Desserts on the Westside

Pinkberry is the latest craze in LA (or has steadily been on the rise since February 2005). It's actual frozen yogurt, either in the original or green tea flavor, with your personalized choice of toppings that range from fruit to nuts to even Korean rice cake aka "dduk". The yogurt is definitely not too sweet - it's actually more on the tangy side. My favorite so far is green tea topped with mango and blueberries. Dubbed by the LATimes as "the taste that launched 1000 parking tickets", it was founded by Hyekyung Hwang in LA and is currently branching out to several locations (now even in NYC's Ktown). There's even a copycat called Kiwiberry.

But if frozen yogurt isn't to your liking, and you'd rather go for something sweet, there's always Diddy Riese in Westwood, a few blocks away from the Westwood Pinkberry location. For $1.25, you can get your own personalized scoop of ice cream sandwiched by two yummy and incredibly soft cookies. It's still my favorite and preferred option between the two (though some friends like to argue otherwise); what can I say, I'm a loyal "foodie" and I like bargains. And if you don't mind shelling out a few more bucks, Sprinkles Cupcakes in Beverly Hills offers quality cupcakes for $3.25 each. My favorite is the Red Velvet, a perfect balance of being just sweet enough without inducing potential toothaches.

Pinkberry currently has locations in Westwood, Melrose/La Brea, Ktown (6th and Berendo St), and West Hollywood (868 Huntley Drive), among others.

-Sarah Koo, ExperienceLA Arts/Cultural Marketing Intern