Chara Froyo Review

 

Fro-yo girl here. Chara Froyo is a new Greek frozen yogurt brand that's currently available in Los Angeles. Launched in June 2025, Chara Froyo has been available at a few pop-ups and a bus that they park in Abbot Kinney Blvd. in Venice. You can also get Chara Froyo at Farmshop LA in Santa Monica. 

Chara Froyo is high protein, sweetened with agave and maple syrup, probiotic, lactose free, and made with California milk.

When I visited Farmshop, I found two flavors: Chocolate and Berries & Cream. One pint was $12. Unfortunately, due to the usual crazy Westside traffic, my pint melted on the way home. I overestimated the ability of my cooler and ice packs.

Berries & Cream froyo: The texture wasn’t dense and hard but light and creamy. The flavor was similar to a good lowfat strawberry ice cream. However, it was too sweet with almost no yogurt tang. If you told me that it was a light ice cream, I would not question it. Why can’t it taste like yogurt? One serving (2/3 cup) is 120 calories, 4g total fat, 19g total carbs, 17g total sugars, and 9g protein.

Available flavors:

• Plain tarte
• Berries & cream
• Chocolate
• Mint chip

I hope to try Plain Tarte one day.

FARMSHOP: 225 26th St #25, Santa Monica, CA 90402

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.

Yalla Mediterranean No Longer Serves Greek Froyo

Fro-yo girl here. Some time last year I was in Orange County and on the way back home, I took a detour to Seal Beach for froyo at Yalla Mediterranean. However, when I visited, I was told that the soft serve machine wasn’t working and that it had been broken for six months. The employee said that they probably wouldn’t fix it because of the high cost of the repair. I was told that it would be cheaper to get a new machine than repair the old one. While I was quite disappointed at the time, I didn’t think too much about it.

Recently, I read that the soft serve machine is “broken” at the Yalla locations in Burbank, Culver City, and Walnut Creek. The Seal Beach experience was not an isolated incident. It made me wonder what’s going on with Yalla.

The newer paper Yalla menu does not list frozen yogurt, though frozen yogurt is still shown on the Yalla website, including the online menu. The last Yalla post showing froyo was on November 25, 2018 on Instagram.

From what I can tell, the frozen yogurt is no longer offered at any Yalla location. This is sad because they developed their own recipe for Greek froyo and offered tasty toppings like baklava and chocolate cookies. It was available in one flavor, plain tart. The frozen yogurt was rather icy but it was refreshing and I enjoyed the baklava topping. 

Also, for a few years (2016-2018), you could get a free froyo with baklava there with a Yelp check-in. I went fairly often to get a salad and froyo for dessert. I probably won’t go back there since they stopped offering Greek froyo. Would you still go? The food was decent but the froyo was the main attraction.

Yalla started in late 2014, when Daphne’s California Greek, the Greek fast casual chain, started the new concept. Yalla had a different look, a broader Mediterranean menu than Daphne’s, and an emphasis on sustainability by using local GMO-free ingredients, responsibly raised meat and fish, and eco-friendly packaging. Daphne’s was acquired by Victory Park Capitol Advisers earlier in 2014. The first Yalla location opened in Pleasant Hill, CA in December 2014.

The expansion phase followed, with new company owned locations opening in Northern California first, then Southern California. Most of the new locations were converted from Daphne’s. The last of the new locations opened in 2015.

FAT Brands, a global franchising company that also owns Fatburger, Ponderosa, Buffalo’s Café and other franchise brands, acquired Yalla in December 2018. At the time, Yalla had 7 locations. Since then, no new locations have opened but none have closed either. Yalla is looking for franchisees.

Currently, there are Yalla locations in

• Burbank, CA
• Culver City, CA
• Dublin, CA
• Fremont, CA
• Pleasant Hill, CA
• Seal Beach, CA
• Walnut Creek, CA
• Chicago (delivery only)

On a happier note, Nick the Greek, a fast casual Greek eatery, is expanding rapidly in California (13 locations and counting) and offering Greek froyo.

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.

Plain Greek Frozen Yogurt at Nick the Greek, Morgan Hill Location Opens on February 1

Fro-yo girl here. Late last year, some locations of Nick the Greek started offering Greek frozen yogurt. It’s offered at their San Jose location near Bascom, Willow Glen location and the brand new location in Morgan Hill. Once I heard about the froyo, I knew that I had to go.

I visited the location in San Jose off Bascom. They had one kind of frozen yogurt, plain Greek frozen yogurt. You can get it plain ($4.95) or with honey and baklava ($5.95). There were no other toppings. I like how they keep it simple, but the portion was too large for a snack and there’s only one size offered.

