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.

Best & Worst Fro-yo Shops of 2008: Where Are They Now?

Fro-yo girl here. Back in 2008, I named the best and worst fro-yo shops in the Bay Area. Ever wonder what happened to those businesses?

Of the 7 worst shops, all 7 have closed. The places with below average fro-yo have usually stayed open two years or less. Even large chains haven’t been able to make it in the Bay Area (e.g., Golden Spoon). There are plenty of average frozen yogurt shops. The worst ones had fro-yo with horrible texture and flavor.The toppings were often stale or rotten as well.

Of the 10 best shops in 2008, 5 are still open, though a few of those have moved (e.g., Harmony Yogurt, Tuttimelon) or changed ownership. Poco Cafe closed after being open for years because the owner decided to retire. The best frozen yogurt shops offered consistency, cleanliness, freshness and superior customer service. You could tell that the owners cared about offering quality frozen yogurt.

Out of curiosity I looked at my old frozen yogurt reviews, the first 300 frozen yogurt shops that I reviewed. These reviews were written between December 2007 and 2010. Of the 9 shops with a 1 star rating, all have closed. Of the five star shops, 50% are still open.

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