Zoëyogurt Brings Creamy Treats to Bella Bottega

I could not have been more excited when I heard that there might be a frozen yogurt place in the . We are huge fans of the new wave of frozen yogurt here at my house, and this one would be within walking distance.

We’ve held our breath and crossed our fingers as locations were transformed. Soft, happy exhales for , , and the announcement of the upcoming . But still no yogurt. 

Finally, this past weekend, when we weren’t even looking, Zoëyogurt had their soft open. We went today, and to quote my daughter, “Hooray! It’s great!”

This is a self-serve format yogurt shop. You fill your own cup with whichever flavors and toppings you prefer. Then you pay by the ounce for whatever is in the cup, be it yogurt or topping.

The store is smaller than many of their competitors, but as local resident Heidi Showman noted after her trip, that helps make it a “cuter experience.” Flavor names are hand drawn in chalk, the servers are friendly but casual, and you really get the feeling that this is a local, independently owned place—which it is. There is another location in Green Lake, and one opening soon in Newcastle, but Zoëyogurt doesn’t have the polish of the national chains.

Which I found charming.

There are fewer flavor choices than you find at some other yogurt shops, although the flavors they have are awesome. You can choose anything from sweet to tart, and there are sugar-free options as well as sorbets. I felt I had plenty of choices, tasting everything from Greek Honey to Cake Batter to Blueberry Acai Tart, and they were all very good, creamy and well balanced. 

Once I had tasted the Nutella, though, I didn’t need anything else. The very friendly server let me know it was already a local favorite. There is a reason for that. My sister says it’s better than some Nutella gelatos she’s had, and she’s lived in Italy.

The toppings here were fine, if not as strong as the yogurt. The fruits were fresh, and they had the popping boba that my daughter loves. I found the hot marshmallow too hot—it melted my yogurt and sank to the bottom of the bowl—but my girl loved the hot fudge. There was plenty of topping variety for me, but there is certainly not the feeling of walking into a candy store that I know some people really enjoy at other places.

The owners obviously care about issues besides flavor. Their yogurt has no high fructose corn syrup, and all of their bowls and spoons are compostable.  And it never hurts in my book to name your restaurant after your dog.

But all of that would mean nothing without quality, and the yogurt, sourced from a Portland company, brings the quality. All in all, I’m happy to say that we finally have a yogurt shop in Bella Bottega, and it’s a great one. Give it a try, and then don’t forget to let me know your favorite flavor/topping combination. (Seriously, though, try the Nutella.)

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Zoëyogurt is located at 8900 161st Ave NE, Suite 155, in the Bella Bottega shopping center. Store hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

Have you tried Zoëyogurt yet? What's your favorite local yogurt shop? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.