YOMI Takapuna: The Frozen Playground Where You Make Dessert Your Own
YOMI Takapuna is putting a fun new spin on dessert, with a self-serve frozen yoghurt and açaí bar where you can create your own bowl from a tempting selection of fresh fruit, sweets, sauces and indulgent toppings.
There are ice cream shops where you choose a flavour, collect your cone and wander off. Then there is YOMI, where the hardest part is deciding when to stop.
Walking into YOMI on Hurstmere Road in Takapuna feels a little like being let loose in a sweet shop, except this one happens to have frozen yoghurt and açaí coming out of machines, and a topping bar that could keep even the most indecisive dessert lover occupied for quite some time. You grab a bowl, choose your base, swirl away and then face the really serious decision: how much is too much?
The answer, I suspect, is that there isn't one.
YOMI is a premium self-serve frozen yoghurt and açaí bar, and its whole idea is built around choice. You can keep things fresh and fruity with açaí, fruit and granola, go for something more indulgent with chocolate and sauces, or, as is very tempting, create something that sits somewhere spectacularly in the middle.
And yes, there is a Whittaker's chocolate fountain.
I think that deserves its own sentence.
Why YOMI Takapuna Is a Must-Visit for Dessert Lovers
YOMI's topping selection is almost ridiculously extensive. There are fresh fruits including strawberries, mango, passionfruit, pineapple, blueberries and feijoa, alongside granola, chia pudding, nuts, seeds and protein options. Then, sitting rather happily alongside all that virtuousness, you'll find Oreos, gummy bears, Nerds, sour straps, Jaffas, brownie, cookie dough, Biscoff Crunch, Dubai Spread, Russian Fudge and plenty more.
For families, YOMI Takapuna makes dessert an experience in itself. Children can choose their own frozen yoghurt, experiment with colourful toppings and create a bowl that is entirely their own.
I’d actually gone along with a friend, which made the whole experience even more entertaining because she was pregnant and had the perfect excuse to indulge every craving in sight. The YOMI topping bar was practically made for her — fruit, chocolate, sweets, sauces and just about every other temptation you can imagine. Watching her build her bowl was almost as much fun as eating mine, and it quickly became clear that YOMI isn’t just somewhere to grab dessert; it’s the sort of place where everyone can create exactly what they fancy.
And then come the sauces.
Nutella, Biscoff, Bueno, pistachio, peanut butter, caramel, raspberry coulis, lemon and passionfruit topping and, of course, that Whittaker's chocolate fountain.
This is where the concept becomes particularly clever. YOMI doesn't force you into the increasingly familiar choice between a “healthy” dessert and a completely indulgent one. You can build something packed with fruit and açaí, something protein-focused, or something that looks as though you've raided the children's party table after everyone has gone home.
The decision is yours.
And that's probably why it works so well for families.
Kids can actually make their dessert rather than simply receive it. They can choose the flavour, control the toppings and create something that is completely their own. It turns eating into part of the entertainment, which is particularly useful when you're looking for somewhere to take children that isn't simply another café table and a colouring sheet.
Adults, meanwhile, get to pretend they're being sensible.
Why YOMI Takapuna Is More Than Just Frozen Yoghurt
There is something bigger happening here too.
Frozen yoghurt has made a rather spectacular comeback in New Zealand. The category that was once associated with the mid-2000s has returned with a new audience, helped along by social media, customisable food and that increasingly popular idea of being able to make indulgence feel slightly more balanced.
YOMI is right in the middle of it.
What makes its story particularly interesting is that Michael and Rachel Sparrow didn't come from traditional hospitality backgrounds. Michael previously worked for the Department of Conservation and Rachel was an Air New Zealand pilot. They decided to take the plunge and create YOMI after seeing the frozen yoghurt concept working in Australia. Their first store opened at Mount Maunganui in December 2025, and the business has since expanded rapidly.
That makes YOMI more than just another dessert shop popping up in Takapuna. It is part of a much bigger shift in the way people are thinking about going out for a treat. It can be breakfast, a post-workout stop, a beach-day reward, an afternoon catch-up or a late-night dessert run. YOMI itself describes the experience as something that can move between fresh and nourishing and completely decadent, depending on what you put in the bowl.
And perhaps that is the secret.
It isn't really about frozen yoghurt.
It's about having a bit of fun with your food.
A very good reason to walk down Hurstmere Road
Takapuna already has plenty to tempt visitors, but YOMI adds something particularly playful to the mix. You can head down to the beach, wander around the shops and then finish with a bowl that you have built yourself.
And if you have children with you, I'd be prepared for the possibility that YOMI becomes less of an occasional treat and more of a regular demand.
Because once they've discovered that they are allowed to choose their own frozen yoghurt, pile on the toppings and finish it with chocolate, I'm not sure how easy it will be to persuade them that a plain ice cream cone was ever enough.
For me, that is what makes YOMI stand out. It isn't trying to be a formal dessert experience. It is colourful, playful and wonderfully uncomplicated. You walk in, grab a bowl and start creating.
And somewhere between the açaí, the strawberries, the Biscoff, the chocolate fountain and the inevitable extra topping you absolutely did not need, you realise that this is dessert as entertainment.
Which, frankly, is exactly how dessert should be.
Practical Information
YOMI Takapuna
51 Hurstmere Road, Takapuna, Auckland 0622
What it is: Premium self-serve frozen yoghurt and açaí bar.
How it works: Choose your bowl, select your frozen yoghurt or açaí, add as many toppings as you like, then take it to the counter to be weighed and paid for.
Flavours: Options include Signature Tart, Premium Açaí, chocolate, coconut, mango, Biscoff and rotating seasonal flavours such as wild berry, vanilla, matcha and raspberry.
Toppings: Fresh fruit, granola, nuts, seeds, sweets, chocolate, cookie dough, Biscoff, sauces and the Whittaker's chocolate fountain.
Dietary options: Vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free choices are available, with allergen information provided in store.
Opening hours: Monday–Thursday 7am–10pm; Friday 7am–11pm; Saturday 7.30am–11pm; Sunday 7.30am–10pm.
Good for: Families, kids, teenagers, post-beach treats, catch-ups, date nights and anyone who believes that putting chocolate on frozen yoghurt counts as a balanced lifestyle choice.