* Plain Greek frozen yogurt w/ baklava and honey: I admired the care that went into this cup of froyo. I think honey was added to the bottom and sides of the cup, then froyo was added till the cup was half full, next baklava was added, more froyo was added, and the creation was finished off with more baklava crumbles and honey. The baklava was excellent – moist, chewy, with cinnamon and chopped walnuts. There was a generous amount of baklava, froyo, and honey. The honey made some of the froyo parfait pretty sweet, but the frozen yogurt itself was not as sweet as usual. The texture wasn’t optimal – it wasn’t that smooth and it melted fast, but I did like the flavor – uncomplicated, not too sweet, less processed tasting, tangy with a hint of sourness. The texture was denser than Souvla’s and more creamy than icy. It certainly wasn’t watery and I didn’t find it too icy, but it could have been smoother.

Nick the Greek was established in 2014 by three cousins, all named Nick, and 2nd generation Greeks. The mini chain currently has 10 locations in the Bay Area. The authentic Greek fare served in a fast casual setting. The specialities are souvlaki and gyros. I’d definitely like to see more locations open and they’d better have froyo.

The Morgan Hill Location is having a grand opening celebration on February 1. Lunch will be free from 12 PM-3PM (but not froyo, I think). The address is 632 Tennant Station, Morgan Hill, CA 95037.

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

* NICK THE GREEK: 2223 Business Cir., Ste. 30, San Jose, CA 95128

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.

Yasso’s New Pumpkin Cheesecake Flavor Review

Fro-yo girl here. Well, I had to nearly three months again before finding the new Yasso product, Pumpkin Cheesecake. After checking multiple Target locations in Southern California for months (sometimes more than once a week!), I had given up on ever finding Yasso Pumpkin Cheesecake without traveling somewhere else. Yasso announced the new flavor on September 18. I didn’t find it until December 5.

I went to the Target at 777 E Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA last week and they didn’t have it then. I finally found Pumpkin Cheesecake pints on clearance at Target, 3121 E Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA, for $2.48 (regular price, $4.99). Pumpkin season is over. At least I bought it for 50% off.

Pumpkin cheesecake frozen yogurt features graham crackers swirled into pumpkin cheesecake. I’m not a huge fan of American cheesecake because it tends to be too rich and heavy (Japanese cheesecake is a different story), but I can see how pumpkin would complement cheesecake. Pumpkin spices would make the cheesecake taste more interesting and complex.

Pumpkin Cheesecake pint: The yogurt had a slight cheesecake scent and lots of pumpkin spices. The texture was very pleasing: creamy, scoopable, and the right density. The flavor was quite tasty too – heavy on the spices, a subtle tang from the cheesecake, not overly sweet. The graham cracker “swirl” was more like huge chunks of graham cracker crumble – very tasty but not really a swirl. The yogurt did have a slightly bitter aftertaste. One serving (1/2 cup) is 150 calories, 4.5g total fat, 18g sugars, and 5g protein. Yasso Pumpkin Cheesecake contains no artificial or high intensity sweeteners.

Ingredients: Nonfat Milk, Graham Cracker Swirl [Graham Cracker Crumb (Unbleached Unenriched Wheat Flour, Whole Wheat/Graham Flour, Sugar, Palm Oil and Palm Kernel Oil, Molasses, Honey, Salt, Sodium Bicarbonate), Cottonseed Oil, Confectioner Sugar, Coconut Oil, Salt, Soy Lecithin, Natural Flavor, Cinnamon], Pumpkin Cheesecake Base [Cane Sugar, Water, Pumpkin Puree, Invert Sugar, Fruit and Vegetable Juice (for color), Brown Sugar, Molasses, Nutmeg, Caramel Color, Cinnamon, Cream Cheese Powder (Pasteurized Cream Cheese Culture, Salt, Carob Bean Gum, Guar Gum, and Sodium Phosphate), Natural Flavor, Nonfat Dry Milk, Citric Acid, Lactic Acid, Xanthan Gum], Greek Yogurt (Nonfat Milk, Yogurt Cultures), Sugar, Cream, Milk Protein Concentrate, Maltodextrin, Dextrose, Locust Bean Gum, Guar Gum, Sunflower Lecithin, Vegetable Juice (color)

Yasso is carried at Target. For a list of retailers that carry Yasso, check out Yasso’s location finder.

https://yasso.com/find-a-store/

I’ll probably have to wait till February to try their new Peppermint Crunch and Sugar Cookie flavors.

4 out of 5 stars.

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.

