The Sweet Spot: Berryline’s Rise to Virality

There are few experiences worth waiting in line for an hour: getting your driver’s license at the DMV, soaring through Space Mountain at Disneyland, and seeing Tyler the Creator live in concert, to name a few. The hustle and bustle of 21st-century life has materialized the concept of time into a currency, so the few occasions one does have the extra time to spend recreationally, it can’t be wasted. To use so much of that precious commodity to wait in line before even getting to the good stuff is the highest honor for any company—an honor Harvard Square’s very own BerryLine can proudly flaunt. 

Every night, in the calculations that maximize the enjoyment of our limited free time, dozens choose to stand in line at 3 Arrow St. for the chance to chow down on some non-fat, tart frozen yogurt. The quaint little store, nestled between a waffle shop and café, stands out as a splash of color in a sea of muted ones. If the vibrant doodles of personified frozen yogurt ingredients strewn across the front of the store don’t immediately catch your eye, the herd of people wrapping around the sidewalk, converging at a little crowded room, most certainly will. While today BerryLine’s reputation as the late-night dessert spot precedes itself, the underground shop’s humble beginnings prove it was not always this way.

While friends Matthew (Matt) Wallace and Pok Yang, postdoctoral researchers at MIT and Harvard, respectively, were on the forefront of biochemistry research in the lab, they pioneered something else Massachusetts had yet to see—tart frozen yogurt. To realize their tangy dream, Wallace and Yang rented out an old massage parlor and transformed it into a space indicative of the same joy you get when digging into one of the over 150 flavors featured over the years. This “vibe” was accomplished with the help of other community members, like Boston-based artist Bren Bataclan, who has painted three of the iconic murals spread across the side of the store. While Yang has since left the business, Wallace has continued to help with the day-to-day operations since the store’s opening in 2007. 

“Matt comes in a lot; he’s here all the time… Whenever there’s a problem, he’s one phone call away,” employee Eli Bartholomew said in an interview with the Harvard Independent. “I feel comfortable texting him or calling him—it’s one of the best work environments I’ve ever been in, even though it gets super busy all the time. I know I’ll be supported if something goes down, so I appreciate that.”

Students and Cambridge community members alike have enjoyed BerryLine’s concoctions for the nearly two decades it’s been open. But in the past year, the store’s popularity has exploded, resulting in the now iconic long lines stretching outside the door. The cause? Word of mouth advertising and viral social media videos praising the shop’s products—these two forms of promotion have turned BerryLine from a niche find you might see on a forum for underrated dessert spots to a staple of the community people flock to every night.

Videos on TikTok from users like @lizeom, who claimed the shop was her “new fav froyo place,” and @katie_hellmann, recognizing it as the “best frozen yogurt near Boston,” have collectively garnered over 660,000 views. Dozens of similar videos reviewing the froyo and capturing the aesthetics of the store are populated all across TikTok and Instagram. The “BerryLine” name, circulating between the residents of the greater Boston area, has cemented it as a must-visit stop for any tourists passing through Harvard Square.

Bartholomew, a Cambridge native, has witnessed this growth in popularity in real time. “My parents used to take me a lot because I used to go to the church right across the street, so that was my treat for going,” he said. “It was always students, but this time it’s a lot more tourists. When I was a kid, like 10 [or] five… there was never a line that long—that went down the block.”

Sarah Berhan ’28, a former employee of the store, noticed a similar trend. “BerryLine has always had extremely long lines, especially in the evenings. During my closing shifts, it was a rare occasion that I would have breaks between customers, as the line seemed to be never-ending,” Berhan wrote to the Independent. 

“One thing I found is that many of the customers last year were consistent. Since its opening in 2006, BerryLine has made long-lasting relationships with families in the Cambridge area and has remained a staple for the Harvard community,” she continued. “It’s further popularization this semester, I believe, has been largely due to TikTok exposure, bringing in customers from the Boston area who have never been to BerryLine before.”

The light-hearted, comforting aesthetic of the store, something the founders always emphasized, continues to act as a magnet for anyone passing by. The fun murals don’t stop at the storefront; step inside, and you’re greeted by playful sketches like a flying saucer abducting a cup of froyo next to the sun wearing shades. The cozy feeling only grows when you’re inside, helped by warm string lights draped across the ceiling—and by the fact that you are often shoulder to shoulder with other customers in the small space. Nearing the front of the line, you might glance to your left and spot a small counter lined with copies of our very own Harvard Independent newspaper, offering customers something to flip through while they savor their froyo or catch up with friends.

Of course, the real draw lies behind the counter. BerryLine’s ever-evolving rotation of flavors, from classic tart and mango to specialties like lychee and Nutella, keeps even regulars coming back for more. To further show their dedication to customer satisfaction, they allow people to offer their own flavor suggestions directly on their website. Their toppings bar is equally beloved: fresh fruit, candy, sauces, and the toppings they make in-house let every visitor craft a cup to their taste. My “perfect cup” is the original flavor of tart yogurt topped with strawberries and their homemade Oreo cheesecake, the optimal combination of sweet, tart, and fruity flavors.

“They have more Asian inspired flavors—that appeals to me. The mochi topping is the big thing for me, [it’s] why I come back.” Graduate School of Arts and Sciences student Annie Liu said in an interview with the Independent.

The new mochi topping, made in-house by bakers on staff, has become a fan favorite. When asked about the most popular topping, Bartholomew noted, “The mochi, 100%, it’s extremely popular. I was making a joke with one of the people who works here, where I’d say 45% of the time someone comes in and they ask for an original with mochi and strawberries.”

BerryLine has become a cornerstone of Cambridge culture and a defining part of student life at Harvard. It’s where generations of students have come to celebrate, de-stress, or just hang out after class. And while its popularity has spread beyond the Harvard bubble, drawing tourists and TikTok reviewers alike from all over Boston, its heart still belongs to the local community that built it.

So yes, the line might stretch down the block, but unlike a queue at the DMV, what waits at the end is a cup swirled with love, making it well worth the hour wait.

BerryLine is open from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays and 12 p.m. to 11 p.m. on weekends.

Philipos Alebachew ’29 (philiposalebachew@college.harvard.edu) is going to try to secure a spot before the line gets too long.