Swirl

I think I am pretty spoiled living in San Jose (say what you will about SJ but god damn do we have some good food) I usually go to Pinkberry, icebee, yogurtland, whipps and one other froyo shop DT. I feel like lately i have become some what of an authority, a yogurt veteran if you will, and i definitely feel like swirlz is pretty sub-​par…
I got the island coconut (SO BLAND. i am a coconut fan. i mean and coconut are BEST pals. You can better believe anywhere i go, if coconut is on the menu i am getting it). the three stars is only for the pomogranate-​raspberry sorbet. HOLY PANCAKES. that sorbet is the bees-​knees!!! It’s like a festival of flavor in my mouth!
ohhhhh the toppings.. .. such a let down. .. i am a mochi connoisseur and their mochi was super hard =[[[[ awkward. .. . the fruit toppings. WHAT?! only two??? WEAK. they had like 8 different chocolate toppings (just diff sizes).. ..

I’M CONFLICTED.
THIS PLACE HAS A REALLY REALLY REALLY GOOD SORBET FLAVOR.
but everything else fails to meet the amazingness that is that one sorbet flavor.
The raspberry-​berry flavored sorbet is SO GOOD, that when I went over with my sample cup, I probably poured out 6 inches of creamy deliciouness…
*licks tongue*
But really, it is so good. The woman after me took a cup, poured herself a full cup of that one flavor, paid, and left. no toppings, no nothing. The girls after me were raving about the sorbet too. YUM!
So of course I pour myself a heaping amount of sorbet. Happy? Almost.
The selection of toppings were DREADFUL.
The only fruits available were strawberries and peaches. That’s the most depressing selection of fruits I’ve ever seen at any froyo shop. Come on, even bananas and cantaloupes are dirt cheap and easy to obtain.
The topping area was not cleaned, there was peanuts and toppings spilled everywhere. One of the peanut-​containers didn’t have a scoop, so people were using other spoons to scoop. PEANUT ALLERGENS BEWARE!
The girl was talking to a friend and not really attentive. I always figured working at a froyo shop was one of the easiest jobs to do. You clean the counters, and weigh the cup, and take customer’s money. Apparently, it was too hard to do that as she was on the phone as she was weighing my cup. Meanwhile, the movie on the tv was waiting for someone to press «play.»
The décor is really cute and has a lot of artwork up. The chairs are cute to sit in. They have «eco-​friendly» spoons that you can use instead of plastic spoons.
Goddamn, my sorbet was delicious. I was contemplating getting another cup. 5 STARS FOR THE SORBET.
but the toppings… why??? I have to dock 2 stars for the dreadful toppings.
OH YEAH. AND 45 CENTS AN OUNCE. EX-​PEN-​SIVE!!!

This place is nothing special at all. There was only one girl working and she was too busy checking her Facebook on her MacBook Pro to greet us. Half of the yogurt machines weren’t working, and they weren’t even labeled as such. I know this because I pulled the lever for vanilla and the machine made a terrible noise that made me jump. The girl at the front came over and told me it was empty, and they were out. Really? Out of vanilla?
The flavors that were there were not impressive at all. The toppings were also lacking. Overall, I wouldn’t go back. I’d much rather go to marini’s across the street for something better tasting, with better service and better toppings.

I’ve had better frozen yogurt but for Santa Cruz, this is pretty good. I wish it didn’t melt so quickly sometimes though, but the upside of this place is that you can make your own combination of frozen yogurt. They have six flavors usually and you can mix and match however you like. Afterwards, you can add whatever toppings you like. I like it because I can choose how much of everything I want, since I love extra mochi =) It’s a cute place to go hang out at if you have nothing to do and it’s good for dessert!

The yogurt here does not have the consistency and thickness of most other Asian-​owned yogurt places. I was not ready for that…
Also it is pretty expensive and they never have a good variety of fruit toppings. The atmosphere is a little weird, especially with the seating arrangements and the way the place is set up.
I tried it once. not going back.

