Our Favorite Frozen Yogurt Spots


When Italian frozen yogurt chain Yogorino finally opened its doors in Philly earlier this month, it joined South Street’s Phileo and Rittenhouse’s Sweet Ending in a trio of top-your-own fro-yo shops to invade Center City recently. So, which one is destined to become Philly’s Pinkberry? Here are the sweet stats.

Phileo
416 South Street, 215-873-8361
The flavors: 16. We suggest one of the tangy, fruitier flavors.
The toppings: The DIY bar spans everything from the healthy (fresh-cut fruit) to the crunchy (granola, nuts) to downright tasty (cereal, chocolate sauce).
The price: $.49 per ounce.
The conclusion: Phileo takes the cake for its sheer number of flavor and topping options. Plus, despite its location on busy South Street, the place is pristine — i.e. little to no topping intermingling.

Yogorino
233 South 20th Street, 267-639-5287
The flavors: Just one — the original tart.
The toppings: An inspired selection of sauces (dark chocolate and pistachio), fresh fruit (kiwi and strawberries), and nuts (almonds and chopped walnuts).
The price: From $2.99 for a mini to $6 for a large. Prices include one topping — it’s $.50 for each additional topping.
The conclusion: We’re huge fans of Yogorino’s more custard-like consistency and go-green ethos (and the sanitary value of a toppings bar that isn’t self-serve), but on a recent trip the toppings (which is really the only way to spruce up your order) were completely diminished. (Totally out of raspberries and sliced almonds!)

Sweet Ending
1800 Chestnut Street, 215-568-0089
The flavors: Eight. (Our favorite: the tangy, creamy green tea.) Warning: Sample first — many of the flavors here are made with the tart favor as a base. Tart coffee, not so good — it tastes like coffee with curdled milk.
The toppings: A DIY bar with fresh fruit, candy, chocolate, sauces and cereal.
The price: $.49 per ounce.
The conclusion: Though we’re a little leery of the name, we’re digging the flavor and topping selection at Sweet Ending. But with only a few seats and boxes of granola and candy overflowing from the storage room, the small space can feel cluttered.

Bonus: Some local food markets have followed suit and started proffering their own frozen yogurt — and since the yogurt/toppings aren’t sold by the weight, you can get your fill without going into sticker shock. Our favorites below.

Old Nelson Food Market
2000 Chestnut Street, 215-496-9777
The flavors: Two — the original tart and a rotating selection of tart fruit flavors and green tea.
The toppings: Fresh-cut fruit (melon! mango!), granola, nuts, chocolate chips, cereal.
The price: $2.99 for 9 ounces, $3.99 for 12 ounces, and $4.99 for 16 ounces. $1 for toppings.

Sook Hee’s Produce
Comcast Center, 1701 JFK Boulevard, 215-568-2834
The flavors: Two — rotating — flavors each day. C’mon, chocolate and raspberry twirl!
The toppings: Healthy stuff (e.g., granola, sliced almonds, dried fruit … OK, OK, there’s sprinkles, too).
The price: $2.59 for a small, $2.99 for a large. Fruit toppings are 99 cents, candy is 75 cents, and sprinkles are 50 cents.

Palm Tree Market
717 North Second Street, Northern Liberties, 215-925-4707
The flavors: Plain and green tea.
The toppings: Fresh fruit, granola, nuts, M&Ms.
The price: $2.99 for a small, $3.99 for a large; toppings are $1 extra.