Yocake - Rockville, MD

Happy Memorial Day Weekend guys! Soooo I'm supposed to be getting "bikini ready", however there's a Yocake a few minutes away from me that's open until 10pm on Fri-Sat...oh my waistline. Their original location in Montgomery Mall opened in 2009, and congrats to them for expanding to a freestanding store in Rockville and soon in Dupont Circle. 

The Rockville store has limited parking in front, but I've never had a problem finding a parking space. Plus, people have been making their own spaces by parking wherever they want.

The exterior looks completely different compared to the interior. Dark bricks covering the whole building bring an old, closed-off feeling, but the bright, white and modern decor is refreshing and gender neutral. Some cupcake places can be a bit girlie, but the bf doesn't feel out of place there!

Yocake combines two of the biggest food fads ever - frozen yogurt and cupcakes. Such a simple yet brilliant concept. My cousin ordered their signature YoCake, which is (as the name suggests) a cupcake with frozen yogurt on top ($3.95). You can add toppings for an additional cost. If you just want frozen yogurt, they have up to 9 non-fat and low-fat flavors.

They bake their cupcakes on site daily and there's always 12-16 different flavors to choose from. I've been a couple of times, and have tried the typical flavors like vanilla, chocolate, red velvet and honestly compared to other cupcakeries in the area, those flavors don't stand out. However, their fruity flavors are where it's at. Individual cupcakes are $2.75 each. We got the Buy 5, Get 1 Free for $13.75.   

We originally came in because I wanted ONE cupcake as an after dinner dessert. Welp, I got 1/2 dozen. My favorite is the Lemon Burst (lemon cake with lemon cream cheese as the filling and frosting) because their amazing frosting is also injected into the cupcake making it extra moist. The bf's fav is the Neapolitan (vanilla cake with chocolate filling and strawberry frosting). Aside from digging the combo of flavors, the frosting is great. 

An assortment of French Macarons ($1.30 each) are also offered. I tried their Pistachio flavor, which was very sweet. They are smaller than I'm typically used to, making them kind of pricey.

Overall, I love the hours because I'm always craving sweets, so when we're bored late at night, the bf and I can stop in for a treat. The staff is always very helpful and friendly. They have a good variety of options. Their cupcakes are a great price, however I like getting my frozen yogurt at places that charge by the ounce.

838-C Rockville Pike
Rockville, MD 20852
(301) 309-0863
http://www.yocake.com

16 Handles - Gaithersburg, MD

It's the season for... frozen yogurt! If you guys have been following me on Twitter, you know that last summer I would eat a 1lb of froyo for lunch once a week at Caliyogurt. I was an addiction. Recently the bf and I went to Rio to try 16 Handles because the 16 self-serving flavors reminded me of Yogurtland during our SoCal trip. There is a garage and parking lots around the town center, but not directly next to the place. The closest metro stop is Shady Grove on the red line.

It's so pretty and bright on the inside! As you can see above, there isn't much seating.

They charge $.49 an ounce of yogurt/toppings, $.60 of just toppings and $1 for a waffle bowl. Not all of the flavors are non-fat as some are simply low-fat.
The 16 flavors change depending upon availability, but when we went some of the flavors were:
Angel Food Cake
Red Velvet Cake
Peanut Butter
Cookies and Cream
Birthday Cake
Vanilla
Euro Tart
Green Tea
Strawberry
Original
Blackberry
Mango

The mini screens shows the flavor and the nutritional value! The most high tech frozen yogurt dispenser I've seen yet.

They offer around 40 toppings too including cheesecake and brownie bites.

The bf and I had opposite types of froyo. I had all fruity flavors with mochi and fruit toppings...

he tried all of the cake flavors topped with candy and cheesecake bites.

This place is almost, if not as good as my favorite place (Caliyogurt) because the flavors are intense. The consistency isn't runny and is creamier rather than icy. The only minor issue is the lack of "Asian" flavors. I like my taro and lychee. Same thing with the toppings, there weren't lychee or longan fruits. I plan on going back often when the weather gets hotter!

