Mix-In Fro-Yo

Fro-yo girl here. Though uncommon, some fro-yo shops have a special mixing machine that creates mix-in fro-yo. Think Dairy Queen Blizzard only with plain fro-yo instead of ice cream and frozen fruit instead of candy bits. The mixing machine is considerably cheaper than the soft serve machines most fro-yo shops have and the mix in method results in a different texture and taste. Using frozen fruit adds a pleasant icy quality to the thicker, chunkier and softer mix-in yogurt while using whole fruit can also add texture (e.g., seeds, larger pieces of fruit).

These are the four places to get mix-in fro-yo in the Bay Area:

Poco Café: 1688 Hostetter Rd, San Jose, CA
My favorite mix-in fro-yo and also the best value, choose from a wide variety of fruit flavors. The end result is chunkier than other places. Some of the plain frozen yogurt base didn’t get mixed in with the fruit but I think that added to the homemade charm.

Yogen Fruz: 3 Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, CA
Called Blend It, you get to select up to two types of frozen fruit and the base (non-fat vanilla, low-fat vanilla, non-fat/sugar-free vanilla or chocolate). It’s the smoothest of the mix-in fro-yos with a more pronounced flavor of the base yogurt. It’s the only place that provides multiple choices for the yogurt base.

Tartini: 20488 Stevens Creek Blvd, Cupertino, CA
Tartini Twister has a creamy vanilla fro-yo base and comes with your choice of frozen fruit.

Sweet Retreat: 6061 Cahalan Ave, San Jose, CA (and other locations in San Jose, Morgan Hill and Los Gatos)
The mix in yogurt is called the “create your own yogurt” option. It starts with their plain fro-yo base. Unlike the other shops, you can add candy and/or frozen fruit to the mix-in yogurt.

Note, Penguino’s in the Metreon (SF) also has a create your own flavor, mix-in fro-yo. I refuse to try it though, because their soft-serve fro-yo is horrible.

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

Worst Places for Fro-Yo

Fro-yo girl here. Unless you feel the need to try every fro-yo shop, take my advice, save your money and avoid getting fro-yo at the following places:

* Marble Slab Creamery: I don't think they have tart fro-yo but even their vanilla fro-yo is really bad. Definitely tastes like artificial sweetener. The fruit toppings are frozen.

* Cold Stone Creamery: They offer a scoopable tart fro-yo called Tart & Tangy. The flavor is a little better than Marble Slab's but not by much. It's an odd flavor that tastes citrusy but not milky and tangy in the way real yogurt would taste. The fruit toppings are frozen.

* Penguino's: 101 4th St. (inside the Metreon), San Francisco, CA, 94103

Not only does their plain tart taste like watered down bland ice milk, the portion is very stingy.

* Michael's Gelato: 440 University Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94301
They've made a half-hearted attempt at offering fro-yo called Tart Tango. The orange flavor tasted like powdered orange drink mix and isn't tart. The fruit toppings were rotten.

* Sweet Corner: 650 Castro St, Mountain View, CA 94041
The yogurt tastes awful and the texture is weird - very grainy.

* Orange Tree: 510 Barber Ln, Milpitas, CA 95035
Too icy, bland, artificial tasting tart fro-yo in a self-serve setting.

* DIY Yogurt: 20956 W Homestead Rd#D, Cupertino, CA 95014
It's hard to tell which flavors are supposed to be tart. They all taste like they're artificially sweetened. Mediocre self-serve fro-yo.

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