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One of numerous local restaurants along the Bethel Road shopping area on Columbus’ east side, Matcha offers something that was unheard of ten years ago but now seems to be growing in popularity: a frozen yogurt shop. No ice cream in sight. The neat little self-serve store gives you a dozen different flavors to try to about a hundred different things to put on it, charging by the ounce for the delicious dessert. Among the pretty decorations and suave green titles, one thing is clear at Matcha: Frozen Yogurt, once the under appreciated little brother of more notorious dairy treats has finally come of age.
The concept is neat, particularly when you have the chance to sample every treat before you commit to it. The flavors are constantly changing, but there is a surprising variety. You can always pick the vanilla type, but it’s hard to overlook such flavors as cake batter, coconut cream, and pineapple. There is a remarkable difference in textures among them, some are thicker and others are creamier. The different ingredients in the yogurt are certainly fresh and make each a very different experience. They’re great to mix together or try separately, but you can fit as much as you want into the bowl.
The toppings aren’t produced in-house, but the wide variety of the selection does complement just about any kind of combination you’d like to try, from an assortment of candies and chocolates to fruit, and even more, I can’t imagine much is missing from the selection here. In other words, you can customize to your heart’s desire. The store doesn’t make anything but soft serve products, but then again, it really doesn’t need to. It’s a neat concept which I find it has done exceptionally well.
The service of the place is decent, in its limited capacity. The owners of the business are passionate – that much is apparent. The help they have hired is not as much. It is to the credit of the business that it hires local high schoolers, but the late night workers seem a little unmotivated. You don’t really need them, though, as the instructions are fairly straightforward.
In all, I like this place. Concepts like this, which are highly customizable and allow for limitless possibilities, are all too rare, and it’s hard to fail when you can make just about anything out of them. I’d call this place an excellent way to grab dessert, and highly recommend it be one of your first stops in the city.
Recommendations
- The place charges you based on weight – if you want to save money but have a sweet tooth, get lighter toppings like whipped cream!
- Just about any combination of flavors is good, but since the menu constantly changes it’s hard to suggest certain ones.
- While it has no other dishes to speak of, this place has a prime location right near numerous other local restaurants. After eating somewhere else, grab it for a quick dessert.
Another Food Critic 