Pinkberry, the hotly anticipated SoCal fro-yo chain, has finally opened its doors in Morningside Heights! 

The interior is sleek and colorful, the chairs are plastic and transparent, and the shelves stocked with decorative Japanese kitsch. The ceiling is painted sky-blue and during Bwog’s all-too-brief pit-stop at Pinkberry, the music rotated from Moby to Musak.

 And what of the Pinkberry itself? Well, firstly, what is it? Bwog’s Pinkberry-transporter box (apparently Pinkberry melts extremely quickly) read: Contains Swirly Goodness. Swirly Goodness comes in two flavors: Original and Green Tea. Isabelle, a long-time Pinkberry-lover told Bwog she preferred the Original to the Green Tea. So did Joan and Emily, some first-timers who decided against the Green Tea for their trial Pinkberry run.

The sparseness of the flavor choices is made up for in the assortment of toppings: Chocolate chips, yogurt chips, almond slices, cookies and cream, granola, Cocoa Puffs, Fruity Pebbles, Cap’n Crunch, and fresh fruits such as pomegranate, strawberry, pineapple, kiwi, and raspberry. Each topping costs $.95 (A small Pinkberry will set you back $2.95). Pinkberry employees Heather and Ornella reported that Original is far outselling Green Tea, while today’s most popular toppings have been chocolate chip and strawberries.

Columbians have already began making the store feel like home. At the three circular tables, a B-School-looking type was pounding away at his Blackberry in between scarfing down bites of Original with Cocoa Puffs.

“Yeah, we’ve never had Pinkberry, but we’re excited to try. We’ve heard it’s different from Tasti,” commented Emily, referring to the far inferior fro-yo distributer located above Ferris. “Tasti?” scoffed long-time Pinkberryer Isabel. “I don’t even remember what that tastes like!” May we all be so lucky one day.

– JNW, photo by SEV

UPDATE 10:42 PM: Visit their website to hear the Pinkberry Song. “Pinkberry for me, Pinkberry! P-I-N-K-B-E-R-R-Y.” Why yes of course there’s also a remix. (Virtual, extra-large Pinkberry to Hannah Goldfield)