In the mood for something new? 15 restaurants coming to Fresno area this summer
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- Fifteen new restaurants opened or announced Fresno arrivals in June.
Restaurateurs keep finding their way to the Central Valley. In June, 15 new restaurants opened their first shop, added a new location to the area or announced they were coming to the region.
The New Kids on the Block
Pijja Paradise
Pijja Paradise, an Indian-American pizza and arcade restaurant with locations in Pittsburg and Livermore, opened its first Fresno location at 2767 W. Shaw Ave. in Fresno.
The owner, Ekta Fnu, spent two years bringing her brand to the area. She extensively remodeled the dining area, adding an arcade area where people can play for points they can redeem for prizes, and both the menu and the restaurant’s name reflect her Punjabi heritage. “Pijja” is what pizza is known by in many parts of India.
Pijja Paradise had its soft opening June 11. The grand opening is July 10, and the restaurant will be hosting free art and paint classes for kids, as well as a raffle to win free pizza for the year.
NyabTee’s Kitchen
NyabTee’s Kitchen, a Hmong restaurant, opened its doors at 635 N. First St. in Fresno. Nyab Tee, a Hmong influencer, used social media to sell powders, sauces, traditional Hmong clothing and other items for years before opening the new location.
Seoul Meat. Co.
Seoul Meat Co., an all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue restaurant, opened at Fashion Fair Mall in Fresno at the beginning of June.
El Nico Tacqueria
Kerman got a new Mexican restaurant when El Nico Tacqueria opened in late May. El Nico Tacqueria is inside Tony’s Market at 15057 W. Whitesbridge Ave.
Masa Madre
Masa Madre is a rebranding of El Mariachi, a 25-year-old Mexican restaurant now serving up handmade tortillas, pancakes and other specials at a new location. While El Mariachi was located at 3046 W. Bullard Ave. in Fresno, Masa Madre can be found a little more than two miles down the road at 742 W. Bullard Ave.
El Mariachi closed late March when the restaurant’s landlord declined to renew their lease, according to a video from the owner, Jaime Hernandez, on the restaurant’s Facebook page.
Masa Madre offers tortilla-making classes, and people can buy both the tortillas and the salsa it offers at the restaurant. It held its soft opening on June 1.
Bubble Bee
Bubble Bee opened in a former Jamba Juice at 614 Academy Ave. in Sanger in May.
It serves boba tea, açai bowls and Korean food, including Korean hot dogs, popcorn chicken and kimchi fries.
It’s the third Bubble Bee in the area, with locations in Fresno and Clovis.
Doubling Down
Lisa’s Southern SmokeHouse & Lisa’s Crepes & Sweet Thangs
Lisa’s Southern SmokeHouse and Lisa’s Crepes & Sweet Thangs are both the brainchildren of Miguel and Lisa Segura, the owners of Miguel’s Salsa.
All three of the eateries are side-by-side in Clovis’s Peacock Market at 1427 Tollhouse Rd. Lisa Segura said that making separate food spaces allows them to focus on each style and taste, rather than having one overcrowded menu and kitchen.
All of the food is made in-house, and they have a large gluten-free menu.
“We don’t have to sacrifice the flavor to have a meal that can be enjoyed by everyone,” Lisa said.
Miguel’s Salsa pulls from Jalisco and Michoacan traditions, including his own family’s. Lisa learned the recipes they use in Miguel’s Salsa from Miguel’s own mother, and brings her own heritage to the market with the new soul food and sweets.
“At the end of the day, the food is going to connect us all,” Lisa said.
The grand opening for both Lisa’s Crepes & Sweet Thangs and Lisa’s Southern SmokeHouse is July 10.
CREAM
CREAM, a dessert shop serving ice cream, cookies, milkshakes and other sweet treats, opened its second location at 2097 W. Bullard Ave.
Reopenings & Rebirths
Hot Dog on a Stick
Hot Dog on a Stick has reopened in a new location in the food court at Fashion Fair Mall.
Mokha Harbor Cafe
Mokha Harbor Cafe switched names and owners, but it’s still serving Yemenese coffee and other treats at 3173 W. Shaw Ave., Suite 102A in Fresno. The new name was inspired by Mokha, a port city in Yemen, which was a major hub of the early coffee trade.
Coming Soon
Potato Corner
Signs went up for the Filipino French fry franchise at Fresno’s Fashion Fair Mall, but actual details about when people can expect it remain scarce.
Bag o’ Crab
Bag o’ Crab, a seafood joint serving crab, lobster, mussels and fried fish, is opening its second location at 1805 E. Herndon Ave., Suite B in Clovis. The official date has not yet been announced.
TrueCraft Burger
TrueCraft Burger, which specializes in smash burgers and beef tallow fries, announced it was moving into 2088 E. Copper Ave., Suite 103 in Fresno. No soft opening date has been announced.
Khem Kong
Khem Kong, a Lao-Thai barbecue restaurant, is opening at 284 S. Temperance Ave. in Fresno. While no opening date has been announced, the restaurant’s social media posts say it will be “soon”.
MongQ
MongQ, a Mongolian barbecue franchise where customers pick out what they’d like to eat, including vegetables, meats, noodles and sauces, before their meals are grilled on a large circular grill in front of them, is coming to Fashion Fair Mall.
MongQ has five other locations in California. This is the franchise’s first location in the Fresno area.
Reporter Bethany Clough contributed to this report.