Swirll

How I heard of this place: I first heard of Swirll when my new friend, Albert, promised his children that if they finished all of the food on their plates, he would take them to Swirll for a special treat!
Type of cuisine: A frozen yogurt establishment that allows patrons to create a personalized, frozen concoction and pay for it by the ounce.
Ambiance: Brightly painted walls in pastel colors of the rainbow, the yellow, green, pink and orange can be seen from the parking lot, through the floor-​to-​ceiling windows, and welcome you in, as you enter the glass double doors. To your right is the cashier’s counter, where bored youth stand and await excited customers, ready to see the delicious damage the scales hold. To the left, and along the window-​front, a white barquette with orange, round, cushioned, leather barstools and an open space of additional seating. Plastic chairs and tables are available, as are more rounded, orange, leather-​cushioned reclined seats for comfort and ease as you enjoy your frozen creation in a cup. Fluorescent lights add to the brightness of the space, even in the late night hour. Walking to the back left, plastic signage offers guidance as you make your way through the steps, translated loosely, here: 1. choose a cup (size), 2. choose your flavors, 3. choose your toppings, 4. place cup on scale, 5. pay for your dream sundae, 6. enjoy. Along the wall opposite the entrance are self-​serve frozen yogurts in twelve flavors. (Samples available upon request.)
What I ordered: This being the first time I have had frozen yogurt since it’s first bout of popularity in the 1980s, and with the abundance of flavors, I had to sample some of them! When I asked for sample cups, I was escorted by the high-​schooler and asked which ones I wanted to try: non-​fat tart taro, non-​fat tart mango, low-​fat red velvet cake, non-​fat cookies & cream, low-​fat cake batter, non-​fat dark chocolate. I shared the samples with one of the seven in our party and he made his decision. While I was content after those generous samples, he shared his selection with me: low-​fat red velvet cake, topped with white chocolate chips, Fruity Pebbles, M’n’M cookie dough and caramel sauce. Weighed at 43 cents per ounce, per creation, we paid up, received a new punch card and sat down to enjoy our delicious treats!
What I loved: Of the flavors sampled, my (shocking) favorite was the red velvet cake yogurt. I also really enjoyed the dark chocolate and the tart mango. The taro was a surprise as I had really only enjoyed it (other than the root, itself) in bubble tea. We also loved the Fruity Pebbles, my favorite cereal, as a crispy and fun addition to our cup of frozen yogurt.
Why I loved it: I loved the simplicity, the brightness and the joy on each persons face as he or she gazed upon the plethora of flavors and options available. I love that everyone, from age three years to 37-​years old has something to celebrate and can make all of their sundae dreams come true!
Cost: Variable ($ 0.43 per ounce)

Eh… not the greatest frozen yogurt I’ve ever had. It didn’t have enough flavor for me to enjoy, and I ended up throwing most of mine out. The environment wasn’t that great either… not enough chairs and flies were out flying around.

This place is A-​Okay, but I have others I’d prefer to this one. They have pretty good mango and raspberry smoothies and are super convenient if you’re shopping across the Galleria and need a treat for finding parking. At least that’s how I see it.
Thanks for taking care of my need for instant energy today, Swirll! I may be back the next the time I’m tired and in instant need of a boost of sorts.

I went in after having Lunch at Grand Lux, so the location was great. As some other yogurt places this one does not allow you to sample it yourself, someone from the back comes out and hands you the yogurt you want to try. I am not a fan of this, I don’t know where their hands have been! I would like to get my sample cups and just try it myself! Is that too much to ask?!
The reason I am giving them 2 stars is because the girl behind the counter swiped my debit card once and told me that it did not go through, so she swiped again. I signed the last receipt but somehow they got away with charging my bank twice. How does that happen!!! I’m sorry, I guess I expect for the person who is processing my transaction to actually know how to do it?! N e ways, I had to dispute the duplicate $ 6.55 charge with my bank.
I am not a fan of being inconvenienced, even if it’s just for $ 6.55.

