurt parfaits.

The good news is that you can get Fraiche’s frozen yogurt early in the morning. The SF and Palo Alto locations open at 7 AM on weekdays (8 AM on weekends) and the frozen yogurt is ready early (as soon as they open or shortly thereafter). The Stanford campus location opens a bit later but it does have steel cut oatmeal and housemade mochi.

My favorite thing to get is their SF Chronicle special ($6.25): Slow cooked, warm steel cut oatmeal, your choice of five toppings in between and your choice of yogurt or frozen yogurt on top. The toppings insulate the frozen yogurt so it doesn’t melt that quickly but even when it melts into the frozen yogurt, it tastes amazing. My favorite toppings are extra housemade mochi, fresh fruit and something crunchy, like Batter Bakery's granola which has nuts and coconut.

They sometimes run out of steel cut oatmeal so it pays to go early. Should you not feel like having frozen yogurt for breakfast, they have steel cut oatmeal, yogurt muffins, green juice, housemade Greek (non-frozen yogurt), kombucha and more.

Caffe Ambrosia in the FiDi area of downtown SF is open early but they don’t turn on their frozen yogurt machines till later (around 10:30 AM). Caffe Ambrosia was nice enough to say that you could call first and ask them to turn it on earlier.

Pinkberry Union Square opens at 10 AM which is earlier than most places. I’m not sure about the hours for the Walgreen’s frozen yogurt machines but the location opens at 7 AM.

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

* FRAICHE YOGURT: 1910 Fillmore St., San Francisco, CA 

* CAFFE AMBROSIA: 14 Trinity Place, San Francisco, CA
* PINKBERRY: 170 O’Farrell St., San Francisco, CA

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.

Pumpkin Froyo Pics

Fro-yo girl here. My frozen yogurt consumption always goes up in October because pumpkin frozen yogurt is offered at so many places. Also, this year Yogurtland decided to bring back Oatmeal Cookies froyo for a limited time (thanks Yogurtland!) and Menchie’s introduced magic color changing spoons. Here’s a collage I created with my pumpkin froyo pictures from Blush (you must try their pumpkin pie froyo), Fraiche (the homemade chocolate shell and mochi are out of this world), Yogurtland and Menchie’s. 

I’ve played around with a few photo collage apps and like Instacollage the best. Some of the other ones have way too many ads. I like using PicMonkey to edit photos online, including adding text, filters and effects. They have some special Halloween themed effects that are worth checking out.

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.

Best Fro-yo Shops in the Bay Area

Fro-yo girl here. It’s time to update my list of fro-yo shops that deserve recognition for their excellent fro-yo. Some of the best shops on my 2008 list are still around but they’re not as good as the shops on 2013 best of list.

* EASY BREEZY FROZEN YOGURT (4028 24th St., San Francisco, CA): EB brought a ray of sunshine to Noe Valley about a year ago with its higher quality self-serve frozen yogurt. They offer some organic frozen yogurt flavors and frozen custard. I love their creative flavors like Cucumber, Mint Mojito and Lime Breezy. They also have great toppings too, like bacon, potato chips, waffle cookies and more. The shop is adorable.

* YOGORINO (2 locations in SF): This Italian import only has one flavor of fro-yo (plain) and the flavor and texture are like no other. It’s super creamy yet not heavy. The toppings, including their signature dessert sauces, and cups are also from Italy.

* BLUSH ORGANIC FROZEN YOGURT (locations in the Bay Area in Dublin, Burlingame and Walnut Creek): Once you taste some of their proprietary flavors like Blush (pomegranate-dragonfruit), Gingerbread, Pumpkin, Green Tea and others, you’ll understand why Blush made the list. All of their fro-yo flavors taste like real yogurt. They’re not overly sweetened. It’s fro-yo for fro-yo lovers. They’ve had creative toppings like Choco Pie and madeleines.

I wanted to put Fraiche on the list since they make their own yogurt and it’s usually fantastic but it hasn’t been consistent. I’ve encountered fro-yo texture issues many times and sometimes their housemade mochi is dried out. I’ll always go there in October for their pumpkin fro-yo (it’s amazing).

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.

