Editor’s note: California Aggie reporter Amanda Hardwick moseyed on over to Davis’ most popular yogurt options to determine the best place for a frozen treat. These are her findings.
With the abrupt transition from cold and miserable to hot and well, also miserable, students may be looking for a way to cool off. Sure, you could go to the Rec Pool and be uncomfortable in your bathing suit. On the other hand, you could simply chill out with some frozen yogurt in the comfort of your own clothing. Seeing as Davis offers a plethora of tasty yogurt places, this should be an easy task.
I went around Davis with pen in hand (and spoon in the other) to experience all that Davis has to offer in terms of frozen yogurt. After several brain freezes and a stomach ache that’s still lingering, I have written down my thoughts and observances. Here’s what I discovered:
Yolo Berry Yogurt
Yolo Berry was the new kid on the block last school year, and became a quick favorite among students and families alike. Perhaps this is because of their store slogan, “The Healthy Choice.” Or perhaps it’s because of their convenient location. Located on C Street, across from Central Park and close to campus, the yogurt shop sits at a prime spot for Farmers Market goers and students.
Out of all the yogurt places in Davis, Yolo Berry offers the largest topping selection. There are 101 different toppings to choose from, including fruits, syrups, chocolate, gummies and nuts. The shop sports original tart flavored yogurt every day, while rotating five other flavors. I bought my favorite combo of original tart with blueberries, coconut and mochi. The yogurt was great, the toppings tasted fresh and at 39 cents an ounce, it didn’t bust my wallet. They also offer these handy dandy little punch cards.
SugarPlum
This bright purple addition to Davis opened up at the beginning of January. SugarPlum, located at the University Mall near The Graduate, appears to be a convenient stop for freshmen.
If your tongue craves the tart yogurt, this might be your shop. SugarPlum offers a variety of tart flavors, including some rare finds like Taro Tart and Almond Tart. Taro is apparently a root. I sampled the Almond Tart and their Dark Chocolate flavors, and preferred the former. I also sampled Original Tart and it tasted strikingly similar to Yolo Berry’s. Hmm.
In terms of topping, the store had the basics covered. There were some fruit options, chocolate options and nuts. Some unique finds were lychee and longan fruit toppings. Don’t ask me what either of those are. Yogurt is the same price as Yolo Berry’s at 39 cents an ounce. I loved my Almond Tart purchase, but my roommate, Erin LemMon, had one complaint about hers. As she put it, “Their gummy selection sucks.”
Yogurt Shack
My stomach was aching a bit at this point but I somehow managed to mosey on over to Yogurt Shack. Yep, I moseyed. Yogurt Shack is the oldest and long time favorite yogurt shop in Davis, opening in 2007, but some might prefer the term “classic” instead.
Yogurt Shack is a great choice for those of you that haven’t jumped on the tart bandwagon. They only offer original tart on a regular basis. Once again, it tasted just like every other original tart I tried. Chocolate and Vanilla are also permanent residents, but three other flavors are rotated. When I visited there was Red Velvet, Kiwi, and Cookies ‘n Cream. The Red Velvet was delicious, and worth a taste. There were more topping choices than Sugar Plum, including chocolate rocks, carob chips, mocha and even Maple Almonds from Woodland.
Yogurt Shack also offers Happy Hour every Monday and Wednesday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., where customers can buy two yogurts for the price of one. Since the Shack offers the cheapest yogurt in town anyway, at 38 cents an ounce, it’s a pretty sweet deal.
Cultive
Formerly known as Swirl, Cultive is the second oldest yogurt shop in Davis. Cultive was the first frozen yogurt place in town to really offer tart flavors, and it’s the birthplace of my addiction for tart yogurt with mochi and coconut.
The shop offers a brightly colored, cheery atmosphere and a central location in downtown. Flavors in stock at the time I visited were Green Tea Tart, Mango Tart, Pina Colada Tart, Cable Car Chocolate, Eurotart, Pistachio and a non-dairy, non-fat Pineapple Dole Whip flavor.
Some odd toppings to note were fizzy raspberry clusters, mango coconut jelly, green apple jelly and lychee coconut jelly. I did not see these options anywhere else, nor was I brave enough to try them. Like Yolo Berry and SugarPlum, their price is 39 cents an ounce but on Monday and Tuesday they sell yogurt for 25 cents from 6 p.m. until closing. I also witnessed them give one birthday girl a free yogurt. Please don’t interpret this as me encouraging you to lie about your date of birth.
And the winner is …
Well, at this point you are probably wondering where the best place is in town to get frozen yogurt. Unfortunately, I’m not really sure what to say. This is because I discovered they all use the same brand of yogurt called YoCream. So if they offer the same flavor, it literally is the SAME flavor. I guess this explains why original tart with coconut and mochi tastes awesome wherever I go. I guess I luck out in this aspect.
Ultimately it comes down to your taste buds, a store’s topping selection and the flavors they offer most often. So you be the judge. With all of these options, you’re bound to like something.
AMANDA HARDWICK can be reached at features@theaggie.org.
