Downtown Yogurt

This store so close to the Grove St. Path Station probably gets good business due to its proximity and the mouthwatering photos of the artisanal doughnuts in its window. Unfortunately, the pics were much better than the real thing. Pickiest Sis was appropriately disgruntled, after having bought two, the Bananas Foster and the Rainbow Cookie, and was told they were $ 3 and then had to shell out $ 5 for the Rainbow Cookie One. Yes it was larger, so maybe that was the reason for the $ 5, but woe for us, the Rainbow Cookie doughnut tasted like it had cheap artificial almond extract in its almond paste layer and too much of it. I bit into the soft, fresh doughnut, enjoyed myself for a moment, before the horrific taste of Duco Cement hit my palate. I almost gagged and had to spit out the piece. Sis took and bite, tasted the same, and looked murderous. The doughnut itself was moist and fresh and maybe another flavor would have been better. We had no desire to taste the other doughnut. If sis gives it a better review, I will change the rating. For now, I would say, avoid the doughnuts, stick to the Froyo and if you are tempted, do not buy the Rainbow one.

Haven’t we all, at some point in time, been obsessed with frozen yogurt?
I certainly was– circa 2012. Nowadays I indulge only when the craving hits, which is usually when I want something sweet and relatively «healthy» and there happens to be a frozen yogurt spot nearby. Now, I don’t know how healthy it is to douse my yogurt in sweet mango boba, mochi, and «cannoli cream» but whatever, live and let live.
Sadly the yogurts offered here are not that great. The staff is really nice and don’t skimp on tasters so it is from an overindulgent and knowledgeable perspective that I say the best yogurts offered here are the pineapple and the «Parisian tarte». Coincidentally they are placed next to each other so make it a swirl (the middle lever) and thank me later.
Unfortunately the mochi offered was strange tasting and a bit bitter, but the boba was as sweet and juicy as I expected. The cannoli cream was strange as hell and didn’t taste like cannoli cream but more of an overly sweet ricotta cheese– don’t ask me why I ate it anyway.
Overall, this spot serves it’s purpose: to satisfy a frozen yogurt craving.
Indoor seating is limited here but there’s plenty of outdoor seating which people are obsessed with in downtown JC (even when it’s 50 degrees out).

After moving to JC, I’ve decided to get acquainted with the ice cream/​gelato places in the new ‘hood. I am extremely fond of ice cream, and after saying goodbye to my beloved Il Laboratorio del Gelato, I was desperately in need to find a replacement. I have tried four places in the area thus far, and instead of reviewing them individually, I thought it would be useful to compare them against each other.
I have listed them by preference, starting with my favorite:
Bucket & Bay Craft Gelato — I’ve visited this place the most, and is the one that I generally take visiting friends to. As I mentioned above, Il Laboratorio del Gelato was my favorite place in the city, thus, I am fairly biased toward a artisanal gelato place. Bucket & Bay has the most unique flavors and my absolute favorite is Purple Sticky Rice. However, even just the simple vanilla is amazing. Also, you have to try it with the homemade waffle cones, they are the best waffle cones I’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting. There are usually new flavors every few weeks and I always make an effort to try them. To be fair, I am not a huge fan of the alcohol infused flavors, but that’s just because I prefer to drink my alcohol instead of eating them. Lastly, the service here is always friendly and helpful. The only downside is that it is fairly pricey for gelato, but given the fact that they make everything in-​house and the freshness of the ingredients, it’s worth the splurge.
Downtown Yogurt — my second favorite place and the only one that charges by weight. This is where I go when I want variety, I love the fact that I can mix and match as many flavors as I want, and the toppings here are so delicious. My favorite flavors are pineapple, strawberry shortcake and salted caramel pretzel. As for the toppings, you have to try the cheesecake bites, they are insanely delicious.
Torico Ice Cream — I love the vast amount of flavors at this place, there are usually more than 30 flavors (I think) each day, which is staggering. Also, I love the fact that they have interesting exotic flavors that you rarely see elsewhere, such as jackfruit and mamey. I personally like lychee and ginger. However, I prefer the gelato/​frozen yogurt from the two places mentioned above. Also, there is generally a long line here and the service could be slow, which is understandable given the amount of ice cream being offered here. I once waited more than 20 minutes here as the people in front of me were trying numerous flavors, or ordering milk shakes, which could take awhile. I think this would be the place for you if you are looking for good old fashioned ice cream.
Milk Sugar Love — I have to preface the review of this place by stating that I’ve only been here once, in comparison to 20+ times at Bucket & Bay or 5 times at Torico, so take what I say with a grain of salt. The reason why I only came once is that I personally felt the ice cream here is too sweet. I’ve tried earl grey fudge and Thai tea in a waffle cone, as well as a chocolate chip ice cream sandwich. I thought they were all too sweet and waffle cone wasn’t as tasty as the ones from Bucket & Bay. The service here is great, the woman behind the counter was helpful in making recommendations.

