Nikki’s Swirl Shoppe

I ate here in July and it was amazing! The owners were so friendly and the food and yogurt was great. I am surprised there are so few reviews about the food because the sandwiches I had were really great. It was a while ago so I don’t remember which two my husband and I had and shared but they were both amazing, I definitely remember that much. The frozen yogurt was delicious of course. This place was clean and inviting and I would definitely come back if I was in the area again.

I wish all frozen yogurt shops were just as nice with more to offer! Service was friendly and laid back. Very clean and a modern look. It’s not hard to find, but it’s next to stein mart.
All flavors were great, none were grainy IMO, but I will say the fruit based flavors are never as smooth as the flavored based. Consistency a little different but definitely not grainy. All the toppings were the nicest kept I’ve seen and fresh mochi balls… I’ve had them a little stiff to very still. I’d go again whenever I’m near another location!

nikki’s is a self-​serve froyo place with the added bonus of a small selection of menu items. what brought me in aside from the great reviews was the NUTELLA WAFFLE on their menu. i am a nutella fanatic and always have to try anything with nutella that i come across.
first off, when you walk into nikki’s you can grab as many sample cups as you want (they’re out in front of the register in a huge container rather than hidden behind the counter or put out in singles like some other froyo places do it). when i went, they had about 8 – 10 frozen yogurt flavors, with the typical 2 separate flavors and an option for a swirl. they had a white chocolate flavor that was pretty good, and their cookies and cream was decent too. the rest of their flavors were either way too tart, too sweet, or just too artificial-​tasting. they also had the common issue of having froyo with too much water content (thus ice content), making it so cold it basically burns your tongue and also making it melt really really quickly. their topping selection was pretty good, although the kiwi they had out was not ripe at all — really hard and sour. i don’t know exactly how much they charged per oz, but it wasn’t cheap because our regular-​sized froyo that we could get at yogurtland for $ 3 was $ 6 at nikki’s.
the nutella waffle came out about 10 min after we ordered it and it looked delicious. there was a ridiculous amount of nutella heaped on top of it, and it was topped off with a mound of light whipped cream — the kind that looked homemade, not out of a can. however, i guess looks can be deceiving… the waffle was really undercooked and almost soggy. not that light, fluffy, crisp waffle i was expecting. and i never thought i’d say this, but i think they put too much nutella on it. it felt like i was eating a jar of nutella with a side of waffle as an afterthought. halfway into the waffle, i bit down on something weird… turns out there were two huge pieces of black plastic in the waffle… i have no idea where that could have come from but it was basically gross/​unsanitary/​potentially dangerous. i’m sad to say that this is the first time ever that i’ve had something with nutella in it that wasn’t good. didn’t know it could happen. :(

After going to this delightful place a few days ago, I am shocked to see how few reviews discuss anything other than the fro yo!
While its name initially sells the place as a self-​serve frozen yogurt chain, and it is in fact one of many in the area, this little place is so much more than a low-​cal dessert option. I highly suggest you get your buns over there for lunch.
When you drive up, Nikki’s is unobtrusively tucked near a corner in a strip mall by the Quarry. But when you walk in, it’s like a whole new world. The décor is clean and bright, and neo-​vintage themed to look like a diner but all perked up for the modern world. The menu is electic with a dash of gourmet, and plenty of adventurous options from an assortment of gourmet grilled cheeses and various deli sandwiches, some interesting-​sonuding soups and salads, and the mandatory listing of several fancy coffee-​esque drinks… and, out of nowhere, a list of various waffle dishes!
For this visit, I did the half-​and-​half sandwich combo and tried one of the grilled cheeses (the Fresco? It had basil, tomato, and creamy pesto sauce) and the veggie sandwich on a thick-​cut wheat bread. Both were spot-​on: the grilled cheese was hot and the ingredients melded well together, while the veggie sandwich was fresh with crisp vegetables and a generous schmear of garden cream cheese and a heap of sprouts (my favorite)!
I also tried the froyo because, well, duh– that’s what i was expecting when I walked in the door. There are tons of sample cups around to taste before you pick, and I’m glad I did. There were several interesting flavors (such as salted caramel pretzel) that were great but not what I’d want for an entire bowl– but I settled on a combo of low-​fat (or «delite» as it’s tastefully labelled) chocolate fudge and (full fat) banana. The topping bar is very well stocked with every candy, sprinkle, and fruit you can imagine– as well as some less common options such as chopped up pound cake, boba, and shredded coconut, in addition to pumps of hot caramel and fudge sauces. I stuck with cherries, poundcake, and fudge, making my froyo quite passably taste like a banana split.
The customer service was polite and friendly, and had a permanent and genuine smile. Upon checkout, I was offered a membership card for their frequent customers program and a cheerful invitation back– one I’ll be sure to accept!
Additional notes:
this place has free wifi, so feel free to stick around for a while
the owner has info available on froyo parties and fundraisers, and has worked with several schools and programs in the Alamo Heights area

