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While the rest of the world is throwing back to Y2K trends, New York City is already reliving the 2010s.
Always ahead of the curve and nostalgic as a hobby, New Yorkers are leaning into a dominant food trend from when the subway fare was $2.25, Occupy Wall Street camped out at Zuccotti Park, New York Fashion Week had recently relocated to Lincoln Center, and yes, there was a fro-yo shop on every corner.
Now, frozen yogurt has become part of the zeitgeist once again. Pinkberry has reemerged on familiar corners. New Yorkers and tourists are lining up outside longtime fro-yo establishments that have survived years without hype, like Culture, and new, social media-friendly fro-yo spots, like the Upper East Side’s Butterfield Market and Madison Fare, which just opened a new location in the West Village.
Recession indicator? Perhaps. But New York’s newest fro-yo destinations are more upscale, aesthetically pleasing (see: the full-size decorative tree inside Mimi’s SoHo fro-yo shop), and charge upwards of $10 for a small cup with minimal toppings, becoming more of a status symbol to show off on social media than a low-key snack.
The new fro-yo
Rivaling the line of people snaking down West 8th Street to get a taste of Culture’s frozen yogurt topped with strawberries macerated in aged balsamic vinegar, Vermont maple syrup, or key lime custard, is the crowd of hungry tweens and middle-aged folks in SoHo scrolling on Lafayette Street while biding their time to get into Mimi’s.
After teasing the concept on TikTok for months, Mimi’s opened this past summer to an already eager crowd of trend-seekers.
Founder Amber Linz moved to New York in 2024 and noticed a lack of sweet treats that weren’t “rich and heavy,” as well as spaces where younger people could connect and socialize without alcohol. “Mimi’s was born out of wanting to solve both of those problems at once,” she says.
Mimi’s feels both nostalgic and fresh. Guests enter and grab a cup to self-serve fro-yo in classic flavors: Signature Tart, raspberry, mango, coffee, vanilla, chocolate or ceremonial-grade matcha.
“The menu is simple on purpose. We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel, we’re perfecting the classics,” says Linz. To do so, Mimi’s sources Greek yogurt and milk from a farm in Upstate New York and fruit from Natoora, a supplier for higher-end restaurants.
Following the swirl of fro-yo in a paper cup comes the best part: The toppings. At Mimi’s, self-serve toppings range from familiar favorites like chopped strawberries and mochi to more ritzy options, including extra virgin olive oil, pistachio sauce, and a shaker of wild fennel pollen. This isn’t dissimilar from the toppings options at Butterfield Market, which include carob chips, granola, or toasted coconut ($1 each) or the unique raspberry sauce, halva, and crushed pistachios from Madison Fare.
At Mimi’s, cups are weighed and priced at $1.20 per ounce. Guests can enjoy fro-yo at small tables in the bright corner side space, adorned with plants and streaming a trendy playlist, like a friend’s intentionally minimalist luxury apartment.
“Fro-yo has this playful, nostalgic energy. It’s an experience,” says Linz. “It gives people a reason to stop, laugh, hang out, and enjoy something that feels good.”