New Frozen Greek Yogurt Alert: Pita GR in Downey, CA

Fro-yo girl here. Pita GR (the GR stands for Greek) is a fine-fast casual Greek street food eatery that opened in late September 2018. The chef is Greek. I also learned that there's a good number of Greeks living in Downey and a Greek church.

The menu is simple: choose lamb (soulva or lamb chops), pork (yeero or souvlaki), chicken souvla or roasted sweet potato as a pita sandwich, salad or plate/merida. They also have dips, meat sold by weight, sides, desserts, Greek beer, Greek wine, drinks and GREEK FROZEN YOGURT with sour cherry syrup, lemon preserve, housemade baklava, or wildflower honey.

They make their own frozen Greek yogurt with their own recipe and they make their own baklava as well. There's only one flavor, plain.

* Frozen Greek yogurt with crumbled baklava ($5): I was impressed they had a shiny new Carpigiani soft serve machine. The set up, toppings, machine and cups made me think of Souvla SF. However, Pita GR’s Greek frozen yogurt is better than Souvla’s – and I love Souvla’s. There’s one flavor, plain, and the texture is amazing – it’s thick and smooth, it’s not icy or too creamy either. It tastes fresh and mildly tangy, with a clean finish. They make it with Greek yogurt. The baklava was fresh and soft. If I lived closer, I’d come for the froyo all the time. It's amazing.

Oh, the owners plan to open a Greek donut (loukoumades) shop next, at 9232 Lakewood Blvd. in Downey. They won't have froyo at the donut shop. Greek froyo with fresh loukoumades sounds divine, doesn't it?

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.

Kayak Greek Frozen Yogurt Review, Part Two

Fro-yo girl here. I recently visited The Argentum Project in San Francisco to try their soft serve Greek frozen yogurt. They use Kayak frozen yogurt, which is imported from Greece. The Argentum Project is a Greek style coffee café which also sells Greek groceries, such as olive oil, wine, sweets, and more importantly, Kayak Frozen Greek Yogurt (the packaged kind that you can find in a supermarket freezer section).

They had the full Kayak Greek Frozen Yogurt line, which includes 500ml and 107ml pots. The large pots come in 8 flavors. The mini pots come in 6 flavors. A small pot was $2.50. A large pot was $8.

They had the following flavors: Chocolate, Madagascar Vanilla, Choco Cream Cookies, Mango & Jasmine, Red Berries & Acai, Peanut Butter Caramelized Peanuts, Pure, Mediterranean Orange

Interestingly, I spotted Kayak frozen yogurt at Bi-Rite, in the freezer, a few months ago. They had two flavors, Pure (plain, no sugar added) and Madagascar Vanilla. I decided to try another flavor, even though I didn’t like the Pure flavor.

* Mediterranean Orange Greek froyo: The texture was similar to ice cream but not as creamy. I wouldn’t say that the product was icy, but it didn’t have the scoopable quality of a high fat product. The orange flavor was present but subtle. There was little tang and it was on the bland side. I could taste the cream more than the yogurt. From what I’ve tried from Kayak, lack of flavor and tang are consistent qualities. The mini pot was cute and came with a built in spoon under the lid.

One serving was 77g, 130 calories, 5g total fat, 18g total sugars, 3g protein.

Ingredients: Milk, Greek strained yogurt (skim milk, concentrated skim milk, cream, whey, bacterial culture), sugar, orange juice, cream, skim milk, dextrose, guar gum, cellulose gum, carrageenan, mono and diglycerides of fatty acids.

Here's a link to my earlier review of the Argentum Project’s Greek soft serve froyo.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

* THE ARGENTUM PROJECT: 47 6th St, San Francisco (SOMA), CA 94103

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.

Go Greek Thousand Oaks to Open on May 29

Fro-yo girl here. There aren’t a lot of details yet, but I heard that Go Greek The Oaks Mall will open next week, on Tuesday, May 29. It’s on the second floor, the outdoor part, by Vans. Nothing official has been announced yet, so it’s probably a soft opening, with a grand opening to be announced later.

Go Greek will offer fresh Greek yogurt, self-serve Greek frozen yogurt, and Greek coffee. 

Update: They had a soft opening and special sampling on May 26 from 2-5 PM.

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

* GO GREEK YOGURTERIA, 350 W Hillcrest Dr., Thousand Oaks, CA 91360

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.

Future Froyo Shop Pictures: Go Greek Yogurteria at Glendale Galleria

Fro-yo girl here. Glendale Galleria is the fourth largest mall in Los Angeles, but it feels like the busiest. You could get your froyo fix at Haagen Dazs or go across the street to Pinkberry at the Americana. Menchie’s is also nearby in downtown Glendale.

