Indulge with Sweet Lola

By Erika Kwee     2/8/12 6:00pm

Sweet Lola Yogurt Bar exudes cuteness, from its screamingly hot pink overhang to its Barbie's tearoom-like interior. Deemed "Best in City" by the Houston Press, Sweet Lola on 304 Gray St. is certainly different and relatively healthy, but it doesn't quite add up to the best frozen yogurt I've ever eaten.

Sweet Lola is an indulgence – not the kind of place the average student could make into a regular habit. I first visited Sweet Lola due to a LivingSocials deal I purchased on the Internet. Sweet Lola's yogurt is expensive, nearing 70 cents per ounce. The general rule of thumb is that a half-filled cup (there's only one size) will set you back about $5.

What are you shelling out money for? Four daily yogurt flavors free of high-fructose corn syrup accompanied by a bar of distinctive, top-notch toppings. Each time I've visited, the chocolate and orange-spiked Creamsicle O'Nilla flavors have proved reliable staples. Other flavors listed on Sweet Lola's menu have been Lola's white apple, sugar plum berry, dark & dreamy chocolate and Lola's cinnamon creme.

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Though Sweet Lola yogurt may lack all the fake ingredients hiding in the average cup of Yogurtland or Swirll, my main complaint was the watery consistency of the yogurt. The Creamsicle O'Nilla yogurt flavor is refreshing with perfect highlights of citrus yet so watery that it's nearly drinkable. The same goes for the chocolate yogurt, which has deliciously subtle undertones of chocolate but none of the rich thickness that one might expect from other yogurt places. The taste is superb in terms of freshness and has a clean tang, yet the yogurt is simply not substantial enough to support the array of toppings.

The consistency of the seasonal pineapple flavor blew the two staples out of the water with its tongue-numbing sweetness and creamy body that withstood the suggested toppings of buttery pound-cake cubes and fresh pineapple. The pear flavor was also spot-on, a genuine fruity experience that calls to mind an actual pear.

The one standout item that brings me back to Sweet Lola again and again, despite the price gouging, is their homemade, sea-salted, peanut-butter crouton topping. The croutons are dense squares of the best peanut-butter cookie you've ever eaten, and they seem to go well with everything (as long as you like peanut butter). These croutons on their own are worth the splurge, but Sweet Lola's toppings bar also includes delicious novelties such as lemon cookie crumbles, happi-cappa-chino-rocks, guittard mint pearls and toasted sweetened coconut, along with fresh fruit and nuts.

Sweet Lola's in Midtown requires a bit of a trek for the casual Rice University frozen yogurt consumer, but it yields a nice change of pace. Grab a chair inside, under the crystal-adorned light fixture, amid the vases of flowers and candles perched on busy shelves or sit on the patio and observe the young corporate population of Houston stroll by. Parking opportunities may be sparse along the street, but you can usually find spots in the free garage around the corner and across from CVS.

The review rundown:

The line is usually non-existent at Sweet Lola and the service is pleasant, at times even exceptionally attentive and informative. Sweet Lola may be expensive and slightly watery, but it's worth a splurge at least once, even if you get nothing more than a cupful of their sea-salted peanut-butter croutons.

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