New Fro-yo Trend: Bottoms Bars

Fro-yo girl here. Everyone knows about fro-yo toppings. But what about fro-yo bottoms? Fro-yo bottoms (aka bottoming) represent a new trend in the fro-yo industry. I’m not sure exactly who started the trend (though apparently it was someone on the East Coast) but several fro-yo shops now offer bottoms. Bottoms bars seem much more popular in the East/Midwest. While many fro-yo shops offer cones and waffle bowls, bottoms have expanded to include other items, mostly baked goods. 

* Brrrberry in NC calls their bottoms bar the “original” bottoms bar. The bottoms bar features cookies, brownies and pecan pies.
* Zinga, with locations in MA, CA, CO, TX, VA and NH, makes fresh baked bottoms. The bottoms are baked at the store and “include vanilla and gluten-free chocolate cake, waffle bowls, brownies and other seasonal selections.”
* Yogurtology in AZ & FL offers donuts, moon pies, cookies and brownies as bottoms.
* Twister’z in Richmond, VA offers cake bottoms and waffle cones.
* Yogeez in Ohio has cookies, doughnuts, brownies and vanilla wafers as bottoms.

Locally, Yogurt Hill in downtown Hayward offers a bottoms bar with cinnamon rolls, brownies, pretzels, and cookies. I’ve had steel cut oatmeal underneath my fro-yo at Fraiche Yogurt (SF, Palo Alto), but they don’t use the term bottoms.

There’s something disturbing about putting a doughnut under my fro-yo. On the other hand, warm brown rice (Vanilla Jill’s in Eugene, OR) and warm steel cut oatmeal make delicious, healthy bottoms.

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

* YOGURT HILL: 1081 B Street, Hayward, CA 94541

Search for the Best Pumpkin Fro-yo

Fro-yo girl here. Pumpkin season runs from October and November and it’s the time of year that I develop a seemingly tireless craving for pumpkin fro-yo. I recently tried the pumpkin fro-yo at several Bay Area fro-yo shops to see which place had the best pumpkin fro-yo. 

* Fraiche Yogurt: Their organic pumpkin fro-yo comes back in the fall and it’s a strong contender for best pumpkin fro-yo. The flavor is clean and natural with a good balance of pumpkin flavor, spices and yogurt flavor. It’s not too sweet and tastes great with their toppings. It leans towards the icy side as well though it isn’t watered down.
* Yogurtland: Pumpkin pie fro-yo has returned to many Yogurtland locations for a limited time. It has a thick, smooth, creamy texture. I like how it isn’t super sweet and the spices aren’t overpowering.  
* Blush Organic Frozen Yogurt: Blush pumpkin fro-yo has returned and it’s one of their best flavors. Their pumpkin fro-yo is not too sweet. There’s a hint of spice that doesn’t overwhelm but rather complements the natural, clean pumpkin and yogurt flavors. It’s thick, smooth and refreshing.
* Jamba Juice: The Great Pumpkin Swirl Whirl’ns fro-yo flavor shows up in the fall around the same time as their Pumpkin Smash smoothie. This mix-in style fro-yo features a base of vanilla fro-yo swirled with several scoops of spiced pumpkin puree. The two are combined in Yogen Fruz’s mix-in fro-yo machines. The fro-yo texture was thick and creamy but had larger ice crystals and the pumpkin and vanilla wasn’t evenly mixed in sections. The flavor was good but very sweet with an overwhelming amount of cinnamon.
* Easy Breezy: New pumpkin pie fro-yo flavor introduced in October. The squash/pumpkin flavor is clearly distinguishable. The flavor tastes natural and isn’t too sweet. I think it could use a bit more spice. It leans towards the icy side though it’s not watered down.

I’m pleased with the current crop of pumpkin fro-yo. I really like how most of the pumpkin fro-yo flavors that I tried weren’t too sweet and the spices complemented but didn’t overwhelm the pumpkin flavor. My favorite pumpkin fro-yo is still Blush’s, followed closely by Fraiche. Both offer a natural, clean tasting fro-yo that isn’t heavily sugared.

I like adding graham cracker crust and almonds to my pumpkin fro-yo.

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


* BLUSH ORGANIC FROZEN YOGURT: 1212 Donnelly Ave., Burlingame, CA
* EASY BREEZY FROZEN YOGURT: 4028 24th St., San Francisco, CA
* FRAICHE FROZEN YOGURT: 1910 Fillmore St., San Francisco, CA

Future Fro-yo Shop Picture: Fraiche at SFO

Fro-yo girl here. Yes, SFO travelers will be able to enjoy Fraiche Yogurt soon. Fraiche will be located in Terminal 3 by Gate 81. You’ll have to go through security to reach the new location. Construction is underway. Fraiche is expected to open in fall 2012.

