Various frozen yogurt shops provide unique epicurean experiences

Should one be trapped in Saratoga during the summer, frozen yogurt presents a cool, delicious escape from the heat. Countless available yogurt shops present the perfect opportunity to deviate from the traditional Yogurtland and Pinkberry.

Delatti:

Delatti, located in downtown Los Gatos across from Domus, offers six rather traditional flavors: chocolate, vanilla, pomegranate tart, mango tart, original tart, and blueberry tart. A large selection of toppings include fresh fruit, mochi and a myriad of candies.

The yogurt itself was refreshingly tart, the store’s fruit flavors coming across as particularly exemplary. The mochi and fruit toppings were fresh and tasty, as well.

The yogurt machines line one wall alongside a fascinating instant noodle machine that was, sadly, out of order. Besides self-serve yogurt, Delatti offers a range of smoothies, iced teas, and other cold and hot drinks at prices ranging from $3 to $5. The yogurt itself sells for $0.39 an ounce.

The store’s setting is definitely a plus. Besides an area of unconventional chairs, a plethora of tables and chairs were available both within the well-lit store and outside on a concrete patio.

Overall, Delatti’s amiable environment and palatable products provided for a pleasant, enjoyable yogurt experience most certainly worth partaking in.

Rating: 4/5

Happy Yogurt:

Happy Yogurt, also in downtown Los Gatos, offers the classic tart, strawberry, chocolate, peach mango tart and cookies and cream yogurt, all nonfat. A sizable amount of toppings are also available, including candy, fruit, mochi and jelly.

The yogurt’s texture is smooth and emulative of ice cream, and the peach mango tart flavor was rather delicious. However, some of the other options fell short. The strawberry yogurt’s overwhelmingly artificial taste was less than satisfactory. Additionally, though the majority of the toppings were of a decent caliber, the pineapple tasted bitter and fermented, suggesting thProxy-Connection: keep-alive
Cache-Control: max-age=0

it was not necessarily fresh.

Happy Yogurt, like Delatti, sells yogurt for $0.39 an ounce in a self-serve manner. However, beyond yogurt, no other foodstuffs are available for purchase, thus limiting the potential scope of one’s culinary adventure.

Ultimately, Happy Yogurt seemed rather sad; the small, constricted shop, though clean and modern with lovely glass tiles, utilized poor, artificial lighting. The store was utterly devoid of people as well, save for the awkward, lonely college student behind the counter.

Overall, Happy Yogurt failed to please, falling short in almost every regard.

Rating: 2 out of 5

Yumi Yogurt:

Yumi Yogurt, located next to the under-construction Safeway in the other side of downtown Los Gatos, has flavors change daily. On the particular day I visited, they offered Vanilla Malt, Chocolate Classic, pie-flavored “Pie Overload,” fruity “Razzdango,” toffee-tasting “Butter Brinckle” and Cookies and Cream. In addition to the myriad of candy toppings, “flavor bursts” are also available, which incorporate flavored syrups, such as orange or strawberry, on the edges of the yogurt swirls.

Yumi Yogurt differs dramatically from typical yogurt places. The yogurt is made and sold in an old fashioned manner, bearing the closest resemblance to typical ice cream. The shop’s traditional take causes it to stand out from its competitors.

Rather than self-serve, the yogurt is piled into impeccable, picturesque spiral towers by the notably pleasant staff members. Flavors can still be mixed upon request. Additionally, yogurt may be purchased in cones rather than traditional cups. The yogurt prices range from $3.75 to $4.75, depending on the size purchased and toppings, which cost an additional dollar each.

Unlike the majority of frozen yogurt shops, Yumi Yogurt does not attempt to be modern, embracing instead a warmer, more traditional style. The menu is written across various hanging chalkboards, and the shop offers regular ice cream, shaved ice, smoothies, coffee and bakery items in addition to frozen yogurt. The space is wide, with quaint wooden tables and stools inside and several other tables outdoors.

Rather than trying to be trendy, Yumi Yogurt presents itself as a community-friendly establishment, with a variety of people, including small children, teenagers and elderly ladies, filtering through to indulge in their delicious frozen yogurt. Ultimately, Yumi Yogurt provides a refreshing change of pace.

Rating: 5/5

The three shops all offer different experiences, so this summer indulge in a frozen yogurt adventure or two and try something new.