21 Choices

Whenever my friends and I have dinner in Old Town, we always make it a point to visit 21 Choices at the end of the night. Sometimes we check the flavors even before we go out to eat. Plus, I’ve been a veteran of this place for years having picked up fro-​yo from here as well as their locations in Claremont since I was in high school (which was almost a decade ago!?)
My favorite flavors:
1. «The Parent Trap» — Oreos, peanut putter
2. «Circus Animal» — Circus animal cookies, cookie dough, sprinkles
3. «Rhiannon’s Creation» — Fresh bananas, caramel, pretzels, salt
Anyways, the ice cream is yummy, the mix-​ins are awesome, and the staff is the best.
P. S. My only issue: They charge $ 0.75 for each topping, not matter what it is, even salt?! WTF people?!

The lines here are long and move slowly. It’s basically a coldstone with frozen yogurt instead of ice cream. A little bit disappointing because I was expecting something more creamy and with a little more flavor. I ordered the «Hippo» creation which was vanilla yogurt with pretzels, brownies, and caramel drizzle. It was good, but started to look disgusting as the yogurt melted.
Overall it was good but not something I will go back and wait for.

I don’t remember the last time i’ve been here but loved how my friend and I were immediately greeted by Janelle. She had such an awesome personality & the most beautiful smile! Loved my Toffee Coffee shake with Coconut.
Thank you Janelle!

I’ve always considered this a 5 star place but lately, I find I come in less and the customer service has declined. The last few times, today being no exception, I’ve felt the employees were kind of «off». Mix-​ins poorly chopped up so little kids cannot eat the huge chunks, mixed berries becomes maybe no more than two berry types and not chopped at all, because they cannot be bothered. The portions were so small compared to normal also. My tres small barely reached the rim of the tiny cup and was completely flat across the top. I asked to have mine chopped up more because it was huge chunks and that was apparently a huge problem.
She almost exhaled and rolled her eyes when I asked for the second topping on my son’s to be animal cookies. She put two cookies on as a second topping.
It was not a pleasant experience and she seemed put off by anything requested. I miss the employees who gave good service and were nice. I don’t mind paying more for good yogurt, but this wasn’t worth it. Depressing.

Their yogurt deserves a 5 star, but their customer service is a 3, they usually only have 2 out of 5 – 6 workers who are friendly and enthusiastic, the others just seem to be tired/​irritated by everyone’s request.
Pictured is the the circus animal cookie yogurt with strawberries and nutella! Good combination!

All frozen yogurt. More than 21 choices to make. Eek! The board has great combination options already set up for you. But you can also create your own combination. I got the current number 11 which was the vanilla with fresh strawberries and Nutella. So. Good.
The portions are generous so don’t think that a small will be too small! The staff is very friendly and works quickly. They are all fairly young. While we were waiting in line one of them was offering samples — smart way to keep the line happy while they waited.
Only complaint: it’s really overwhelming and the line makes you feel like you have to choose quickly. Not the staff’s fault. It would be nice if there was a display outside or a printed menu of the flavor combos plus the topping options.

I’m not a huge fan of frozen yogurt because I prefer the creamy texture of ice cream, so when my friend told me that 21 Choices was «like a Cold Stone for frozen yogurt,» I was a little apprehensive.
Upon first arrival, I noticed that the décor and setup of 21 Choices was rather «hip.» With a large, colorful chalkboard menu and fresh fruit and ingredients laid out throughout the back counter for customers to see. The employees were also very cheery and helpful to new customers.
There were 4 flavors of frozen yogurt available: Madagascar Vanilla Bean, Jersey Girl Chocolate, The Apple of my Eye, and Nutella Donut. I decided to go with a small Nutella Donut mixed with Fruity Pebbles and was pleasantly surprised by its thick texture. I’ve never had frozen yogurt as thick and ice cream-​like as the one served by 21 Choices. One of my friends’ got The Apple of the Eye and it was more of a sorbet texture, but still very rich and flavorful.
Pricing was a little confusing to me. At first I thought the base charge was $ 6.50 with a $ 0.75 charge per topping, but when they rang up my bill, it only came out to ~$ 5.00.
Overall, a positive and sweet-​tooth satisfying experience!
TIP: If you’re getting something very sweet, consider adding PRETZELS! Another friend of mine added it to his Nutella Donut w/​extra nutella order and it created texture and balance.

