Red Mango

Oh no, this place is closed :(WHY??? I’ll miss the outdoor seating.

This is an awesome place on Bleecker Street that serves up real frozen yogurt — not the stuff you buy in the supermarket or at other ice cream places. This is actual yogurt, with actual live cultures and our little bacteria friends who help us digest our food so well. Flavors are seasonal, but they’ve always got original, and right now (November 09) they also have pumpkin and pomegranate. For a little extra, you can get some really tasty toppings that really go great with this unique frozen yogurt shop.
Décor is modern and bright and stylish. And very red.
It isn’t light on the wallet in terms of ice cream, and they only sell Fiji water (which is equivalent to basically putting a hole in your wallet with an industrial-​strength power drill), but the yogurt itself is well worth it. Try it and experience something really unique.

Red Mango sure has balls, and I don’t mean something sweet to top your cup of fro-​yo. I mean big balls, the kind that would have the temerity to set up a store across the empress of the category, Pinkberry. Ah yes, on busy Bleecker Street in the village, you have your choice between two trendy places that serve dollops of frozen yogurt each being trumpeted as 100% natural. What ain’t so natural is the price, which if I’m honest with myself, I would rather spend on a sausage pizza slice at Ray’s.
However, a hefty corned beef and pastrami sandwich at Katz’s does call for something with some semblance of healthiness if you have any sort of conscience. Luckily, I used Unilocal on my iPhone to find this place an easy stroll away. It looks like most other fro-​yo places except there are some inviting chairs with actual cushions. Jamie W. found ourselves parked there for a while since I imagined other fro-​yo followers were across the street. I went for a $ 3.95 regular cup of Tangomonium with $ 1.25 worth of mochi cubes and Ghirardelli dark chocolate mini-​chips (see photo).
It was tasty enough and not too tangy. In fact, I may even prefer it to Pinkberry since I’m not much on the sour taste of the fro-​yo there. But I have to admit I’m no fro-​yo fanatic. We were just feeling guilty for the mounds of aged pastrami meat in our bellies and decided to seek absolution at Red Mango. I don’t think I found it, but hey, it killed an hour before going back to our little walk-​up room at the Union Square Inn.
FRO-​YO — 4 stars… tasty for what it was… a good chaser for a pastrami on rye
AMBIANCE — 4 stars… nice seating if you can grab it… and most of the connoisseurs are over at Pinkberry anyway
SERVICE — 3.5 stars… hey, they label their cups with your order… whoa, they are efficient
TOTAL — 4 stars… fro-​yo for the rest of us

I won’t lie, I have a sweet tooth. And Red Mango certainly does the trick.
Even though I was only in town for a couple of days, I had to seek this place out since my kid cousin told me about it, and I was certainly not disappointed. Yes, I’ve had the Pinkberry stuff when I was in LA and I was not really a fan – it’s too tart for my taste. Desserts, in my biased opinion, need to have just enough sweetness but not enough to put you in a coma.
Since I’ve never tried Red Mango before, the guys behind the counter were kind enough to give us testers. If only food were permitted on the MTA, I think I would have gotten more things to try on my way back to Brooklyn. Fanteasia (the wildberry hibiscus tea) was very good, but I opted for what Red Mango is known for: the frozen yogurt. I went with the tangomonium immediately after sampling a taste portion, and guess that it’s a combination of tangerines and mangos? I asked the counter guy what the best topping for this flavor would be and he recommended the fresh cut strawberries. The pairing was very appropriate. The strawberries complimented the light, citrusy flavor, and the slight sweetness of the froyo. Yuuuum.
For the health-​conscious, since I’m a faux-​health freak, the calorie counts are posted under each menu item. My small cup of froyo was only about a 220 caloric intake. Now I’m going to have to look up a location in and/​or around Chicago. I think I’ve just found my new «healthy food.»

A review of Red Mango will inevitably make reference to its superiority over Pinkberry. And while Pinkberry was the first of its kind to come to America, I’ve learned from the Bleeker Street location’s workers that Red Mango was established first in South Korea. That’s some yogurt street cred right there.
I would, however, feel a whole lot better, when stopping here to «treat myself», if a regular-​sized, flavored yogurt with one topping didn’t make my wallet $ 6 and some change lighter. Seriously, that’s more than the two slices I paid for at Pizza Box down the block. And that was my lunch… not my dessert.
Nevertheless, Red Mango’s deliciousness cannot be denied. Their newest flavor Tangomonium really is, as their ad campaign proclaims, «a spoonful of happy». Plus, I don’t know where they got those tunes they play in-​store, but man, do they need to pump that through my office’s elevator banks. «An earful of happy» right there.

Pricey Yogurt! Sheesh.
But PinkBerry is across the street from here. They have to have some kind of moxy to open up next to each other. This place gets an extra star due to the nice outdoor backyard seating. Sometimes these small dessert shops in Manhattan just do not have enough seating and on a nice evening like this, I found the outdoor quite nice.
Bathroom = Big Plus.

