Penguin Froyo

My favorite crêpe place. Love their strawberry & chocolate crêpe with honey lavender gelato. I know the gelato doesn’t sound good but I fell in love with it. Must try it! :)
Unfortunately it’s closed now and I’m quite sad.

Mmm, froyo! Perfect for hot summer nights, but just as delicious any other time of year! I visited Penguin Froyo quite awhile ago, a short while back when froyo was the talk of the town, and new frozen yogurt shops were opening up on every other corner (oh wait, this is still going on!). On that particular night, a couple friends and I decided to meet up at Penguin partly due to it’s location (we were coming from both north & south sj), but MOSTLY due to its CUTE name! Who can resist cute penguins?
Parking was probably the most unpleasant part of all, it was a weekday evening and I couldn’t find any street parking, and all the lots nearby charged a flat rate! I absolutely did not want to spend more on parking than on froyo! Eventually found a quiet little lot, but I was paranoid about getting a ticket the entire time. :(
Onto the froyo! They not only have froyo, they have fro-​everything! Haha that sounded pretty dumb. Anyways there’s a nice menu up against the wall, and there are plenty of toppings for you to choose from! The owners were very generous with their samples, and I ended up going with the pomegranate. I had a nice chat with the owner and he claimed that he actually came up with the flavor awhile before it started showing up at all the competitor’s locations. Their pomegranate tastes slightly different from the others, but I can’t say exactly why, guess I’ve gotta go back for another taste!
Owners were super friendly, the wife was still pregnant last time I went by (so long ago!), I hope they’re still doing well, and I can’t wait to try some of those gelato flavors now that I’m slightly over the whole froyo fiasco! :)

Just had the regular tart, which was just okay. Not as icy as I like it to be, but the amount of sweetness was okay. They don’t have that many toppings for fruit, which made me sad. Their fruit tasted fresh, though. Sucks that it’s not self serve, only comes in pre-​sized. I would rather go to Tutti Frutti. But might be back to try some of their drinks!
I love that they have a lot of seating. I like their atmosphere.

There has been so much buzz about Penguin Froyo. The four and half stars overall rating is very impressive and prompted me to check out this place so close to SJSU.
As I walked into Penguin Froyo (on a very hot summers day I may add), I noticed that the place was completely empty. Strange, but nonetheless, I proceed to check out selection of froyo and gelato.
The froyo selection was rather limited and I honestly could not find anything that I grabbed my attention. The flavors that they had were chocolate, chocolate strawberry, banana, vanilla, and a few others that I really can’t remember. I sampled the chocolate froyo but found the flavor to be weak and lacking in chocolate richness. Furthermore, apart from the lack of selection, I was disappointed that Penguin Froyo was not self serve. A small Froyo was around three dollars with toppings (three of them) a dollar extra! The charge for the toppings put me off because I am the type of person that likes lots of different toppings: D
Anyways, I decided to get the Crème Brulee gelato. This gelato was not that great and had lot of icy bits mixed in like it was some sort of popsicle gelato. The flavors were alright but I found the brulee part of the gelato to be overly sweet and overpowering. Honestly, for four bucks, I did not get quality gelato!
Verdict: I would not go back to Penguin Froyo again.

There is just too much to choose from! Luckily the folks behind the counter will let you sample as much as you want until you figure it out.
After sampling four different gelatos and two fro-​yos, I ended up deciding on fro-​yo, tried and true. A small, half kiwi-​half pomegrante, with peaches, kiwi and mochi on top. DELISH! Totally hit the spot.
Great location down the street for wherever you might be dining or clubbing. They are open late too. WIth a few corners to chill in and relax while enjoying your sweet treat.

Pretttty good gelato here!!! They allow you to taste and sample the flavors here, but I only sampled the strawberry cheesecake gelato and I was SOLD! lol
Cute place to chill with several tables and sofa chairs to enjoy your cool treat at. The sofa chairs can use a little cleaning and it would be nicer if the regular chairs were more comfortable.
They say they will validate your parking but I only got $ 3 off my parking garage stub. Dunno if that’s the norm, but oh well. My friends and I certainly had ourselves an adventure just trying to find parking and made several trips around the block because the entrance to the parking garage was closed on one side etc etc. Wish it were easier to find parking so I can come here more often. Otherwise, I’ll just stop by if I’m in the area, but don’t think I’ll make a special trip just for this place.

