The frozen yogurt boom of yesteryear might be over, but fret not, because the city’s love affair with Greek yogurt still going strong. With almost double the protein and less sodium and sugar than regular yogurt, Greek yogurt has become a staple in the refrigerators of health-conscious college students. But, let’s be honest: what fun is there in having it plain? We hit up three of our favorite greek yogurt spots near NYU campus to see how they jazz up their offerings.
Move over, gummy bears and fruity pebbles. Exotic fruit preserves and sweet-savory combinations are here.
Photo by Nicholle Yu
Greecologies touts itself as a “yogurt lab café” and offers a regular café menu in addition to the Greek yogurt bar. Glass jars lining the marble countertop display a variety of infused honeys and fruit preserves, while two huge terracotta pots offer visitors a choice between the “Traditional,” which preserves the liquid whey from the yogurt-making process and leaves a sweeter yogurt with a lighter mouthfeel, and the “Classic,” which is thicker and creamier with the right balance of sweet and tart.
Ultimately, we went with a classic Greek yogurt topped with rose petal preserves, thyme honey and granola that tasted like spring. Go, and thank us later.
Photo by Nicholle Yu
There is definitely something for everyone at Chobani Soho, which boasts a wide array of sweet and savory greek yogurt creations. We went with a traditional sweet combination of berries and honey and a savory combination of red pepper harissa, feta cheese crumbles and simit chips. Chobani’s freshly made yogurt is thinner – making it easier to mix in the toppings – but just as creamy as other options. The shop also offers seasonal yogurt creations and will be adding salted caramel corn + peanuts to the menu for the Tribeca Film Festival. Excuse us while we run back for seconds.
Photo by Nicholle Yu
Culture: An American Yogurt Company
Tucked away on a quiet stretch of 8th Street, Culture’s unassuming exterior belies the incredible full-bodied tanginess of its yogurt offerings. Made in-house and cultivated using live probiotic cultures, the yogurt comes in two varieties – organic and regular – with no substantial flavor difference between the two. We ordered ours with house-made granola and were delighted to find that the granola was layered between scoops of greek yogurt, which made for a perfect ratio of crunch-to-creaminess in every bite. A+ for thoughtful presentation. You can also find tubs of their Greek yogurt at select Whole Foods stores and other specialty food stores in the city. Go on, grab two, we won’t tell that they’re both for you.