He likes it, he really really likes it!
As I’m sure everyone is aware, pinkberry imposters have been infiltrating the southland.  Not to be overlooked was Irvine, as the city welcomed its first sour yogurt host this past weekend: Yogurtland.
Nestled in another non-descript strip mall between Tofu House and Taiko, Yogurtland and its bright sherbert colors screamed at us as we walked into Tofu House. Mikey was beside himself; he couldn’t believe that there was a sour yogurt joint in his neighborhood, and not only was it sour yogurt, but it was a wannabe. I couldn’t tell if he was excited or horrified or tickled pink, but I dragged him in there with me anyway.
I don’t even know where to begin with this place. How about: Sensory overload. Or, Yogurt propaganda. Clearly, they were striving to be a pinkberry. I won’t describe it all here as I can go on and on so just view the pix below.
I will note that what makes Yogurtland different from pinkberry are:
- Yogurtland is all self-serve, frozen yogurt and toppings
- Yogurtland charges by the ounce: $0.30/ounce
- Yogurtland’s menu offers much more variety: from NY cheesecake yogurt to peanut butter to no-sugar-added strawberry banana to– everybody’s favorite– the original
Let me tell you, it is easy to go buck-wild when you’re serving yourself– especially when you’ve got a greedy b*tch like me controlling the yogurt dials. So, while I helped myself to the strawberry and original yogurts with the mochi, kiwi, and strawberry toppings, Mikey roamed the store.Â
If you read Mikey’s previous post on his lactaid-pinkberry challenge, you’ll remember that Mikey was on the fence about this sour yogurt phenomenon. As I filled up my medium-sized cup, I looked back and saw this gleeful look on Mikey’s face. Giggling to himself, Mikey was taking photos of the store (unlike pinkberry, Yogurtland allows photographs) with his camera phone and, really, he seemed to be having a grand old time. I asked if he wanted any and, as expected, he refused.Â
After filling my cup, we approached the cashier where my yogurt concoction was weighed: 1.03lbs, which totaled $4.90. “You get more bang for the buck here compared to pinkberry,” Mikey commented.
We opted not to eat there, taking the sour stuff home instead. When did finally ate it after dinner, Mikey skipped the strawberry (which wasn’t so good anyway), diving straight into the original. And, pretty soon, most of 1.03lbs of yogurt was devoured.
So, after a month of mocking pinkberry, its tart yogurt, its creepy cult-following, and its overdone pop decor, guess what freaking happens: Mikey admits that, though he doesn’t care for the environment, he actually likes the yogurt.Â
Hell, Mikey likes it; he really, really likes it!
on May 15th, 2007 at 8:49 am
on May 15th, 2007 at 11:56 am
Great post! Well, until the Irvine area opens a REAL Pinkberry, this place may have to do. I’ll take my wife there tonight! I might have no choice once she finds out it’s now open. This place should have big signs that say, “Take ALL the photos you want. We don’t mind!” Maybe even spots in the store, kind of like at Disneyland, to identify ideal Kodak moments…next to the big pineapple or a life-size strawberry with the hole cut-out for people to put their face.
on May 15th, 2007 at 9:10 pm
cool post and welcome to the loft.
on May 16th, 2007 at 3:27 pm
Wait, hold up. Is Pinkberry the originator, or is Pinkberry itself an imposter? What about Red Mango?
http://eater.com/archives/2007/03/pinkberry_vs_re.php
In my opinion, this is all a fad. Give me Baskin Robbins any day.
on May 17th, 2007 at 10:00 am
Yes, Mister Not-Victor Shu– I too heard that Red Mango is the OG Sour Yogurt. So, I guess that means that pinkberry is the biter. But, whatever! I’m getting sick of this frozen yogurt drama. Just eat the yogurt and enjoy it for what it is, dammit!
on May 20th, 2007 at 1:57 am
Look how many asian people there are. Aren’t they all supposed to be like lactose and shiznits? Are you sure you took the picture in OC….looks more like China…..oh wait….ahhh…that’s right….OC….Overpopulation of Chinese!!!! hahaha…Just kidding…not really.
on May 20th, 2007 at 10:19 pm
Hmm…not sure how I feel about these pink berry imposters. Since I am currently sans pinkberry, part of me is excited to see it’s becoming trendy enough to imitate. It increases the odds that my hood will get a sour yogurt place of its very own one day. But at the same time, I may be a pinkberry snob. I guess only time will tell. More importantly though, I’m glad Mikey likes sour yogurt now. Welcome.
on May 21st, 2007 at 4:59 pm
yogurtland has been around as long as pinkberry was around. i always go to the one in fullerton and it’s always packed! but since they opened this one in irvine i guess i will be going to this one. their yogurt actually taste better than pinkberry if you ask me. pinkberry tasted too chemical to me…
on January 6th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
hahhah i just typed in “yogurtland” and this comes up: the yogurtland in my city. the sad thing is that i recognize those asians in the picture.
but anyway, yogurtland is pretty good. i haven’t had pinnkberry myself but they’re opening 3 in the next couple months so i guess i’ll find out. i’ve had red mango which is super good except they go asian on the toppings and it’s pretty expensive for a small amount. but i dont see a difference between red mango and yogurtland and what’s great about yogurtland is that you can put as much yogurt and as many toppings as you want. but that’s just my opinion