Chobani SoHo — Restaurant in New York

Warning: I've lived in Turkey, so this review is gonna get all sorts of pretentious up in here. Because despite the fact that it's "Greek" yogurt, Chobani has a Turkish founder and the people of Turkey know their yogurt.

Ok first off, this place is GORGEOUS. It's the perfect extension of the Chobani brand and emphasizes fresh and wholesome ingredients in every way. Their employees wear white coats while crafting your perfect bowl and are just the nicest people. Sorry I'm a branding nerd and this place literally inspired me to write a blog post for work.

I'm not going to go too much into their yogurt as everyone else already has. Just know the Toasted Coconut + Pineapple and Fig + Walnut are delish.

What got me most excited about this place is now they've opened up a cafe section with simit sandwiches! Simit, aşkim, how I've missed you like how one misses an annoying friend from a past life.

A little background on the simit: I guess it's like the Turkish equivalent of a bagel or pretzel that's sold on carts that old men push around. Many a mornings were started with simit and many a mornings I've been disappointed by their rock hard horrible nature.

Anyways, I ordered the 1/2 Smoked Salmon + Herbed Labne sandwich, out of nostalgia more than anything, and the 1/2 Turkish Red Lentil soup. Thankfully I was very pleasantly surprised! The simit wasn't its typical rock hardness and was actually soft, a little fluffy, and pleasant to eat. You can't go wrong with smoked salmon! And the Red Lentil soup? Oh my goodness, that was some good soup. I'm really glad to see Chobani embracing its Turkish roots and would love to see more food items on the menu that utilize yogurt because yogurt is literally eaten with everything in Turkey.

Chobani, aşkim, keep being wonderful in every way and I will keep coming in to get my snack or small meal...

A Chobani store in SoHo? Wait a second. I thought that they only sold Chobani at grocery stores? Well just recently, Chobani decided to open a store in SoHo to sell pretty much gourmet yogurt. These are the types of shops that will only survive in SoHo, and it will do damn well in the process. Here at Chobani SoHo, they have a bunch of creations made with fresh ingredients. From Blueberry Power to Peanut Butter & Jelly, these creations are not your typical cup of yogurt.

For example, with the Blueberry Power, your Chobani yogurt comes with topped fresh blueberries, walnuts, hemp & chia seeds, and splashed on top with agave nectar. Sounds pretty epic right? Well it tastes damn amazing too. All this comes in a nice little glass bowl, and packaged very nicely. At $3.75, this is about double the price you're paying for a cup of Chobani at the grocery store, but these fresh ingredients really push it to the next level.

The store itself isn't huge by any means. You come inside, order from one of the guys, and then pretty much either hang around or sit down on the bench and wait for your yogurt to be made. The Chobani store isn't for everyone. In its essence, you're paying a boat load for something that you can make at home for a fraction of the price, and in the end, its yogurt. However, I love this place. After a nice day hanging out in SoHo, the Chobani store is a nice closer to your day. There are tons of selections to keep your palate fresh, and at just under $4, it won't break your bank to try them...

Dear Greek yogurt lovers,

I came here for an event one night for a sample tasting of 6 Chobani yogurts with different toppings that included: fig & walnut, pistachio & chocolate, toasted coconut & pineapple, pb&j, blueberry& power, strawberry & granola, and cucumber + olive oil. With Greek yogurt taking up 50% of the yogurt shelves now, Chobani SoHo attempts to upscale their brand even more with sweet and savory mixtures, some may even be unusual, but tastes great.

$4 for yogurt is a high price tag for me considering I hound for and only buy Greek yogurt when they're on sale in grocery stores. The price comparison did not financially make sense to me. What does make sense to me is that this store is heaven for Greek yogurt lovers and simply ordering from the menu removes the hassle from making it yourself. This place makes a great date night for those who want a healthy dessert and different from their usual chocolate mousse or ice cream. You no longer have to go to a Greek restaurant just to have Greek yogurt as dessert. Their seasonal toppings keep the menus fresh and exciting, and one other great thing: you get to keep their glass yogurt bowl with "Chobani" engraved on it. Okay, so $4 buys a fresh experience, Greek yogurt on the go in style, and a takehome glass. And if you decide you no longer want the glass bowl, "recycle" it with them on your next visit for 25 cents off your order.

Different. Chic. Modern. Healthy. All around lovely.

Yours truly,

Greek...