History of Pinkberry in NYC

 

Pinkberry Midtown West

Pinkberry Koreatown

Pinkberry West Village

Fro-yo girl here. I didn’t visit Pinkberry during my recent trip to NYC, but I was surprised to walk by three branches. Each branch had a good number of customers, despite the cold weather. In case you didn’t know, Pinkberry opened its first store in West Hollywood in 2005. In 2006, the first Pinkberry in NYC opened on W 32nd St. in Koreatown. That shop is still in business. It turns twenty this year!

Pinkberry opened 19 branches in NYC, which is more than I realized. It has seven locations that are still operating and twelve that have closed. The Upper West Side had the most locations, with four. The newest branch opened in 2024.

Open

• 7 W 32nd St, Koreatown/Midtown, opened in 2006
• 509 6th Ave, West Village, opened in 2024
• 2508 Broadway, Upper West Side, opened in 2013
• 1577 2nd Ave, Upper East Side, opened in early 2007 (featured in Gossip Girl)
• 2851 Broadway, Morningside Heights, opened in 2007
• 1039 2nd Ave New York, Midtown East, opened in 2008
• 596 9th Ave, Midtown West, opened in 2009

Closed

• 177 Bleecker St, Greenwich Village, opened in late 2007 and closed in 2012.
• 41 Spring St, Nolita, opened in 2007 and closed in 2015
• 151 W 34th St Fl 7, Midtown West, opened in 2018 and closed in 2018
• 170 8th Ave, Chelsea, open from 2007 - 2013
• 2041 Broadway, Upper West Side, opened in 2008 and closed in 2025
• 24 St Marks Pl, East Village, opened in 2008, closed in 2014
• 350 3rd Ave, Kips Bay, opened in 2008, closed in 2013
• 523 6th Ave, West Village, opened in 2008, closed in 2021
• 330 W 58th St, Hell’s Kitchen, opened 2008, closed in 2022
• 313 Columbus Ave, Upper West Side, opened in 2007 and closed in 2014
• 414 Amsterdam Ave, Upper West Side, opened in 2013 and closed in 2015
• 350 W 14th St, Meatpacking District, opened in 2013 and closed in 2014

Could it be that NYC loves froyo more than LA? I can count the number of Pinkberry locations left in LA: Beverly Hills, Burbank, Culver City, Marina Del Rey, Monrovia, Northridge, Silver Lake, Studio City, and Torrance. Okay, LA has more, but the ones in LA are much further apart. There’s one Pinkberry in Orange County. All the Pinkberry branches at LAX 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.

NYC Froyo Revival

Fro-yo girl here. I’m back from my froyo trip to New York City. I was able to try most of the new froyo shops and revisit my favorite shop, Culture. We visited last month when it was still chilly, with the daytime highs in the 40s. It’s clear that froyo is back. Here’s my take on the places we visited, in order of preference.

1st Place: Culture 

• 331 5th Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11215
• 60 West 8th Street, New York (Greenwich Village), NY 10011

Culture still has the best froyo in greater NYC. They make their own Greek yogurt and turn that into thick, creamy, luscious froyo. Their froyo tastes the most like yogurt. It even has a bit of fermented funkiness that I rarely encounter. It’s counter-serve. The portion off froyo was generous. I even love the housemade granola because it’s crunchy and not that sweet. They also bake other toppings.

A small cup of froyo is $6.50 and basic toppings are $1.50 each or 3 for $3. The toppings are mostly healthy. My small froyo was quite generous in size.

I was happy to see the longest line that I’ve ever seen at Culture.

2nd Place: Mimi’s, 984 2nd Ave, New York, (Nolita) NY 10022

Mimi’s brought Aussie-style self-serve froyo to the US. The shop was founded by two Aussies, and it opened late last year. What is Aussie-style froyo, you ask? I asked and was told that it’s the shop vibe and the quality, all-natural ingredients. The froyo is made with Greek yogurt, skim milk, and cane sugar.

