Yogen Fruz

Frozen yogurt with fruit on it makes a great snack, but it’s hard to justify that it costs almost as much as lunch. When I want to splurge, I prefer Yogen Fruz over Berry Chill.

I feel like I’m becoming a semi-​professional frozen yogurt connoisseur. All of these joints have their pluses and minuses, so here we go.
Pluses:
1. Excellent texture. In fact, probably the best I’ve had. It’s creamier than the icy stuff you see at Berry Chill and Starfruit, so you feel like you’re eating something sinful.
2. Low cal. I did the math, and according to the website, my large Top It (regular flavor, not blended with fruit) was just 264 calories.
3. Options. You can do a Blend It, which is the yogurt blended with fruit OR a Top It, the plain flavor with whatever toppings you can imagine. I stick to the fruit and maybe yogurt chips if I’m feeling crazy, but they have cookies, candies, granola, etc. It’s a veritable smörgåsbord of goodies!
4. Price. No, these yogurt places aren’t cheap. But my large Top It with 3 toppings ran me about $ 7.50, which in my estimation is a bit less expensive than the competitors.
5. Health factor. Those live, active, probiotic cultures keep your tummy happy. Big ups for good digestion!
Minuses:
1. Skimpy serving. I ordered a large and dammit, I want that paper cup filled up! The gal behind the counter just kind of filled the outside edges of the cup, leaving the entire center empty. WTF?
2. Frugal on the toppings. I’m paying top dollar for my yogurt treat, so for my extra funds, I expect to see the toppings overflowing. Erm, not the case at Yogen Fruz. I had a sad little spoonful of each berry, which didn’t seem worth the price.
3. No seating. Granted, it’s the Loop, so there’s outdoor seating everywhere, but what if it’s really hot? And you just want to scarf your fro yo indoors? You’ll have to battle over 2 tables.

Yeesh, not a fan of the product or the actual store/​service.
Sometimes after visiting the doctor, I decide to dwell upon our lovely city for a lil’ treat for being a good girl for the Doc! It’s like my lollipop! I was headed in the direction of Berry Chill since it was on the way to the Civic Opera House, which was my final destination, and spied some Loop workers munching on Yogen Fruz. I forgot that this was now at Madison! So there I go instead!
And I should have gone with the original plan… let’s count the ways that this went wrong…
* the «line» is non-​existent and set up weirdly. Basically it was a lot of people standing around awkwardly trying to figure out who was next
* the menu is very confusing for someone who’s never been there — again, hence the insane line I’m sure. Questions marks should have been over all these people’s heads. Considering most fro-​yo places are basic yogurt w/​toppings, when you throw in all these weird blends and mixes, everyone gets lost if it’s not laid out painly
* I got the green tea yogurt. They make it on the spot. Cool? Not so much. The blend doesn’t get blended completely and has a powdery after taste. Blech.
* They rush you through there so fast that you can hardly ask for toppings — I was so annoyed by this point I left without any — maybe that was my mistake and would have covered up the powdery taste
* Speaking of toppings they lack the fresh fruit that so many places like them show. They had a ton of frozen fruit and dry toppings. But if you’re going to show pictures with kiwi and raspberries, have them! They had 4 fresh fruits out and one of those was a tiny bit of strawberries resting in syrup.
* The service as spotty and uncomfortable. Unfriendly even, judging by the annoyed looks on everyone’s faces working behind the counter.
I went here also to try it because one just opened up on Belmont and Clark, making it the closest frozen yogurt near me. But after this trial, I’ll skip it and move on to better places. Sorry Yogen Fruz, you’re going to have to do something to keep up with the big dogs around town at this rate!

