Popular Mexican restaurant in downtown Fresno to close. It started as a truck in 2014
A popular Mexican restaurant that built a loyal customer base thanks to its vegetarian jackfruit-based dishes will have its last day of service this weekend.
“I extend my deep gratitude to the Fresno community,” Miriam Martinez, owner of La Jacka Restaurant, said in an interview with The Bee. “I want to thank my customers who have been here throughout the 13, 14 years we’ve been open and who are still with us.”
Though the brick-and-mortar restaurant is closing, Martinez said it’s not the end of La Jacka for good. She had several ideas of how to bring her popular dishes to its customers, such as a weekly pre-order system and direct sales of pre-packaged jackfruit.
Opened in November 2023, La Jacka Restaurant first got its start as the La Jacka Mobile food truck in 2014, serving its popular tacos, burritos and quesadillas with seasoned jackfruit imported from Mexico as a protein alternative. The fruit’s meaty texture resembles that of chicken or pulled pork. One of Martinez’s daughters had an allergy to beef and pork which is why the family embraced alternative protein choices in its offerings.
Martinez said the restaurant’s proximity to Fresno’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office — which sits around the corner on L Street — has also hurt business. Martinez said she noticed a drop in sales after a June 2025 anti-ICE protest in response to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. There have been several protests, prayer vigils and arrests at the ICE office.
Ultimately, though, she decided to not renew the restaurant’s lease in the South Stadium building at Van Ness Avenue and Mono Street due to economic conditions, rising costs, declining sales and concerns around safety and homelessness downtown.
Cooking oil that used to cost $16 before the pandemic now costs $47; A bulk order of beans that once cost $18-$20 now cost $40 and a bag of rice that used to cost $15 now cost $35, she said.
“We’ve tried to keep prices down ... because we didn’t want to raise costs too much, even though everything has gone up — some things as much as fivefold, others threefold since the pandemic,” Martinez said.
La Jacka’s lease ends on June 30. They initially planned to stay open until the end of the month, but changed the last day of service to Sunday to have time to pack up.
Will Dyck, CEO of Summa Properties, the building’s owner, said he wishes La Jacka the best of luck in their future endeavors. He said he offered a $1,000 discount on rent to help them stay open. He hopes to fill the space with another restaurant.
“We didn’t ask them to leave; they left on their own,” he said.
Past and future of Fresno jackfruit business
After opening as a food truck in 2014, La Jacka built a loyal following with locals and tourists alike.
The restaurant was among the top 10 Fresno Mexican restaurants, according to Yelp ratings. The restaurant would often receive tourists who were passing through town en route to local national parks. Customers appreciated that the restaurant was open on the weekend since many downtown restaurants serve the weekday government and office worker crowd.
Martinez said she has plans to bring her popular jackfruit dishes to Fresno after taking a month or two off to recalibrate.
Since she also owns the Hot Spot Kitchen, a commercial kitchen where several food businesses operate, Martinez is considering selling her popular dishes via a pre-order and pick-up system for one or two days a week.
She will also continue to import jackfruit, and has plans to sell the prepared, pre-packaged fruit directly to customers and to businesses that want to incorporate the meat alternative into their menus.
Martinez is also planning to roll out several mezcal tasting events — and wants to bridge connections between Mexican mezcal producers and the Central Valley farmers that are planting agave with the goal of distilling it for consumption.
If someone wants to open a La Jacka restaurant outside of Fresno, “I am also open to that,” she said.
She said customers are asking her to bring back the popular food truck — an idea she is open to if it makes financial sense. But first, she said, she needs “customers to support us by consuming double so we can make it happen.”
For now, customers can keep track of future business plans on social media and La Jacka’s website.
She also credited a 2017 story in The Fresno Bee story for bringing her more business and customers in its early years.
Last weekend of service at La Jacka
Martinez said there will be a small gift for customers who visit La Jacka in its final days of service this weekend.
She asks that customers share their favorite memories or any photos they have of La Jacka either in person or via social media. She also asked that customers not forget La Jacka.
“So that when we come back with a new concept, you’ll be there,” she said.
La Jacka’s final hours
- Thursday: 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; 5-8 p.m.
- Friday: 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; 5-8 p.m
- Saturday: 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
- Sunday: 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