Swirll! I love this place and especially this location because parking is convenient since they have a few spots reserved for customers.
Recently I came here with my dog and we each got our own frozen yogurt cup. They had lots of yummy flavors including cake batter, peach, mango etc, but I’m boring and I usually stick to the plain tart (really really good) and peach tart with fresh strawberries, mangoes, popping boba, and granola sprinkled on top. I am a fan of tart yogurts so this place is perfect for me! It was absolutely amazing especially after being outside in the hot Houston heat at the doggie park. The employee was very friendly and outgoing, which added to my great day.
For two cups of yogurt, my cup filled to the top and my dog’s cup with plain tart yogurt, strawberries, and mangoes, the total was a little over $ 9, which is a little higher than what I normally pay for at place like Yogurtland, but the fruit was definitely bigger and fresher looking than other places that I’ve been to.
P. S. They have free Wi-​Fi! =)

I’ve had way better. They don’t even attempt to make their yogurt creamy. It almost like it all has been left in the freezer for a couple years.

Another fro-​yo spot hits the dust.
It’s a great location and it’s all kinds of bright and colorful and rainbow and butterflies inside, but I have to agree with Kelly S. The flavors here taste «fake.» Like I said in my Yogurtland review, I never think frozen yogurt tastes good when it’s anything other than fruity or tarty. At Swirll (and why the extra «L»??), they have tons of those: cheesecake, strawberry cake, etc. So we went the safe route with mango and just a hint of vanilla to top it off. The mango flavor had a weird aftertaste. The only way I can describe it is… that fizzy feeling you get on the roof of your mouth after drinking sparkling water. Yeah. It was THAT weird. And the vanilla flavor tasted like whipped cream. I don’t know. Maybe it’s just me. But frozen yogurt isn’t frozen yogurt without that PERFECT balance of tarty-​fruity-​sweet equilibrium.
Red Mango and Berripop remain unchallenged.
Though, thanks to my handy-​dandy Unilocal app, I now know there’s a Yogen Fruz stall across the street inside the Galleria. I tried Yogen Fruz in Chicago and I have to say, it’s the only fro-​yo place that just MAY be on par with the other two.

I loveeeeee swirlll! I think this location is the best! the fruit is always fresh and they have new flavors every two weeks i believe. My favorite is the orginal flavor. and mix in some Kiwi/​strawberry surbert and some fruit. DELish! My parents arent much for yogurt but when i took them, they totally loved it… :D all in all an awesome place for desesrt, to hang out with friends or one on one time… :D
one thing i dont like is that its constantly surrounded by younger kids. so the noise can get pretty loud… Loud giggles and high pitched scream. urgh. BUT if you can get it to go then its all good!

I was staying across the street at the Westin and got a hankering for fro-​yo, my Unilocal app said there was one in the mall, I searched all over that stupid Texas sized mall and found no Swirll (but I did find another yogurt shop which I added to my list)
I was in again a week later staying at same place and was determined to find Swirll. Unfortunately their phone # didn’t work and their website wouldn’t load well on my phone. But I found them across the street in the other shopping center from the Galleria.
They have 8 machines cranking 16 flavors of yo. I bought 5 flavors and sampled a 6^th.
Red Velvet — was their creamiest and smoothest flavor.
Cake Batter — this was interesting, initially I liked the flavor but it had a tangy aftertaste.
Banana — a good mix of banana flavor and tangy yogurt flavor but not too tangy.
Oreo — This one had an unusal taste to me, it wasn’t bad but if you blindfolded me I’d have a hard time guessing the flavor.
Strawberry — this was good, it might have been strawberry/​banana.
Pistachio — flavor was good, texture was a little too frozen.
Overall my only issues were a couple flavors had an initial smooth flavor, but shortly after you could taste the yogurt flavor, if that is something you prefer you will love Swirll. Also some of the yogurts seemed to be at a very cold temp, colder than normal if that makes sense so you will get your brain freeze on in no time with those.
I was told they have an Austin location. I also thought it was weird they serve the samples for you.

«I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream…»
And this place did not satisfy the ice cream craving. Now, I understand that the name of the place is Swirll FROZEN YOGURT and I wasn’t expecting the rich, creaminess of the full-​fat real stuff but this wasn’t anywhere near satisfying. I tried the vanilla, cake batter and cookies and cream frozen yogurt with toppings from the topping bar. Ryan S. tried a few other flavors which all were far too fake tasting to really be enjoyable — we even left some behind (definitely an uncharacteristic choice!). And as others have stated, the price is a bit high at .43/​ounce. I don’t think we shall return but I am glad to have tried it…

I’m a fan, like the other reviews say — I like the taste of the original yogurt here better than Berrypop. At this place you can have as many toppings as you want. Berrypop limits you to how much they can put in your cup.
Mondays are double stamp night!

