Orange County Froyo Guide & History: Fullerton

Fro-yo girl here. I’ve certainly mentioned Orange County many times in my blog posts, but this is my first city froyo guide for Orange County. I’m starting with Fullerton because it was the home of the very first Yogurtland location at 501 N State College Blvd, Ste C and also the location of Tutti Frutti’s corporate office and headquarters (2100 E Valencia Dr). As you’ll see, the main Southern California froyo chains all had a Fullerton branch.

Yogurtland was the first froyo shop in Fullerton (there may have been shops in the 80’s and 90’s but I didn’t find those), followed by Golden Spoon, Red Mango, Cefiore and Pinkberry. With the exception of Yogurtland, all were counter serve. After 2009, there was a major shift to Yogurtland’s self-serve froyo model. There was even a self-serve froyo shop at the Cal State Fullerton food court.

So, where can you still get froyo in Fullerton? While the original Yogurtland closed in October 2020, another Yogurtland remains open in downtown Fullerton at the Metrocenter (122 W Orangethorpe Ave.). The downtown Fullerton branch opened in 2009. It has the typical Yogurtland look and has 16 self-serve froyo flavors a day. Kentro Greek Kitchen (100 S Harbor Blvd. #A) is a casual Greek eatery that makes its own frozen Greek yogurt, with the option to add baklava as a topping. They have one flavor, plain. They started offering Greek froyo in 2017. Then there’s Pink Boba (109 W Orangethorpe Ave.), which opened in 2013. They’re known more for their boba drinks than their self-serve froyo. They stopped offering froyo during the COVID-19 pandemic. I’m not sure if they’ll offer it again.

Here’s the list of former froyo shops in Fullerton:

• Boba Time, 109 W Orangethorpe Ave., from 2013-2013. It looks like Boba Time lasted for a few months before the name change to Pink Boba. Boba Time had self-serve froyo, which Pink Boba kept. They probably kept Yogurt Club’s froyo machines?
• Cefiore, 100 S Harbor Blvd, from 2008-2009. Tutti Frutti replaced this short-lived counter-serve froyo shop that was known for tart froyo. Cefiore was evicted from the space.
• Cherry on Top, 1911 W Malvern Ave, from 2010-2014: Cherry On Top was another Southern California based self-serve froyo chain.
• Golden Spoon, 3350 Yorba Linda Blvd, from 2007-2013. Golden Spoon represented old-school, counter serve California froyo.
• Joe’s Organic Frozen Yogurt & More, 444 N Harbor Blvd, Ste 116, from 2016-2017. I remember driving by and seeing the coming soon sign. Joe’s was the first organic froyo shop in Fullerton. They also served smoothies, slushes and boba.
• Juice It Up!, 800 N State College, from 2010-present: Cal State Fullerton had self-serve froyo in campus dining (TSU food court). Juice it Up! stopped serving froyo a long time ago but is still open.
• Menchie’s, 1911 W Malvern Ave., from 2016-2020. This Menchie’s location at Amerige Town Heights Center was only open 3 days a week (due to COVID-19) before closing permanently.
• Pacific Froyo Shack, 3350 Yorba Linda Blvd., from 2013-2014. This was a counter serve froyo shop that took over the Golden Spoon space.
• Pinkberry, 550 N State College Blvd, from 2009-2011. Pinkberry opened up across the street from the original Yogurtland.
• Red Mango, 1993 W Malvern Ave, Ste C, from 2008-2009. Red Mango managed to open earlier than their main rival Pinkberry but didn’t stay open long.
• Tutti Frutti, 1950 Sunnycrest Dr., Ste 1010: 2009-2010. This was the first Tutti Frutti to open in Fullerton. It was self-serve.
• Tutti Frutti, 100 S Harbor Blvd, from 2010-2013: Vegans were happy when Tutti Frutti introduced soybean frozen yogurt, but this self-serve shop only lasted three years.
• Yogurt Club, 109 W Orangethorpe Ave, from 2010-2013. Yogurt Club offered self-serve froyo for 29 cents an ounce (cheaper than Yogurtland at the time), boba drinks, and other Asian desserts. Boba Time took over the Yogurt Club space.
• Yogurtland, 501 N State College Blvd., Ste C, from 2006-2020. Yogurtland shared a space with Boba Loca.
• Yogurtlicious, 109 W Orangethorpe Ave., from 2009-2009. Yogurtlicious preceded Yogurt Club.

Looking at the longevity of most of the counter-serve froyo shops, it’s clear that the people of Fullerton prefer self-serve froyo.

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.

 

Kentro (Fullerton, CA) Adds Baklava Topped Frozen Yogurt

Fro-yo girl here. When another restaurant starts offering its own housemade frozen yogurt with housemade baklava, I find it newsworthy. Kentro, a casual Greek restaurant, has been open in downtown Fullerton for several years. I learned that they recently invested in a Taylor froyo machine and started offering frozen Greek yogurt topped with housemade baklava. At the moment that’s the only froyo option they offer – one flavor with baklava and honey citrus syrup.

Kentro uses the same cup, only offers one flavor/plain and has baklava and honey as a toppings combination, so it does feel like they were inspired by Souvla, the Greek eatery in San Francisco. Being inspired by Souvla is a good thing.

* Baklava frozen Greek yogurt ($7): At Kentro, when you order the baklava frozen Greek yogurt, you get a cup of plain Greek frozen yogurt with honey citrus syrup drizzled on top and housemade crumbled baklava. It’s their own froyo recipe. I heard that they strain their own yogurt too. It wasn’t overly sweet but had a bit of sourness and tang. The frozen yogurt was good because it tasted closer to yogurt and less processed. The texture was icier and not as smooth as Souvla’s. The baklava was soft and very sweet. It must have had nuts, but I didn’t see or taste any. It tasted mostly of cinnamon. Souvla gives you more baklava and their baklava is better…but they’re in SF, so I can’t go there too often.

The restaurant is large and has an attractive, modern look. There’s a bar area where you can sit and dine. There was a lot of natural light inside. Service was very friendly. In case you’re curious, the menu includes appetizers (calamari, spanakopita, etc.), spreads (served with bread), soups, salads, flatbreads, pita sandwiches, entrees (moussaka souvlaki, brizola, etc.), sides, Greek wines, Greek coffee and desserts. Order at the counter and grab a number. They’ll bring your food and frozen yogurt to you.

P.S. Mr. Froyo recommends their dolmades. He says their the best that he’s ever had.

* KENTRO GREEK KITCHEN: 100 S Harbor Blvd. #A, Fullerton, CA 92832

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.