A new froyo option is coming soon to the 2nd floor of Glendale Galleria. Go Greek Yogurteria, the authentic Greek frozen and fresh yogurt mini chain, is opening a kiosk near the center of the mall (by JC Penney and Green Crush). You can’t get any more authentic when it comes to Greek yogurt because they import their yogurt from Greece and they have Greek toppings. The original location opened in Beverly Hills. There are two other locations in Santa Monica and The Village at Topanga in Woodland Hills.

With the fresh yogurt, you can go sweet or savory and build your own bowl with 0%, 2% and 10% fat versions of imported Greek yogurt.

I saw one froyo machine there but it looks like there will be room for three, so they should have 6 flavors a day. They’ll carry the house flavors of Greek Honey, Plain Tart, Chocolate, and Wild Berry with two other flavors from their Rotational and Seasonal flavors. It is self-serve. The froyo is made with 2% or 10% fat Greek yogurt. The toppings are healthier (fresh fruit, dried fruit, cocoa nibs, chocolate chips, premium sauces, Greek biscuits, hemp seeds, chia seeds, flaxseeds, nuts, peanut chews, granola, coconut). According to the sign, it will be 85 cents an ounce.

The kiosk looks almost ready to open. I'm pretty sure I didn't see it when I was at the mall doing my Christmas shopping, but I rarely go up to that part of the second floor.

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

* GO GREEK YOGURTERIA, 100 W Broadway, Glendale, CA 91210

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.

Kayak Greek Frozen Yogurt Review

Fro-yo girl here. Bi-Rite is such an amazing market filled with hard to find products. During a recent visit, I spotted Kayak Greek Frozen Yogurt. They had two flavors: Madagascar Vanilla and Pure (no added sugar). I’d seen pictures of Kayak, which is made in Greece with real Greek yogurt, before, but I had never encountered the product in person. Bi-Rite was selling Kayak frozen yogurt for $6.99 each. The container is 500 ml (16.9 fl oz).

I was intrigued by the no sugar added Pure (plain flavor) and expected it to have a strong yogurt flavor.

* Pure Greek frozen yogurt: The frozen yogurt was creamy and thick, easily scoopable. It didn’t have a sour yogurt flavor or yogurt tang. It tasted like plain milk ice cream, sweet, with a cream aftertaste. It wasn’t unpleasant but it was very mild, to the point of being bland. It was sweeter than I expected.

One serving (1/2 a cup) of Pure frozen yogurt has 6g total fat, 5g sugars, and 4g protein.

Ingredients: Milk, Greek strained yogurt (skim milk, condensed skim milk, cream, milk proteins, bacterial culture), isomalt, cream, skim milk, sorbitol syrup, less than 0.5% of mono and diglycerides of fatty acids, guar gum, cellulose gum, carrageenan, steviol glycosides. The ingredients are non GMO.

Isomalt is a sugar substitute. Steviol glycosides are another term for stevia. Sorbitol syrup is also a sweetener. It’s too bad that they added so many sugar substitutes to their frozen yogurt.

3 out of 5 stars.

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

* BI-RITE MARKET: 550 Divisadero St, San Francisco, CA 94117

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.

Wanderlust Creamery Introduces Greek Frozen Yogurt Flavor (For the First Time)

Fro-yo girl here. I couldn’t believe it when I saw that Wanderlust Creamery, one of my favorite ice cream scoop shops, had made a Greek Yogurt with Pomegranate-Rose Jam ice cream. It’s one of their new September flavors. I think it’s the first Greek yogurt flavor they’ve had? There was a Yuzu Yogurt Charcoal Sorbet before, but that was made with yogurt soda.

* Yogurt + Pomegranate-Rose Petal Jam ice cream (frozen yogurt): It’s Greek yogurt ice cream, swirled with a jam of whole pomegranate seeds & Greek style rose petal confiture. The yogurt base is creamy, smooth, dense, rich and luxurious (it must be full fat). I could see bits of rose petals. The pomegranate seeds added some crunch though some bits were very hard. Flavorwise, I loved it – it tasted like extra tangy rose yogurt. The pomegranate probably makes it extra tangy.

When I visited the shop, they didn’t have any Yogurt + Pomegranate-Rose Jam left in the case. They get their pomegranates from Florida and Hurricane Irma disrupted their supply. It’s unclear when they’ll be able to make this flavor again.

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

* WANDERLUST CREAMERY ATWATER VILLAGE: 3134 Glendale Blvd., Los Angeles (Atwater Village) 90039

* WANDERLUST CREAMERY TARZANA: 18511 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana, CA 91356

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.

