Mohamed N.
Yelp
"Strong new arrival in the Durham fro-yo scene"
Fairly new Local Yogurt (LY) has dominated the Durham fro-yo scene, but the arrival of Tutti Frutti (and close to the LY store) likely has the LY owners quaking. This store looks A LOT like Yopop (formerly, Orange Leaf) in Chapel Hill. Bright colored walls, and tons of self-serve yogurt flavors and toppings from which to choose. Apparently, word got out fast about this place, as it was PACKED on a Friday evening.
What do they have? Almost easier to answer what they DON'T have. I mixed four flavors into one bowl- plain/ tart, pistachio, oreo, and death-by-chocolate. They had lots of flavors I didn't try: papaya, raspberry, strawberry, red velvet cake, cheesecake, and more. For toppings, I went simple with just white chocolate chips and mango pieces. However, they also had tons of options there- popping boba, tons of berries, mochi, cereals, other chocolate chips, and much, much more.
The procedure is simple- fill the bowl with whatever you want, they weigh the bowl, and you pay $0.39/ ounce. The bowls are BIG, so it'd be easy to lose track and get a ton, so watch out.
The yogurts (and toppings) were outstanding- every one of them was absolutely delicious. I really like LY's plain/ tart, but I actually think the Tutti Frutti one is even better. Service was friendly, too, though really they are just working the registers and refilling items.
What I love about Tutti Frutti relative to Local Yogurt- 1) way more flavors, 2) you control the exact amount, and 3) frankly, LY sometimes skimps on the toppings even after charging an absurd $0.75 for the first one. Here, you can put as much as you want, and as many different types as you want without the high price. My whole family got a generous amount of fro-yo here for under $10, and I don't think that'd happen at LY.
The negative to Tutti Frutti- it is a chain, whereas Local Yogurt is locally owned and operated. Weigh that as you like. No pun intended.