I definitely noticed the vibe while waiting in the long line outside. It felt like going to a nightclub. Most of the customers were young adults. The employees had uniforms on, and the one handing out samples was engaging and friendly.

Grab a cup and choose from 6 froyo flavors a day and toppings for $1.20/oz.

The signature tart was the best flavor, followed by the mango. The signature tart had a smooth, creamy, light texture, and tang. It was less sweet than usual. The raspberry tasted like real raspberries and was tangy. The mango needed more mango flavor.

Some of the toppings were better than average. The fruit looked fresh. There were some premium sauces and toppings like pistachio sauce, olive oil, fennel pollen, dates, raspberry sauce, cookie dough, and Baris dipped matcha, pistachio & chocolate raspberries. Toppings were neatly labeled. I also spotted mochi, popping boba, coconut, sprinkles, and granola. Some of the sauces were warm.

Mimi’s had the longest line and the most seating.

3rd Place: Madison Fare

• 1 W Eighth St, New York (Greenwich Village), New York 10011
• 1225 Madison Ave, (Upper East Side), New York, NY 10128

Madison Fare has two locations in NYC, one on Madison (UES) that opened in 2022 and the newer one in Greenwich Village that opened last year. The Greenwich Village shop is a pure froyo shop with counter-serve froyo and an impressive array of decadent, fancier toppings and sauces like honey, mixed berry compote, Biscoff crumbs, granola, brownies in chocolate sauce, Biscoff knafeh, pistachio knafeh, nuts, fresh fruit, strawberry jam, fig jam, dried fruit, toasted coconut, etc. It feels like a European dessert bar.

There is one flavor of froyo, plain Greek.

Prices: Kids ($7.25 includes one topping), Medium ($9.90, includes two toppings), and Large ($13.25, includes three toppings). Extra toppings are $1.50 and specialty toppings $2.50. They also have some chef’s special combinations.

Kid's froyo with chopped pistachios: The portion was small, but I actually appreciated that. The froyo was thick, smooth, and creamy. However, it was on the bland side and not much tang.

I think it’s a place for people who are really into toppings.

4th Place: Yogurt Club, 1240 Lexington Ave, New York (Upper East Side), NY 10028

Yogurt Club opened last fall and is the first place to get Korean thick yogurt in NYC. The Korean-style dessert café offers Korean-style thick Greek yogurt, frozen yogurt, specialty matcha, and Dubai chewy cookies. Order from one of two kiosks. You can build your own bowl of Greek yogurt or frozen yogurt. There were plenty of toppings and sauces to choose from. The price can add up quickly if you want multiple toppings.

It seems like you can only choose one flavor of froyo per cup, which is disappointing

Froyo flavors of the day:

• Greek tart
• Vegan vanilla
• Matcha
• Dark chocolate

Service was minimal since you ordered from a kiosk, and the employee was in the back fulfilling orders most of the time.

The froyo comes in three sizes. Choose from fruit toppings, dry toppings, nut toppings, dessert toppings (e.g., popping boba, Biscoff knafe, honeycomb, mochi, cheesecake, cookie dough, banana pudding), shells, sauces, and seasonal toppings. They also had Dubai chewy cookie bowls with froyo starting at $16.99.

Greek tart ($5.99) with strawberries ($1.50) and a matcha shell ($1.50): The froyo flavor was the tartest of the places I went to in NYC. I liked that, but the texture was off. It melted super fast and was too loose and icy. I liked the matcha shell. The chopped strawberries looked like they had been sitting around for quite some time but tasted fine.

The shop is small with seating for 2 people only. Expect to take it to go.

5th Place: Taverna by the Gyro Project, 505 W 37th St, New York (Hudson Yards), NY 10018

The Gyro Project has seven locations in NYC, and they all serve Greek froyo. I didn’t realize that the one we visited was Taverna by the Gyro Project vs. a regular Gyro Project until we arrived. I’m not sure how the two are different, other than the former was full-service. At the latter, you order at the counter first. Fortunately, Taverna does offer Greek froyo.