Go Greek Yogurteria Opens in Santa Monica

Fro-yo girl here. I’ve been a fan of Go Greek Yogurteria since they opened because it’s one of the very few places where you can get authentic Greek frozen and fresh yogurt. By authentic, I mean yogurt that is imported from Greece. And the overall experience at Go Greek is hardcore Greek. The yogurt is from Greece and the owner is Greek. The mostly white décor with blue accents is Greek and some of the toppings are Greek too. The yogurt is kept in terracotta bowls, just like they store it in Greece. It’s very Greek.

This location is across the street from the ocean and close to Santa Monica Pier. There are quite a few froyo shops in the vicinity (including Yogurtland, Forty Carrots, Pinkberry and Sunny Blue) but Go Greek is the closest to the beach. And you can build your own yogurt bowls (sweet or savory), sip on Greek coffee or serve yourself a bowl of Greek frozen yogurt.

With the fresh yogurt, you can go sweet or savory and build your own bowl with 0%, 2% and 10% fat versions of imported Greek yogurt. They had flavored fresh yogurt which I don’t recall seeing at their other locations.

They emphasize being authentically Greek and offering healthy fresh products. It looks like a shop you’d find in Greece. It’s not uncommon for Greek yogurterias to offer fresh and frozen yogurt which is what Go Greek does.

The froyo is made with 2% or 10% fat Greek yogurt. The froyo is self-serve. There are six flavors of Greek froyo at any time. Sample cups are kept by the full size cups. The toppings are healthier (fresh fruit, dried fruit, cocoa nibs, chocolate chips, premium sauces, Greek biscuits, hemp seeds, chia seeds, flaxseeds, nuts, peanut chews, granola, coconut). While it’s pricier at 79cents an ounce, the quality is higher (and it’s imported from Greece). Ask for the sauces (honey, rose preserve, peanut butter, agave, etc.) because they’re not kept with the other toppings. The rose preserve has a strong rose flavor – I like it but in small doses. I also like the crispy Greek biscuits with sesame. They're not too sweet.

Their frozen yogurt is richer and more indulgent. It doesn’t have that refreshing edge. It’s for people who like really creamy froyo. It’s more satisfying and filling. It also has a distinctive taste that I haven’t tasted in domestic yogurt.

The official grand opening is February 25th from 2-5 PM when you get enjoy a buy one, get one free deal.

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

By Lolia S.

* GO GREEK YOGURTERIA, 1431 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, CA 90401

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.

Baklava Froyo, Froyo Topped with Baklava

Fro-yo girl here. Did you know that today is National Baklava Day? Baklava is good on its own – the papery thin layers of filo pastry, chopped nuts and honey or sugar syrup – but it is dense, sweet and rich.

Baklava happens to be the perfect froyo topping, for plain froyo. It’s not as sweet or rich when paired with a light, tangy froyo. I became obsessed with baklava topped froyo when I had it at Souvla in San Francisco. Mini-chain, Yalla, also serves plain Greek froyo with baklava in Northern and Southern California. And it’s been spotted at the Pago cart and GRK in NYC, Yiaourtaki in Greece and Blu Spoon in Australia.

Turkey Hill had a baklava flavored froyo but I never had a chance to try it. Turkey Hill isn’t available in California, I think.

I found a recipe for homemade froyo with baklava: http://www.kalofagas.ca/2013/08/02/homemade-frozen-greek-yogurt/

Check out my Pinterest board for pictures of froyo with baklava: https://www.pinterest.com/froyogirl/froyo-with-baklava/

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.

New Spread Mediterranean Kitchen in Downtown LA Offers Housemade Greek Froyo

Fro-yo girl here. Downtown LA has always been a bit of a froyo desert. While you could find froyo here and there, there were very few places to get your froyo. This is surprising since a thriving downtown area usually has a lot of froyo. Good news: Spread Mediterranean Kitchen opened last month.

It’s got a GRK/Souvla type of vibe and a similar set up for lunch: pick your base (housemade flat bread, basmati rice, hummus or salad greens), pick your main (falafel, grilled free range chicken, lamb meatballs, roasted mushrooms, braised beef) and pick your style (traditional, smooth & cool, savory & red, or cheesey & spicy).

The treats section of the menu includes housemade Greek frozen yogurt. There’s just one flavor, plain. Choose from the mini or large size ($2/$4). The list of toppings is short: beet salt & citrus powder, chai halva crumble, or harissa dry spice & pita chip. The toppings are included in the price of the yogurt.

