The Lovin’ Spoonful Frozen Yogurt Shop Has Reopened

June 24, 2026|by Erik Torkells

••• The Lovin’ Spoonful frozen yogurt shop on the Mesa has reopened after a long closure for repairs due to a fire next door. My husband and I went to check it out and, having never been to a dispense-it-yourself fro-yo shop, we found it rather amusing. (I’ll spare you the photo of my tub of chocolate yogurt.) Pricing is by weight. P.S. This Biscoff fan objects to the name “airplane cookies.” They can be so much more if you allow them to.

••• And more frozen yogurt is on the way: Salty’s Frozen Yogurt will be popping up this summer at locations TBA.

••• In ice cream news, Santa Ynez Valley Creamery soft-opens July 1 in Solvang.

••• Petra Cafe at 14 E. Cota Street has officially closed. —Restaurant Guy

••• A profile of The Chanticlair (and Alley Cat Oyster & Po’Boy). —Independent

••• Having run one-off adult classes in the past, Apples to Zucchini Cooking School has introduced a fuller slate of options for adults—including Macaron Making, Seasonal Sourdough Pizza, Fermentation and Preserving, and more.

••• Some first impressions of The Neighborhood Grill, which just opened at Turnpike Center in Noleta…. I think solid food in a welcoming setting is just what the area needs and probably craves. Even on a gray day, the outdoor and semi-outdoor spaces were appealing, and the onion rings were truly excellent. After lunch, I introduced myself to owner co-proprietor Ted Ellis, who asked how the meal was. Before I could finish telling him that people will riot in this town if you don’t actually smash the smashburger, he sighed and said that someone new was on the grill that day and he had already pointed the issue out. (The burger was delicious just the same.) It was a reminder to us all that restaurants need time to settle in, and if we do patronize one in the first few weeks, we need to be prepared to cut some slack. P.S. Props to the lady nearby who ordered an espresso martini at noon on a Tuesday.

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