Greek frozen yogurt ($10) served with walnuts and honey. I didn’t see any walnuts. The froyo is housemade. The texture was definitely icy and not very smooth. The aftertaste was clean. It was lighter and less dense. It wasn’t sour. They also didn’t serve the froyo as a swirl but smoothed it over and spread it out with a spoon.

We enjoyed our food and the attractive décor, but the froyo was disappointing due to the texture. There was no option to add other toppings either.

We tried to go to Birdie’s, but it was closed on Mondays.

It’s interesting that every place I visited served Greek frozen yogurt. I tried the plain tart at each shop. Culture and Mimi’s are clearly superior. Yogurt Club’s froyo tasted better than Madison Fare, but the speed that the froyo melted was extremely disappointing. Every place had plenty of toppings, except for the Gyro Project. I found out later that the other Gyro Project locations have more toppings and cheaper froyo.

Mimi’s was the only self-serve shop. Very surprising! 

Of the froyo shops that I mentioned in my 2015 NYC froyo report, only Culture and Butterfield Market are still in business.

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.

NYC Froyo Shops Coming Soon

 

Fro-yo girl here. During our visit to NYC, we also walked by the future Mimi’s in Greenwich Village. Located at 84 University Pl, it’s near NYU. The shop opened on March 2. Greenwich/West Village seems to be the place to be for froyo.

Go Greek, which first opened in Beverly Hills, CA, is also coming to NYC soon. The new storefront will be at Great Jones St. & Broadway in NOHO. Mythos Greek Frozen Yogurt also has plans to open in NYC and Myka has signs up at 159 7th Ave South near Waverly Pl.

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.

Innovative Froyo Shop: Victory Garden in New York City

Fro-yo girl here. Goat milk – yay or nay? If you love goat milk, you’ll likely love Victory Garden, a unique goat milk soft serve ice cream and frozen yogurt shop in the West Village of NYC. The petite shop is an ode to the goat and to healthy, local eating. A large picture of goats dominates one brick wall. The logo is a stylized image of a goat’s head.

The goat milk is sourced from a local farm. Soups, baked goods and some of the toppings are housemade, others are locally sourced. Flavors and toppings are seasonal. Gluten free baked goods and toppings are offered. The flavors are more sophisticated and the toppings healthier.

Flavors of the day:

* Tangy goat milk: The goat milk yogurt flavor is distinctive and delicious without being too strong (or too weak). The texture is smooth, dense and creamy and the aftertaste is sweet and clean. It tasted “cleaner” and less processed than the typical frozen yogurt. The flavor was tangy but moderately so and the slight refreshing edge was also pleasant.

* Date yogurt

* Salted caramel: Sweeter than the tangy goat milk flavor, salt flavor is subtle

* Chocolate rosemary

Toppings included fresh fruit (just strawberries during my visit), cocoa nibs, sauces (rose quince, honey, agave), sprinkles, nuts, cookies, coconut, granola and dried mulberries. Toppings labeled premium (vs. regular) are available for an additional charge ($2.19 for one premium topping, $1.09 for one regular topping). I enjoyed the sour cherry topping, with lots of chewy whole sour cherries in a sweet syrup. Look out for unusual toppings and sauces like mole sauce, raspberry rose sauce, edible flowers, blackcurrant bay leaf sauce, fennel pollen, bitter orange drizzle, and candied pine nuts.

Prices: Kid ($4.75)/ Doe ($5.50)/ Buck ($6.75)/ Hero ($12.99)

In addition to soft serve in a cup or gluten free cone, Victory Garden has juices, chia parfaits, baked goods (e.g., brownies, carrot cake with goat cheese frosting), goat milk smoothies, sandwiches, mastic coffee, tea and goat milk Greek yogurt (not frozen). Baked goods are made with housemade goat milk butter. They also sell Victory Garden t-shirts and goaty products like soap and so forth. Pick up your loyalty card. Seating is limited.