So many options, such large portions, but a tiny stomach. It’s a bit overwhelming to enter 21 Choices as a first-​timer. There’s like 5 boards of menus and it’s almost confusing. It took me a few minutes to reorient myself and figure out what board was what, but I suppose it’s better to have too many options than too few!
At $ 6.50 for a small cup, my SO and I figured that we’d just share one since we weren’t hungry and just wanted a snack. We settled on the double chocolate brownie since they had just come out of the oven. It was cool to watch them mix all the mix-in’s «Coldstone-​style» on a block of ice. I think my favorite part of all this is that they let you try it before they serve it to you to make sure it’s to your liking. That way, you can adjust whether you want more of one mix-​in or maybe you just don’t like it at all. It’s really thoughtful to do that and I really appreciated them for that.
When we got our froyo, it was a giant mountain in a tiny cup. The portion was incredible. And at the register, they asked if we wanted free cookies. Now, I’m all about that free life. But this mountain of dessert was so daunting that we passed on FREE cookies.
The Double Chocolate Brownie was super chocolately and I’m glad I shared it with someone. We ended up eating about ¾ of it and it was so filling and so rich that we couldn’t handle the rest. This is a dessert that I don’t think I could handle daily, but it’s a treat that I’d love to enjoy once in a while!

I’m an absolute frozen yogurt LOVER, and I can safely say that this is the best frozen yogurt you’re going to find in the Pasadena area.
21 Choices is located in the heart of Old Town Pasadena, so with all the shops and nice cafes that have opened up, it’s a great place to take a stroll and grab a frozen yogurt.
Just a brief overview: Instead of mixing ice cream with a variety of toppings, they use frozen yogurt, very much like Cold Stone. This place is amazing because it’s a healthier option than ice cream, all of their flavors are 98% to 100% fat free, and they have so many toppings to choose from! You name it: nuts, candy bars, fruits, and just about every random topping imaginable! Even twinkies, cereal, and girl scout cookies!
Check their website for today’s flavors! And if you’re in Pasadena, I recommend that you check this place out!

This is probably my favorite froyo place! 21 Choice is kind of like Coldstone except with yogurt. Your choice of froyo and mix-​ins to add. Not to mention their flavors change everyday which makes them even more special! Be sure to sample their flavor of the day (:
Came here last night and I got Daily flavor Madagascar Vanilla Bean. Man Heaven in a cup: D And I love the texture of it! If you’re craving for something creamy and delicious, this is for you. Raspberry margarita is also very refreshing and fruity, definitely worth trying as well.
You can also order milkshakes and smoothies here which look pretty good. Overall, service is excellent and attentive. This place is solid! Can’t wait to be back for their perfect buzz and banana cream pie which I was dying to try ;)

This yogurt joint is an interesting concept as it is a cross between cold stone and a regular frozen yogurt joint. The counter staff prepares your yogurt by mixing it rather than having self serve with toppings. The yogurt was good and promptly served, but I wish they had more choices. The name is 21 choices so my husband and I assumed there would be 21 yogurt flavors, but instead it was 21 mix in options.
The counter service was ok as they asked you what flavors you would like to try, but be careful — if you don’t know initially as you’re new to the concept like I was, they will move on and you’ll have difficulty flagging them down to try the yogurt flavors before ordering.
The yogurt consistency was also a little bit off; perhaps because of the mixin concept, it was more watery than the typical yogurt joints I frequent.
The portions here are quite generous, so if you’re hoping for an actual small yogurt, order the mini.

