Neighborhoods in San Francisco that Need Fro-yo

Fro-yo girl here. I recently had some not very good fro-yo in the Fisherman’s Wharf area (SF Yogurt) and it surprises me that a fro-yo shop opened up in the touristy Fisherman’s Wharf before opening in the following fro-yo less and fro-yo ready areas of SF:

* Outer Richmond: With all the Koreans and boba shops in this area, why is there no fro-yo shop? I just don’t understand it. I’ve had the urge for fro-yo several times in this area without being desperate enough to go to Quickly for fro-yo. Okay, so Quickly does offer fro-yo but I don’t think that really counts. Clement or Geary St. (near New May Wah) needs a proper fro-yo shop.
* Laurel Village: Frequented by families and professionals, the shopping center here would be perfect for fro-yo (or even ice cream). I can usually find parking here too, so I’m a frequent visitor. It’s also close enough to the lovely shops on Sacramento St.
* Hayes Valley: One of my favorite shopping areas, Hayes Valley is frequented by people who appreciate quality and sweet treats (e.g., Miette and Paulette Macarons). You can get cupcakes, macarons and candies here, so fro-yo should also be an option.
* Castro: My gay friend thinks fro-yo would be a huge hit. Maybe so. The foot traffic is impressive and many health conscious people visit (think of all the gyms in the area – fro-yo makes the perfect post workout treat).

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

Fro-yo Twittering

Fro-yo girl here. I joined Twitter two years ago (under another name) but I couldn’t find anyone I wanted to follow (granted, I didn’t look very hard) and I didn’t have anything to say either. Things are completely different now that Twitter has caught on with fro-yo shops. If you haven’t joined yet and you like fro-yo, sign up for an account so that you can follow your favorite fro-yo shops or fro-yo shops from all over the world! Typical fro-yo shop tweets include announcing new hours or new flavors.

Fro-yo shops with a Bay Area presence on Twitter include:
Blush: http://twitter.com/Blushdublin
Cefiore: http://twitter.com/cefiore
Culture: http://twitter.com/CultureFroYo
Frozo’s: http://twitter.com/Frozos
Greencup: http://twitter.com/greencupyogurt
Orange Tree: http://twitter.com/OrangeTree_Cup
Penguin Froyo: http://twitter.com/penguinfroyo
Pinkberry: http://twitter.com/pinkberryswirl
Red Mango: http://twitter.com/RedMango
Tutti Frutti: http://twitter.com/tfyogurt
Tuttimelon: http://twitter.com/tuttimelonfroyo
yoCup: http://twitter.com/yocup
Yogen Fruz: http://twitter.com/yogenfruz
Yogurt Park: http://twitter.com/YogurtPark
Yogurtland: https://twitter.com/YogurtlandInc

I think the majority of fro-yo shop Twitter accounts belong to Bay Area shops.

The award for the fro-yo shop that is using Twitter most effectively goes to Red Mango. They’ve announced store openings, celebrity sightings (the Governator recently stopped by for some fro-yo), general fro-yo news, etc. They’ve also uploaded a lovely, appetizing cup of fro-yo as their background image. CEO Dan Kim even has his own separate Twitter account.

Fro-yo fans are also busy tweeting. One of my favorites is a fro-yoholic in Chicago: http://twitter.com/ChiFroYo

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

Health Benefits of Fro-Yo

Fro-yo girl here. If you’ve visited a couple of tart fro-yo shops, chances are you’ve run into a cup, poster or store signage that discusses the health benefits of fro-yo. Most fro-yo shops serve non-fat fro-yo.

The National Yogurt Association developed the Live & Active Cultures seal to signify that a yogurt manufacturer’s refrigerated products contain at least 100 million cultures per gram at the time of manufacture, and whose frozen products contain 10 million cultures per gram at the time of manufacture. The seal program is voluntary.

Freezing does not kill the yogurt cultures while heat treatments do kill live yogurt cultures. The cultures are dormant when frozen and they become active when eaten and warmed by the body’s temperature.

The main benefit of fro-yo with live yogurt cultures is that it eases digestion and keeps the digestive system healthy. It may also boost one’s immune system. Yogurt is also a good source of protein and calcium. At this rate of fro-yo consumption, I won’t ever have to worry about osteoporosis.

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

Chill Grand Opening Specials, Nov. 5, 6, 7

$1 Organic Coffee Americano
$2 Small Fro-yo with 1 exotic topping
$3 Crispy Crepe Cone with fro-yo and choice of exotic topping

CHILL: 125 Kearny St, San Francisco, CA
Mon–Fri 11am–7pm

New Batch of Future Fro-yo Shops

Keep your eyes open for the following:

THAT’S YOGURT
242 Serra Way, Milpitas, CA 95035
From the application for conditional use by owner, Hanh Nguyen: “The project proposal consists of a 1,730 square foot yogurt store with ten seats inside and four seats outside. The proposal is a “self-serve” yogurt store where the customers will serve themselves yogurt and toppings, and then pay for their yogurt at the counter. No table service is proposed. The floor plan also includes a prep area, restrooms, a private office and storage space. The business is proposing to be open between the hours of 8:00 AM and 12:00 AM (Midnight).”
Projected opening: mid-November 2008

TOP THIS! YOGURT BAR
San Ramon, CA
Self-serve fro-yo in an upscale setting
Projected opening: December 2008

SIP CAFÉ
Camden Ave.
Campbell, CA
Yogurt, espresso drinks, sandwiches, pastries

Two Fro-Yo Shops Opening Today

* Chill - 125 Kearny St., San Francisco

It's not a Stinkberry clone in appearance or product. Chill has some fro-yo flavors that I've never seen before and higher quality toppings. It's upscale and the portions are smaller. The ambiance is serene and organic (wood, flower illustrations).

Fro-yo flavors: Original tart, red rooibos tea tart, black sesame tart and custard (sweet)

Toppings: About a dozen fresh fruit purees, including lychee, mango, fig, acai, pineapple, fresh fruit pieces, dry toppings like mochi, rice pearls (think rice krispies coated in chocolate), crispy flakes (thin, crunchy wafer bits), chocolate covered sunflower seeds, yogurt covered dried cranberries, nuts, etc.

Other menu items: Cupcakes, shaved ice, crepes, coffee, tea, blended drinks

For something different, I recommend red rooibos tea fro-yo. It's fresh, clean and refreshing tasting.

P.S. I'm mentioned in Eater SF: "2) Financial District: It's possible that Chill picked the worst weekend of the season to open a froyo/dessert cafe, but we suppose not even froyo purveyors can control the weather. One enthusiastic Yelper has a thorough summary of the place, including flavors (original, custard, black sesame) and prices. Also, free Wifi, FYI. 125 Kearny Street, between Post and Sutter; (415) 433-1233; website [EaterWire]"

* Orange Tree - Milpitas Square, 510 Barber Ln, Milpitas, CA, 11AM - 11 PM, self-serve, 35 cents/ounce, 50% off this weekend

There's nothing about this place that really stands out except that they have more tart fro-yo flavors than most self-serve fro-yo places. The tart fro-yo is very icy and low in quality. I didn't like any of the tart fro-yo flavors they had. Orange Tree reminds me of an inferior version of Tutti Frutti. Like other fro-yo shops, they tout the health benefits of fro-yo, have those spherical orange chairs, and offer the standard toppings. Parking in Milpitas Square is a nightmare. Skip this one!

Spotlight on Tart Fro-Yo Toppings

Fro-yo girl here. The vast majority of tart fro-yo shops have very similar fruit and dry toppings and they normally carry anywhere from a dozen to 50 different types of toppings. Most of the toppings, other than the fresh fruit, come in boxes and cans. A few shops don't even have fresh fruit and may offer up defrosted frozen or canned fruit instead.

Strawberries are the most popular fresh fruit topping but other common fruit toppings include:

• Kiwi


• Pineapple


• Mango


• Blueberries


• Raspberries


• Blackberries


• Bananas


• Watermelon


• Cantaloupe


• Honeydew


• Pomegranate seeds

Less common fruit toppings include:

• Peaches (canned are more common than fresh)


• Cherries (canned are more common than fresh)


• Plums


• Grapes


• Pluots


• Mandarin oranges


• Lychee


• Longan


• Jackfruit

Mochi balls are my favorite non-fruit topping and they're available at most fro-yo shops. Other common dry toppings include:

• Cereals (Fruity Pebbles, Cap'n Crunch, Cocoa Pebbles usually, but also Froot Loops, Lucky Charms, Golden Grahams, Honey Nut Cheerios, etc.)


• Granola


• Chocolate chips


• Yogurt chips


• Carob chips


• Graham crackers (crushed)


• Almonds


• Marshmallows


• Coconut


• Dried cranberries (and other dried fruits)


• Crushed cookies (chocolate chip, Oreo, Teddy Grahams, etc.)

Occasionally you'll see the following:

• Brownie bits


• Cheesecake bits

If the fro-yo shop also sells traditional sweet fro-yo, chances are they'll have crushed candy toppings (Butterfinger, gummy bears, mini M&Ms, Jelly Bellies, Nerds, Twix, Kit Kat) and sprinkles. I personally don't like to have candy toppings on my tart fro-yo.

You may also find various syrups (chocolate being the most common), honey and condensed milk.

Some Asian fro-yo shops have Asian toppings such as:

• Chestnuts


• Jelly (different types, like rainbow jelly, coconut jelly)


• Red beans

You can customize your treat further with flavored powders like green tea, chocolate, green apple, etc. I've seen the powders at YoSwirl in Fremont, TrendyBean in Santa Clara and Tuttimelon.

Once in a blue moon, you'll come across a place that makes their own toppings. In the Bay Area, there are two places that do this (both in Palo Alto) and deserve special recognition:

* FRAICHE YOGURT: Homemade granola, homemade mochi balls. Unfortunately, their fro-yo is flavorless.
* CULTURE ORGANIC FROZEN YOGURT: The best place for homemade organic toppings, the variety changes all the time and includes mini chocolate meringues, a seasonal granola, mini chocolate chip cookies, brownies, coconut crunch, homemade apple cake, etc. These are all made on the premises by the brilliant Toppings In Chief, Mary. Right now they have spiced apples! Absolutely amazing - no other place comes close.

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

Swirl Culture Lowers Prices in November

Fro-yo girl here. I received an e-mail from Swirl Culture this week announcing a change in pricing.

Swirl Culture’s fall pricing (starting in November):
* Yogurt: Small $2.50/ Medium $4/ Large $5.50
* Toppings: 1 topping 95 cents/ 2 toppings $1.20/ 3 toppings $1.50
* Shaved Ice: Regular $5.95/ Large $7.95

Original Swirl Culture yogurt pricing:
* Small $2.75/Additional topping is $0.95
* Medium $4.25/ +3 toppings $5.50
* Large $6/ +3 toppings $7

So they’ve basically cut the price of the small and medium size yogurt by 25 cents. The price was comparable to other fro-yo shops in SF though the medium is still more expensive than the other places below:

SoGreen Original/Yogurt Bar Original/Yogen Fruz
S $2.95/$2.50/$2.50
M $3.95/$3.50/$3.50
L $5.75/$5.70/$5.50


I don’t think Swirl Culture is competing with the downtown SF fro-yo shops. There aren’t as many fro-yo options in North Beach so they could get away with charging a little more if people liked their fro-yo, they didn’t skimp too much on toppings, the toppings are fresh, they provide good service, etc. It might a location issue as well. I rarely go to North Beach because it’s crowded and parking is horrendous. Not only that, they’re not on the main streets (Columbus, Broadway) in that area, so it’s easy to forget that they’re in the area. How many of the people who live and work and that area are fro-yoholics?

