Pinkberry
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If you are ever in LA or NYC be sure to check out a Pinkberry. Believe me, you will be hooked! Word has it that they will be expanding throughout the US and I hope that is true. Their website says something about buying a franchise and I am praying, please, that someone in KC buys one. In the meantime, their website is super-fun and there is a groupie sign up and blog. Boy, cultural phenomenon is right! Try any yogurt, any topping. My favorite? Original with blueberries and mochi.
Atmosphere
First, for those of you who have never had the pleasure of experiencing this delicious frozen sensation that has swept NYC and LA, one that Wikipepdia refers to as a 'cultural phenomenon', allow me to explain: Pinkberry is a frozen yogurt franchise opened by two Korean American women, headquartered in Los Angeles. It has very cool and colorful storefronts, though all different in their own way, that have a decidedly Asian flair of bright colors and modern, futuristic furniture and light fixtures. Its bright lights and airy interiors come off clean and fresh, exactly like the yogurt, and the spacey uptempo rock music adds to the youthful fun. Some Pinkberrys have multiple tables and large banquets for seating, others just a few tables outside. Either way, the feeling is distinctively hip, distinctively cool, distinctively Pinkberry.
Service
Pinkberry has only counter service but the staff is well-trained to be upbeat and cheerful. There is no such thing as a grumpy Pinkberry server. They will happily offer you tastes of whatever you like and serve you with a big, genuine smile.
Food
OK, folks, there is a reason that I am even bothering to write a review of a frozen yogurt place, and this is it: it is, quite simply, the BEST frozen yogurt on the planet!! No, seriously, whenever I am in LA or NYC this is where I head, no matter what else I am doing or whatever else I have eaten. I simply HAVE to visit Pinkberry at least once on a trip.... OK, once a day when on a trip...... Alright, sometimes, twice a day. It's that good, people!
Pinkberry comes in 3 flavors, original, green tea, and new pomegranate. What I love most about it is that it actually tastes like yogurt, slightly sweet with a definite tang. Unlike most frozen yogurts there is no attempt to make it taste like ice cream, meaning it is not overly sweetened or flavored. And, unlike most frozen yogurts, it is made with milk and real yogurt, not just water and sugary powder. It even has the live and active cultures of regular yogurt. As far as the flavors go, well, I like all 3. The original tastes like sweetened plain yogurt that goes with any topping, the green tea has that real taste of tea that lingers after each bite, and the pomegranate has a nice little pucker-y tartness. All are delicious. Have one of each!
For toppings, Pinkberry, again, is ahead of all other yogurt chains. The fruit is cut daily and always fresh, never frozen or sitting in syrup or water. Special fruit toppings change with the seasons. June and July feature fresh cherries, July and August, lychees, and August and September, oranges, but almost always available are blueberries, raspberries, kiwi, pineapple, and strawberries. For the non-fruit eaters, or simply to compliment your fruit toppings, there is also a selection of things like Cap'n Crunch, Fruity Pepples, coconut, nuts, Oreos, milk chocolate, white chocolate, and the like. My favorite? Mochi, a Japanese sweet that is made from rice that is sweet and chewy like, say, a gummy bear but tastes much more natural. I love these! Pinkberry always comes in a dish. They do not have cones.
On top of all this, each serving only has 100-120 calories and no fat! A small dish is actually 1.5 servings, 150 calories, but still... A medium is 2.3 servings, and a large, 3.8. FYI, a small with toppings ($3.95) is usually enough.
Pinkberry also makes smoothies.
Pinkberry comes in 3 flavors, original, green tea, and new pomegranate. What I love most about it is that it actually tastes like yogurt, slightly sweet with a definite tang. Unlike most frozen yogurts there is no attempt to make it taste like ice cream, meaning it is not overly sweetened or flavored. And, unlike most frozen yogurts, it is made with milk and real yogurt, not just water and sugary powder. It even has the live and active cultures of regular yogurt. As far as the flavors go, well, I like all 3. The original tastes like sweetened plain yogurt that goes with any topping, the green tea has that real taste of tea that lingers after each bite, and the pomegranate has a nice little pucker-y tartness. All are delicious. Have one of each!
For toppings, Pinkberry, again, is ahead of all other yogurt chains. The fruit is cut daily and always fresh, never frozen or sitting in syrup or water. Special fruit toppings change with the seasons. June and July feature fresh cherries, July and August, lychees, and August and September, oranges, but almost always available are blueberries, raspberries, kiwi, pineapple, and strawberries. For the non-fruit eaters, or simply to compliment your fruit toppings, there is also a selection of things like Cap'n Crunch, Fruity Pepples, coconut, nuts, Oreos, milk chocolate, white chocolate, and the like. My favorite? Mochi, a Japanese sweet that is made from rice that is sweet and chewy like, say, a gummy bear but tastes much more natural. I love these! Pinkberry always comes in a dish. They do not have cones.
On top of all this, each serving only has 100-120 calories and no fat! A small dish is actually 1.5 servings, 150 calories, but still... A medium is 2.3 servings, and a large, 3.8. FYI, a small with toppings ($3.95) is usually enough.
Pinkberry also makes smoothies.
Cleanliness
Bright, cheerful, spotless! The counter tops are kept ultra clean, and the bathrooms are also well-maintained.
Pros
The best frozen yogurt EVER! Fun, lively atmosphere, friendly service, and a low-cal good-for-you treat.
Cons
They are only in LA and NYC and, sometimes, late at night, when you need a fix, they're closed- how dare they!!!