I came here this evening with my boyfriend after dinner and we should’ve passed. Yes they have a good amount of flavors however, it was nothing special. They flavors were bland, but the toppings made up for it. Let’s just say if I’m on grove street again and I have an option of a different place I’d go there.

Dole Whip Float. Enough said. If you’ve ever been to Disneyland — you’d understand. The owners have also mentioned it’s from the same distributor. Thankful that I no longer have to wait on longgggg lines at Disneyland to get my fix!

I like the toppings more than the yoghurt: p. Would like to see more variety in the yoghurt flavors. Overall a cute small place that’s worth every buck.

Absolutely LOVEEEE this place.
Its right next to my house and I go there so often!
Their fro-​yo flavors are delicious. I love salted caramel pretzel and cake batter and strawberry shortcake.
They have great topping choices as well.
My fav one being nutella crunch and boba.
Def recommend this place for dessert.

Downtown Yogurt is the BEST! I look forward to treating myself here more often than I’d like to admit and I am never disappointed. I love adding fruit as a topping to my froyo and they always have the freshest fruit which I truly appreciate. The staff is always extremely friendly and the owners are the NICEST family. I also got a frozen yogurt birthday cake from here this year and it was probably the best thing I’ve ever had in my life. I’ve yet to try the delicious looking donuts they have displayed in the window, but I’ve heard they are as yummy
as the frozen yogurt. I highly recommend Downtown! This place adds happiness to my life!

The Dole Whip is divine. Where else are you going to find that except Disney? Nice variety of toppings, clean, good service. I’ll be back!

Only came here because I found out there was one non dairy option and it’s in my neighborhood. It’s pineapple, and it’s delicious. but I wish there was a non dairy/​vegan vanilla option… hint hint hint.
Cheaper than my usual 16 Handles. Nice topping selection. Got a little grossed out when I saw the chick behind the counter sniffing the fruit for freshness. I guess anything sitting out in the open all day is questionable. but I like this place. Just wish there was another non dairy n option instead of being stuck with just pineapple.

Came here after dinner, wanted something sweet like a donut but didn’t want what they usually have at dunkin donuts…
And the donuts at this fro yo look amazing at the window and that’s what lured me in…
They have many flavors too many to decide… I decided on the banana pecan Boston crème and hubby got hot chocolate.
No complaints, my donut was great and not super sweet…
On the other hand my hubby’s hot chocolate wasn’t bad but boy was it sweet… Definitely got cavities after drinking the hot chocolate…
Service was great. the girls on duty were very helpful despite the long line, the girl on the register helped me decide on what donut to get and had a smile on her face the whole time …
Overall I would definitely come back to try their other donuts and try the yogurt.

For a great snack after dinner, this is my go too. Not usually packed which is nice but they always give you free samples to try their on-​going rotational flavor.
Staff is above superb and they’re extremely helpful.
You can never go wrong with a cup of chocolate with peanut butter toppings.
They’re just as delicious as 16 handles!

Stopped here on my way home from Brooklyn… Had the Cake Batter mixed with Cookies and Cream topped with pecans, oreos, cookie dough bites, crushed Reese’s peanut butter cups, and some waffe cone bit’s. My boyfriend had the Salted Pretzel Caramel topped with I am not 100% sure what he actually put in his however he did top it with Caramel.
Whatever sweetness your palette is craving it will be fulfilled. You can even get a warm Brownie or Blondie! #yum

*** Fully stocked yogurt options and toppings, Fast customer service ***
This place is small, but it still packs a ton of yogurt options and topping for you to choose from. Similar to other make-​your-​own-​yogurt places, this place doesn’t differ much. There is seating inside and outside the place.

Came in for desert after lunch. There isn’t much seating. It’s your typical self serve froyo place, where you’re charged by total weight of frozen yogurt and toppings. They have dairy free options here, specifically the pineapple and watermelon sorbets. Both were good.
My favorite topping here are the walnuts in honey.