215 Boardwalk Place
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
(240) 386-8692

Sweetgreen- Bethesda, MD

One of my coworkers eats here every week, so when I was in Bethesda for a lazy afternoon with the bf and doggie, I grabbed lunch at Sweetgreen. It's a customizable salad and frozen yogurt place. There is a metered parking garage down the street and metered street parking that are free on the weekends.

I loved the decor. I'm a wanna-be tree hugger, so the green and bamboo inspired decor was nice. There isn't much seating aside from 2 benched tables, and a small round table. There are a couple tables and benches outside, which is where we ate lunch.

Their menu consists of signature salads, mix-your-own, soups and tart frozen yogurt. If you create your own salad, you get to choose greens, 3 veggies, a crunch a dressing for $6. Add a meat for $2-3 and cheese for $1.
They have some unique salad items like brie, mint, baked falafel, wasabi peas, and black truffle oil. Their tart frozen yogurt is $2-$7 and each topping is $.50.

It was too overwhelming for me to pick, so I went with the 'Guacamole Greens (mesclun with roasted chicken, avocado, grape tomatoes, red onion, crushed tortilla chips; topped with a lime cilantro jalapeno vinaigrette & a fresh lime squeeze) for $9.50.It was a really good salad. It was large enough that I could only finish 2/3 of it and gave the rest to the bf. I like onions, but I could've done with a little bit less.

The line was very long, kind of slow. The portions are large but seriously, close to $10 for a salad is expensive. I didn't get to try the yogurt, but I saw a lot of people buying it. There is a separate line if you just want froyo. I would come back because it tasted good, but I couldn't afford to make it a routine visit. Apparently there's a Sweetgreen truck too!

4831 Bethesda Ave
Bethesda, MD 20814
(301) 654-7336
Website
Mon - Sun: 11am - 10pm

Greenberry- Rockville, MD

*Update: 9/19/10 - Drove by and this was the sign on both sides of the place and inside! I'm confused, haha. Below is the original review.

I thought I'd never do another frozen yogurt place until I received a coupon for Greenberry in the mail. So after reviewing Yogiberry, Mr. Yogato, Caliyogurt, and YogiCastle, here's another! I'm going to bet this isn't my last one either because they're popping up like Starbucks. This place is located in Mid Pike Plaza so there is plenty of free parking. The closest metro is White Flint on the red line. They offer outdoor seating too.

The decor is cute and trendy. Lots of modern furniture and chairs of different heights. There are regular tables, bar stools for the wall, and short egg shaped chairs.

They offer 4 flavors: Original Tart, Strawberry, Chocolate and a Weekly Special (Pomegranate).
Sizes: 5oz- $2.95, 8oz- $3.95, 14oz- $5.95.
Toppings: 1- $.95, 2- $1.49, 3- $1.75. Cool topping: Ferrero Rocher $.75. This seems random but delicious!

Besides just the yogurt with toppings, you can get a Parfait:
9oz yogurt, 2 toppings with fruit on the bottom ($4.95) or 16oz yogurt, 3 toppings with fruit on the bottom ($6.75).

They also offer 5 different types of Smoothies:
GB Smoothie (strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, and blackberry)- $5.25.
Equator mix (pineapple, melon, banana)- $4.85
Peachy Mango (mango, peach)- $4.85,
Banana & Berries (banana, strawberry, blueberry, raspberry)- $5.25
Strawberry Peach (strawberry, peach, vanilla)- $? (Sorry, it's around the other prices)
Or you can choose your own smoothie concoction: choice of 3 toppings= $4.95. Each topping after is $.65.

The bf ordered a 'GB Smoothie- Yogurt blend with Strawberry, Blueberry, Raspberry, and Blackberry' for $5.25.' It was good, kind of thin and not too sweet.

