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.
