21 Choices

After being closed for nearly 4 months (give or take, I think), 21 Choices has finally reopened! Hurrah! My friends and I were so excited to go back and try some more of that yummy yogurt.
Well, upon walking in, we were greeted by three cheerful girls, two of which, it soon became clear, were new employees. Yeah, I see you doing a sneaky peek at the menu to see what’s in «nutella cookie dough.» The yogurt was delicious, but the new employees may need some time to become accustomed to the flavors and whatnot (one girl confessed that it was her first day). It took quite a bit longer to get my yogurt, as the girl who was helping me out 1) was hunting for the cinnamon to make my snickerdoodle yogurt and 2) decided to finish making my yogurt and then leave it sitting on the counter while giving other customers samples.
But besides that, they can make the yogurt, it just takes them a while longer to make it. As it is 21 Choices and basically one of the best (and only) froyo places around campus, I will be coming back.

All I can say is I LOVE THIS PLACE. The rotating menu is ridiculously delicious and the staff is friendly. Such a great staple if you love yourself some cool dessert during the summer (or whenever really).
Also, I should say the staff is SO nice, so pleasant, and always willing to help to the fullest degree. Love.

When I’m craving frozen yogurt around USC, my two options are either Yogurtland or 21 Choices. 21 Choices is unique compared to other frozen yogurt places because they mix the add-​ins you want into the yogurt so when you eat it, the add-​ins are actually incorporated into the yogurt rather than just sitting on top. It’s similar to marble slab ice cream except it’s froyo. I like it! The only problem with this is the yogurt isn’t as frozen as it normally would be since they mix everything in for you. They have different unique flavors along with the classic flavors which is nice. They also have a menu with pre-​set froyo/​add-​in mixes. My friend got red velvet last time and they mixed in a slice of red velvet cake with their vanilla yogurt. YUM! I just wish the yogurt wouldn’t melt so fast.

I’m so jealous that this is by USC now. When I was a student there this used to be a Payless. Although, as my husband pointed out, maybe it’s better this wasn’t here when we were because then we’d be 100 pounds heavier!
This location is smaller and not as nice as the Pasadena one but it’s still great! They have the core things that make 21 Choices so great: delicious flavors that rotate regularly, amazing mix-​ins, and friendly staff. I wish I was there right now.

Friendly Staff! Delicious FroYo… Sometimes i almost think it’s ice cream. Great mix-​ins! I recommend just plain vanilla with strawberries and Nutella. So yummy. Prices are a bit higher than Yogurtland which is the closest froyo place to here. But much better in my opinion.
Also, the hours are wrong. They are open til Midnight!

Hands down my favorite froyo place.
cheesecake being my favorite mix-​in most of the times.

It was around 11PM on a Thursday night. A group of my girlfriends and I had just finished booking tickets to go to Cabo San Lucas for spring break. What better way to celebrate such an occasion than to go get soft serve?!
All 6 of us squeezed into a four-​seater coupe and made our way to 21 Choices, which conveniently wasn’t too far of a drive from my friends’ place.
Being there for the first time, I tried a few of the flavors before finally settling for a churro-​flavored soft serve with bits of cookie dough (or was there cookie dough? I don’t really remember…). There were about five or six flavors total, but I believe they rotate them daily. You also have the option of mixing in toppings (they have a nice variety), but I chose not to in order to avoid the extra calories. Gotta watch my weight for Cabo!
The consistency of the yogurt was nice; not too thick and not too watery! I enjoyed my small treat and it was gone in a matter of minutes.
TL;DR? It’s like a Coldstone with soft serve/​frozen yogurt.

I used to think Yogurtland was way better than this place but after stopping here recently my mind has been swayed.
First off there was no line at all when we went! Yogurtland is usually crowded and you have to fight people to use the machines, then wait in line at the register. We were the only ones here! However there was only one guy working so it took awhile to get our yogurt. Secondly I didn’t realize that it’s much cheaper to get one of the pre-​concocted mixed yogurts as opposed to choosing a flavor and then adding toppings. They have a whole board with a list of these like Circus Animal, Oatmeal cookie and others (the board is to the left when you walk in the main door). I got the oatmeal cookie and it was really great! I love oatmeal and this yogurt had the crunch of granola and cookie dough mixed in! SO GOOD! Way better than the syrupy, overly sweet flavors at Yogurtland like Red velvet –_​_​–
I will definitely be back for some more flavors soon! =D

I wasn’t a fan of any of the flavors I tried at 21 Choices the day that I went. I split the tastes with the bf, and we tried Vanilla Bean (too sweet), Dutch Chocolate (too grainy), Root Beer Float (ok flavor, but the texture was on the icy side), and Nutella Cookie Dough (best out of the bunch but the chocolate flakes in it were kind of weird). We ended up going with the Nutella Cookie Dough, but I would have walked out empty handed if it were up to me. The other flavors that day were Bahama Berry and Pumpkin Pie. I think I was most disappointed that there weren’t 21 flavors to choose from that day– the 21 choices are from the different mix-​ins you can add to change the flavors. The cool thing about 21 choices is that they have a cold stone (like at the creamery of the same name) that they use to mix in the toppings to your fro-​yo so that it’s completely incorporated. However, the toppings are very standard, nothing special. The staff is pretty efficient, and they are the ones you have to ask for the samples. Overall, I don’t think I’d come here again.

