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The summer’s East Coast froyo craze has finally trickled to the Peninsula with the debut of Yiaya Greek Yogurt.
Yiaya is a self-serve, pay-by-weight frozen yogurt shop, offering fresh fruit and housemade toppings in an aesthetic Greek-inspired atmosphere. Located in the former Blue Bin Vintage space, the store is small with no indoor seating. Social media posts have reported wait times up to 40 minutes, although owner Lia L., who requested her last name not be included, said lines typically move in 15-20 minutes.
The opening of Yiaya comes after a major summertime froyo boom on the East Coast, with brands such as Myka, Go Greek, Birdie’s, Mimi’s and Mythos rapidly expanding this year. On the West Coast, by contrast, frozen yogurt shops are few and far between, with many shops closing pre-pandemic. Downtown Palo Alto, for example, hasn’t had a frozen yogurt shop since 2019, when Fraiche shuttered for good. In 2018, Yogurtland closed its downtown Palo Alto location.
Lia L. said she named her shop Yiaya, Greek for “grandmother,” for three reasons. First, the focal point of the shop is a table of fresh fruit and other yogurt toppings, which guests can scoop and portion into their bowls from both sides of the table.
“Grandmother always brings people around the table: the family members, the kids, the grandkids,” she said. “Number two is, Yiaya always knows the best. You never argue with your Yiaya about recipes, about her knowledge. When Yaya said something, she knows.”
And finally, Lia L. is a grandmother herself. “I don’t look like it, but I’m a Yiaya,” she laughed.
Six flavors of frozen yogurt are available at one time, and flavors will rotate frequently, Lia L. said. Current options include pistachio, chocolate, coconut, wild berries, honey and original. The toppings table also rotates often, featuring fresh fruit (such as passion fruit and dragon fruit), dried fruit (including goji berries and dates) and more decadent options (such as cookie dough and housemade chocolate soup with crunchy chocolate pearls).
In addition to frozen yogurt, Yiaya also offers multiple rotating flavors of Greek yogurt, including plain, blueberry and hazelnut. Customers can add toppings from the central table, and request nut butter, Greek preserved cherries and/or Greek honey from behind the counter.
“A lot of people take the frozen yogurt (for now) and take the Greek yogurt to have at breakfast time (tomorrow),” Lia L. said.
Yiaya charges $1.30 per ounce for frozen yogurt and $1.35 for fresh yogurt, with an average cup of yogurt being $11-$12, Lia L. said. Yiaya will eventually offer smoothies and espresso beverages, with a La Marzocco espresso machine coming soon, she said.
Lia L. isn’t stopping at Palo Alto. The Cupertino resident expects the Los Angeles outpost of Yiaya to open in about three weeks and a third shop to also open in Southern California. She also plans to expand Yiaya along the Peninsula, with a particular interest in Los Altos and Burlingame.
Yiaya Greek Yogurt, 520 Bryant St., Palo Alto; Instagram: @yiayagreekyogurt. Open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
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