I am giving 4 stars for a YOGURT place-​i like dthe pricing better than Berry Chill and honestly its less $$$
I like the low fat as opposed to the no fat– If so then you’ll probably like the menu at Yogen Fruz better than it’s competitors. Yogen Fruz offers a low fat AND a no fat version of their yogurts as well as a couple different flavors. I prefer the tangy taste of straight-​up plain yogurt so I’m happy with one choice and lots of fresh fruit-​happy to come back as it is close to

@b00tsRandolph How did you like Yogen Fruz?
–tweet from @yogenfruz
Well, @yogenfruz, I wasn’t over the moon about your yogurt. I’d describe the yogurt as mediocre and the service as… hmm…serviceable. Nothing to write home about.
Maybe you’re some sort of yogurt libertarian that is dying for more options and variety. If so then you’ll probably like the menu at Yogen Fruz better than it’s competitors. Yogen Fruz offers a low fat AND a no fat version of their yogurts as well as a couple different flavors. They also do a rollicking business with their blends, which I just don’t want.
Personally, I prefer the tangy taste of straight-​up plain yogurt so I’m happy with one choice. Throw some bomb-​ass fresh fruit on that yogurt and you’ve got yourself a regular tast bud clambake. For my money, Berry Chill has the best tasting plain yogurt with a lemony zip to it. At Yogen Fruz, I tried the plain low-​fat with a couple berries as toppings. Their yogurt had no zip, pow, pizzazz, or general snazziness to it. It was okay but just okay. No more!
To be frank, if you changed the signage on these yogurt places you’d probably have a tough time picking one from the other for the most part. However, I truly believe that Yogen Fruz lags behind Berry Chill and Red Mango in terms of taste. On the other hand, I’d pick Yogen Fruz over Starfruit any day of the week.

First of all, we went to Yogen Fruz in the loop on a Saturday at 4pm… they ran out of just about EVERYTHING I requested (Pom seeds, mochi, and chocolate base), but the guy making the fro-​yo was so nice (he gave me some coupons!) and yogen fruz is tasty!
If you’re not familiar with Yogen Fruz, this fro-​yo store differs from its competitors in that they literally blend whatever frozen fruits you choose from their freezer into either a vanilla (low-​fat, non-​fat, or no sugar & no fat) or chocolate frozen yogurt base (which is shaped like a rectangular block).
My froyo combo #1: Low-​fat (original) vanilla fro-​yo with green tea, topped with blueberries
Flavor: It had the perfect amount of green tea flavor, but if you like it stronger or less, you can kindly request for it! This is right in between being classified as «sweet» or «sour»
Texture: It is right in between Red Mango’s über creaminess and Berry Chills iciness, so I would call it… smooth and a half-​step away from «creamy».
Combo #2: Low-​fat vanilla with mango’s (blended in)
Flavor: The mango’s provided a natural tartness to the yogurt, which was already a tiny bit tart on its own. If this is possible, the flavor was like a sweet and sour mango ice-​cream. Very fruity and refreshing!
RATINGS:
Flavor: 3.75÷5 (it was GOOD, but I have trouble loving it more than Red Mango’s creaminess)
Value: ⁴⁄₅ (The cheapest customizable fro-​yo you can get in all of Chicago! Yay!!)
Presentation: 3.5÷5 (The mixing of the ingredients leaves the fro-​yo slightly less refined, but the cups are adorable!)

I’m late on board the frozen yogurt train — thinking that nothing could compare to my love — real ice cream. I went in to check things out and was stuck behind two girls who had to be here auditioning for Playboy’s next centerfold or something. So, my friend and I waited and the guy behind the counter reluctantly waited on us, and gave us samples of the plain stuff — telling us to «save our spoon» for whatever we ordered. I thought that was a little weird and not just in the «green category». I ended up getting the green tea they had on the window ad and thought it was ok, but nothing compared to real green tea ice cream.
I went back the next week to just stick with the plain base I had sampled and asked for blueberries to top it. I hate that there is no cover — seriously? And, for the $.95 charge, I got a whopping 11 blueberries on my fro-​go. Gee, could you spare it? I think the net cost of my whole item was about $.12 — with packaging (consdiering they saved so much by doubling-​up spoons and not providing lids).
I’m saving myself for the wonderful gelato in my neighborhood and/​or real ice cream — this is just not that great.

