Red Mango

Red Mango is now CLOSED. As much as I wasn’t a fan of Red Mango with better options nearby, it is sad to see a business close, since someone put their heart and soul into the place.
Harmony Frozen Yogurt (the organic fro-​yo shop still open around the corner on Arroyo Avenue) will be moving into this Red Mango location in 2 weeks, which should mean more foot traffic for Harmony.
I wish them luck.

Yum. This is the first fro-​yo I’ve had that actually tastes like yogurt. While some might notice the sour taste, it tastes just like unflavored yogurt, which I actually like. Everything is extremely fresh.
I had mango and strawberry toppings. It’s a great place to hang out and have inappropriate convos with friends :)
$ 4 well spent.

I heart food enablers.
After reading about my recent pumpkin dessert addiction (
), froyo experts Loila S. and Tracy T. helpfully suggested that I add pumpkin froyo to the list. (Not to be outdone, Marc D. helpfully suggested that I was turning into a pumpkin.) And when I stopped by Red Mango last week, Pumpkin Spice was one of their featured flavors.
«Pumpkin Spice» was actually a misnomer. Although it was colored light orange there was little else to indicate that it was pumpkin flavored and there was zero spice. The «free graham cracker» topping could be better described as «graham cracker powder.» Meh.
However, the other side of my small cup of Red Mango froyo consisted of the always irresistible combo of Original Tart froyo and Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate Chips. Yum!
(Yes Marc D., my belly is getting more pumpkin shaped by the second!) ;)

I can’t believe there is a Red Mango in San Carlos? That is cool minus the parking hassle it takes to find a parking spot over there. There is a RM in Cupertino where I work, so I frequent there a lot. Have a Mango Club Card… what? what? This location is really nice and clean, they have a skylight and outdoor seating with games and a fireplace. Can’t wait to go back here.

Honestly? I have no idea why lots of people rave about Red Mango. Is it that this location isn’t up to the standards of the others? I was in the area the other night, and a friend and I decided to try it.
Since I’d never been to a Red Mango before, I walked in and asked to sample the original, green tea, and pomegranate before deciding about my order. The green tea was too creamy and strong, the pomegranate was too something — sweet or fake maybe? — and the original tasted a little on the sour side to me. Was definitely creamy, but it had an odd aftertaste.
While I was in there, there were THREE employees behind the counter. Two were chatting, and the third stared me down as he handed me the samples. I felt like he was watching my every reaction and that I had to choose quickly so that he would stop watching me.
I felt badly for asking for the samples without buying, so I got a small original, since it seemed like the best option.
Can’t remember how much I paid, but it was around $ 2.75 or 3, give or take. I thought that the amount was a little on the small side for the price.
The best thing about this location is the clean outdoor seating area. Since it was dead, we weren’t rushed to leave.
I’ll skip Red Mango next time I’m craving frozen yogurt.

After lunch nearby we stopped here for dessert. When we arrived it was empty including the counter area. For a second I thought about going behind the counter and making my fro-​yo ala self-​serve style. But before I could make my move an employee came out.
We ordered the Tangomonium and Green Tea swirl. For toppings we went with blueberries and lucky charms. I always prefer fresh fruit but this creation is what happens when you share a fro-​yo with a cereal junkie. (
)
Like other reviewers, I couldn’t make out the Tangomonium flavor except that it was sweet. I actually preferred the green tea and just ate more of that. The texture was nice and creamy but wasn’t impressed with the flavors.
Overall, I felt the fro-​yo here was ok, I still prefer Harmony or Tuttimelon fro-​yo.

this red mango is very spacious. interspaced with simulated red poles, are posters extolling the nutritional value of red mango’s yogurt.
flavors available:
–mango
–tangomonium: mystery sweet fruit flavor
–green tea: very distinct jasmine tea flavor.
pricing:
original: (s) 2.75 (m)3.75 (l)4.75
flavors (s) 3.50) m (4.50) l (5.25)
toppings: .50 each. 9 dry, 10 fruit, 1 mochi
music: soft vocals
yogurt drips
–clean taste, no aftertaste
–organic, designer yogurt
–100% all natural (no claims to organic) with live cultures
–many adults here
–mobile fireplace on outisde patio
–comfy seating inside and out
–babies in carriages brings their parents here.
–servers spend more time talking to friends than servicing patrons

This little location is in a small part of town. The street feels a little small and feels very homely and small town. When you walk in there is a nice little patio area. Actually, it isn’t little it is bigger than you may think. Really nice to sit and chill. Inside is a decent size with a few tables. Not extremely busy but they do get the occasional people walking in and buying stuff.
I got to try to Tangomonium when I was there. It was an interesting taste. All the tastes was really mild and blended with each other. It was extremely hard to figure out what the taste exactly was, but for some weird reason, I kept on tasting lychee. If you live in the area, it is a great place to go and hang out.