This place is soooo much better than pinkberry. Pinkberry in my opinion is so overrated. The topping selection here is much better and the yogurt doesn’t have a sour aftertaste.
I had to minus a star because it’s kinda expensive once you start adding more than one topping.

Everyone chooses to go across the street to Pinkberry. I choose to come to Red Mango because the crowds aren’t as large as Pinkberry. I choose to come to Red Mango because the back patio is a great place to hang out and eat fro-​yo during the summer. And most of all, I choose to come to Red Mango because the fro-​yo just tastes better than Pinkberry.
Now I’m not saying I am an expert when it comes to frozen yogurt. But if my inexperienced palette can make a distinction between the two, then I am sure, my humble reader, you can as well.

VERY pinkberry like — same concept, same flavors, same sorts of toppings, same pricing more or less. In fact, Red Mango is all about Pinkberry-​bashing, and has articles posted, etc. drawing their distinction from Pinkberry — and that is, they use real yogurt and have the active cultures.
That is basically the only difference. So yes, if I had a pinkberry craving, and I find myself at a crossroads between pinkberry and red mango, I would actually choose red mango for health reasons. And if you look carefully, red mango likes to situate itself very close to other pinkberry’s!

I’ve anticipated Red Mango for quite some time; wondering where this frozen yogurt fell in the tart treat continuum.
Regrettably, my experience was bit anti-​climactic and can best be summed up in three words: I prefer Pinkberry.

SO GOOD! i don’t even know if this is the location that i went to in NY but i’m craving for some RED MANGO now! i’m from california and i’ve never had any froyo like rm’s. it’s creamier and not overly tart like ones here in the bay area.
watermelon+mango is the best combo!

Now that I’ve drunk the tart fro-​yo flavored kool-​aid and find myself craving this tangy treat almost daily, it’s only a matter of time before I try all the various incarnations. The truly devoted (Koreans) will tell you Red Mango was around long before Pinkberry started this craze stateside, and that being the original it is infinitely better and uses actual yogurt cultures (unlike PB).
Well, after trying a couple times, I am here to report that yes, the rumors are true — it’s better than Pinkberry. Creamier, more flavorful, and just better — also, i think it’s cheaper. And conveniently they seem to have opened one across the street from every Pinkberry in the city, so it looks like I’ve made my choice.
Sure, call me fickle, but I follow my taste-​buds. Viva la Red Mango!

Right across the street from Pinkberry, so the competition is probably rather fierce. :O
Red Mango apparently came before Pinkberry and uses real yogurt, as opposed to whatever Pinkberry’s using. Personally, I couldn’t taste too much of a difference (I live in northern California and all the Pinkberry’s are down south), but anyway, I got green tea with blueberries + mochi. For whatever the reason, I like Red Mango more (taste-​wise and service-​wise).

Another excellent froyo purveyor which I place in the ranks of BerryWild and Flurt. Comparing the plain versions of all three, Red Mango has a texture as creamy and smooth as BerryWild’s smooth version, is a bit sweeter and less lemony-​tart than both, and has an added touch of vanilla extract. It’s a very delicate hint of vanilla, but it’s there, making RM’s plain not quite plain, but very delicious nonetheless. Perhaps that’s why it’s called ‘original’ and not ‘plain’.
This location is large and spacious with an outdoor seating area in the back. I arrived on a rather hot evening and there was a line — it took me more than a few minutes to reach the cashier and place my order, and at least that long to receive. This, despite the fact that there was a man whose sole job was to squeeze out the froyo and add toppings!
I found the staff friendly and as efficient as could be, considering the traffic; the cashier happily gave me a sample of green tea to try. It’s quite good, but not as strongly green-​tea flavoured as BW’s ice green tea, which must be 50% matcha powder. It’s more of a green tea lite. I doubt I would pay an extra $ 1 for it — but who knows — I think it’d go great with mochi and mango. Plain and green tea are the only flavours.
In the end I settled on a small plain out of both fairness to other purveyors and preference — simplicity is a boon to froyo, I feel, and the plain allows that natural yogurt flavour to best shine. This supposed 4 oz small is probably more like 6 – 7 oz — it’s quite large! — but it’s a bit deceptive, because it’s not filled all the way to the sides, tapers upward like a mountain AND the inside is a bit hollow toward the bottom. This makes it not as good a value as BW, but still a better value than many places. I was certainly satisfied with the serving size.
Prices (not including tax):
small original — 4 oz — $ 2.95, green tea — $ 3.95
medium original — 8 oz — $ 3.95, green tea — $ 4.95
large original — 12 oz — $ 6.45, green tea — $ 7.45
1 topping — +$ 1, 2 toppings + 1.25, 3 toppings + 1.50, beyond that +$ 1 per additional topping
Toppings (which looked very fresh, I must say):
banana (out today), blackberry, blueberry, mochi, mango, pineapple, raspberry, strawberry
bear naked granola, captain crunch, cocoa pebbles, fruity pebbles, ghiradelli dark choc mini chips, crushed graham crackers, sliced almonds

Five stars because I’m already a fan of Red Mango yogurt. And we have to beat *beep*beep* across the street.
BUT this location needs a major attitude adjustment.
We arrived at 11:45-ish pm and we were reminded every FIVE MINUTES that they close at midnight.
I mean, everyone totally heard the first time. The second and third were simply unpleasant.

