Butterfish restaurants’ big changes: One in Fresno is closing for now, others evolving
Locally-owned Butterfish restaurants made a splash when they opened three locations in Fresno and Clovis.
Now, nearly four years since the first one opened selling its customized poke bowls usually made with raw fish, the owners are changing things up.
The Butterfish at Palm and Herndon avenues has closed, though the owners – who also own Heirloom restaurant – have plans to reopen it as a different kind of restaurant.
The northwest Fresno Butterfish will turn into Mayd Modern Mediterranean in January, selling bowls and other dishes.
The change will allow “some of the best things we learned at Heirloom” to make it onto the Mediterranean restaurant’s menu, including roasted meats and veggies, said co-owner Kevin Koligian.
Expect Middle Eastern and Greek flavors and bowls with saffron rice, for example, he said. They’re also planning a Greek fried chicken sandwich, a mild crispy chicken sandwich with some Greek flavors.
The dining room and kitchen will be remodeled as part of the change.
The owners had been planning a new Mediterranean restaurant for a while. But instead of opening a brand new location, they decided to convert an existing Butterfish location.
“Going through COVID made us look at the best way to run our operation,” said co-owner Brandon Smittcamp.
With so many people ordering takeout food through DoorDash and using Butterfish’s app to pick up food at each restaurant’s walk-up window, they figured they could still serve Fresnans takeout with their two remaining restaurants.
Butterfish’s other locations are in the shopping center at Friant Road and Fresno Street in Fresno and at Herndon and Fowler avenues in Clovis.
Hot food
Another change is coming to the menus at the remaining Butterfish locations: hot food.
The Friant Road location closed for three days while the owners brought in some kitchen equipment allowing them add bowls of hot food.
It reopened Wednesday, still selling poke, but now diners can also get five bowls of warm food: teriyaki beef, spicy teriyaki beef, teriyaki chicken, spicy crispy chicken or Sriracha fried shrimp.
The bowls are served with warm sushi rice (or bacon fried rice for an extra $1), each with seasonal vegetables and Japanese potato salad. They range from $11.50 to $13.50.
Appetizers like Sriracha shrimp and Tokyo fries (sweet potato fries drizzled with a sweet and spicy sauce) have also been added to the menu.
After Mayd Modern Mediterranean is open, Butterfish will bring hot food to its Clovis location.