Lolia S. gave me a heads up on their free-​small-​Tangomonium-​with-​one-​topping-​between-​12-​to-​4PM promotion. While my daughter, her friend, her mother, and my wife were at a Saturday tumbling practice, I made my way to Laurel St. and found a parking spot near Red Mango.
Surprisingly, no lines, and I was quickly served a small Tangomonium with a mango topping. It’s not really a tart flavor, but has a little citrusy taste, a little sweeter than an original tart, but not overly sweet. Like what Lolia S. said, it’s really hard to nail the taste equivalent.
I needed another taste, and fortunately, there was another free opportunity.
When my wife called and said they were done, I picked them up, we went to lunch at nearby Broiler Express, then the 6 of us walked over to Red Mango. Even with my 2^nd free yogurt, still couldn’t nail the taste down, but it wasn’t bad.
One thing for sure… free tastes better.

I attended my first Unilocal fro-​yo event today at the San Carlos Red Mango. We got to try their new flavor — tangomonium. I definitely enjoyed it, but I have to agree with CeCe C. that the new flavor is rather mild. Like CeCe C, I may have gotten too many toppings (mandarin oranges, mango and granola). I did notice a light citrus-​mango taste. It was also fairly sweet, and like other Red Mango fro-​yos, it’s very creamy. That’s not bad in my book since I like sweet and creamy desserts.
I also tried a blender — a combination of fro yo and up to 3 toppings. I chose original fro yo mixed with dark chocolate chips and strawberries. It was kind of like DQ Blizzard meets Jamba Juice smoothie. It’s nice if you’re in the mood for a drink instead of a fro yo, but you do need to be careful in selecting toppings that blend well together.
I’ve only been to the Valley Fair Red Mango before. Compared to that store, the San Carlos location is more spacious and comfortable. I think the service was more friendly too.
From the event, I got the impression that Red Mango’s management team really cares about their customers. Richard was very interested in getting feedback and figuring out how to improve Red Mango.
Lolia S. and Richard: thank you very much for organizing the event!

Went to the Tangomonium preview party that our lovely Fro-​yo Girl organized there tonight and tried so many different things.
I’m a fan of Red Mango already — I really like their tart and my husband loves their green tea. The pom flavor is ok (but we like the other two more), and this new Tangomonium is pretty darned tasty. It’s fruity and citrusy and such. Their original tart is where my heart is, still. ;)
I *love* the look and feel of this new location. The outdoor seating area is so awesome. I want one like it for my home. It was pouring down rain but the temperature was perfect and we were dry and comfortable, enjoying our froyo after dinner.
Thanks to Red Mango for their hospitality tonight — and look for a price drop tomorrow (except for Palo Alto, sadly).

Went to the Tangomonium preview party tonight and had a great time chatting with one of the owners, Rich, about fro-​yos and tasting their new Tangomonium flavor, which was pretty good!
So happy! They are lowering their price starting tomorrow (except for PA). And with their all natural flavors and totally fresh toppings, they get an extra star from my last review. My biggest issue before was the price and since they weren’t self serve I couldn’t just get a little bit to crush the craving without breaking the bank, but now, I won’t break the bank even with a large since it’ll be less than $ 5!

Raining outside
Eating froyo
Doode, we’re crazy!
Mango’s tango
A new flavor?
Nicer prices
Great atmosphere
Oh, they’re green too!
I ate A LOT of froyo during this rainy evening!!! Like Cindy C. and Shannon N., I too was at the Tangomonium preview party! It was soo nice to finally get to meet everyone, especially fro-​yo girl Lolia! We were fortunate enough to not only meet Richard from the San Carlos Red Mango, but just hangout and talk about froyo all evening! ahaha
I’ve never been to San Carlos before so I almost couldn’t find the store on Laurel St. But parking was easy to find!
So this tango… flavor. It was hard for me to really taste the flavor. If you eat it plain it kinda tastes like an extremely mild orange-​iscle/​orange julius? After eating a small tangomonium with bluberries, pineapples, watermelon, and mochi, I embarrassingly enough asked for a small POM froyo! ahaha I know this tasting was for the new flavor, but I still kinda like the POM one… :P I think the reason I wasn’t too crazy about the new flavor was because I added way too many toppings! I’ll have to try that tango flavor again later in the summer when the watermelons are sweeter, but i did like it with the pineapples!!!
I’m really grateful for Lolia and Richard and the whole Red Mango crew for accommodating us!!! Thank you! I hope to continue to meet more Unilocalers and froyo addicts!

The one place I know I can get my green tea fro-​yo fix. Im still a bigger fan of Harmony down the street but they dont carry green tea, so I’m forced to head here instead. Wow, pretty quiet for a Sat afternoon. Girl behind the counter is pretty friendly and they have a nice little patio area to sit and enjoy. Though a medium with one topping is now more than $ 6? damn! fro yo be expensive here! though I guess we ARE in San Carlos

Damn the fact that I work in San Carlos, recently had pink berry for the first time. and am now obsesed with frozen yogurt. I loved golden spoon down south. so this is a nice in between yogurt. slightly tarty «healthy» tasting and milky –sweet like golden spoon.
i always get the same thing:
original flavor yogurt + strawberry + granola
sucks that theres outdoor seating but its shaded so its not ideal during a nice day… stay away from the pomegrante and green tea yogurt. after the sample size it gets to be too much. DAMN yogurt for being so expensive.