I have walked by this place countless times and finally decided to stop in. I didn’t have any expectations, but had heard good things about it.
I had the chocolate frozen yogurt with Strawberries blended in and it was wonderful. I probably would have liked to have had more of a chocolate taste since the strawberries dominated. Fresh ingredients. It was reasonably priced as well (around $ 4).
Downside: it takes a long time –one man to get your stuff and pay. The man behind the counter, but he was fast, apologetic, and friendly. But I could see that being a nightmare if it was packed in the loop.

Berry Chill is *way* better than Yogen Fruz because:
1. Yogen Fruz cups don’t prevent/​perhaps encourage the product to melt. Got back to the office and I was rewarded with yogurt soup.
2. Yogen Fruz has no lids for their cups. While walking back to the office half of my toppings fell off.
3. Yogen Fruz’s system of waiting in a line to place your order with one dude and then shuffling over to pay with another dude is a waste of time.
4. Yogen Fruz’s employees are just plain jerky. Don’t laugh at me because I requested a lid, yogurt breath.
5. Berry Chill’s spoons change color.

Ok, let’s all calibrate our frozen-​yogurt-​itude first, ok? When it comes to frozen yogurt, I’ve had Berry Chil, Yogen Fruz, Yoberry, and TCBY. After trying any of the first three, move over TCBY, the pro’s are here and your ass has been kicked and then handed to you in a cup with no spoon. Pick up the pieces and move on.
So, Yogen Fruz. Yogen Fruz, Yogen Fruz. Where do I begin? Well, first l’d like to say — good job. You’re doing great. Your prices are good and your original flavored yogurt is very nice. I really like your selection of fresh fruit * and I really like the fact that you serve your delights in a paper cup (not like other places, Yo Berry! Just wait till I get to your review, Yo Berry! Not cool). But, compared to Berry Chill, I feel like your yogurt is just a little too… what’s the word… tartless. Is that even a word? I’m not sure myself.
If those four places were lined up next to each other on the same block as my building, here is what a typical week would look like for me:
Day 1: Call the health department to try to shut down TCBY cause it sucks and then celebrate at Berry Chill.
Day 2: Go to Berry Chill.
Day 3: Go to Yogen Fruz for a change of pace and tell Berry Chill not to get «all jealous» and stuff.
Day 4: Consider going to Yo Berry, but then go to Berry Chill.
Day 5: I’d probably just go to Yogen Fruz, because I feel like I’ve ignored it.
Day 6: Go to Yo Berry to see if they’ve stopped serving Styrofoam. No? Flip a coin between BC and YF. Resist the temptation to ignore what the coin says if it doesn’t come up in favor of BC.
Day 7: Rest. … by going to Berry Chill.
My name is James and I have an addiction problem and it’s with frozen yogurt.
* = if any of the three remaining yogurt titans switch to fruit in that compote crap, that is ground for an immediate lowering of their score to one star.

I hate to even waste time writing a full review on this place. I LOVE Pinkberry and was exciting to see a similar style place open near my office. Here’s the verdict:
Food — the yogurt was good and tasty. had a slight tart-​ness to it. The fruit in the case looked ok overall but some of it looked «less than fresh». I ordered the vanilla with strawberries, kiwi and coconut, same as what I get from Pinkberry when I’m in NYC. This place was a close second.
Service — this is where they KILLED me. I paid for my $ 4-​change with a $ 5 bill. When the guy working the counter went to give me my change he dropped it on the counter. I must have looked at him crazy because he looked at it and said «I don’t like to hand people their change because they don’t know how to hold their hand right to catch it». Still dumbfounded I picked up my change and put it in my wallet and he kept talking, excitedly, about a customer the previous week… «One guy had the nerve to get mad because I placed his change down and he said that was rude. So I said ‘I’ll show him rude!’ I picked up his change and threw it towards the door and said ‘There, go pick it up yourself!’»… My friend, who was with another employee looked up in awe. Not only did he do that, he BRAGGED about it to other customers. I can’t stand a people who are just plain ignorant. Hopefully months/​years from now, if/​when I go back, he will no longer be there, otherwise I’d walk back out.