I’ve been to Downtown Yogurt once before just to grab a frozen cookie sandwich. This was my first time coming in for actual fro-​yo and toppings, and after my subpar experience I’m not sure if I’ll be back in again anytime soon.
In all fairness, once it was time to actually eat the fro-​yo, it was sweet and delicious. Icy and creamy peanut butter flavored goodness definitely warrants more then two stars– that’s fo sho. It was low-​fat and I couldn’t even taste a difference which deserves major props in my book. The process leading up to the actual eating experience really rubbed me the wrong way, and because of that this review is a two star.
The topping bar was really sparse and picked over, and when I politely asked the employee on duty if she could refill the cookie dough she hastily told me that she would get around to it. She then proceeded to spend the next 15 minutes hanging out with her friend and giving him a free sample of just about every fro-​yo flavor on deck. :sigh:
On a busy summer night at 10:00 there should be plenty of toppings available to feed the crowd. Between that and the snarky service I’m not sure if I’ll be making the trip back. Although the line at Torico is usually super long, it’s probably always popping off for a reason. I’ll have to wait it out next time for some better quality and service.

I’m not the most adventurous person nor do I like to indulge in sweets as much as the rest of the world but I do love me some froyo. Initially when Downtown Yogurt opened, I was pretty indifferent.
I am not a huge fan of their crazy and out of the box flavors like salted pretzel or strawberry shortcake but I do love the classic Parisian Tart. It’s not too milky and not too tart and most importantly it doesn’t taste like watered down milk.
If you are curious take a sample before you commit. Although it’s a bit strange you have to ask a worker to get the sample for you.
They have a great toppings bar full of fresh fruits, popping boba, mochi, bite sized pieces of different cakes, crushed candies and chocolate in various forms. Look atop the case and you will find bottles and bottles of candies, sprinkles, chocolate chips, etc. There are a variety of different sauces you can top off your masterpiece with such as hot fudge, caramel and even crushed up nutter butter (my fav)! They have cereal too but it’s off to the side near where the cups are and where the freshly made waffle cups are.
They also sell lemonade and have cakes and prepackaged pints in the fridge next to the cash register.
Remembers to register for their free frequent user membership, for every $ 50 bucks you spend you get a $ 5 credit. All you have to do is give them your number each time you check out.

Simply put: you won’t find a better spot for frozen yogurt in the area.
This low-​key shop just across the Grove Street PATH station features about 8 different flavours at any given time, with each fresh and bold (the salted caramel, cake batter, and pineapple whip are particularly great). Fill your cup, add in your toppings (DTY has an impressive selection, ranging from fresh fruit to mochi to cannoli cream with about a half dozen sauces), weigh, and pay.
Downtown Yogurt does frozen yogurt better than the chains (Cups, Red Mango, Pinkberry) for cheaper. And despite its cozy size, you’re unlikely to ever have much of a wait.

Downtown yogurt is by far my favorite fro-​yo spot in the area. It may be small, but it’s deffo mighty. Even though the flavors rotate pretty regularly, there is always something delicious to try out and become a new favorite. I lean towards the pineapple and pistachio flavors when available.
And then there are the toppings. I can never pass up cookie dough. Or cannoli cream. Or mochi! So many tasty things to put on top of your yummy yogurt.
On top of it all, the staff is really nice and the place is clean. You won’t find Oreo crumbs in the gummy bears there.

I have been to a few yogurt places before but by far, Downtown Yogurt is my favorite. They are located on the corner of Grove & Newark and about 30 feet or less from the Grove Street Path station. Their selection of yogurt range from: Nutellas, Peanut Butter, Greek Black Cherry, Cake Batter, Alpine Vanilla, Cookies n Cream, Cheesecake, Pomegranate Sorbet, Parisian Tarte, Strawberry Shortcake, Salted Caramel Pretzel, Belgian Chocolate, and Graham Cracker. The yogurt selection here will very day-​to-​day.
Now moving on to their topping which are TONS! You can have cookies, candies, fruits, cereals, syrups, cannoli cream, Nutellas, nuts or anything you can imagine putting on your frozen yogurt, they have. I had a combination of cookies n cream, strawberry shortcake, and coconut flavored yogurt topped with Oreo Cookies and Reese’s Pieces on top.
I cannot wait till the weather breaks, they will see me more often.