As much as I’m a fro-​yo freak, it pains me a bit to write this review and downgrade from my previous visit. I stopped in here for an afternoon fro-​yo fix. There were two people behind the counter, and neither were friendly and was more like service with a straight face instead of a smile. One looked like she had just woken up from a nap.
Anywho, I wanted a small combo of both the pomegranate and green tea flavors, with mango fruit topping (exactly what I had during my last visit). The cashier told me I couldn’t mix those two flavors, and only the original (tart) and the pomegranate could be mixed. I was so confused, and was like, «Wuh, What? I’ve had that combo here before.»
He says, «Sorry, lady, I can’t do that combo and can only mix the original with the pomegranate «So, I tell him, «Fine,» as I wasn’t in the mood to question why, and plus I was in a bit of a rush.
Well, I’m always happy to get my fro-​yo fix, but this visit was disappointing with the less than stellar customer service, lack of green tea flavor in the mix, and skimpiness of the yogurt and mango toppings. Walking out, I noticed that some of the tables weren’t wiped down, and entire place didn’t look as clean and pristine as my last visit.
Hmm, not sure I’ll return to this location, and instead will try the San Jose location at the Westfield Mall!

We tried the pomegranate flavour here and it was nothing to write home about. It’s sort of like Pinkberry but the yogurt sort of tasted like Yoplait in a frozen form. The modern layout of the place is pretty cool and they offer free wifi. It’s somewhere in the middle in my book.

I tried Red Mango for the first time in SoCal in K-​Town and I loved it! Too bad I dont live down there. otherwise I’d be their #1 customer. So when I saw Red Mango on my way to have sushi, I convinced my bf to get fro-​yo BEFORE dinner! YUM! I got an original small with 2 types fruits for about $ 4 and I was completely satisfied. I was in frozen heavenly goodiness!
I could have eaten more of that for dinner! One thing I did notice that was different from the So-​Cal location was that they give you a nice heaping of toppings which is great! The So-​Cal location only gave me just a sprinkle of fruit… but remember you are going there for the frozen yogurt and not trying to buy a cup of fruit.
Only downside is that its all the way in San Carlos, and I live in the city. Whenever I’m in San Carlos, I’ll def. stop in for a treat!

Caveat: I don’t get fro-​yo in the first place so I am probably the last person on earth who could tell the difference between good fro-​yo and bad.
I had a small yogurt with some fruit toppings. It tasted okay. So what. I still don’t get it. Besides, the atmosphere is too sterile for my tastes.
I had thought maybe a second yogurt place might add something extra to the downtown area (turn San Carlos into an ultra-​swank fro-​yo mecca?). Now that its open, I just don’t see it adding anything at all. Its not necessarily acting as much of magnet for visitors to the area to congregate and socialize. The only people I can see going there are Red Mango fans from out of the area for which Palo is too far. Any San Carlos native naturally already gravitates to home-​grown Harmony around the block.
And, as a San Carlos resident in good standing, I have to say it comes across as just really slimy to open up down the street from the privately owned Harmony. They certainly aren’t going to win over any converts.
Sorry Fro-​Yo Girl and Boy, even us fro-​yo non-​appreciators need to stand up for our local businesses.

Wife needed the van to take the kids to a pumpkin patch gathering. Thus, I needed to be in San Mateo to drop off some documents. So I rode my bike through Cal train and did what I had to do and enjoy my rare Saturday off. I also knew that the newest Red Mango has just opened in the city of San Carlos, which is not far from San Mateo (if you ride on train).
Thank goodness I rode my bike to the city of San Carlos, because the city’s Laurel Ave. strip had a Art and Wine festival this weekend. Finding parking along that busy street was already a nightmare, but with the festival going on made the parking situation much worse. I was so bless that I don’t need to deal with the parking situation for a change.
At the newest San Carlos’ Red Mango, they were promoting a complimentary scoop of the frozen yogurt in a small 5 oz cup with a choice of one topping. As expected, the line was somewhat long, but I met a Unilocaler, who’s known as the «fro-​yo girl» stand in line for me as I walked across the street to the Wamu ATM machine to get some cash. The line went by pretty rapidly, and thanks to the «fro yo girl», the wait didn’t take long for me. I got the Green Tea and Plain, the two available flavors with a scoop of blueberries as my lone topping. The two fro-​yo flavors were very creamy and have a very nice texture. I’m definitely a big fan of the Red Mango franchise and will be back.
For those of your reading this review, please don’t tell my wife that I enjoyed my free fro-​yo treat while checking out San Carlos festival with the fro-​yo girl.