I had to finally try 21 Choices and I think I would go again if I were in the area, but I wouldn’t specifically drive to Oldtown for it. I’m satisfied with the price because the experience was fun and the service was great. As for the portion, they don’t skimp on the toppings, and I was full after finishing the small. The taste of the frozen yogurt was a little bland and largely takes on the flavor of the mix-​in sauce. The texture is thin and melts quickly.
The servers are peppy and friendly, going out of their way to cater to your preferences. They take the time let you taste during mixing to see how you like it. Not to mention, the mixing process is interesting to watch. I was visibly excited when I realized the sauces combined into the vanilla base and became a new flavored base!
Flavors tried:
— #19 The Couch Potato. You want a snack, but you don’t know whether you want salty or sweet? Get both! Mine tasted VERY savory since they ran out of Heath bars and I subbed Reese’s peanut butter cups. For this reason, I don’t think I would put peanut butter cups in it again. They used 3 single-​serving Reese’s cups and 1 small bag of individual-​sized original Lays potato chips. The caramel flavor seemed a little off to me at first, but I liked it the more that I ate it.

Growing up I’d always see crowds of varying sizes clustered around 21 Choices; and I’d walk by, thinking, man I must be missing out. Recently I was walking through Old Town with a few friends and thought it might be time to see what this big secret is everyone is crazy about. It was definitely disappointing, although part of the reason may be that the lines and crowds caused my expectation to be a lot higher than usual.
First of all, the line is often ridiculous; even late on a cold night I still had to wait about 20 minutes for some ice cream. The menu was disorienting, hard to read from the line, and overwhelming. It took me a second to understand what were flavors and what were toppings.
I did appreciate that they took my order, prepared it, and then asked me to try it to see if it was to my liking. Unfortunately I felt that there way too many toppings but I didn’t bother to ask them to make it again if it meant I had to keep waiting.
The problem with using frozen yogurt is that while they are mixing it together, it begins to melt more quickly than ice cream. After they are done, they refreeze it, which chemically changes the texture of the product. In the end, I had a mixture that was rough as opposed to creamy, with way too many toppings so that I was constantly chewing my creation.
I tried it once, and it was enough for me to realize that I had it right before — I prefer pretty much any frozen yogurt or ice cream shop to 21 Choices.

LOVE THIS FROYO!!! Where do I begin?! Ok their flavors… what makes them special… their froyo flavors already have the toppings mixed in but mixed very well, like a DQ Blizzard… but way better. Plus the flavors are changed often.
This visit we tried the Arroz Con Leche with a vanilla base and cinnamon. I ended up going with the Maple Peanut Butter Pancake. It was so good on its own… no topping needed. And a small was just a fine size. Our friend got the Couch Potatoe which included potatoe chips as a mix in and he said it was great! Yes, the potatoe chips stayed crunchy!
The staff was friendly and very open to letting us sample the 6 flavors of the day. And the line was not too bad so we didn’t feel uncomfortable ordering tasting more samples.
Can’t wait to be back in Pasadena again to hit up 21 choices!

Being a fan of both Pinkberry and Cold Stone, I was excited to try this place which combines the two. Getting to choose 21 different pre-​made yogurt/​toppings, and watch them make it in front of you, sparked my interest.
Line on a Sat night was long– 40min wait going outside the door. It was nice that when you got inside, that the workers would offer free samples and let you try some toppings. I feel they understood our pain, watching all this food in front of us for the past 30 or so min, and satisfied our cravings.
Yogurt combo of Insta-​Grahm (graham crackers, peanut butter cookie dough, and peanut butter chips) was delicious. Hard to beat if you are a peanut butter fan.

Was looking for a sweet treat before work and always walk by this place so I decided to give it a try. They definitely have 21 choices so prepare to be overwhelmed if you aren’t sure what you’re looking for (like I was). I ended up getting the Oreo Cookie Magic without the rainbow sprinkles and they let it freeze a little longer so I could sub in some whipped cream on top instead. Was delicious but definitely not the best frozen yogurt I’ve had.
I loved the customer service! They were very accommodating, cheerful and patient. The woman ahead of me was trying to pay for a $ 5 treat with a $ 50 and they didn’t have enough change so instead of making her use some other form of money (which she DEFINITELY could have done) they gave it to her on the house! Pretty nice of them considering we all have credit/​debit cards. Regardless, amazing customer service, and they make the frozen yogurt mix right in front of you on a cold stone which is fun to watch.
Not sure I would go back for a $ 6 small cup but it was a great experience!

