New: Papamingo in Berkeley (identical to Pinkberry)

[Agent 510]

There have been quite a few threads about Pinkberry clones in the Bay Area, and it seems like all of them are "not quite the same", but this place in Berkeley which opened a couple weeks ago has a product that, at least to me, seemed identical to Pinkberry.

They offer three flavors: plain, green tea, and pomegranate, the same sizes, and as far as I can tell, the same array of toppings. The store decor is chain-store sterile rather than Berkeley grungy, so they even copied that too.

For the record, I agree that Pinkberry isn't the world-changing thing people claim it is, but some people like it...if you're craving a fix, this is your place.

Papamingo: on Channing between Telegraph and Bowditch in Berkeley.

[anak]

Tried it and wasn't impressed. The yogurt was watery. I ordered it with blueberries and they gave me about 6 of them. Personally, I like Michelle's a whole lot better. Frozen yogurt was tangier and the gave me a lot of fruit.

[Agent 510]

I think mango is the topping to get. I tried it last time and it was perfectly ripe, not skimpy, and mixed well with the tangy yogurt. I really didn't like Pinkberry or Papamingo that much when mixed with their "sweet" toppings (yogurt chips, Fruity Pebbles, etc.) but with fruit it's a different story.

[Nina]

Thanks to Agent 510, my frozen-yogurt-loving friend and I stopped by tonight. I had a half-pomegranate, half-green tea with blackberries and it was excellent. The pomegranate is rather subdued, but the green tea has a nice strong flavor.

[Cindy]

How's the green tea? Is this ice cream, gelato, frozen yogurt, or something else? (I don't know what a Pinkberry is!)

[Agent 510]

It's frozen yogurt, but with a slightly tangy/sour flavor that more closely resembles actual yogurt than ice cream. Pinkberry is a NY/LA chain that has developed an instant cult following. I only tried the plain...

[Robert Lauriston]

Pinkberry is in turn a knockoff of a Korean chain called Red Mango.

Some info about Papamingo:

http://www.dailycal.org/sharticle.php...

[Gary Soup]

Red Mango, however, claims to use real yoghurt, which Pinkberry does not.