Cheap, healthier, and better alternative to cold stone!
The concept is simple. The flavors change every day with lots of toppings to choose from. It’s cheap and the people who serve are wonderful. Some of their specialty flavors are delicious (peanut butter, pom pom something), but some are lacking (sorry green tea mochi).
They deserve 5 stars because it’s simple and good. You get what you paid for. Nothing more, nothing less. It’s just a solid business. I wish they had more yogurt flavors to choose from daily, but I guess this is some ploy to get people to come more often! SNEAKY. :)

I go nuts for circus animal cookie, and they are definitely taking note because they have it way more often. This place is basically a combo of any frozen yogurt place+coldstone in the sense that they have a marble stone where they mash extra toppings in for 75 cents each. They let you try it and will add more/​redo the whole thing it if you don’t like it, now that is customer service!
Angela and the rest of the staff here are sooo nice. :)
Another plus it that they are open til midnight! Perfect for late night snackage on hot days :)

Yummy, Yummy, YUMMY!!!
Came here with some friends, got parking right in front.
My friends (fellow Unilocalers) rave about this place, so I was excited to finally try it. There are so many options!!! Flavors change daily, so the chances of getting your favorite one is skim.
They let you sample the different options… though I loved the flavors I tried, I like my froyo plain and tart.
It was dirt cheap too! I believe I paid under $ 3 for my froyo ^_^

21 Choices??? Yea that’s a bit excessive for me when I only care about 1…
Oreo cookies is my LOVE. Yes I have a sus ass palate when it comes to ice cream and frozen yogurt but hey «its my palate I do what I want, I’m a big girl now» (not many will get that reference only trills).
But any who I’m always a lil frightened stepping into enemy’s territories (USCK…GO BRUINS!) but this 21 Choices was more than enough reason to head to Hoova. And I must admit they really cleaned up the area. Parking was simple and the 21 Choices was very welcoming. It wasn’t that crowded so we were able to sample all the flavors of the day. I ended up going with the Double Stuffed Oreos flavor with extra oreos mixed in. I always get the SMALLEST size cus too much ice creams bloats and excites me all at the same time. But the smallest size is more than enough to please ones craving. It was yummy and I do appreciate all the different toppings, when I feel adventurous I will get bonkers on the toppings.

Right now (June 2012) 21 Choices is offering $ 1.00 CONES Monday thru Friday until 6:00 PM. Go get one! It’s half price and a great deal. I usually don’t eat ice cream cones (I’d rather have an extra scoop of ice cream than waste the calories on the cardboard cone.) But they have waffle-​cone-​esque sugar cones here that taste great.
The staff here are awesome. They are unfailingly friendly, upbeat, and polite, and great about giving you samples to taste. A year or so ago I had slow service — there was a very long line of people getting yogurt with fancy mix-​ins, and I just wanted a small with one flavor — and the cashier gave me a coupon for a free yogurt to make up for my having to wait. How awesome is that?
The best part about 21 choices is that 4 of the 6 daily flavors are fancy, with delicious treats already mixed in – such as, chocolate ice cream with chocolate chips and brownie, or vanilla ice cream with cookies. It makes buying a mix-​in not really necessary, so it’s a great value. You can always get two flavors, too, even in a cone.
The prices are good — you can get a 4 oz for $ 2, an 8 oz for $ 3, and upwards from there. The 8 oz cup is big enough for sharing.
There are a few seats inside, and plenty of tables outside. Park at a meter or in the University Village lot, or on the side streets north of 30^th (29^th — 27^th are your best bet) if you’re going to be around USC for a while.
They used to sell rubber bracelets that said «21 — Make Good Choices.» I bought one for my cousin for her 21^st birthday. I don’t know if they still have the bracelets, but that’s a pretty great 21^st birthday gift, is it not?