I love the self-​service aspect of this place. I like to hold down the lever and watch the fro yo come out. I LOVE the tart flavors (mango is my favorite) and am not so into the sweet flavors. I like being able to add 1 gummy worm to my fro yo creation. I like having control… buahahaha!
My one issue is that they don’t have blueberry anymore… I heard they were taken over and are now using some different fro yo formulas. When they do have blueberry it’s just not the same. I would also say that it can get a little pricey if you get carried away (which NEVER happens to me — lol!).
A fun place!

I heart swirll. I actually became turned on to fro yo when I went to sweet tomatoes (very good better than souper salad in my opinion) anywho…
I had my roommate take me here and it was great. Its all self serve. and you can sample all the flavors. Some are changed out weekly if i am not mistaken, and some are resident flavors such as cookies and cream, the vanillas, and chocolates of course.
The topping bar is great too.
My roommate has the more fit and trim which usually consists of vanilla, some other fruit flavor, granola, strawberries, thinly sliced nuts and its always soo good.
Then my HEIFFER ASS, lol gets chocolate and cookies and cream marbled, topped with crumbled with oreo, choc chips, and sometimes choc syrup. (Don’t judge!) its so indulgent lol thank god it has like 2 fat cal per serving.
It is heaven in a cup! I actually want some now thinking about it… hmmm No! lol not yet maybe tomorrow while i am out and about.
anyways the location is cool, centrally located so you can do some bargin shopping after stuffing your face. parking is good, but you may not be close to the suite depending on day and time that you attempt to go.
just be carefeul and know that it is sold by weight and its like $.43 per oz? so your total racks up quick. I spend on average 5 – 6 dollars a visit, if i am by myself for an average amount. I don’t think its terrible, but if you only have a few dollars to spend you better be good with mental math and decimals lol
1,2,3 go fro yo!

I’m a big fan of frozen desserts:
ice cream, gelato and frozen yogurt.
So I decided to give this place a go
to get my occasional fix of fro-​yo.
They have several machines that have different flavors
so I went with pomegranate and blueberry to savor.
I skipped out on adding toppings that varies
from chocolate chips, gummy bears and strawberries.
They charge by the ounce, paid over 5 bucks
and realized that being a fro yo glutton really sucks.
It tasted good but considering the fee
I believe I shall give it a score of three.

As far as locations go, the Swirll on W. Gray will always be my favorite (this one seemed really loud). But with the way frozen yogurt places seem to be popping up along all of my most-​traveled routes, I will not complain.
Went last night and tried the Peppermint Stick with chocolate chips; very yummy and an excellent substitute for the holiday milkshake at Chik-​Fil-​A, minus the ‘good lord how many calories did i just inhale’ depression that sets in after. I’m not sure how long that flavor will be around but I recommend it highly.

I prefer Swirll’s fro-​yo taste over Berripop’s.
However, the tart-​ness of frozen yogurt is still growing on me…
but I endure that tart taste for the yummy toppings you can put on it… fresh berries, mochi, and my favorite: green tea powder!

I left my male ego at the door and went on in. The only guy in a room full of gossip, giggling, and squealing over this topping or that flavor.
I don’t get fro-​yo. I just don’t. I grew up on frozen custard, so thick you almost need a spoon, even with a cone. Not exactly sweet, just rich, creamy and smooth textured. Fro-​yo always seems icey and sour to me. And it melts almost instantly. But Liz assures me that as fro-​yo goes, this was good stuff.
The space is super clean, open, organized, and well presented. The serve-​yourself approach says «options» rather than «help that doesn’t».
The only real problem is that the space is so empty of anything soft that it is very loud. I could barely hear the poor girl working the register over the din. And it wasn’t like the place was packed. There were maybe a dozen people in a space that could hold 50?
If you like fro-​yo, and you like toppings, this series of shops seems like a must try idea. I just miss my old custard stands.

