San Diego's Frozen Yogurt Madness: Fruberry, Pinkberry & Dolci Mango

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Ultra-hip yet minimalistic frozen yogurt in San Diego? I'd heard the hype. I'd been told of women milling around outside the frozen yogurt shops, waiting for them to open. There were reports of college co-eds running down the streets of Pacific Beach minutes before closing time to get their fix.

What I couldn't understand was why? Why was there such a buzz? Frozen yogurt has been in San Diego for ages. Why this sudden célebutante lead resurgence?

I've always thought of frozen yogurt as the family disappointment. As if frozen yogurt's mom is always nagging him about being less successful than his older brother ice cream, who was just awarded the Nobel prize, while yogurt only reached expert level on Guitar Hero.

Pinkberry, the apparent mothership and fountainhead for this modern frozen yogurt phenomenon, is set to open soon in Hillcrest. Before I reserved my place in line for the grand opening, I decided to check out the lesser known competitors: Fruberry in Downtown San Diego, and Dulci Mango in Pacific Beach.

I was on a mission to decipher the addiction.

Fruberry Frozen Yogurt

Fruberry in Downtown San Diego was my first stop. I was the only person in the place--or so it seemed. At the end of the long, white plastic futuristic-walled corridor, I spied a counter with two smiling faces, patiently waiting for me to make my way down the aisle.

Fruberry's interior was that of an ultra modern nightclub; kind of like Thin in the Gaslamp, but with much brighter lighting and pink fruity accents. I imagined it is how the interior designers envisioned the yogurt experience of the future. Behind the counter was a huge, tilted flat-screen TV complete with a Bose sound system playing a live recording of a U2 concert. To entertain the waiting line, I assumed--if there had been one.

The word "cheesecake" popped off the Fruberry frozen yogurt menu as soon as I looked up. I was like, hell yeah! They liquefied cheesecake! This has to be a new awesome road to heart failure! As it turned out, it's just cheesecake flavored frozen yogurt. You can imagine the enormity of my burst bubble.

Fruberry offers two flavors: plain and cheesecake, available in cup or smoothie form with a small variety of toppings. I never knew how I longed for Fruity Pebbles on frozen yogurt until the option was presented before my very eyes. I also added strawberry and mango to my cheesecake-flavored, medium-sized frozen yogurt (all for under $5). The fruit was fresh and sweet, and the pebbles were as you would expect: totally awesome.

Fruberry looks right at home with the Adidas store down the street, but conflicts drastically with the adjacent dollar store. Although I enjoyed the experience (ambiance and cereal being the highlights), I still didn't understand the hype.

Dulci Mango Frozen Yogurt

Dulci Mango in Pacific Beach was my next stop. They too had a hip, ultra-modern interior/exterior, plus a patio featuring colorful furniture and tables with spinning tops (I assume for ease in sharing). In contrast with Fruberry, however, Dulci Mango has color everywhere. This was designed to appeal more to the college crowd and the late hours of operation. Free Wi-Fi connection certainly helps, but like its Downtown San Diego counterpart, Dulci Mango was also empty.

Dulci Mango had more variety, but no smoothies. I tried all four Dulcui Mango frozen yogurt flavors: Plain (the most popular), Green Tea, Mango (a sorbet) and Peanut Butter. Dulci Mango also had a greater selection of toppings (Captain Crunch!) and the fruit couldn't be any fresher. The frozen yogurt baristas actually had to take a break from cutting it up to help me. I had the Peanut Butter fozen yogurt in a medium-sized three-topping combo (candied nuts, Coco Pebbles and Captain Crunch) for just over $5.

While I was enjoying my frozen yogurt, two college-aged girls walked in with orders for four. They all ordered Plain or Green Tea with only one fruit topping each.

That's when it dawned on me. The frozen yogurt found at Dulci Mango and its counterparts is a "healthy alternative" food--famously known as CrackBerry. People can come here and consume food that tastes like an indulgence, but without the guilt. The Dulci Mango Plain frozen yogurt actually tastes like real plain yogurt (a little sour) and would appeal to the tastes of someone who likes to eat on the healthy side.

Combine that with the upscale décor, and you have an event. San Diego's new breed of frozen yogurt is not just a quick stop--it's an addictive destination.

Pinkberry Frozen Yogurt

The Pinkberry frozen yogurt website (www.pinkberry.com) lists its frozen yogurt's caloric capacity as only 25 an ounce, with virtually nothing else. In addition to frozen yogurt and smoothies, Pinkberry also offers shaved ice, described as "A bed of shaved ice, mixed fruit and pillows of mochi gently kissed with sweetened condensed milk, all hidden beneath a top hat of plain Pinkberry".

Be sure to stop by the Pinkberry website and check out the jingle. It's catchy, to say the least. The new Hillcrest Pinkberry will no doubt be sporting ‘round-the-corner lines in no time. . . right?

Honestly? I still prefer Yogurt Mill.