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

Fro-yo Visitor’s Guide to SF

Fro-yo girl here. Before I go on any trip, I’ll research the fro-yo shops in the area to see which ones are worth visiting. I’ve put together a list of notable SF fro-yo spots for fro-yo tourists. 

* AT&T Park: Visit Blush Organic Frozen Yogurt on 219 King St., between the Caltrain station and AT&T Park for the best organic fro-yo in SF. Be sure to sample their perfect original tart and signature Blush flavor (pomegranate-dragonfruit). Safeway offers parking validation in their parking structure.
* Embarcadero/Ferry Building: Hit Yogorino at the Embarcadero Center (50 Drumm St.) for gourmet, decadent Italian fro-yo. There’s one flavor and the toppings are imported from Italy. SF and Philly are the only US cities to have Yogorino locations. Or get your Straus Family Creamery (organic & local) fro-yo at the Ferry Building at Gott’s to Go takeout window (1 Ferry Building) where you’ll find some of the best fro-yo toppings in town, including Miette’s cookies, McEvoy EVOO, and TCHO chocolate covered cacao nibs..
* Fisherman’s Wharf: Take your picture with the Ben & Jerry’s Greek Frozen Yogurt head in a hole picture board at 475 Jefferson St. but get your fro-yo at Yogorino at 79 Jefferson St.
* Japantown/Fillmore: Take a break from shopping at Daiso and Ichiban Kan and walk over to Fraiche Yogurt (1910 Fillmore St.) for artisanal yogurt and fro-yo made from scratch. The soy fro-yo is excellent and the combination of steel cut oatmeal and fro-yo is an unexpected delight.
* Noe Valley/Castro: Try the popular new self-serve fro-yo spot, Easy Breezy (4028 24th St.) that opened last month. Look for local, organic fro-yo flavors and organic berries as toppings.
* Outer Sunset/Irving St.: Be sure to pay your respects to the original Tuttimelon location at 2150 Irving St. before walking over to their newer, larger, self-serve spot at 2045 Irving St. Save your Tutti Spoon to remind you of your trip to SF. If you’re thirsty or hungry, try Tuttimelon owned Teaway for tapioca drinks and Let’s Roll for katsu and takoyaki.

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

Fraiche Palo Alto Moves to Larger Space

Fro-yo girl here. Fraiche just moved from its original and very first location at 644 Emerson to 200 Hamilton (just down the street from the old location). It’s a larger space (the old A.G. Ferrari location). Today was the first day and it was chaotically busy.



I like how the new decor is more feminine and cozier. They’ve added more seating. The menu hasn’t changed much (fresh housemade Greek yogurt, frozen yogurt, Blue Bottle Coffee, steel cut oatmeal, juices, baked goods) but they added a new fro-yo machine with two new flavors: hibiscus grapefruit sorbet and Oreo cookie.



I also spotted some slices of bread from Mayfield Bakery which can be topped with various spreads including an interesting tangy yogurt spread. The savory loaf was another new addition. It’s made with Fraiche yogurt.

I was happy that the homemade mochi made the move too.

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

* FRAICHE YOGURT: 200 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto, CA

Halloween Spirit Report 2011

Fro-yo girl here. I’ve been looking for fro-yo shop Halloween spirit recently. Sadly, fewer fro-yo shops are decorating this year compared to last, though I have seen greater pumpkin fro-yo availability.

And the winner of the Fro-yo Shop Halloween Spirit goes to...Yoppi Yogurt in Redwood City.

I was impressed to see they had special Halloween signs featuring the Yoppi character in a Halloween costume. He looks ready to go trick-or-treating. They also have Frankberry cereal and candy corn for fro-yo toppings. They decorated the shop windows too.

So far I’ve had pumpkin fro-yo at Blush Organic Frozen Yogurt, Yogurtland, Culture Organic Frozen Yogurt, Fraiche Yogurt, Yoppi Yogurt, Jamba Juice, and Nubi Yogurt.

I'm hoping to see more Halloween spirit next year. Happy Halloween!

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

* YOPPI YOGURT: 851 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA