Anita Gelato Opens in Los Angeles and Here's What I Thought of the Froyo

 

Fro-yo girl here. Anita Gelato, which serves froyo, finally opened in Los Angeles! Anita Gelato was founded in Tel Aviv, Israel in 2002; their first US location was in NYC. They're known for their froyo and of course, premium hand-made gelato. They also serve coffee drinks and milkshakes. I heard that they were coming to LA a few months ago.

The grand opening took place on September 2 in Tarzana, a neighborhood in Los Angeles (San Fernando Valley). I called before heading over there but no one answered the phone. I made the trek and wandered in…only to be told that the frozen yogurt was not available. My next thought was that they might make yogurt gelato but alas, they didn’t have that either. I visited again last weekend and they had froyo.

They have one soft serve machine which they use for their froyo and acai. Froyo and acai swirls are also popular. They have one flavor of froyo, plain/original. The price includes unlimited toppings and topping refills. That is, once you start eating your froyo, if you want more toppings, they’ll give you some!

Froyo: Small ($7.50)/ Medium ($8.50)/ Large ($11)/ Small take away ($18)/ Large take away ($27)

The toppings include homemade sauces, homemade jams, cookies, candies, nuts, chocolate, coconut, granola, sprinkles, marshmallows, fresh fruit, and more. They’re known for their jams and sauces. Sauces: Date honey, white chocolate, honey, tahini, cherry, pretzel, cookieman, white chocolate and cookies, caramel cookies

Jams: Passion fruit, strawberry, mulberries, mango

The frozen yogurt was silky smooth, dense, rich, and mildly tangy; a high quality froyo. It’s as rich as frozen custard. Mr. Froyo found it too rich and I also missed the refreshing and light aspect one usually finds in plain froyo. The toppings were excellent – a cut above. The tahini sauce was thin and nutty. The cherry sauce added some tang.

I ordered a small yogurt and the portion was generous. They were generous with toppings too.

The shop looks beautiful and luxe with gold accents against pink and green. Find free 90-minute parking in the covered garage. There’s plenty of seating but the outside tables are not shaded.

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.

Fro-yo Prices

Fro-yo girl here. I hadn’t been to Pinkberry in a few months and was surprised to see that they’d made many changes since my last visit, including new toppings, new fro-yo flavors and new pricing. Unlike most places that charge you for each topping, Pinkberry now has two prices: yogurt only and yogurt with toppings. The yogurt with toppings price is $1.45 higher than the yogurt only price and it comes with your choice of toppings. The $1.45 is about average for two toppings but now you can get even more than two toppings. The pricing clearly benefits those who like lots of different toppings on their fro-yo. Doesn’t almost everyone get toppings? Fro-yo just tastes better with toppings.

New Pinkberry Prices:
* Original: S ($2.50)/ with toppings $3.95; M ($3.50)/ with toppings $4.95; L ($5.50)/ with toppings, $6.95.
* Flavored: S ($3.50)/ with toppings $4.95; M ($4.50)/ with toppings $5.95; L ($6.50)/ with toppings, $7.95.

A friend of mine would prefer to have one topping included in the price and I see his point. If you charge for topping, the customer has to think about whether each additional topping is worth the price whereas a pricing bundle eliminates the perception that the toppings are extra.

Some Quickly locations advertise “99 cents unlimited toppings” and the new Market by Safeway in San Jose offers unlimited toppings for $1.

Speaking of pricing, I don’t understand why original is often cheaper than flavored. The original is usually the best flavor!

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

* PINKBERRY: 742 State St, Santa Barbara, CA
* THE MARKET BY SAFEWAY: 100 S. 2nd St, San Jose, CA