Downtown line tradition has formally invaded the Higher East Facet — the place instantly everyone seems to be dropping their minds over frozen yogurt.
On Lexington Avenue, the partition ropes are out, the branded cones are in place, and hungry daytrippers are lining the block whereas bewildered, curious residents brush previous a snaking line forming close to their multimillion-dollar prewar buildings, questioning what, precisely, is going on on the nook of 72nd Avenue.
Viral Australian froyo store Mimi’s opened its first uptown location final Thursday, and promptly unleashed hordes of twenty-somethings in sweatpants, mother and father and younger children prepared to attend almost an hour for a swirl.
By 8:41 p.m. Monday, the road outdoors the brand new store at Lexington Avenue and East 72nd Avenue stretched to the nook of East 71st, as staff tried to corral the group with ropes.
For a neighborhood higher identified for white-gloved doormen, co-ops and luxurious vogue, crowds are actually spilling previous residence entrances, blocking neighboring companies and filling close by trash cans full to the brim with discarded Mimi’s cups.
Based by 26-year-old Sydney native Amber Linz, Mimi’s is already infamous for block-long traces in Soho — and the hype has adopted uptown.
Two workers on the neighboring Joe & The Juice instructed The Submit the group has repeatedly backed up in entrance of their door since Mimi’s arrived.
Close by doormen have discovered themselves fielding questions from residents and native passersby who don’t know why dozens of persons are instantly standing outdoors their buildings at evening.
“Individuals have been inquiring, ‘What’s happening?’” a doorman at 150 E. 72nd St. instructed The Submit.
The largest rushes have hit after college and after dinner — and teams of scholars even requested the shop to open earlier so they may squeeze in froyo throughout their lunch breaks, to which Linz adjusted her hours, thrilled that “correct kids” have been coming in for a deal with.
“We’ve by no means had kids; it’s an actual locals market right here,” Linz instructed The Submit, noting the variations between the downtown clientele and the brand new location. “Individuals come right here; they stay right here.”
“It’s been constantly busy since we opened,” the Aussie added. “We’re honored that Mimi’s is already changing into a spot within the neighborhood the place individuals wish to hold.”
Between wiping off counters of chocolate and pistachio syrups dripping from the fountain spouts, the entrepreneur instructed The Submit she opened Mimi’s as a ardour challenge after transferring to New York two years earlier and feeling like one thing was nonetheless lacking.
She had grown up across the meals and beverage trade in Australia and beforehand bought baked items earlier than launching Mimi’s, which was initially solely alleged to be a six-month pop-up.
“I solely dreamed it will pop off,” Linz mentioned.
As a substitute, she went from relative anonymity in New York to overseeing a viral mini-empire.
Her philosophy is comparatively easy: “I desire easy flavors accomplished exceptionally, and also you go loopy with the toppings,” she mentioned.
But when it appears wild that frozen yogurt is producing this sort of commotion in 2026, Mimi’s is hardly alone.
The frenzy is widespread throughout Manhattan, however the Higher East Facet seems to be getting into a full-blown frozen-dessert arms race.
Myka, the buzzy Greek frozen yogurt chain already identified for traces elsewhere within the metropolis, is getting ready to open close to Second Avenue and East eightieth Avenue.
And on lower than two blocks away is basically fro-yo-row.
Between East 81st and 82nd Streets on Second Avenue, there’s already a Pinkberry, which is virtually a historic landmark at this level, courting again to the early aughts and nonetheless holding sturdy, together with 16 Handles and Anita Gelato — all inside steps of each other.
When The Submit visited 16 Handles on a Wednesday evening final week, its toppings bar appeared as if it had been ransacked, as if individuals had by no means had dessert earlier than.
At Butterfield Market, buyers routinely type formidable traces of their very own, whereas usually staid stretches of Lexington Avenue more and more function crowd-control ropes and barricades outdoors neighborhood establishments.
At this charge, the Higher East Facet could have to begin zoning particularly for yogurt.
Mimi’s says that’s precisely why it got here uptown.
“We got here to the Higher East Facet as a result of our friends have been begging us to come back nearer to dwelling,” Sam Rosenzweig, Mimi’s advertising director, instructed The Submit, including that prospects had been trekking downtown for Mimi’s a number of occasions per week.
“To see the neighborhood present up for us like this has been extremely particular,” he mentioned. “We’re simply actually grateful for the extremely heat welcome and excited to be a part of the neighborhood.”
And regardless of the ropes, crowds and occasional blocked doorway, some locals have discovered one main upside.
The Mimi’s storefront had beforehand been anticipated to turn out to be a hashish store. So whereas 72nd Avenue could now have lots of of younger individuals mobbing for frozen yogurt, apparently, it might have been weed.
Name it a win.
