Three Places to Find Frozen Yogurt in East Phoenix, Arizona

Frozen yogurt is the new coffee. Back in the 1980s, a glut of yogurt shops spread throughout the country. An over-saturated market and a public looking to cut down on sweets led to the demise of all but the most hardy, with coffee shops filling the void.

But now, frozen yogurt is on the rise again. So the song remains the same, even if the decade doesn't. The latest twist is that yogurt shops are now self-serve: You pick your flavors and toppings and pay by the ounce. Also, most shops are touting the digestion-friendly live active cultures in the frozen yogurt.

The concept is rolling all across the nation. The Metro Phoenix area is no exception. In my area, there are currently three shops duking it out for fro-yo supremacy. Here's a quick guide to all three.

Mojo (2502 E. Camelback Road, mojoyogurt.com) - This was the first entry into the neighborhood's yogurt wars. It is incredibly popular with teens. It seems to have picked up where the now-defunct Coffee Plantation left off as the high school hangout. It has the usual cast of characters: Some mainstay flavors along with some rotating flavors, plus toppings spanning the gulf from blueberries to crunched-up candy favorites. Its location right in Biltmore Fashion Park is a huge benefit.

Yogurtology (2045 E. Camelback Road - Suite A16A, yogurtology.com) - Close to a year after Mojo opened, Yogurtology took a vacant space in the historic Town & Country plaza that had been occupied by Coffee Plantation in its death throes. Now, Yogurtology is thriving. It's a mixed crowd, and my favorite of the local yogurt shops: I don't have to fight for parking at Mojo's Biltmore Fashion Park location, and I like the toppings and flavors at Yogurtology far better. My favorite is probably the flan flavor, and Yogurtology is the only shop around to offer Nutella as a topping. It's also a bit less expensive than Mojo. The staff is super-friendly, too. Though Town & Country is the sleepiest location of all three, Yogurtology seems to stay busy.

Zen Zen Yogurt (4340 E. Indian School Road, zenzenyogurt.com) - This is the latest entry into the local yogurt fray. As you might guess from the name, it has a more Asian flavor. That's appropriate, considering the Far East origins of the fro-yo resurgence. You'll see more of the spongy, chewy Asian toppings here. It's in a perfect location, with Pei Wei and Pita Jungle in the same plaza. Unfortunately, it also has to contend with competition from Cold Stone Creamery.