Pinkberry Comes to Tampa!

Last week I was lucky enough to be invited to the Grand Opening event for the Tampa Bay area’s first Pinkberry store. For those of you who aren’t familiar with it – Pinkberry is a premium frozen yogurt chain that first opened in West Hollywood in 2005. I have friends in California, so I was familiar with their product but never had the chance to try it. So when their local PR rep invited me to the VIP event last Thursday, I said yes without thinking twice!

When I told Brent about the event, I was actually surprised he agreed to go with me. While I love yogurt – frozen or not – he is not a big fan of it. Still he was very interested in going and wanted give it a try and I think he’s glad he did. In fact, I think he may actually like frozen yogurt now.

We showed up at about 7:15 Thursday night. The official start time was 7PM and it was already pretty busy. I really shouldn’t have been that surprised since Tampa Tweeps were twittering about the Grand Opening and free Pinkberry all day. Foodies were definitely excited about it. The Tampa store is located in Westshore Plaza mall next to PF Changs and Maggiano’s. The latter which loaned their patio for the event.

After we arrived we went to the bar to get some refreshments. They had created two special cocktails for the event using the frozen yogurt. I made sure to try both of them.

A little hard to make out

The first one I tried was the Pomegranate cocktail which was made with Pinkberry pomegranate frozen yogurt, prosecco, pomegranate syrup and was garnished with fresh raspberries. It had a lovely pink color which matched the bright pink tablecloths. My friend C would have loved it.

Out of the two specialty drinks this one was my favorite. It was slightly sweet, creamy, and the alcohol flavor didn’t overpower the fruitiness.

A while later I tried the Original flavor. This one was made with the original Pinkberry frozen yogurt, limoncello, vodka and had fresh blueberries for garnish. It had a more prominent alcohol flavor and was a bit tart but still refreshing.

Shortly after we got there we noticed Pinkberry employees circling with some samples. We grabbed a few and a nearby table and started to sample. We tried all six flavors they were offering that night: Mango, Original, Lychee (the seasonal flavor), Coconut, Chocolate, and Pomegranate.

Original

The original flavor was not too sweet and a little tangy. Brent described it as a “mellow sour cream flavor”, but to me it was more Greek yogurt tang. It had a light creamy texture and would be a great blank canvass if you wanted to load up on toppings.

Chocolate

It was dark and the flash was necessary - my apologies

Smooth, silky, dark and creamy. This was rich and decadent and better than many high quality chocolate ice creams I’ve had. This one tied with the pomegranate for my favorite.

Pomegranate

This flavor was light with the perfect balance of sweet and tartness. I think this flavor came in second in creaminess to the chocolate but was divine nonetheless. The color was also a beautiful pale purple which I found pleasing. I would definitely get this one again and maybe try combining it with the chocolate.

Coconut

I’m picky with anything coconut as I’m not a huge fan of it really. However, the frozen yogurt was very good. The coconut flavor was subtle and not overpowering, which for me was key. I would order it again if I was in the mood for something tropical. Brent liked it very much too.

Mango

I’m even less of a mango fan than coconut but I loved this one. The mango flavor was light and sweet. And the yogurt had a very creamy consistency.

Lychee with Lime

I think I was most excited to try the lychee flavor. I can remember eating lychee jelly candies as a kid and loving them. The lychee is served with a little lime wedge which is the perfect companion for the frozen yogurt. Slightly tart and acidic, this was Brent’s favorite out of the three. I loved it too but it was not as creamy of a consistency as some of the other flavors.

As the Pinkberry peeps were passing out the samples, they would direct you to the topping bar to make your selections. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many options. They had marshmallows, gummy bears, fruity pebbles, chocolate chips, several kinds of fresh fruits and nuts, coconuts, waffle crisps, animal crackers, captain crunch, and that is just to name a few!

Toppings Heaven

Brent made several selections for his cups but I kept mine simple for the night. Normally I would be all about some toppings but I think I really just wanted to enjoy the frozen yogurt. I did however taste test a few topping by themselves and found them all fresh and of good quality.

There was a good long line when we left.

We really enjoyed being some of the first in Tampa to enjoy Pinkberry and it seems they had a great response to the grand opening. I’ve actually already made Brent promise me we can go back this weekend for some more. A big thanks to Erin for allowing up to partake in the fun!

To learn more about Pinkberry, or if you have a store near you, visit www.pinkberry.com

So for those that have been to Pinkberry before – what are you favorite combinations?