20 September 24-30, 2026 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES Month XX–Month XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES TASTE 2026 | FALL FOOD PREVIEW W hile the rest of the country marks the ar- rival of fall with pump- kin spice, sweaters, and boots, Miami has its own seasonal pleasures. With temperatures still hovering some- where around summer, there’s never really a bad time for frozen yogurt. And lately, we can’t seem to get enough of it. Froyo has been picking up steam all year, popping up everywhere from dedicated yo- gurt shops to health-conscious cafés, and even restaurants and ice cream shops suddenly get- ting in on the game. This fall brings another crop of big-name arrivals, including Meli’s newly opened South Gables location, Go Greek’s continued Miami expansion into Dadeland Mall, Sunset Har- bour and Palm Beach Gardens, and, later this year, the return of 16 Handles, one of the OGs of the froyo world, to Coral Gables. Frozen yogurt had one of its first major mo- ments during the health-obsessed 1980s, when it was marketed as the low-fat alterna- tive to its considerably richer cousin, ice cream. Then came the 2000s and early 2010s, when Pinkberry, 16 Handles, Menchie’s, and seemingly every strip mall in America offered walls of self-serve flavors, tiny sample cups, and mountains of sugary toppings. Eventually, froyo shops started disappear- ing, replaced by açaí bowls and green juice bars that seemed to move right into their old storefronts. Now it’s back, baby. Only this time, froyo has gotten a very 2026 glow-up: a little health- ier, a lot more Instagrammable, and just indul- gent enough to still count as dessert. Plain tart yogurt is back in fashion, but so are matcha, kefir, probiotics and sugar alter- natives. And because this is 2026, there’s also plenty of pistachio cream, kataifi and other Dubai chocolate-adjacent decadence to spoon on top. Few cities are better suited for the come- back than Miami. Take Myka, the Madrid-born viral sensa- tion that arrived on Lincoln Road before add- ing a truck in Brickell. Its dense, tangy yogurt blends Greek yogurt with milk and kefir, and you can dress it up with more than 30 top- pings. The Brickell truck, open until midnight, has become something else entirely: a night- time hangout where couples, runners, and the neighborhood’s fit residents line up for froyo instead of cocktails. Then there’s Miami New Times Best Froyo of 2026, Meli, which opened in Miami Shores late last year and expanded south this Septem- ber. Its Greek yogurt base is sweetened with allulose, while toppings range from fruit and granola to pistachio spread. Even businesses that weren’t previously in the froyo business want in. Van Leeuwen debuted its first-ever frozen yogurt program at its Brickell shop this spring, after noticing the renewed appetite for the treat. “Over the past year we started seeing incredible de- mand for frozen yogurt, so we decided to lean in and do it the Van Leeuwen way,” co- founder and CEO Ben Van Leeuwen said when announcing the launch. Carrot (formerly known as Carrot Express) recently joined the bandwagon too, rolling out a sugar-free Greek frozen yogurt sweetened with monk fruit and made with live kefir cul- tures at select locations. It packs nine grams of protein and probiotics, though anyone unin- terested in virtue can pile on halva crunch, baklava pistachio or chocolate tahini. For Carrot founder Mario Laufer, adding froyo came down to listening to what custom- ers were already asking for. “Greek frozen yo- gurt already has what people are looking for in a dessert: real protein, real probiotics, none of that sugar-crash thing you get with old-school soft serve,” Laufer tells New Times. At Sadelle’s Coconut Grove, froyo has got- ten an even more explicit wellness makeover through its collaboration with Bonberi, which includes grass-fed frozen yogurt made with- out refined sugar, artificial dyes, or seed oils. And Go Greek may be the most Miami manifestation of the trend yet. The Beverly Hills-born froyo shop is bringing another loca- tion to Sunset Harbor, a neighborhood that probably has more Pilates studios per capita than just about anywhere in the country. The brand has even collaborated with beauty and wellness companies like Kiehl’s, blurring the line between dessert and self-care. So yes, fall has arrived in Miami. There may be no sweaters or changing leaves in sight, but there’s plenty of tart yogurt, matcha, and pista- chio cream to go around. Keep the boots in the closet and grab a spoon instead. STONE COLD Froyo is making a comeback in South Florida. by Michelle Muslera Sadelles 16 Handles Photo by World Red Eye Provided by 16 Handles Froyo has gotten a very 2026 glow-up: a little healthier, a lot more Instagrammable, and just indulgent enough to still count as dessert.
