New Mexican restaurant brings Tijuana flavor to Clovis. It’s owners’ sixth spot
Look through the kitchen door at Frida’s Taqueria in Clovis, and you can see taqueros (cooks) shaving marinated, tangy pieces of pork from a large, rotating vertical rotisserie known as a trompo.
Pork cooked on trompos is a signature ingredient of taquerías found in the Mexican city of Tijuana. Natives Robert and Gracy Ayala kept those memories in mind when they opened the first Frida’s Taqueria restaurant in San Diego, where they now own five.
The Ayala family brought this Tijuana taco tradition — and more — to Clovis. They lived in the area for years before moving to San Diego and still have relatives nearby. Robert Ayala said he and his family love the people in the Central Valley region, as well as the fruits and vegetables famously grown there.
The latest Frida’s Taqueria location opened at 785 Herndon Ave., Suite 500 last week, bringing a more modern atmosphere and plenty of Mexican food to Clovis Commons.
The Ayala family differentiated the new location from its Southern California counterparts by calling it Frida’s Azul and offering more than tacos and mulitas. The breakfast menu unique to this Frida’s location, for example, offers items such as omelettes and chilaquiles.
Each cook prepares ingredients fresh, whether they’re hand-making tortillas or mixing together a passion fruit and mango-flavored agua fresca. Taqueros put together dishes in real time in front of customers.
“You want more salsa, they give you more salsa. You want no guac, no guac,” said Kelly Ayala, the owners’ daughter. “We like the customers to see what they’re getting and how they want their food.”
Frida’s has become known for its carne adobada, which gives off a bright red color and bursts with seasoning thanks to a secret adobo sauce. Customers can put that meat on a taco, mulita or papa asada, a loaded baked potato filled to the brim with sour cream, cheese, guacamole and chips.
A mural of the restaurant’s namesake, artist Frida Kahlo, adorns a wall. Gracy Ayala chose to name the locations after her to pay tribute to Mexico. The restaurant also contains more modern touches, including a neon display with the restaurant’s name and tall indoor trees.
With these decorations and plenty of natural light coming in, one customer, Jairo Lozano, said the restaurant felt “lively” and “homey.”
“It feels like an outdoor home — almost like a plaza type of vibe, like an outdoor living room type of vibe,” Lozano said.
Frida’s became the third restaurant at its address in two years. The Brunch Bar served up meals there from May 2023 to mid-2024, and Rustika Cafe and Bakery opened in November but closed in the past month. Owner Navdip Singh cited multiple factors behind Rustika’s closure, including high costs and family reasons.
For now, Robert Ayala said he’s been “impressed” by the early turnout for Frida’s and thanked the community for its support.
“We’re six hours away from home, but you guys make us feel like home here in this area, this community,” he said. “There’s no price for that.”