If you like non flavorful and watery frozen yogurt, go to Berry Chill. If you like flavor and fresh fruit and/​or toppings, definitely go to Yogen Fruz.
I’ve been to Berry Chill and was disappointed to say that it wasn’t flavorful, too expensive and overly hyped up. Yogen Fruz is so good and so much better. The yogurt has flavor and the fruit is not frozen. The smoothies are great for breakfast or any other part of the day. I’m more than excited to grab some more frozen yogurt, especially when the weather decides to warm up. Even better is that they are opening locations near DePaul’s Loop Campus and one near Belmont and Halsted.
The service is always great as well; they are super friendly [Anthony is the S*@! :)!].
I have to say that Yogen Fruz has put back my faith in frozen yogurt. After the disappointment with Berry Chill, I wrote off frozen yogurt and stuck with gelato.
Basically if you have taste buds and like things that have flavor, Yogen Fruz wins over Berry Chill any day.

Always a sucker for window dressing, the décor led me to believe the fro yo at this place would be life-​changing or, at the very least, yummier than my stalwart Berry Chill. I printed out the 50-​cent off coupon, and went during my lunch break. Why I always crave fro-​yo on the coldest Chicago days, I have no idea, but when I need my fix I heed the call. The fact that this place has no-​sugar, no-​fat offerings initially piqued my interest; however, there were a few dealbreakers that were too major to overlook. Dealbreaker the first: spoons! Specifically, how can you thoroughly enjoy yogurt-​licious goodness with flimsy spoons better suited for a cup of ‘yogurt yogurt’?!? This alone made me nostalgic for BC’s goodness. Yogen Fruz also lacked the tartness and slightly watery consistency to which I’ve become accustomed in my probiotic fro-​yo treats, and the lack of inventive flavors also made me wish I’d shelled out the extra few dollars and treated myself to BC. The lesson learned is that I“m now skeptical of canadian frozen yogurt chains. Suffice it to say, now that the initial hype has faded, I won’t be back, which is a pity, because the store design is so sleek.

Hate to say this, because I’m a huge Berry Chill supporter, but Yogen Fruz might just be better. It tastes better (similar, but only slightly less tart and creamier, versus BC which is tart and a little watery), it’s cheaper, and its nutrition content is not bad either.
You start off choosing what you want: soft serve froyo, smoothie, or soft serve blend. Then the type of yogurt: each choice from above can be made from low fat yogurt, non fat yogurt, and no sugar added. Then add toppings. The toppings aren’t as extensive as BC’s with the different types of cereals and cookie crumbles, but it does the job with the basic fruits. They also have unique flavor combinations to start with for smoothies, such as white chocolate raspberry and green tea + lychee.
Price comparison… A small soft serve froyo with 3 toppings is $ 4 (versus BC which is $ 5.50). The nice thing is that you pay per topping at YF, so you don’t have to get all 3 like at BC. Not sure how the pricing goes for smoothies.
Nutrition comparison off their websites… I’m a calorie counter, ok? It’s kind of fun. Anyway, BC wins this war with fewer calories, carbs, and sugar.
A 4.4-oz serving of BC’s regular froyo contains:
85 calories, 0g fat, 4.4mg cholesterol, 62mg sodium, 17.6g carbs, 17.6g sugar, 4.4g protein
YF’s non-​fat froyo contains:
110 calories, 0g fat, 3mg cholesterol, 60mg sodium, 23g carbs, 21g sugar, 4g protein
But at BC, you might be inclined to add «unhealthy» toppings to your froyo like cookie crumbles and cereal, so you might end up eating more calories anyway. I didn’t see any unhealthy toppings at YF — just fruit.
The man behind the counter was trying to tell me that YF has more protein and probiotics than BC, which I’m not sure I believe. I mean, I did the math, and BC has slightly more protein. BC even has a list of like 10 different live active cultures with names I can’t even pronounce, while YF just lists one (which, I can sort of pronounce).
This is a tough battle, but for the taste and price, Yogen Fruz wins. But Berry Chill offers free froyos so often, they donate to charities, and are located so close to my crib & workplace, that I’ll still be a supporter. I can dip my hand in two cookie jars, can’t I?