Never expected to find a 21 Choices in the GHETTO of all ghettoes next to the most ghetto «university» in the world but here it is :(
I can’t complain. The girl behind the counter this day really earns her money!!! So friendly and helpful!!! This is something you can expect at 21 Choices. The girls at the Pasadena one are also very nice and helpful.
Today flavors were not too great though. I chose milk chocolate but was hoping for Belgian chocolate :(There aren’t as many fruit toppings here as at Yogurtland but sometimes the yogurt flavors are better than at Yogurtland. Yogurtland never has anything that comes close to Belgian chocolate. I love taro and green tea but Belgian chocolate is way better!
The girl here told us that the day before it was a customer appreciation day and that free yogurt was offered and also told us that that day the same thing was going on in Pasadena!!! Few places do this kind of thing! Oh, and she told us you can check what flavors will be available online!!!
A plus at 21 Choices is the way they mix in the toppings for you!!!
This 21 is not half as crowded as the Pasadena one and that’s another plus :) Unbelievably parking is no problem since there is a big lot for the «university» Village.

:D That’s how exactly how I feel once my ice cream-​full spoon enters my mouth.
I first came across 21 Choices in Old town Pasadena where I heard was a total rage and when I did try it, I had the same reaction.
Basically it’s fro yo and Cold Stone mixed together into one concept. They get a cup full of fro yo and put it on a cold slab (where it freezes until it’s an ice cream like texture) along with your sides (fruits, candy, nuts, etc.) Each additional side is I believe .75 cents which you can imagine can stack up quickly. My $ 3.00 yogurt easily went up to $ 6 as I added in fruit and nuts. I’m a big fan of that combination and it makes any ice cream taste delicious.
My advice? Go here anytime you just want to grab a quick dessert or just to experience in dessert delicousness in any case you’ll love it.

I think this is the same yogurt shop as the one in Pasadena minus the crazy crowded line. There wasn’t a line here, but now I know why the line can be so long. The lady behind the counter encouraged us to sample each flavor and there were five to try. The yogurt is made fresh every day and the flavors change daily so you’re probably going to end up sampling stuff every time you visit.
Today’s choices were Belgium chocolate, mango, vanilla bean, butterfinger pudding, and plain yogurt. I sampled them all and each of them were very good. I had to choose one so I opted for a small ($ 3) butterfinger pudding, which had bits of chocolate chips and butterfinger. It was creamy sweet without being to rich. Additional toppings can be mixed in or sprinkled on top for 75 cents more.
A great alternative to the Baskin Robbins right around the corner.

I was really impressed with how much froyo they give you here. The smallest size they have is a small (unlike the «tres small» they have in Claremont) and I think the price for the small at the USC location is the same as the price for a tres small at the Claremont location.
They had about 25 huge mangos that looked delicious, but I dont think any of the flavors would have gone with mango, so I got both the oreo and peanut butter flavors with banana. The bananas didn’t look so great, they were brown and bruised and the girl actually apologized for it.

Three words. Mango. Gummy. Bears.
SO GOOD.
Came here on a Friday night and it was not busy at all. This was probably because all the SC kids were still on winter break. I’ve had 21 Choices before but I think this location is top. The service was excellent and the people behind the counter were so friendly and helpful. They were nice enough to let my three friends and me try every flavor we wanted to and were even suggesting which flavors to try and which toppings to pair with the froyo. The strawberry sorbet yogurt is very tasty and refreshing!
They even gave us a free cup of the mango gummy bears!
Service is good. Quality is excellent.
Overall, 21 Choices made me a fan and I’m looking forward to coming back if I’m ever in the area again!

Friendly and happy staff, cute and very coldstone-​like décor, but the yogurts really depend on the day/​flavor.
I’ve heard multiple times of my friends having «watered down» or «melted» yogurt… and unfortunately, today, i had to be let down with an almost all ice peach fuzz yogurt.
I honestly couldn’t help but thinking of shaved ice every time I ate a spoonful of it. The cute girl who mixed my peach fuzz yogurt with strawberries just looked too sweet and happy when she handed me my spoon for my first taste.
I had to smile, and I felt too terrible to complain, so I simply smiled and told her it was good; I paid, and I left feeling guiltier and guiltier.
The sample of oatmeal raisin yogurt was delicious, however i can’t handle too much sweetness, which is why I preferred peach over oatmeal raisin. But boy, I regretted not getting that oatmeal raisin. It was so much creamier and more yogurt-​like. The strawberries in my peach yogurt were practically FROZEN as well…
I couldn’t help asking myself: really? is this yogurt? or is this shaved ice?
I praise this shop for its coldstone/​mix in technique, HUGE variety of toppings which even incl GIRL SCOUT COOKIES! (almost overwhelming — makes me so indecisive), change of flavors each day, cleanliness, and friendly, happy staff.
the reasons why my first experience had sucked:
1. My peach fuzz had lost its flavor and was like shaved ice.
2. My strawberries were practically frozen.
3. Each topping = 95 cents. WTHELL? no offense, that’s absurd.
4. My 6 oz yogurt cost almost 4 bucks…
meh, would’ve been happier with yogurtland.