Their frozen yogurt didn’t taste like the typical plain/original tart frozen yogurt. It was dense, smooth and icy. The taste was mild; I could taste the yogurt and it was sweetened but not as sweet. I like how the flavor had a clean, natural finish but it was on the bland side. There was little tang though it was refreshing. I did like the chai halva crumble – it was a bit crunchy and not too sweet. There was very little topping but she did offer me more after I started eating my froyo. I’d give the froyo 3.5 stars and the toppings a 4.5.

I thought the chicken flatbread wrap, cheesey & spicy style, was very tasty and flavorful though it didn’t come with much chicken. Spread is open daily from 11:30 AM – 11 PM. There’s free wi-fi before 6 PM and Middle Eastern inspired cocktails for the evening.

This is Spread’s first and only location. Will it spread?

* SPREAD MEDITERRANEAN KITCHEN: 334 S Main St., Los Angeles, CA 90034

4 out of 5 stars

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.

New Chain Review: Yalla Mediterranean

Fro-yo girl here. The race is on to be the next Mediterranean version of Chipotle. Yalla is a new concept from the owners of Daphne's California Greek chain. Yalla launched in Pleasant Hill in 2014 and now has 7 locations in the Bay Area and Southern California. They have that assembly line where you choose your style/base and choose your protein, sauces and toppings. Choose a wrap, salad, or plate. Then pick a protein (falafel, shawarma, kabobs), add sides, toppings and sauces. 

I won’t go into too much detail about the food since what I really care about is their Greek frozen yogurt. The Greek frozen yogurt set up reminds me of SF’s Souvla. They use the same Carpigiani machine, offer only one flavor (plain), and offer similar Greek toppings.

The yogurt is apparently a “special house recipe.” It’s available with honey, chocolate or sour cherry sauce for $2.25 or with chopped baklava or chocolate pita crumbles for $2.95. It’s a small portion but good for dessert.

How was it? Souvla’s Greek frozen yogurt is definitely better in terms of flavor and texture; it's creamy, smooth and tastes like yogurt. Yalla’s frozen yogurt is smooth but icy and it tastes like original tart yogurt. Yalla's sour cherry syrup isn’t very sour but it’s very good with yogurt.

The frozen yogurt was disappointing and the food was as well. Their hummus was so salty. The falafel was salty too. But Chipotle is also a sodium bomb, so maybe people will like their extra salty food.

I’m hoping that San Francisco's Souvla or GRK opens in SoCal one day. Or maybe Spitz will add froyo. GRK, which got its start in NYC, recently opened a location in Dubai but they aren't present on the West Coast yet.

* YALLA: 3141 Mowry Ave., Fremont, CA 94538

3.5 out of 5 stars

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.

Tasti D-Lite/Planet Smoothie Grand Opening in Santa Monica

Fro-yo girl here. Tasti D-Lite, a long time staple of New York City, has finally arrived on the West Coast. The new location in Santa Monica had a soft opening earlier this week and the grand opening event today.

Tasti D-Lite is a low calorie, low carb, dairy-based soft serve, made with a proprietary formula and no artificial sweeteners – it is not frozen yogurt. It has 30% fewer calories than froyo. Since it isn’t frozen yogurt, today was my first time trying it. I remember seeing it in NYC, including one that was right next to a 16 Handles location. 

I was surprised to find Greek froyo offered at Tasti D-Lite. They have other Greek frozen yogurt flavors, including mango, raspberry, acai, banana and pomegranate.

The Santa Monica location is self-serve with flat rate pricing, all you can swirl for $4.50, add $1.50 for toppings. Since they’re touting their health benefits, this seems like a strange pricing decision (as it encourages you to eat more).

Though it’s self-serve, employees dispensed the free product and even put the toppings on. Toppings were standard: candy, sprinkles, nuts, coconut, syrups, fresh fruit, cookie dough, mochi, brownies, cheesecake and yogurt pretzels.

Flavors of the day:

• Greek frozen yogurt
• Strawberry
• Rice pudding
• Birthday cake
• Peanut butter
• Chocolate mousse
• French vanilla
• Chocolate pudding

The Greek frozen yogurt wasn’t good. It had a whipped texture and a slight tang. It lacked flavor. The peanut butter was mild with a strange whipped cream like texture. The rice pudding tasted like the vanilla with a bit of cinnamon. Vanilla was better, smoother and less whipped. Their soft serve is definitely bland and too airy.

The location is co-branded with Planet Smoothie. Planet Smoothie blends its smoothies to order using fruits, vegetables and its own line of proprietary sweeteners and supplements.