For my free yogurt, I ordered 'Pomegranate Yogurt with Mango topping'. I like how they put the toppings in between the yogurt so it doesn't fall off. The Pomegranate yogurt was SO GOOD. It wasn't very tart, but the flavor was so delicious and the texture was so smooth. Loved it.

We got this coupon in our ValPak, but you can get it online too: Greenberry Coupon

I thought it was a cute place. There is a lot of room for hanging out with friends. The decor is trendy and clean. The staff was nice, and they offered the normal things like cereal toppings, candy, etc. They did have some unique items: rainbow mochi, Ferrero Rocher and Parfaits. My only gripe is the price...expensive. Its very comparable to YogiBerry, where an 8oz with 3 toppings is 71 cents/oz. Caliyogurt (45 cents) and YogiCastle (39 cents) with toppings. Bring a coupon if you go.

11802-F Rockville Pike
Rockville, MD 20852
(301) 231-0133
Mon-Sat: 10am- 10pm
Sun: 10am-9pm

Yogi Castle- Gaithersburg, MD

This frozen yogurt craze is getting out of hand! Literally across the street from Caliyogurt is a new place called Yogi Castle. I stopped by during lunch (hence, the Iphone photos) to see if I liked it more than Caliyogurt (my current favorite). Located in a shopping center, there is plenty of parking. The closest metro stop would be Shady Grove on the red line.

Upon entering, I found the place to be really small and narrow. This is the front that has 1-2 small tables.

This is the main area with the yogurt machines and bar seating against the wall. This is a self-serve yogurt place at 39 cents an ounce. Caliyogurt is 45 cents per ounce.
They offer 8 flavors:
Cheesecake
Strawberry
Vanilla
Peanut Butter
Cookies & Cream
Original Tart
Banana
Chocolate

Their toppings bar had the essential items like fruits, chocolate chips, cereal, mochi, etc.

Being an adult has its perks, like eating dessert for lunch if you want!

I'm a big fan of fruity yogurts, therefore Yogi Castle didn't suit my taste. Most of their yogurt flavors were more 'creamy' rather than 'fruity'. I think I tried 7 of them just to test them out, and the cheesecake one isn't bad. I like that it's the cheapest place I've been to, so if Caliyogurt wasn't across the street, I'd stop by more often just to get the Original Tart flavor.

12209 Darnestown Rd
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
(301) 355-7800
Website

Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Caliyogurt- Gaithersburg, MD

UPDATE 6/12/12 - Went back over the weekend after a while and they have a total of 8 flavors including non-fruity ones. They also offer bubble tea, shaved ice and crepes!
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Hi everyone! Frozen yogurt places are all the craze right now. It's usually fat-free, comes in different flavors and you can customize your toppings. I've been to 4 different places in the area (Yogi Berry, Mr. Yogato, Yogi Castle) and Caliyogurt is by FAR my favorite.
Located in a shopping center right next to Quince Orchard HS, there is a small parking lot, but I've never seen it full. The closest metro stop would be Shady Grove on the red line.

The interior is clean and modern looking. Its actually the biggest one I've been too. It could hold a good number of people at once.

I love all of the cool seating. In the front there are tables with comfy, adjustable swivle chairs. I always sit there.

If you stop by with a couple friends, they have semi-private cubicles in different colors with more chairs. Those have electrical outlets, so people bring in laptops to use with their free WiFi.

This is the last seating section in the back near the yogurt.

One of the reasons I like this place is because its self-serve. They have free cups, and waffle cones for 75 cents each. They charge you by the weight of your yogurt and toppings at 45 cents an ounce. They have tiny sample cups at the register.

The yogurt comes in 6 fat-free flavors (chocolate, blackberry, mango, honeydew, pink grapefruit, passion fruit, original) that can change depending on the day. They also offer swirled/combined flavors on the machines that have connecting flavors. For example, blackberry and chocolate share a machine, so you can get them swirled together.