Swirl Culture is no worse (and actually better than average in terms of flavor) than the other downtown SF fro-yo offerings. If they could offer validated parking, I would likely find myself there more often. They could also do more to build their community, their Culture Club. Their website says that the official site hasn’t be launched yet. They opened in late June and the site still isn’t launched???? They need to get their act together. The website should be used more as a promotion tool. It could at least list the fruity fro-yo flavor of the week, add testimonials, list upcoming events that SC is involved in, etc. Tuttimelon, Red Mango and other fro-yo shops have pages on Facebook and MySpace – those are low cost methods for promoting the shop and building a community of fans.

I’m not sure how their bonus card program has evolved. Initially the card only lasted for a month, so I wasn’t motivated to collect stamps. It’s just too much of a hassle for me to go to North Beach that often but if the card didn’t have an expiration date, I would hold onto it and possibly fill it up. Update: the frequent bonus card program is back. Buy 7, get 1 free.

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

* SWIRL CULTURE: 1400 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133

Top 10 Bay Area Fro-Yo Shops

Fro-yo girl here. Now that I’ve tried over 100 fro-yo shops, I’m often asked for recommendations. These are my top 10 Bay Area fro-yo shops:
· Culture Organic Frozen Yogurt (Palo Alto) – creamy & thick in texture, tastes natural with less sugar to mask that fro-yo flavor, organic fro-yo made from Straus and unique housemade toppings like brownies, chocolate meringues and seasonal granola - my cup of Culture yogurt is pictured above
· Café Delatti (Los Gatos) – every tart flavor tastes great, especially the mango tart, dense & creamy texture
· YoCup (Rincon Center, SF) – the most balanced fro-yo I’ve encountered in terms of flavor, texture, everything
· Tuttimelon (Irving St, SF) – extra sour and the best bargain in town, a small original is still 99 cents and they pack on the toppings like no other place I know of
· Caffe Ambrosia (SF) – natural and clean tasting plain tart, icy, soft and smooth
· Red Mango (Palo Alto) – not as tart as the others on the list but with a sophisticated subtle tang and an ultra creamy texture
· Harmony Yogurt (San Carlos) – dense and smooth, made with organic Straus Creamery yogurt, almost gelato like in consistency
· Yogurt Harmony (Berkeley) – rich, heavy and dense, four delicious tart flavors a day
· Yumi Yogurt (Redwood City) – best place for sweet fro-yo with the largest portions
· Poco Café (San Jose) – best place for mix-in yogurt, plain yogurt mixed with your choice of frozen fruit, chunky & tart

None of the self-serve shops made the cut. I’ve found higher quality, better tasting fro-yo at the non-self serve fro-yo shops.

I’m also asked how one person can eat so much fro-yo and not get sick of it. I can’t answer that question yet.

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

Fro-yo Frenzy Begins

Fro-yo girl here. I'm sure many of you fro-yoholics have fantasized about trying every fro-yo shop in your local area. I've spent the last few months visiting fro-yo shops and every time I get close to visiting all the fro-yo shops (with the exception of some sweet fro-yo only shops and every location of Quickly and other chains), new fro-yo shops open. Not only that, the shops I have visited change their offerings. One person can't cover all the Bay Area fro-yo shops. This is why I was inspired to create this blog - to thank those who have provided me with fro-yo shop tips and to find others on the same quest.

I've reviewed over 90 fro-yo shops in the Bay Area to date - and the quest continues. I've met other fro-yo fans (most notably, fro-yo boy), talked to fro-yo shop owners, attended multiple fro-yo shop grand opening events, collected fro-yo shop t-shirts and more. I'll continue to review fro-yo shops on Yelp but I'd like to use the blog to track fro-yo shop openings, fro-yo shop news, etc.

Know of any fro-yo shops that I've missed? Let me know.

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