The new frozen yogurt fad has not yet washed ashore in Howard County, but it is lapping at the borders at Yogiberry in Olney.
(Update: Yogiberry opened in the Columbia Mall in August 2009. But the Olney one might be closed, says a comment below. Call ahead.)
Yogiberry is the suburban outpost for this tart yogurt trend. You choose from four flavors of frozen yogurt and then mix in toppings like fruit, candy or sugar cereals. ("Fruity pebbles!") It's not the celebrity attraction of Pinkberry, but it is a fun treat -- especially because the fruit is fresh and not some canned syrup.
The yogurt is delicious. The standard is a touch sour. That is the point of this fad, I guess, but our favorite was the berry yogurt with mochi topping. This is little cubes of the rice sweet that you often find in Japanese desserts. They're lightly sweet, sort of an adult gummy bear.
Yogiberry is shockingly modern for the shopping center where it sits right off Rte 108. See-though chairs. Replica Barcelona loungers in the front and replica Nelson benches against the wall. The colorful displays should entertain kids or people who miss a little urban cool. The bathroom looks like a club, not an ice cream store.
(Update: The weekend after this post, I saw a Pinkberry for the first time in New York City. Yogiberry's design is a hilarious rip-off of Pinkberry. Same floor. Same chairs. Same kind of lighting. I still like Yogiberry, but I was wrong to assume that someone with a sense of style created a modern look for Olney. Someone just bought cheaper versions of what they saw at Pinkberry! Go for the yogurt.)
(Update #2: Anonymous protests in the comments that the plastic chairs are not cheaper versions. They apparently cost $300 each. OK. Let's be clear -- I really like Yogiberry, and I own knock-offs of modern furniture. They knocked off good stuff unless people are dripped yogurt on $800 Nelson benches and $4,000 Barcelona chairs. I'd *love* anything as cool as Yogiberry in Columbia. I was just shocked to realize that the design came right from Pinkberry.)
(Update #3: YogiBerry is COMING to the Columbia Mall in July 2009.)
(Update #4: Or more like August 2009, the mall customer service said in early July.)
18107 Town Center Dr
Olney, MD 20832
(301) 570-7575
NEAR: This is about 15-20 minutes from Clarksville and Fulton. You take Rte 108 south from Clarksville through Sandy Spring and into Olney. Yogiberry is in a shopping center on the right just as you enter Olney. You turn right at a light for Spartan Road and them immediately left into the shopping center.
This news made my month. I went to Pinkberry every day when I visited CA in January and have been craving frozen yogurt ever since.
ReplyDeleteTrader Joe's is now selling "Non-Fat Plain Frozen Yogurt: Pleasingly Tart with Active Cultures." It is available in a 1 quart container for $3.49. The texture is firmer than the soft-serve, and I think its a bit sweeter than the Pinkberry variety (and the knockoffs), but its delicious nonetheless (and for sale right here in Howard County)!
ReplyDeleteWent to the Yogiberry in Rockville over the weekend and was pleasantly surprised. It tasted just like Pinkberry :) Thanks again for another great recommendation!
ReplyDeleteThe decorations are NOT a cheaper version rip-off--each plastic chair is $300 each.
ReplyDeleteTry MangoBerry in the same shopping centre as H Mart in Catonsville. (It's inside the Hanoori thingamajig.)
ReplyDeleteThere are signs on the doors at Columbia Mall that Yogiberry is opening there in July.
ReplyDeleteYogiBerry in Olney @ 570-7575 is CLOSED!!!!
ReplyDelete