Over the years as froyo became mainstream, we noticed that non-froyo shops started to carry froyo. Fine dining establishments, cafes, bakeries, ice cream shops, and gelato shops started offering froyo. We didn’t want to leave out these out of the best froyo in the US discussion. And so, these are the non-froyo shops that caught our eye. The list isn’t meant to be exhaustive. It’s meant to be selective. But we did restrict it to places that serve soft serve froyo (sorry, Jeni’s) and offer froyo everyday.
These restaurants and gelato shops are found in California (3), Illinois (3), New York (2), and Massachusetts (2).
Aba Restaurant
- 302 N Green St, Chicago
- 1011 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX
- Miami (coming soon)
Aba, from Chef CJ Jacobson, started in Chicago in 2018. It is an upscale Mediterranean restaurant with influences from Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, and Greece. Named best new restaurant by the Chicago Tribune, the dessert menu includes Greek frozen yogurt served with olive oil and sea salt. Aba means father in Hebrew.
Anita Gelato
- 1561 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10028
- 1141 Broadway, New York, NY 10001
- 18700 Ventura Blvd #120, Tarzana, CA 91356
Anita Gelato started in Tel Aviv in 2002 and now has locations all over the world. There are two locations in NYC and one in LA. In addition to gelato, they’re known for frozen yogurt served with your (unlimited) choice of toppings. Toppings include fresh fruit, sweet syrup, chocolate, and Anita’s unique home-made jams.
Andros Taverna
- 2542 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60647
Andros Taverna from Chef Doug Psaltis opened in Chicago, IL in February 2021. Named one of the best new restaurants in America by Esquire, the taverna specializes in seasonal, Greek specialties. The dessert menu includes one froyo item: Baklava froyo. It’s described as Greek style frozen yogurt topped with baklava crumbles, pistachio sauce, and heaven’s honey. Sounds like heaven to us.
Ema
- 74 W Illinois St, Chicago, IL 60654
Ēma is Chef CJ Jacobson’s Mediterranean/Californian restaurant which opened in 2016. Like Aba, the dessert menu includes Greek frozen yogurt served with olive oil and sea salt. Ēma means mother in Hebrew.
Olmsted
- 659 Vanderbilt Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11238
Neighborhood restaurant, Olmsted, in Prospect Heights from chef-owner Greg Baxtrom, is known for the backyard garden and an American menu focused on seasonal ingredients. It also strives to be affordable, approachable, and organic. Olmsted opened in 2016 and people have been raving about their frozen yogurt with whipped lavender honey and lavender flowers since then.
Pita GR
- 9905 Paramount Blvd, Downey, CA 90240
Pita GR opened in Downey, California in September 2018, with a Greek chef in the kitchen. They were inspired by the pita sandwich shops of Greece and Greek street food. And for dessert, they have their house Greek frozen yogurt (plain) served with sour cherry syrup, housemade baklava, or wildflower honey. The froyo tastes fresh and mildly tangy, with a clean finish.
Saloniki
- 24 Dunster St, Cambridge, MA 02138
- 4 Kilmarnock St, Boston, MA 02215
- 181 Massachusetts Ave Suite 2, Cambridge, MA 02139
- 1 Beacon St, Boston, MA 02108
- 316 Newbury St, Boston, MA 02115
Saloniki Greek started in the Fenway neighborhood of Boston in 2016. There are now five locations in the Boston area. Saloniki is a fast casual concept inspired by Greek sandwich shops. They serve Greek pita, souvlaki, plates, and Greek froyo. The froyo is plain and comes with your choice of toppings: caramel and pistachio, or olive oil and sea salt, or Nutella & baklava.
Sarma Restaurant
- 249 Pearl Street, Somerville, MA 02145
Inspired by a Turkish meyhane, Sarma in Somerville, MA specializes in seasonal, small plates, aka, meze – but with a modern twist. Chef/owner, Cassie Piuma, opened Sarma in 2013 and was a James Beard Nominee for Best Chef: Northeast in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2020. Creative dishes include lentil nachos, harissa BBQ duck, spicy feta toast, and preserved lemon Greek frozen yogurt.
Souvla
- 517 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94102
- 531 Divisadero St, San Francisco, CA 94117
- 758 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA 94110
- 2272 Chestnut Street, San Francisco, CA 94123
- 2505 3rd Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
- 1805 Larkspur Landing Circle, Suite 14, Larkspur, CA 94939 (coming in 2022)
- Froyo truck
Souvla’s first restaurant opened in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley neighborhood in April 2014. There are currently 4 locations and a froyo truck, with two in the works. They also partnered with Delta Airlines to serve their food, including their famous Greek froyo, on select flights. Souvla was inspired by the casual souvlaki joints in Greece.
In our humble opinion that Souvla’s fame (fans include the Obamas) inspired many other Greek/Mediterranean restaurants to open and/or to serve froyo for dessert. Some of them even serve their Greek froyo in the classic NY cup, just like Souvla.
Tahina
- 1650 Park St, Alameda, CA 94501
Located inside the Alameda Marketplace, Tahina opened in June 2020. Tahina is a fast-casual Mediterranean eatery that served mezze, soups, desserts, and wraps, pitas, bowls and plates. And yes, they make their own Greek frozen yogurt. There’s one flavor, plain, and three toppings: baklava crumble, honey, or sour cherry. You can choose 1, 2 or 3 toppings for the same price. We love how it’s thick, smooth, dense, and creamy – and it tastes like real yogurt. The food is scrumptious too!