The first 150 people at the grand opening received gift bags. Free 3 ounce Tasti cups were provided from 12 PM – 5 PM. The VIP bag included a Tasti D-Lite/Planet Smoothie tote bag, Planet Smoothie smoothie mug, packet of Peet’s Coffee, sample of Grab the Gold gluten free snack bar, Tasti D-Lite device stand, Tasti D-Lite sticker wallet and a coupon for one free Tasti D-Lite. They had a DJ and Tasti D-Lite and Planet Smoothie mascots.

Tasti D-Lite and Planet Smoothie plan to expand throughout Southern California. Tasti D-Lite was founded in 1987 and began franchising in 2008.

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

* TASTI D-LITE: 526 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90401

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.

San Francisco Froyo Guide

Fro-yo girl here. It’s been almost three years since my Fro-yo Visitor’s Guide to San Francisco post and it’s time for an update. Sadly, some of the frozen yogurt shops on the original list are no longer in business but the good news is that new places have opened. This guide contains the frozen yogurt shops that are worth visiting.

* Hayes Valley: Hayes Valley, the artsy shopping/dining district has long been devoid of good dessert places but all that has changed and the neighborhood is now a frozen dessert mecca with Smitten (freshly made nitrogen ice cream), Miette (ice cream sandwiches made with Straus organic ice cream) and my froyo pick. Souvla (517 Hayes St.) is a crazy popular casual Greek eatery that specializes in spit-fired all natural meats. Get a Greek sandwich or salad, drink some Greek wine or beer and enjoy a cup of creamy Greek froyo for dessert. The Greek frozen yogurt comes in one size and one flavor (plain) with your choice of toppings: baklava crumbles with syrup, sour cherry, olive oil and sea salt or honey. It comes in a cute coffee cup that’s perfect for strolling over to Patricia’s Green (Octavia at Hayes), the neighborhood urban park with rotating art exhibits. 

* Japantown/Fillmore: There are so many cute places to shop in Japantown. My top picks are New People, Daiso, Ichiban Kan and Kinokuniya. Fillmore St. is also a shopping destination with Marc by Marc Jacobs, Paper Source, Jonathan Adler, Steven Alan, NARS, Kiehl’s and Nest. Fraiche Yogurt (1910 Fillmore St.) offers artisanal yogurt and fro-yo made from scratch. The soy fro-yo is excellent and the combination of steel cut oatmeal and fro-yo is an unexpected delight. The housemade chocolate shell sauce is out of this world. I also recommend afternoon tea at the British owned Crown & Crumpet (1746 Post St., make reservations) and Jane (2123 Fillmore St.) for a fresh baked treat and Four Barrel Coffee.

* Union Square: No trip to San Francisco is complete without visiting Union Square, the main shopping destination in SF. Pinkberry (170 O’Farrell St.) is conveniently located at Macy’s Union Square. There are other froyo shops in the downtown area (e.g., Yoppi, Caffe Ambrosia) but Pinkberry is the best one. You can never go wrong with the original tart with fresh fruit – such a refreshing, light treat after a long day of shopping.

* Castro/Noe Valley/Inner Sunset: Easy Breezy Frozen Yogurt (4028 24th St., 718 Irving St., 4092 18th St.) became the International Frozen Yogurt Association’s first Swirl of Honor recipient. Look for the IFYA Swirl of Honor decal and know that you’re in for a treat – hand-crafted unique frozen yogurt and frozen custard flavors (e.g., Lemon Ginger Zinger, Cherry Marzipan, Vietnamese Coffee, Banana Cream Pie), including organic and non-dairy flavors made with almond milk and coconut milk. There are three locations and the décor is super cute. Swirl your own cup and head over to the toppings bar which features local toppings and toppings you won’t see elsewhere. The Inner Sunset location is close to the San Francisco Botanical Garden (9th Ave. & Lincoln) and museums in Golden Gate Park.

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.

Souvla: Frozen Greek Yogurt at a Greek Restaurant

Fro-yo girl here. Why don’t more Greek restaurants offer froyo? And why aren’t more of them casual quick serve spots? Souvla opened a few months ago in the Hayes Valley neighborhood in San Francisco and it’s been praised by many publications for its food (spit fired all natural meats are their specialty) and dessert. It’s a casual spot where you order up front and sit at communal tables. What’s for dessert? Greek frozen yogurt of course.

Souvla keeps it simple when it comes to frozen yogurt. I think that’s part of the reason it’s so good.

The froyo, which is their own recipe, comes in one flavor (plain) and one size. You have your choice of Greek toppings: sour cherry syrup, baklava crumbles, honey, or olive oil with sea salt. It comes in a cute Greek paper cup (like a coffee cup).