I’d give Swirl 3.5 stars, but I’ll round up to 4 in this case. This place has self-​serve frozen yogurt and a number of toppings you can place in your froyo and the weigh your cup. Sounds like the typical froyo place. In fact, it’s so typical I forget that it exists as a froyo option.
Their flavors change as well. I really wanted to try their red velvet but I haven’t gotten a chance.
Their environment is really nice, and the location is convenient when and only when you are downtown. This isn’t really the type of place to go out of your way for because there isn’t really anything amazing about this place unless you want a really nice and cute environment to enjoy your frozen yogurt. If that’s the case, then this is your destination.

Good nonfat tart and a big space but there were only 2 fruit options, sorry I don’t want to load up on candy.

i’d give this place 3 stars for:
–GIGANTIC sample cups (you need a spoon to use them…)
–self serve
–ample seating
–gigantic cups
–average to creamy-​texture froyo
–swirl options = cool
an extra star for:
–nondairy (!!) nonfat froyo — kiwi strawberry! yay for vegan friendly froyo that was not chalky!
my only suggestions are…
–froyo would dispense just a tad slower– my reflexes just aren’t fast enough for the fat tube of yogurt that comes out of those machines
–a few more flavors (there were 6 this time)
–more tart flavor in the tart (original and mango) — it was more creamy and sweet than tart
–a few cents less per oz please — this was an average price at 45c/​oz
–more fruit offerings… i only saw pineapple, kiwi, strawberry, mango (not quite ripe); although, decent number of non-​fruit options

Seriously, the machines are kinda wacko.
I’ve been here a few times and I think at least two times one of the machines weren’t functioning correctly. And of course it happened to be on the only decent flavors. Aside from that, it’s a good yogurt shop. Just nothing groundbreaking. It’s pretty consistent with alot of the newer pop up forzen yogurt places.
The staff is nice tho, and it’s a good place to chill on Pacific if you need to escape the crowd on the street.
The spot is pretty cool, and different.

great atmosphere, good selection of yogurt flavors and toppings.
I have never tried sorbet style froyo so it was an experience. First froyo place ever which serves, sorbet, low fat and regular froyo. Absolutely loved the vanilla bean yogurt. Mango sorbet was a downer as i could tell it was low fat (low in flavor as well).
I liked how they ad broken down toppings section by dry fruit, fresh fruit and junk food. made selection way easier. If i am ever in the area i am coming in again for vanilla bean and blueberry.
the weigh by ounce

This place just purely rocks. The staff are ALWAYS friendly and nice, the fro yo is consistently tasty and their selection of topping are fabulous.
I love the fact that I can put whatever amount of fro yo in the cup and put whatever flavor in their as well. Plus, they tend to have great flavors such as the classic, tart, and my favorite mango tart.
The place is pretty adorable as well with bright colors and sweet furniture.
This is the frozen yogurt place to go!

This place is great! Yogurt is creamy and delicious, theres a plethora of toppings, its self serve, and its not over priced. I love it.
I suppose it wouldnt hurt to have a wider variety of flavors, but the times I’ve gone I’ve been satisfied with the selection. yay swirl!

Good flavors n great toppings… Need I say more!?! :)

This place is slightly better than Froyo. It’s actually self serve and there are more choices for you to choose from! The yogurt is not as icy. it’s creamier. The interior isn’t as plain as Froyo so that’s a plus. It’s not bad but it’s not the best I’ve tasted either.

I haven’t really been back to Santa Cruz ever since I finished school there a year ago but I found myself down there twice over the course of my winter break back home.
I noticed that it’s in the location that used to be Cereality!
Anyway, I got a cup with eggnog, candy cane/​peppermint, tart original and pineapple tart yogurts. The price was pretty cheap ($ 3.40ish including toppings) and the yogurt was nice and smooth.
While the eggnog tasted like eggnog and the candy cane had a nice cool minty zing, the pineapple tart however, was my favorite hands down. It reminds me of Dole Whip from the Dole Pineapple Plantation… sooooo refreshing, tart and creamy. I think I may have a new favorite frozen yogurt flavor!