There’s really yummy gelato here! I came by, and sampled their Honey Lavendar, Crème Brulee, Vanilla Bean, Coconut Macadamia, AND Strawberry Cheesecake. I probably sampled way more than I should have, but the lady behind the counter was really nice about it.
I ended up getting the small Strawberry Cheesecake for $ 4, and it was really good! It’s thick and creamy and delicious. :)

Being that it’s called Penguin FROYO, I have yet to try their signature item. I always seem to be distracted by the plethora of choices they offer. From crepes to gelato to coffee, it makes it difficult to just focus on getting the froyo.
I’ve tried their gelato, which I ordered in a small size ($ 4) and chose the blackberry sorbetto along with the bavarian mint. I wasn’t too enthused by the blackberry sorbetto as it was as smooth in texture as I thought it would be and it was interlaced with blackberry goo. Yes goo. It tasted like blackberry but felt like a runny caramel in texture. Quite peculiar and unexpected. The bavarian mint was thoroughly enjoyable. It tasted like a York peppermint patty. It is a flavor I would definitely order again.
On another visit, I had their Mayan Hot Chocolate in a small size ($ 2.15). It is definitely hot. In temperature only. Along the Scoville scale it barely hits the starting line, which is what I was told before I ordered. There is a tickle in spiciness in the back of the throat after you’ve swallowed the chocolate elixir. It was soothing and comforting on a rain-​soaked afternoon.
There are plenty of comfortable seating areas to relax in and enjoy the treats Penguin has to offer. Bring your laptop or any Wi-​Fi enabled device and surf the internet because it’s free at Penguin. Or you can just sit there with a friend, a relative, or someone you just met there and have a great conversation.

I was craving some crepes so I was Unilocaling some places that had them. Penguin Froyo is just a few blocks away from SJSU, so why the hell not? It had good reviews so I invited my friend with me to try out some crepes.
Since my friend was treating me, I wanted to order the most expensive crêpe :) We ordered the Ferrero Rocher crêpe, which was about $ 10. It took about 5 minutes for them to make and had it delivered to where we were seated. Although I love Ferrero Rocher, I think it was too much in the crêpe. It was super sweet, and I couldn’t handle it. Don’t get me wrong; it wasn’t nasty or anything. Just a tad bit sweet for me. I also ordered a drink, which I forgot what it was but it had to be a strawberry drink, and it tasted okay as well. I didn’t really like the aftertaste, but I still managed to drink it.
Parking is kind of bad here, but apparently they validate parking now so that’s good. I’ll still be back to try out the other crepes and maybe some froyo: p

After a great lunch at Vung Tau we were craving some dessert. Thanks to my Unilocal application it pointed us to Penguin Froyo.
I decided to try their mango sorbetto gelato while my friends got the strawberry cheesecake and green tea. All 3 had intense flavors but wasn’t overpowering. The texture was harder than I expected when I first tried to scoop it out. However once I ate it, I enjoyed the slow melt in my mouth, sorta like eating a slushy but better.
Overall Thoughts
Thanks to my trusty Iphone + Unilocal App we were able to find a great dessert place

Came here twice and the owner/​workers are really nice.
The last time I was here, I came really late from Pedro Wine Bar (the walk took about 10 minutes), and they were closing (10 minutes left), but they were super accommodating. I dind’t feel like they were rushing us out at all, esp a long day of work they endured
I have ordered their:
*gelato – nothing too unusual
*Banana, strawberry, nutella crêpe – DELICIOUS! :)
3.5 star for overall taste, quality, and service
.5 star for generosity in all aspect

I LOVE Penguin Froyo.
Its my favorite place to go for dessert.
I actually don’t get the froyo though…
I try to come at least once every other week for the crepes! :D
I get the Nutella, Banana crêpe with powdered sugar & chocolate syrup on top w/​a scoop of Vanilla Bean gelatto ice cream on the side. It’s the perfect combination. I don’t like my crepes thin & crispy like some people do so whenever I come in, they know exactly how I like my crepes… slighty thicker & soft. :-9 DELICIOUS. & you cannot leave out the Vanilla Bean gelatto because it’s perfect w/​every bite of the crêpe! hehe
The people that work there & the owner are all very nice & sweet. When we sit down on the comfy couch chairs, they bring our desserts to us & they also bring us cups of ice water. :) So sweet…& they make a smiley face on my crêpe plate every time I go. They make the eyes & eyebrows out of banana & strawberry slices & the mouth w/​chocolate syrup. Makes me smile/​laugh every time! :D
I’ve brought my sister & many of my friends & even their parents & now they are all hooked. Muahahaha! ;)