I agree 100% with previous review (from WeAreT)…adequately-flavored fro-​yo with really grainy, icy texture. Counter staff was super-​friendly, welcoming and enthusiastic; I REALLY wanted to like their yogurt. But, as WeAreT pointed out, a much creamier, tastier, better quality product can be found elsewhere. It just doesn’t make sense to waste money (and calories) on a sub-​par splurge when there’s so much competition in the «good» swirl market («it’s not YOU… it’s…it’s…it’s the YOGURT!»).

Well, this was our first time. The samples were all great and we started to fill our tubs. We noticed that the fro-​yo was a bit grainy but the taste was great. Our only turn off and this will keep us from going back was that as the fro-​yo melted it left a very watery flavorless mess in the bottom of our tub. If you were holding it from the bottom a lot melted and it tasted very nasty. Sorry guys, but this doesn’t come close to Orange Leaf for tasty fro-​yo.

So good! And they’ve got a lot of low cal/​low fat frozen options. And the flavors are great. Mind you, i usually load my fro yo up with a lot of toppings like brownies and reeces, so not sure if it’s still as low fat. But damn tasty!

I try to make my way out here as much as I can! I love the options with the flavors and they are always swapping them out. They keep the standard ones and switch out to new flavors very often. Huge fan of the tart, mango sorbet, and the pineapple.
They have boba, which is my number one fave topping, along with fresh fruits, cookies, candy, granola, sauces, cereals, pretty much everything you can imagine.
Very nice people working and there’s outdoor seating.
Fun place for to bring kids and friends!
Sign up for the Cool Card and become a regular!

I LOVE this place! This place is super cute and the staff is very friendly! They probably have at least 20 flavors on hand and they are always changing. They have some standard flavors and then some cool ones like chocolate chili or my fave… sea salt caramel pretzel!!! Each flavor also has a little card that suggest good toppings to try with it.
Even their low-​cal flavors taste good and for only 8 calories/​oz you don’t have to feel bad about trying them!
They also just started a frequent customer card. You can get dollars off after you spend a certain amount.

Nikki’s Swirl Shoppe is cute. It’s like Orange Leaf, but with real food as well. I can’t vouch for the café offerings, but the frozen yogurt is tasty. They have the basic offerings, but also carry some nearly no calorie options. Think 8 calories per ounce. I honestly didn’t find those to be all that tasty, but it is what it is.

We love this self serve frozen yogurt place! The kids like all the different flavors and toppings — which they get to create themselves. I love that they have gluten free frozen yogurt at only 8 calories per ounce! So far I’ve had the peanut butter, vanilla, chocolate and chocolate mint in the 8 calorie version. They also give discounts if you bring your child’s report card with you. The staff is super friendly and you can get a frequent customer card, that also gives you a discount each time you visit. There are 21 flavors to choose from and you can’t go wrong, since you can sample as much as you like before purchasing. They also have a craft table of games and fun stuff for the kids. Black and whith checkered floors and cute red leather bar stools give the feel of an old time ice cream shop. If you aren’t in the mood for frozen yogurt, they have a full coffee bar to choose from as well — hot and cold — very much like a Starbucks. Thumbs up on this new place in a great location. I hope it makes it with all the competition. They have our vote of confidence.

I saw this new yogurt place after having dinner at Sushi Zushi in Lincoln Heights. It is located next to the UPS store. Lots of great selections and some are gluten free. The girls working there were very friendly and gave us sample cups to try as many flavors as you want. The yogurt is completely self-​serve, but don’t get too crazy, you have to pay for it! Okay, okay, at $ 0.42 an ounce, maybe you can get a little crazy. The Dreamsicle and Raspberry were my faves! Delish!