* Frozen Greek yogurt with baklava crumbles and (honey) syrup ($5): The texture is smooth, creamy and airier (whipped)…reminiscent of Yogorino. It’s probably not nonfat…The froyo wasn’t sour and only mildly tangy but it did have less sugar so it tasted more natural and more like Greek yogurt. The aftertaste was clean and slightly sweet. The honey syrup wasn’t too sweet either. And the baklava crumbles, oh the baklava crumbles – yummy chewy morsels of nutty, cinnamon deliciousness. I’ll have to come back to try the other toppings.

I asked someone walking down Hayes about his froyo…he said it was extremely sour. I didn’t find it sour but compared to other froyo it’s less sweet. It’s a perfect dessert for strolling around Hayes Valley.

I’m hoping to try GRK in NYC which also has Greek frozen yogurt (and theirs is imported from Greece). Stay open till I get there, please.

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

* SOUVLA, 517 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94102

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.

Frozen Yogurt at Quenelle

Fro-yo girl here. Quenelle, an ice cream shop known for its creative and Asian flavors, first opened in Burbank in 2013. The owners, John and Christina Park, opened Ice Que, a shaved ice/snow dessert house, in Alhambra last year. Quenelle’s second shop has just opened in San Marino.

The man behind the scoop, John Park was the pastry chef at Lukshon and has worked in the dessert kitchens of Providence, XIV and Water Grill. Quenelle an Marino features Park’s housemade ice cream(16 flavors, including non-dairy varieties), popsicles, pies and baked goods. Yes, he bakes cookies, brownies, bars and pies. You can top your ice cream with (mostly) housemade toppings like bourbon caramel, graham cracker streusel, caramelized rice and candied pecans.

Some scoop flavors are always available, like customer favorite, blueberry pie. Once in awhile, but not very often, frozen Greek yogurt shows up in scoopable and stick form. Greek froyo flavors include orange, kaffir lime, and cucumber.

The orange Greek frozen yogurt tasted like orange juice sherbet and was noticeably icier than their ice cream. I was disappointed by the lack of yogurt tang/yogurt flavor. The orange frozen yogurt I’ve made at home had more yogurt flavor and a thicker, creamier texture.

The misugaru (roasted grain) ice cream was much more interesting though the flavor was on the subtle side. The best thing I had was the blueberry snickerdoodle cookie – chewy, soft, slightly crispy with blueberry flavor explosions.

You can also get cold pressed juices at the San Marino location.

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

* QUENELLE: 2136 Huntington Dr., San Marino, CA 91108

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.

Go Greek Yogurt 1st Anniversary

Fro-yo girl here. Guess what I had for lunch today? A cup of LA’s best frozen yogurt from Go Greek Yogurt.

They just started celebrating their 1st anniversary today and I snagged my 20% off discount card. On Saturday and Sunday enjoy free Greek coffee or tea with purchase.

If you love creamy, thick, rich frozen yogurt, you need to try Go Greek. Their imported triple strained Greek yogurt is all natural and has that natural yogurt tang. Yes the frozen yogurt is made with imported Greek yogurt.

Sadly, I just missed trying the rose froyo flavor, but I still love the honey flavor. Honey and yogurt just taste so right together.

* GO GREEK YOGURT: 425 N Bedford Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90210

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.

Kroger Deluxe Frozen Nonfat Greek Yogurt Review

Fro-yo girl here. Kroger’s private label line of frozen nonfat Greek yogurt is carried by Ralph’s in Southern California. The Greek frozen yogurt comes in 16 fl oz tubs in three flavors: Honey Vanilla, Raspberry and Blueberry. It retails for $2.99; I found it on sale for $1.99 each. 

The honey and blueberry flavors look like the honey and blueberries aren't blended throughout the frozen yogurt, so I opted for raspberry. The raspberries are blended throughout the raspberry frozen yogurt, with no seeds or chunks of raspberries.

* Raspberry frozen yogurt: I was pleasantly surprised that the flavor was tangy and fruity. It tasted much like raspberry sherbet. The texture was dense and not as creamy as ice cream. It felt lighter. It wasn't as yogurty as I expected.

One 1/2 cup serving is 110 calories and nonfat. 

Ingredients: Cultured pasteurized skim milk, sugar, blueberries, whey protein concentrate, corn syrup, raspberry puree, raspberry juice concentrate, citric acid, cellulose oil, cellulose gum, mono and diglycerides, lemon juice concentrate, carrageenan, elderberry juice concentrate, natural flavor

4 out of 5 stars.

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.