I like Swirl more than places like Froyo because they let you serve however much you want. Often I go to Froyo just wanting an after-​lunch treat and I ask for a small and they give me about twenty pounds. At Swirl you can help yourself to the yogurt and toppings, and it’s weighed and paid for as usual. Wide selection of toppings, friendly staff, and those windows/​doors/​walls that open up are just way too cool for school.

This is the best concept for a fro-​yo place ever! Your serve your own yogurt choosing from 6 different flavors then top it with whatever you want from the bar. So many good toppings to choose from! Lots of fresh fruit, and plenty of candy choices, and a few different types of cereal/​fruit/​nuts/​healthy stuff.
Once you’ve loaded it up they weigh it. I paid just $ 2.20 for a perfect fro-​yo. I LOVE this place and will be back tomorrow before leaving.
So delicious! mmm thank you Swirl.

So I might need to go back for a reassurance… but I’m pretty sure this is my new favorite froyo spot in the Cruz. Let’s talk about what makes this place better than the other trendy froyo spots that are floating around the area:
1.) Its Self serve… I can be a control freak, so why be half assed and only let me self serve my toppings? LET ME POUR MY OWN YOGURRRRRT. Thank you :)
2.) I walked up to the register thinking I was going to cry from buyers remorse and it turned out I only served myself 2.10 worth of food. My friend’s cup was overflowing with yogurt/​toppings and his cost 4.30…either there are specials right now or this is decently priced froyo!
3.) What? More than just Tart, Vanilla, +1 Random fruit flavor??? 6 FLAVORS? WITH ROTATING SELECTIONS? I didn’t relalize froyo could have variety… finally.
Its a little creamier/​sweeter than the other places. Definitely not the iced down froyo spot… be sure to ask for some free samples because there’s a lot to try. I dig. 5 stars pending if it scores big again next time!!!

As most of you may know, I am a huge fan of self-​swirl froyo spots! So to my delight, we were able to get our swirl on at this newly opened froyo shop on a beautiful day in SC.
While there were only 4 froyo flavors to choose from (original tart, pineapple tart, chocolate and vanilla), there were loads of toppings to create that perfect chilly treat. We got a cup of original tart and chocolate, and kept it simple with some super soft mochi and called it a day.
Since you pay by the ounce, it came out to less than $ 2.50. The original tart tasted very much like tart yogurt, and the chocolate was silky smooth.
I love the large bright, contemporary space. I’m sure this place will get super busy when it gets even warmer. A nice new addition to Pac Ave!

Stood in line
Waiting for something magical?
In the warmth
Realized it was for free froyo!
Look at the girl with a giant froyo cup!
FREE Froyo today from 11am-​2pm for their grand opening! :D $.35/​oz. otherwise.
Today, I decided to venture through Santa Cruz knowing that there wasn’t anything grand happening this weekend. Just planned to window shop on Pacific Ave. While having breakfast at Zachary’s, I saw a woman next to us reading the Metro and it just happened to have a full color page ad of a giant froyo cup! ahaha That caught my attention! O_​O So I turned to that page and it said FREE froyo today until 2pm! I couldn’t believe it! I couldn’t have come at a better day! It was already 1:15pm! Power walked four blocks up! And luckily the line wasn’t as crazy as I’d thought!
The store was extremely busy with many bodies inside! It felt extremely warm! Got to the froyo machine… 6 flavors. Peanut butter, something choco/​I couldn’t have, golden gate chocolate, french crème, original tart, and blueberry tart. Remember? I can’t have chocolate… So I ended up getting Original Tart and Blueberry Tart. I didn’t realize how fast the yogurt came out of the machine! This huge melting blob! Couldn’t add much toppings to the not so many toppings there… mochi balls were soft!, yogurt chips were super crunchy in the cold froyo! Wish they had put out some of their fresh fruit topping… but I understand it was opening day. Overall I didn’t quite like the taste of the original or the blueberry. =\ It was just a melting messy mush. The original didn’t taste tart enough and the blueberry had this grape aftertaste.
I think this place needs some time to work things out. Maybe the taste will get better and more toppings will be available. But I’m happy that it was free today! It was a nice froyo taste tester.