Red Mango is much better than Pinkberry. Apparently, if you have been living under a rock, Red Mango is the original standard of this particular frozen dessert, and Pinkberry stole the concept, the recipe and the name, practically, and made a beeline to the US, whereupon anorexic ladies in LA began lining up for hours to eat something that wouldn’t make them feel guilty.
I think Red Mango has a better texture than Pinkberry… where P’s is watery-​ish, Red Mango manages to maintain a creaminess throughout.
Where P always failed my test was with taste. Two flavors, a plain and a green tea, both of which taste exactly like plain unflavored yogurt which has been frozen. Red Mango’s green tea and original plain both maintained a little tang, but did not have nearly the noxious sour aftertaste as P’s yogurt. Furthermore, Red Mango makes their yogurt from scratch, whereas P uses a powdered mix.
I just realized I know waaaaayy too much about Korean frozen yogurt wars.
Toppings are the same. with the best, in my opinion, being mochi, oreo and strawberry. This location is large and has an outdoor seating area in the back that actually provides shade, calm and quiet in the middle of Bleecker street. I like.
If you don’t want to eat a pint of Ben and Jerry’s, or don’t want to wait in line for Il Labratorio’s basil gelato, this isn’t half bad.

Hey there… how YOU doin’? *does the upwards head nod and winks*
Yeah, so… after swimming in the Pinkberry kiddie pool, I gathered my bravada and decided I was ready to play with the big kids and try Red Mango, the «original» frozen yogurt purveyors.
I actually liked Red Mango’s yogurt better than Pinkberry’s. People are right — it’s creamier and thicker than Pinkberry’s. This location in particular is nice because it’s big, roomy, there’s plenty of seating, PLUS there is an outdoor area for seating (with heat lamps, too) that the staff was quick to point out on a blustery winter evening recently. Sure, it may not be such a great idea to have frozen yogurt outdoors in the middle of winter (then again, I’m one to talk — I did have Coldstone Creamery in Chicago during a blizzard one time, and, yes, the ice cream actually was frozen solid by the time I walked back to my friend’s apartment). However, the outdoor seating area looks cute and will be plenty welcome in the spring and summer months.
I recommend this place over the 14^th Street location (see my next review for obvious reason).

I’m from SF where neither Pinkberry or Red Mango exist. I was strolling down the street and noticed Pinkberry. Oh, the heck with it… it is only 35 degrees and I’m in the mood for froyo. Wait… what’s that across the street and less crowded… Red Mango (heard of it but never tried).
I’m jumping ships! Their froyo is tastier and chairs are plush compared to the plastic ones at Pinkberry. They took the initiative on splitting the cup we were sharing for us. They really made it clear their froyo was REAL verses the mis-​advertised powder stuff from their competitors.

I imagine that the whole frozen yogurt phenomenon is puzzling, yet curious to South Koreans, which is where the fad originated. Something similar to our confusion when The ‘Hoff went over to Deutcheland and hit it big time.
Red Mango was the original chain in Korea, which was subsequently copied and turned into your corner Pinkberry. However, the grandmaster has made its way to the US of A to teach young grasshopper the ways of frozen yogurt.
For frozen yogurt aficionados, Red Mango is essentially your BMW to your Ford. Your Chimay to your Bud Light. Your Rocky III to your Rocky V. It’s the real deal. Sweeter, creamier, with fuller flavor and fresher toppings.
The store interior is much more spacious than the average Pink Berry, and the counter people don’t go all Soup Nazi on you if you try to take a picture inside the store. Red Mango gets my $ 6 bux when I need my froyo fix. *

Red Mango, the AUTHENTIC frozen yogurt, finally opened on Bleecker St (how do I know it’s authentic? It says so on their sign!). They were giving away free frozen yogurt with toppings, so how could I resist a frozen treat in December?
Their frozen yogurt is a lot creamier than Pinkberry’s (which is right across the street) and there’s less sugar per serving as well (surprisingly, an 8oz medium still has about the same amount of sugar as a can of coke!). The original tasted great (40 carrots consistency + Pinkberry taste) and the green tea tasted like actual green tea!
Red Mango is really open about their ingredients, it’s made with real yogurt, and each serving also has a fair amount of vitamins. I’ll definitely be back!