The toppings bar is huge my opinion. There are a lot of toppings like fruits, cereals, chocolate chips, cookies, bubble tea bubbles, mochi, etc.

This was my 1st creation, and seriously after I ate it ...I bought another one!

I think they have AMAZING yogurt flavors. Mango and honeydew swirled together is my favorite. I love loading on whatever toppings I want too. Aside from just yogurt, they offer shaved iced for $7.50, smoothies for $4.95, Yogi-fondue for $15, and an assortment of teas. Also on the back of their business card they will give you a free 'under 10 oz.' yogurt if you buy 9 'over 10 oz.' yogurts. I've become addicted to this place, sometimes buying it as my lunch!

12158 Darnestown Road
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
301-208-2020
Website

Summer (Apr-Oct): Mon-Thurs: Noon-10PM
Fri-Sat: Noon-11PM
Sun: Noon-8PM
Winter (Nov-Mar): Mon-Thurs: Noon-9PM
Fri-Sat: Noon- 11PM
Sun: Closed

Mr. Yogato- Dupont Circle, DC

The same night the bf and I had dinner at Nando's Peri Peri, we all decided to get frozen yogurt at Mr. Yogato. What a cool name!!

It's another tangy frozen yogurt that has been springing up around the area, like YogiBerry in Rockville. There is limited street parking around the place, but it's a couple blocks away from Dupont Metro station on the Red Line. This is what it looks like on the outside. It's in one of the older buildings in Dupont, which I like because it gives it character.

The place is TINY. You're seeing the entire thing because we were sitting at the table next to the window. Seating is very limited and sometimes child-sized.

Here's the view from the other side of the place. It reminds me of a children's dental office with small tables, painted walls, and games. There was a couple playing on an original Nintendo.

They have one register and a small back kitchen. So as you can see from the 1st picture of the interior, the line can get a bit long.

What I liked about this place was that it was cheaper than YogiBerry. They have 2 standard flavors (original soft, original tangy) and 2 weekly ones (cosmé-granate, saori's choco-delicious were the flavors when we went).

Little (5 oz) $3.00, Middle (8 oz) $4.00, Huge (12 oz) $5.00

Toppings (candies, cereals, fruits, nuts, sprinkles): One $1.00, Two $1.50, Three $1.75

FYI, all of the toppings on the top of the counter are FREEEEEEE! Very awesome except some of them include Old Bay, Olive Oil, Basil, etc. I wouldn't want some of that stuff in my Fro-Yo, but to each his own =)

They like to have fun at this place. You can get discounts on your orders if you can complete any of the items on the 'Rules of Yogato' list. How cool would that be to have a flavor named after you?!

The bf got the Original Soft with Oreo pieces. It was mild in flavor, and less 'yogurty' compared to mine.

I on the other hand like the tanginess, so I ordered the Original Tangy with Kiwi and Mango. I wanted something refreshing and it really hit the spot.

One of our friends ordered a weekly flavor, topped it off with gummy bears, and then went nuts with the free toppings.

Our other friend got the Original Soft (I believe) with raspberries and mandarin oranges.

The boys were playing baseball checkers before we started eating. It's a great place to just hang out, listen to the music playing, and beat your friends at board games.

We also played like 3 games of Boggle, lol.

This place is great to just let loose. Its a fun atmosphere because of the music, games and 'Yogato Rules'. Its an affordable place that offers free toppings. Lastly it is great tasting frozen yogurt. Compared to ones I have tasted in the past, the flavors are overall less tangy and more creamy, which is better for fooling your brain into thinking this is ice cream. I love that all the flavors are non-fat and only 30 calories per ounce.
If you're not in the mood to eat anything, they also offer drinks such as teas ($2), and customizable hot chocolate ($3).

1515 17th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
202.629.3531
Website

Sunday - Thursday: noon - 11pm
Friday - Saturday: noon - 1am