4.5 out of 5 stars

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

* VICTORY GARDEN: 31 Carmine St., New York (West Village), NY 10014

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.

Fro-yo Postcards from NYC

Fro-yo girl here. I wanted to share a few fro-yo related pictures I took on my recent trip to NYC. They include:

* Yogurt Culture (125 Park Ave.): the newish fresh and frozen yogurt place by Grand Central Terminal imagined by Dannon
* 16 Handles (153 2nd Ave.): packed at night despite the intense cold, the glowing sign is so inviting
* Roastown (267 W. 34th St.): with its cute sign for fro-yo, sushi, coffee and more, in Midtown, a good area to shop for clothes
* Red Mango (11 W. 32nd St.): it's 59 cents an ounce, NYC fro-yo is more expensive, ouch

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

Fro-yo Report: NYC

Fro-yo girl here. I recently visited NYC and walked around looking for fro-yo shops. I spotted over a dozen shops though some were closed (for good or for the season) and one hadn’t opened yet. It was clear that the battle for NYC dominance is currently between self-serve shop, 16 Handles, and fro-yo icon, Pinkberry.

Pinkberry currently has 13 stores in NYC with a new one swirling soon to 93rd and Broadway. It also has one location in Brooklyn and another swirling soon. 16 Handles has 9 locations in Manhattan with one handling soon on Bleecker St, 3 locations in Brooklyn and 2 locations in Queens. The 16 Handles location that I visited was clean and friendly, with better than average toppings and cute signature fro-yo spoons.

Yogurt Station at St. Mark’s Place has closed, Rize Coffee no longer offers fro-yo, and Yogurberry in Park Slope said it was closed for the season. While Yogurtland is in NYC, I didn’t walk or drive by either of their two locations (one in Lenox Hill, one in Brooklyn). Yogorino had a $1 mini fro-yo Winter promotion (M-F from 5 - 7 PM) that caught my eye. I didn’t spot any fro-yo trucks.

When in NYC, I recommend going to Park Slope in Brooklyn to try Culture: An American Yogurt Company. They make their own Greek style yogurt which is then used to make their delicious frozen yogurt. The fro-yo I tried had a wonderful, creamy, thick texture, natural flavor and less sugar than usual. It’s fro-yo for true fro-yo lovers. I was also impressed with their toppings, which included housemade salted caramel popcorn, gingerbread cookies, key lime custard, cardamom roasted pineapple in maple syrup and strawberries macerated in balsamic vinegar.

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

Live from NYC: Flavaboom Frozen Yogurt Lounge

Fro-yo girl here. It’s here – another report from my guest blogger and friend, Helene K. She just visited a new fro-yo place in NYC called Flavaboom and she’s here with the scoop, or should I say swirl? Thanks Helene! Visit her blog and follow her on Twitter, @hkwong

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









Helene’s post:

Fro-yo Girl’s Travel Scout here! While I was in New York City last month, I was able to stop into the new fro-yo shop, Flavaboom. Flavaboom is located in the Union Square/Chelsea area of the city and it opened in late May.

According to Flavaboom’s Facebook Page, it is a “frozen yogurt lounge”. Therefore, the design of the shop is rather futuristic, with two big purple booths in front of the toppings/baked goods display and sleek, modernistic tables & chairs in the front window. I’ve read through other reviews that Flavaboom’s atmosphere is like the interior of a spaceship. That wasn’t necessarily the feeling I got when I entered, but I can see that being possible, especially at night.



Flavaboom is a pricey self-serve shop, where customers have to pay 59 cents per ounce. Choose from ten different flavors, or “flavas”; they are all listed above the fro-yo machines on LCD screens. Flavors include original tart, Java, Banana, Raspberry, and Strawberry. They also have a wall recommending what kind of fro-yo and topping combinations go great together (the “Flava Favs”).