The World According to Noelle
~Allergic Girl’s Guide to Life~
«Penguin Froyo — is in one word simply delicious.» Noelle W.
Looking for something sweet or something savory– look no further than Penguin Froyo. They have an amazingly delicious selection of sweet and savory crepes. My favorite sweet crêpe is the plain nutella one. My favorite savory crêpe is the broccoli/​mushroom/​cheese– delish, really a great lunch treat. If you’re looking to indulge into the sweet side of things they have smoothies, frozen yogurt, gelato and ice cream. They have an excellent selection of Double Rainbow ice cream. They also have my favorite brand of gelato– Gelato Classico. I like their frozen yogurt — more specifically the lychee, pom or just regular chocolate.
Upon entering one will note the great tunes. Its a charming place, a good spot for lunch– a reprieve from the hustle and bustle of the down town and just life in general.
Noelle’s Notes:
A Noelle Favorite!

Oh Penguin … who knew good desserting could be so close to home (but so hard to find parking for …)!?
I’ve been hearing about this place for ages and been wanting to come here to try a crêpe. I find that although this place was called Penguine FROYO, I have odd standards for yogurt and almost everyone I know prefers it a different way … so I had no desire to judge their yogurt despite the name. I personally prefer my yogurt Red Mango style, thick and creamy with a side of … more cream … but many people love the tarty, icy, or really sweet kind … :\
Anyway, the ambiance is here nice, they offer free wi-​fi and I can see this as a nice place for me to come study or read a book even. The service was extremely nice and every crêpe comes out with a smile! I got the banana nutella which was heavenly, and had a banana eyes, chocolate smile. My friend got the well raved about banana-​strawberry and nutella, equally as good, but had «eyebrows» of strawberry! I find their attention to detail to be refreshing in a dessert place where they theoretically could just slap something on a plate and serve it with some whipped cream.
They have a huge variety of gelatos, ice cream as well as coffee and I can’t wait to come back to try it all!

One of the best Froyo places in the south bay. Their gelato is also excellent. Honey lavender and pistachio are my favorites.
The staffs here are very friendly and accommodating. We had a fairly large group there and they constantly check on us to make sure we have enough chairs to sit on. (They also offer group discount for large party) We spent a good few hours there and it was a very enjoyable experience.
I highly recommend this place. A wonderful alternative in down town San Jose for those who do not like alcohol.

3.5 stars. (I seem to think everything is 3.5 stars these days)
I’d actually had Penguin Froyo bookmarked for many months, and finally got to try it pre-​concert! I did not see anything Penguin-​esque in the clean little store, sadly. They could use a penguin or two.
I tried a couple froyo flavors. Original, pomegranate, peach, and sugar-​free/​fat-​free strawberry (only cause Yann Y. asked for a sample – I hate sugar-​free stuff!). The peach was sweet and artificial tasting, as was the strawberry. Pomegranate was a bit too strong and creamy for my taste. Original was pretty good. Nothing amazing though.
So I ended up with gelato instead! I got a small, half dark chocolate, half honey lavender… it came with a crispy wafer (
). Mmmmm the dark chocolate tasted like a truffle in gelato form! Great cocoa flavor and not too sweet either. Honey lavender was very unique and aromatic… loved it.
Service was really great too – the guy was patient with our overzealous sampling.

