Yogomania, Source: IG @marijabos
Froyo arrived relatively late to Croatia, where gelato has long been established. The first froyo shop in Croatia, Chill, opened in 2012 in Rijeka. It hasn’t been easy for froyo shops. Even established international froyo chains have struggled in Croatia. Many froyo shops are seasonal as well.
Croatia, located on the Balkan Peninsula, has a population of 4,059,162. The largest cities are Zagreb – the capital (769,944 residents), Split (161,312 residents), Rijeka (108,622 residents), Osijek (96,848 residents), Zadar (70,829 residents), Velika Gorica (61,198 residents), and Pula (52,411 residents). A popular tourist destination known for the beauty of its beaches, the country ranks 81st in terms of GDP and 51st in terms of GDP per capita.
Froyo History & Trends
The froyo scene included a mix of home-grown and international froyo chains like Llaollao and Yogorino. Twist had the most locations in Croatia, though we’re not sure how many are still open (our guess is that the Novigrad shop is open and that the other three shops have closed). Most of the froyo shops have little social media presence and most have only lasted two to three years. The froyo shops were counter-serve and more “European” – with one flavor (plain) typically offered until 2022. Swirly Box was the first self-serve froyo shop in Croatia, opening in Hvar in 2022.
Today, you can get froyo at Penny Pancake & Fredy Frozen Yogurt in Rijeka, Ristoro in Rovinj, Twist in Novigrad, and possibly Swirly Box in Hvar and Zadar. Since most of the froyo shops in Croatia do not maintain an active social media presence and shops are open seasonally, it’s harder to determine which shops are still open.
Froyo Shops in Croatia
- Chill Frozen Yogurt, Korzo 33b 51000 Rijeka, seems to have opened in 2012 and closed in 2018. It was a counter-serrve froyo shop that also served coffee and cupcakes.
- Llaollao, Europe and Asia’s largest froyo chain, had three locations in Croatia. The first location, Stoja 14A, 52100, Pula, opened in April 2019 in an indoor shopping mall and seems to have closed. The second location at Z center Zagreb, Shopping centar Z Špansko 10090, opened in September 2021 and may have closed in 2023. There was also a location at the Split Mall in Split that was open from 2020 – 2023. The last post on the Llaollao Croatia Facebook page was in February 2023. The Llaollao website does not list any locations in Croatia.
- Penny Pancake & Fredy Frozen Yogurt, Ul. Ante Starčevića 8, 51000, Rijeka, is a counter-serve froyo and pancake café in Rijeka that seems to still be open.
- Ristoro is a froyo shop that opened about three years ago in Rovinj. It is open seasonally.
- Swirly Box is a self-serve froyo shop in Hvar that opened in 2022. There was a second location in Zadar. The shops are open seasonally and also serve bubble tea.
- Twist Frozen Yogurt serves froyo, smoothies, American pancakes, waffles, boba drinks, and fresh fruit juice. The Novigrad location at Veliki trg 9, 52466 may have opened in 2015 and still seems to be open. The Osijek location at Trg slobode 8 31000 seems to have opened in 2014 and has probably closed. The Zagreb location at Savska Cesta 28 seems to have opened in 2013 and closed in 2014; the last Instagram post was in 2014. Twist had a stand at Vodice Beach in 2015 and at Okrug Beach, Milicevo Toc, Okrug Gornji, Split-Dalmatia County in 2013. The froyo is counter-serve.
- Yogomania was a counter-serve froyo shop located at Čubranovićeva ul. 3, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia. The shop opened in 2014. The last review was in 2017. They served froyo, ice cream, waffles, and pancakes.
- Yogorino, the Italian froyo chain, opened in May 2014 at Gundulićeva 5, 10 000 Zagreb. There were no Facebook posts after 2014. We assume the shop has closed.
Check out our Pinterest board, Froyo Shops in Croatia, to see Croatia’s froyo shops.