I waffled on whether to give this a 3 or a 4 — because while tasty, it’s one of those businesses that sells people on a myth of healthy eating while feeding them sugar and artificial flavoring. That said, I love me some frozen yogurt. I found the Swirll approach clever– several dispensers of flavors ranging from Acai Berry and Lemon to Cake Batter and Peanut Butter. The toppings bins ranged similarly from giant chunks of cookie dough and peanut butter cups to mounds of fresh fruit and macha powder. The store charges by weight, so the lightest ingredients are the cheapest, regardless of how exotic they are.
We had to ask for a spoon at the register. Apparently they can’t leave them out because people steal them all. What on earth?! Spoon thievery seems to clash with the whole ‘yuppie desert’ thing.
The frozen yogurt was inconsistently tasty– how much I liked it very much depended on flavor. Just don’t kid yourself that you’re eating healthy, unless of course you would otherwise be unable to refrain from ice cream.
I imagine this’d be a decent place to girl-​watch for a single guy. The right non-​creepy, suave dude might actually meet someone. On a warm night this place is mobbed by gals in exercise shorts and tanks, and you can overhear some funny spoiled-​girl conversations.

I prefer this location far better than the one on University Blvd not only because its closer to my place but its also a lot bigger. The last time I was at the other location they did not have as many flavors as this Swirlls. I am not sure if that has changed since then.
When I entered I was given a tour of the place. Ice cream 101, alright I am blonde but do not judge a book by its cover. I do not know if they normally do it at this location or not but the person there walked me through and gave me a quick tour and 5 little cups to sample the flavors. I thought it was real nice of him. After trying all the flavors and huge brain freeze I wasn’t sure if I wanted to have espresso or original house blend but since the person helping me recommended their special vanilla because it goes with all the toppings I settled for it.
Here is how it works.
Step one: You pick a container; fill it with whatever kind of yogurt you want (chocolate mint, low fat plain vanilla, low fat chocolate, lemon, coconut, swirll low fat vanilla, pomegranate, espresso). Since they were out of coconut I wanted it bad for some reason. I guess you want the things you cannot have. Anyhow. Moving onwards.
Step two: Once you are done with filling you simply take the container to the topping bar. Their topping include little bite pieces of Twix, cheesecake, smarties, chocolate chip, shaved coconut, cherries, strawberries, pomegranate (looked rotten), blueberries, blackberries, kiwis etc). I topped mine with 3 pieces of Twix, 2 pieces of cheesecake, berries and kiwi and some shredded coconut. Next time I will just go with coconut because it tasted great with vanilla. They also had different syrups that you can drizzle on top but high fructose corn syrup and I do not get along.
Step three: You then place your container on a weigh machine. It counts the way in lbs.
Step four (optional): You pay and they give you a spoon after that.
It’s in a strip mall accompanied by places like Grand Lux Café, Barnes & Noble, Marshalls, Mortons’ etc. This location is always busy whenever I pass by it no matter what the time. They have good amount of seats outdoors as well.
Ways to Enjoy:
You can go to Barnes and Nobel buy a book come to Swirll enjoy some yogurt and read.
Shop all day at the galleria mall or go to DSW get some shoes walk across the street go to Swirlls and enjoy some yogurt. For dads, ditch your family at the mall go to Swirlls and have a relaxing time by yourself.
Go to Swirlls get some yogurt walk across the street go to starbucks and have some vanilla latté with that.
Also, perfect to bring your kids since its a self help place just make sure they do not get carried away with all the toppings… afterall you do have to weigh it in at the end and one cup might end up costing you $ 12

~ I am so glad Swirll came along!!! You can say I’m addicted … I get my fix almost everyday and the service is always awesome!!! The staff is always helpful and friendly. Long is a valuable employee who is always graciously helps me make the 3 – 6 cups of yogurt and packs them up for the road … Thanks Long!
I always feel welcome and appreciated when I walk in. The environment is inviting and always very clean.
As for the yogurt… it’s awesome! My 3 favs are: Pomegranate, Green Tea and Original. I just can’t get enough!!! I drive 15 minutes (one way) everyday to get my fix and got my office hooked on Swirll too!!! I highly recommend Swirll to everyone I know!!! I look forward the them opening in Sugar land and Katy!!!