The fro-yo was firm & full of “flava” (can’t help the pun); the toppings were also impressive. Different fresh fruits were available (even green apple slices) and, in terms of mochi selection, they had two different types: green tea and strawberry. I was surprised they didn’t have plain mochi, but they probably rotate the mochi flavors as well. Despite these positive aspects of Flavaboom, I didn’t understand the pricing feature so much (the fro-yo did not seem ultra-superior compared to other self-serve shops).

Flavaboom also offers coffee, tea, and baked goods. The drink menu is also on an LCD screen on the wall. Yes, walking into Flavaboom is like traveling forward in time.

Website: http://flavaboom.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/flavaboom

Live from NYC: Fro-yo Trucks!

Fro-yo girl here. I have a special treat for my readers…the return of my guest blogger and friend, Helene K. This time she’s reporting on the fro-yo trucks that drive around New York City. I still haven’t had fro-yo from a truck and she provides a thorough report on those NYC fro-yo trucks. Thanks Helene!

Be sure to visit Helene's blog and official website, helenekwong.com and follow her on Twitter, @hkwong
You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

And here's Helene's post:

Fro-yo Girl’s Travel Scout here! I just got back from the Big Apple, where the weather was scorching hot. What better treat to have than fro-yo on wheels?

The Joyride Truck travels throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn; not only do they serve frozen yogurt, they also have Stumptown coffee, pastries, and breakfast specials (oatmeal or yogurt parfait). In terms of fro-yo flavors, they offer two: plain tart & buzzed, which is plain tart with a shot of caffeine. They offer three sizes of fro-yo: Small $4, Medium $5.50, and Large $6.75. Add on an extra quarter or two for the buzzed flavor. In terms of toppings, choose from an offering of both fresh fruit and candy toppings. Sadly, no mochi though!


When I was in New York in February, I got the chance to check out Joyride when they were in the Flatiron District, 26th & Park (Tuesdays). This time around, I made the trek up to 52nd and Lexington on a Thursday to get a chance to catch them before they closed. On both visits, I got to try the plain tart and the buzzed. Both taste pretty much the same and the shot of caffeine is just oh-so-subtle. Joyride gets the fro-yo consistency just right (not too melty, not too firm).

Definitely when you spot the Joyride Truck, make sure you try out one of their coffee drinks, especially the Jeffrey Paul. That wonderful drink is hot chocolate (from Stumptown) with two shots of espresso. Mmm, caffeine to the max!

Joyride’s other offerings include Texas Gold Iced Tea, Chai Latte, and Danny Macaroons (so much to try, so little time). Joyride accepts cash and credit card payments (via Square). They seem to cater more towards the office-working-crowd, but they also do special events throughout the city.

Another fro-yo truck I spotted while in New York was YoGo, “New York’s Finest Yogurt”. On both a Wednesday and Thursday, the truck was located at 23rd and Park, which was very convenient for me. How could I resist a pink fro-yo truck?



YoGo has four sizes: Cone $3, Small $4, Regular $6, and Large $8. Add an extra dollar if you want toppings on that cone. YoGo’s flavors are tart and vanilla, both fat-free. I was surprised with their large offering of toppings, including mochi. According to the New York Street Food Blog, YoGo has a total of five trucks swarming the city of New York.


Even though YoGo only offers fro-yo (and only two flavors), they have a good business model going. The fro-yo was crisp and slightly icy; the fruit and mochi were deliciously fresh.

So, wherever you go in the Big Apple this summer, make sure you track down some delicious tart fro-yo from either Joyride or YoGo!

Links:
Joyride: http://www.joyridetrucks.com/
Joyride Twitter: http://twitter.com/joyridetruck
YoGo FB Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/YOGO-Frozen-Yogurt-Truck/187501904624912
YoGo Twitter: http://twitter.com/YOGOTRUCKNYC
NYSF Blog re: YOGO: http://newyorkstreetfood.com/12332/nysf-dessert-alert-yogo-frozen-yogurt/
Stumptown Coffee: http://www.stumptowncoffee.com/
Danny Macaroons: http://www.dannymacaroons.com/