Froyo Guide to Thousand Oaks

 

Sweet XO at The Oaks

Fro-yo girl here. Thousand Oaks, California is the second largest city in Ventura County, with a population of 125,766. It’s 35 miles west of downtown Los Angeles and considered one of the safest cities in the US. Thousand Oaks also has a Tree City USA designation and is home to nearly 20,000 oak trees.

The first froyo shop in Thousand Oaks must have opened in the early 1980s and was probably a Penguin’s. Penguin’s was based in Thousand Oaks. It was founded in 1983 and reached well over 100 locations in 10 years. Penguin’s filed for bankruptcy in 1991. There were at least four TCBY shops in Thousand Oaks.

The Oaks Mall has been the center of the second wave of froyo activity in Thousand Oaks. Most of the newer froyo shops in town have been at The Oaks. The Oaks is currently home to Menchie’s and a Pinkberry vending machine.

There are currently three places to get froyo in Thousand Oaks: Menchie’s, Pinkberry (vending machine), and Wild Cherry.

Current Froyo Shops (& a Vending Machine)

• Menchie’s, 168 W Hillcrest Dr. #1, opened a self-serve froyo emporium in 2012 by the movie theater. This location also sells froyo cakes.
• Pinkberry by iCream, 350 W Hillcrest Dr, is a froyo vending machine by the Sprinkles cupcake ATM at The Oaks. The machine was installed in 2022.
• Wild Cherry Frozen Yogurt, 1724 N Moorpark Rd, is a self-serve froyo shop that also sells boba drinks. When they first opened in 2010, they charged $0.33/oz. Wild Cherry also has a location in Camarillo and one that closed in Ventura.

Former Froyo Shops

• Bericup, 382 W Hillcrest Dr., was a self-serve froyo shop in the food court area of The Oaks Mall. The shop opened in 2009 and may have closed in 2014. BeriCup was a froyo chain founded in Garden Grove, CA in 2007.
• Blizz Frozen Yogurt, 2200 Thousand Oaks Blvd, was a self-serve froyo chain from Southern California. It was open from 2010 – 2011.
• Golden Spoon, 2000 Avenida de los Arboles, closed in 2013. I’m not sure when it opened but probably before 2010.
• Golden Spoon, 1404 N Moorpark Rd., probably opened before 2010 and closed in 2013. The owner changed the concept to Tizzy’s Yogurt Café.
• Go Greek, 350 W Hillcrest Dr., opened in May 2018 at the Oaks Mall and closed less than a year later in March 2019. The authentic Greek yogurteria served fresh Greek yogurt and frozen Greek yogurt. The froyo was self-serve.
• Krave It, 350 Via Las Brisas, was a self-serve froyo shop that opened in 2015 and closed in 2017
• Lotus Yogurt Bar, 540 N Moorpark Rd STE 1, was a small self-serve froyo shop in the Village Square Shopping Center that opened in 2009 and closed in 2011. Lotus Yogurt Bar also had locations in Northridge and Hermosa Beach (both now closed).
• Mali Cuisine, 140 W Hillcrest Dr suite 111, was a Southeast Asian restaurant that also had self-serve froyo. It was open from 2016 – 2021.
• Penguin’s Frozen Yogurt, 1344 N Moorpark Rd, unknown opening and closing dates.
• SweetXO, 350 W Hillcrest Dr, opened on the 2nd floor of The Oaks Mall in 2014 and closed in 2015. The shop had self-serve froyo, ice cream, cupcakes, cookies, candy, and gifts.
• TCBY, 1772 E Avenida De Los Arboles, opened and closed in 2009 or 2010.
• TCBY, 212 W Hillcrest Dr, Ste M4, probably closed well before 2010
• TCBY, 3170 Los Feliz Dr, probably closed well before 2010
• TCBY, 378 W Hillcrest Dr #K010B, was at The Oaks Mall
• Tizzy Yogurt Café, 1404 N Moorpark Rd, opened in 2013. It was started by an ex-Golden Spoon franchisee and served froyo, shakes, smoothies, Belgian waffles, oatmeal, and coffee. It may have closed in 2014.
• Yozen Frogurt, 2416 E Thousand Oaks Blvd, opened in 2008 and closed in 2011. The original Yozen Frogurt opened in West Hills in 2007. The Thousand Oaks branch was self-serve.

I found 16 former froyo shops in Thousand Oaks. There were probably other Penguin’s locations but it’s difficult to find out much about them because they closed so long ago. Did I miss any froyo shops in Thousand Oaks? Let me know.

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.