This place technically deserves a 3.5 star, but I’m rounding up to 4 for the service.
As a dessert and yogurt fanatic, I’ve been trying to come to this place for a while now. I finally got the chance when my boyfriend and I came and I finally saved enough room in my tummy for dessert!
Like many others have said before me, this place can get packed. Also — parking is either metered or garaged (you are in Old Town Pasadena) so keep that in mind. We came on a Sunday afternoon after lunch and I got a small of the strawberry cheesecake — yogurt with fresh strawberries, cookie dough, and what was supposed to be cinnamon toast crunch, but they ran out of those so I ended up with vanilla wafers instead. Think of this place as Coldstone but with yogurt instead; this basically means they’ll add and mix in a bunch of other unhealthy things to your yogurt that will be dangerously delicious.
You can also order some smoothies here which look pretty good or you can get your yogurt naked and skip the line and order at the front. My small came out to roughly $ 6.50. It’s a little bit cheaper if you get the yogurt by itself.
Overall, service was excellent — the line moved pretty quickly and there’s a huge variety of choices that they have here to satisfy anyone’s sweet tooth.
However, I’m ranking this place slightly lower because the yogurt taste itself was pretty average for me. I really would love to see this place have more of a variety of yogurt flavors rather than just one type of yogurt with multiple types of toppings. I’d also like to see some sorbet options as that could definitely make the menu even more fun.
Can there ever be a Yogurtland/​21 Choices crossover?!

This is exactly like Coldstone. You can pick the choices on their menu or make your own ice-​cream with other different mixed-​in.
The Service: Slow… many staffs behind the counter but the line moves very slow. Very small store, it gets crowded with all the customers. Sometimes, the line gets so long, people have to wait on the side street.
The ice-​cream: Creamy. Generous on the mixed-​in. A little bit pricey compared to Coldstone.
The Parking: Street metered parking or parking structure nearby 90 minutes free.

It was love at first taste. The concept at 21 Choices is like that of Coldstone + Yogurtland combined together. They’ll get your froyo and toppings into a cup, then mix them on a cold board. You choose a froyo flavor and one of the 21 choice combos, watch them make it, then pay at the end. This location is in downtown Pasadena, so you can find metered parking on the streets, residential areas, or a parking structure.
Their yogurt is more tarty in my opinion than other frozen yogurt places. It is not my favorite place to go for froyo specifically, but I think their toppings make up for it. They have really interesting and creative combinations. (The couch potato literally has Lays potato chips.) What I like best is that they use the real stuff. They don’t have rip off candy-​covered chocolates for M&Ms; they use real Oreo cookies; they have fresh strawberries and other fruits; they will open a new bag of Lays chips for each serving. If you don’t like their 21 choices, you can make your own or substitute any topping.
Service is great here, but I don’t like that the location is so small! This isn’t a good place if you get claustrophobic. Don’t be surprised if you have to wait outside before getting inside to see the menu. I think their prices are on the higher side, but it’s worth a try!

Great location in the middle of Old Town Pasadena shopping. Frozen yogurt (in ice cream flavors like Coldstone, not like Yogurtland) mixed to order in front of you. If you don’t want any mix-​ins you can go straight to the cashier area to order instead of waiting in line. Friendly staffers will let you sample any of the flavors. No real seating area though so hopefully your comfortable eating and walking. Also the stuff melts SUPER fast.
$ 5.50 for my «kid’s size» creation, way better value to pay the $ 1 more to have a «small» bc the portion is about double the kid’s size.

A tester absolument !
Ce lieu est un rêve d’enfant: mettre tout ce qu’on aime (céréales, fruits, bonbons, chocolats…) dans une glacé !
On peut choisir l’une des recettes du moment ou les recettes-​phares du lieu, ou bien imaginer sa propre recette. Les employés nous font goûter à chaque fois notre mélange avant de le payer.
Nous avons testé la glacé (à base de yaourt glacé) aux animal cookies, cookie dough, et supplément fraises fraiches sur le dessus, et la glacé au french cinnamon toast (céréales plates et carrées au miel et à la cannelle proches des Golden Grahams qu’on trouve en France) fraises, et supplément nutella.
Ce fut bien bon et ce n’est pas trop cher, une super découverte grâce à Unilocal