San Francisco: Yoogo Gelato

After we went shrimp-loco at Gold Mountain Dim Sum, Brian and I took our palates on a little flavour adventure at Yoogo Gelato across the street. Yoogo Gelato is like the multiethnic version of 31 Flavours, except they only have one location and they serve gelato, not ice cream.

They also bring on the flavours in ways Baskin Robbins would never dare: durian, budweiser, taro, avocado, seeweed, yogurt, and black sesame were just a few of the more exotic offerings.



Rather than simply labeling each container, Yoogo's purveyors decided to drop a key ingredient plop in the front of each bin. I'm sure this was to remind and reassure customers that the gelato was made with real ingredients, but the effect was akin to trash scattered on the beach. Especially when you got to the empty Budweiser can and the mini bottle of cheap rum.

I noticed they DIDN'T drop a durian fruit in the durian gelato. Hmmm... wonder why?

In my mind, durian is one of those flavours you can't not sample, but when I asked the barista for a taste, she responded with "Are you sure? Do you know what durian is?" Yes, yes I do know what durian is thank you very much. It's a stinky awful miserable fruit and I'm very curious what it tastes like in gelato form.

I didn't actually say that...

She handed me a bite and I took a sniff - didn't smell awful. Then I tasted it. Blech - it was just like the fruit, but sweeter. Like sweet manure. I swear, anyone who says they like durian is lying and just trying to make themselves sound like a foodie badass. Acquired taste? I just can't believe that's true...

Brian went ahead and ordered two scoops: budweiser and lime. The budweiser gelato tastes exactly like budweiser. Whether or not that's a good thing has a lot to do with your taste in beer. It seems to me a shame that they wasted such a novel concept on such an inferior brand - the world could definitely benefit from a guinness gelato or a trappist monk ale gelato. Oh well, the budweiser mixed really well with the lime flavour, and it actually tasted kinda good. For about two bites.



I had to get the awful taste of durian out of my mouth, so I went with two flavours I knew for sure I'd enjoy: yogurt and mango. I was expecting the yogurt to be a little more sour - instead it tasted almost exactly like the yogurt flavour of Hi-Chew, but in gelato form. In a similar manner, the mango tasted exactly like mango Hi-Chew. I was in heaven!



Granted, the gelato at this place is not that great (no Mikawaya, that's for sure). But it is worth a visit if only to try some flavours you'd never find in gelato anywhere else.

Again, whether or not that's a good thing is entirely up to you...

Yoogo Gelato
601 Broadway St.
San Francisco, CA
(415) 398-2996
Mon-Thur: 10am-12am
Fri-Sat: 10am-3am
Sun: 10am-1am
CASH ONLY