If you’re in the mood for some dessert, need a place to study, or just want to get off campus for a change of pace, Fruizen is the perfect place to go. The dessert shop is located just north of Pitzer, at the corner of Claremont and Foothill. It offers free Wi-Fi, clean, comfortable seating, and tons of tasty treats to eat and drink. Unlike the Village, the surrounding area doesn’t have much else to offer and isn’t as conducive to strolling around, but Fruizen alone is well worth the trip.

The owners are very friendly and have welcomed students with student discounts and finals-week deals in the past. They are also very helpful and informative when you’re trying to decide what to order. Believe me, it’s a tough decision.

There are a variety of dessert items on the menu, including crepes, gelato, frozen yogurt, ice cream, smoothies, shaved ice, and boba tea. Even within these categories, there is a lot of selection in terms of flavors and toppings. The store also offers savory sandwich crepes, which make a nice lunch.

I went with a boba tea (16 ounces for $3.50) and a dessert crepe ($5.95) with Nutella, strawberries and mango. The crepe comes with whipped cream, powdered sugar, and your choice of syrup or spread and two toppings. Service was very quick, and presentation was appealing with a criss-cross drizzle on top of the crepe.

It was a little more crispy than traditional crepes, but the texture was a fitting complement to the softness of the fresh fruits. The richness of the Nutella was excellently balanced with the crepe’s more muted taste, resulting in a delicious dessert. The crepes are filling and the portion size is plenty, so I recommend going on an empty stomach or saving some for later. It’s hard to find a good crepe place this side of Victoria Gardens, but Fruizen certainly fits the bill.

The boba tea comes in a few varieties of coffees and teas. My milk black tea was not as cold as I was expecting, but delectable nonetheless. They are really generous with the tapioca balls, and the tea is simple but refreshing. It doesn’t get bogged down or over-sweetened with too many flavors the way some of the fruity boba drinks do.

Fruizen’s ambience is very calm and conducive to studying. The place is full of blue and green hues, with comfortable tables and chairs scattered about. There are also a few couches and side tables, as well as a TV and some board games for customers to enjoy. The place does seem like it would get a bit crammed if big crowds came in, but in the late afternoon this wasn’t the case.

Pricing is affordable, with the crepes an especially good deal considering how delicious and filling they are. The frozen yogurt, however, is a bit pricey considering you can get more variety for a lower cost in the Village. Fruizen offers a buy-ten-get-one-free stamp card, which will fill up faster than you think considering how easy it is to get hooked.