Fiercely overrated but I AM impressed with their humongous menu and reasonable prices! Usually a place focuses on one main line of items but this place has it all: crepes, smoothies, coffee, ice cream, gelato, frozen yogurt, and a couple extras here and there.
The gelato here is the same as what they serve at the Gelato Classico, in Fremont and in Mountain View and they even serve it in the same labeled cups. I didn’t care for that since I’ve gotten it many times so I tried the ice cream. Vanilla Cookie (a.k.a Oreo) tasted a bit grainy and I’ve noticed this problem with many other versions. Golden Gate Caramel Swirl is basically a swirl of chocolate, vanilla, with some caramel in it. It was too sweet and too much to handle. Price was $ 3 for a small but this was comparatively bigger than the smalls at Gelato Classico.
My friend got a Cinnamon-​Sugar-​Butter crêpe. If you’re not feeling an overly extravagant crêpe, then this would be perfect. It’s no nonsense: no filling, no ice cream, no nutella. Most of the butter was plopped top and center which we mistook for melted whip cream only. The price for this was very reasonable — it didn’t cost even $ 3 and the girl at the counter took off $ 1 for a promotion. Same friend also got a drink in which all the syrup was stuck to the bottom so I guess it just didn’t mix or incorporate well.
They have a couple pairs of sofa throughout and then some five-​top tables near the back. I can see how cramped this place can get so I’d recommend coming during an off time or just getting it to go. There were two annoying bugs flying around us constantly so I hope they do something about that!

Went here two weeks ago which may be may last trip since I am in a couple days an official SJSU alum. Hopefully I can stop by every once in awhile whenever I find myself down in the area. I will miss this place it is a definite favorite of mine.
I got my good old faithful tiramisu gelato & he got a medium sized lychee fro-​yo with pineapple, gummi bears & chocolate chips. Of course we switched every once in awhile. The tiramisu gelato as always was heaven on earth! And the lychee fro-​yo was the best I ever had!

wowsors…
Gelato + Smoothies + Coffees/​Teas + Crepes + Froyo = WTF should I get?! /​Standing in line for days staring at all your options… drooling at the displays and fresh toppings.
3 reasons why Penguin Froyo is amazing:
1) Double layering: My reaction was «DID YOU JUST DOUBLE LAYER?! omg… omgomgomg… They fill the cup (6 ounce is the smallest…) with the froyo of your choice (no air holes or empty space!) and pile on whatever toppings you want… AND THEN layer it with another GENEROUS mound of froyo till it’s peaking in a mountainous heap way over the top of the cup… AND THEN add toppings again…
2) Price: Two 6 ounce cups of generously portioned pomegranate froyo + coffee for $ 9. How the??? What the!!! Where the!!! yesss!!!
3) Variety ~ the pomegranate and original tart are their staple flavors that are always available. The others rotate every other day to keep things fresh and exciting. :P (yes…it makes me excited…)
Again, Yocup still has my favorite original tart BUT the pomegranate here was really really dericious. Tarty, light and creamy… refreshing…sweet…topped with strawberries, mochi, and fruitty pebbles… –hubba hubba…-
I can’t wait to come back and try the crepes and gelato. Excellent and friendly service. Nice hang-​out spot.

I had a 90 minute window before the start of my volunteer shift at the San Jose Jazz Festival so while walking around downtown San Jose looking for a place to grab some lunch I came across the new Penguin Froyo shop. I gave it a moment of thought and actually started to walk away, but the store was empty and I figured I wouldn’t be in San Jose again until the new hockey season begins so I walked in. I had froyo for breakfast; why not have froyo for lunch too?
There were four staff people in an empty store, and I must say that the service was outstanding. After sampling some of the ten flavors of froyo offered, I chose the 10 ounce cup with the original tart and the blueberry tart, but I expected nothing like what I got. After the young lady filled two halves of the cup solid with froyo she walked over to the fruit toppings station and scooped on some fresh blueberries and kiwis onto the yogurt only to return to the froyo dispenser to add more froyo and even more toppings. The toppings are pricey at $ 1 for the first topping and $ 1.50 for the second topping, but when I consider how much of it was piled on it all works out. What I thought would be a little 10 ounce cup turned out into one incredibly massive serving (
).
Both froyos were firm and creamy and melted slowly. Neither was very tart though. They have only a handful of dry toppings and five types of fresh fruit toppings. They sell ice cream, gelato, crepes, baked goods and coffee drinks also. I believe Java City is the parent company. There are also many types of bottled and canned beverages available. A frequent user program gets you one free item with ten items purchased. I’m pretty certain I’ll be back many times when the Sharks return to town. The mammoth serving of froyo came out to only $ 5.68.