I am a Yogen Fruz convert and believer! I think that Yogen’s frozen yogurt taste better than Berry Chill’s. It is delicious! There is a definite difference in texture and most importantly flavor. Yogen’s is much better. Even though Yogen’s fruit selection is not as wide as BC, the quality of the fruit toppings is better and more generous. For their blend-​its, Yogen keeps a big selection of frozen fruits to be blended, rather than using non-​frozen, which causes frozen mixes to become mushy.
The staff at this location is super friendly, which makes for a nice visit… especially when you’re taking a mid afternoon break.
What can I say, I just LOVE this place. I LOVE YOGEN FRUZ!

Ok. Well I like how they can blend you whatever flavor for the fro-​yo. The yogurt seems really good, but it was kind of weird seeing the guy opening little bricks of the yogurt and putting it in the machine to make my blueberry fro-​yo. It is cheaper than berry chill, but with that comes less frills and the non-​cool coloring changing spoon that I so love from BC!
Great for the price and I can see myself going over there then sitting by the river during the summer!

I have been waiting for this place to open up for nearly a year– and it’s finally here! Yay! I wasn’t expecting much when I read «probiotic» on the menu since I just checked out another probiotic frozen yogurt place in Wicker Park that was quite disappointing. .. but, amazingly, this yogurt is awesome. The plain has this great tart flavor that isn’t overwhelming. .. and it’s got an additional subtle flavor that I almost liken to crackers. And the texture is wonderfully creamy and perfect with my favorite toppings of strawberry and mango. I love Red Mango and I love Berry Chill, but there’s something extra in Yogen Fruz yogurt that makes it my new favorite. On the down side, the shop is right across the street and the days are getting warmer. I am sooooo in trouble.

Great stuff! I had their nonfat vanilla yogurt, which was really good and creamy. All their yogurts are probiotic, which is a total plus. For my first visit this afternoon I stuck to yogurt and one topping (strawberry), and it was fantastic.
Also, their items are way better priced than Berry Chill, which at times reaches the ridiculous (a large smoothie is $ 8+?! Hello?!).
I anticipate this place becoming a huge problem especially in the upcoming warmer weather, since I work in the building just across the street. But if all my problems this year are this yummy, I’ll take ‘em.

What’s that you say? A canadian frozen yogurt franchise newly opened only one block from my office? Awesome.
Apparently this location sprang up about a week ago. I had no clue until I passed it today on my way to lunch and decided instantly that I would need to get dessert on my way back to the office. Too cold outside for frozen yogurt? Never. Although I did feel a little silly carrying in the elevator with me on the way back up to the office.
The store was nice, very clean and bright inside. They gave me a free sample of the plain yogurt, thanks so much. It was tangy and light tasting and I will definitely make sure to order it the next time I go. Today I tried the chocolate yogurt with almonds and chocolate pieces blended in. I think he put the pieces of stuff in the machine, and then the yogurt comes out of with all the yummy mix-​ins in it. Next time I’ll pay closer attention. The chocolate was tasty, but I think I like the tang of the plain yogurt better.
Can’t wait to stand in line behind 57 people on a hot day!

After passing this place for months, wondering when they will open, that day has arrived! They opened this past Monday and it is really quite good! I got a simple chocolate yogurt the other day. No toppings, wanted to taste the yogurt to see if it warrented a ton of toppings or could hold its own.
It has a nice bit of twang that I like in frozen yogurt and really does not need toppings to help it along. Don’t get me wrong, add toppings, if that is your desire. It just isn’t a must, this yogurt can hold its own. I will be back, as this place is too convenient. I pass it on my way to the train daily! I’ll update when I have tried other options. Give them a try!