Whether it be a crisp salad, a crunchy cold sandwich or some sort of frozen treat, chilly eats are where it’s at during the sweltering months of summer, which brings me to the Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt bar on North State Street.
Most ice cream parlors offer some sort of frozen yogurt option at their establishments, and it is usually French vanilla. However, at Orange Leaf, frozen yogurt is their forte and they don’t even serve ice cream.
When I walked in, I was immediately encompassed by this enormous, colorful room which features high ceilings, fountains and fun orange chairs and tables that are befitting for the theme of the
restaurant, which seems to be a modern take on ice cream parlors.
I was directed to the back of the restaurant to begin my frozen journey. I was given the option of a medium- or large-size bowl. After I chose the medium bowl, I decided which yogurt I wanted from over a dozen flavors, varying from coconut and pineapple to classics like vanilla and chocolate to Orange Leaf signatures such as confetti cake and brownie batter.
I was feeling hot from the weather outside, so I went with a tropical theme for my bowl. I chose a combination of pineapple, coconut and mango. After I made my frozen yogurt selection, I then moved on to the toppings bar, which featured a wide selection of toppings to choose from.
For my personal bowl, I chose fresh sliced kiwi, shaved coconut and blueberries to fit with my tropical theme, and some granola for crunch. However, there are all sorts of fruits, candies, chocolates, nuts and syrups to choose from to complete your frozen fantasy.
After paying (at Orange Leaf, they weigh your bowl and you pay per ounce, so you only pay for how much you take, which is roughly 30 cents per ounce), I grabbed my orange shovel, which they offer instead of spoons, and got started on eating my concoction.
As if the experience and customization weren’t enough, the yogurt itself was creamy, smooth and refreshing and had a great depth of flavor. Sometimes at ice cream parlors, flavors such as coconut or pineapple taste like vanilla ice cream with a little added flavor, much like water with a little twist of citrus. However, at Orange Leaf, the flavors were full, so the yogurts taste like each featured flavor in a bright, fresh way.
The fruit toppings were tasty, and the granola was crunchy with the perfect amount of sweetness.
Not into tropical flavors? The peanut butter option is a stellar alternative, featuring a rich, creamy flavor while also maintaining the lightness frozen yogurt offers. Orange Leaf offers many toppings that compliment peanut butter, from peanut butter cup bits to chocolate syrup to marshmallows.
Are you more of a purest and prefer chocolate or vanilla? Not a problem either. Orange Leaf’s take on classic flavors are both tasty, sweet and refreshing and of course, the majority of the toppings bar applies to these classic flavors.
Finally, the signature brownie batter and confetti cake options offer a complex, deep and rich flavor profile, and like their simpler cousins, actually taste like the real deal. Diving into a bowl of the brownie batter is like being in the kitchen and sneaking tastes of the batter when no one is looking. The confetti cake is a similar experience.
With the wide variety of options, even the pickiest palates can be pleased, and Orange Leaf offers an interactive, highly customizable dessert experience that’s affordable and enjoyable for all.
