More than 30 new restaurants, stores plan to open in Fresno in 2021. Here’s where
Want something to look forward to after a dismal year?
More than 30 new stores and restaurants are planning to open in the Fresno area in 2021.
From chains bringing their first locations to town – hello, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf – to homegrown businesses like Crave Cookie opening up their cookie drive-thru, all kinds of places are in the works.
And yes, that includes the highly anticipated reopening of Marie Callender’s.
Because COVID-19 restrictions are still happening, some businesses are reluctant to give exact opening dates, though they still plan on coming.
And it’s worth noting that since coronavirus threw a lot of plans up in the air and caused some companies to scale back expansion plans, we’ve confirmed that every business listed here is still planning to open.
You may notice several of these stores and restaurants are in the same place: the Marketplace at El Paseo. That’s the shopping center near Highway 99 and Herndon.
Its new phase of development is in the works, with most of the buildings nearly finished, including a new Regal Cinemas and a slew of stores and restaurants.
This will also be the year that the former Sears at Manchester Center becomes home to at least two new stores. Keep reading for details.
Who’s opening in 2021
559 Street Tacos, which already has a taqueria on Clovis Avenue, is planning to open a second location at the southwest corner of Cedar and Shepherd avenues in late February or March.
ALDI, the discount grocery store at Shaw and West avenues, is planning to open its first Fresno location Jan. 28. The small German discount grocer opened its first location in Clovis in 2019.
Angry Chickz just opened its spicy chicken tenders restaurant at 5776 N. Blackstone Ave., in front of Target, but another one is in the works too. A new location is headed for First Street and Barstow Avenue. When open, there will be three in Fresno, including the first location at Shaw and West avenues.
Burger King is coming to the northeast corner of Herndon and Blythe avenues. The building is up but still has a little ways to go.
Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop is coming to Fig Garden Village April 4 in the former Kebab Express space. The national franchised sandwich company sells subs, including Wagyu roast beef, cheesesteak, and vegetarian options like the Impossible cheesesteak.
Crave Cookie, the local cookie delivery service, is planning two brick-and-mortar locations for 2021. It will also be expanding its delivery service.
A location with a drive-thru is headed for the Marketplace at El Paseo. It will have a pickup counter with specialty drinks, sodas, coffee, and milk.
Another location will open later in Clovis later at Tollhouse Road and Sunnyside Avenue next to Peacock Market.
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is planning to open a location at the shopping center at Park Crossing, at the corner of Friant Road and Fresno Street. We told you about this popular coffee shop’s plans to come to Fresno in 2019, and the company recently confirmed it plans to open this summer.
dd’s DISCOUNTS will be moving into part of the former Sears at Manchester Center this year.
Daniel’s Jewelers is planning a new store in the Marketplace at El Paseo.
Dutch Bros Coffee is planning to open a location at Riverstone, a new housing and commercial development at Highway 41 and Avenue 12 in Madera. Although the developer hopes to have the drive-thru coffee shop open by summer, Dutch Bros hasn’t released an opening date yet.
Fat Rabbit Kitchen is a ghost kitchen that won’t have a brick-and-mortar restaurant, but will soon be delivering its vegan food to homes. It has a restaurant of the same name in San Antonio, Texas.
Floor & Decor is planning to move into the massive building under construction on Riverside Avenue, just south of the new Hobby Lobby in the Marketplace at El Paseo. It sells all kinds of flooring except carpet.
Furniture City is taking over the former Orchard Supply Hardware store at Blackstone and Barstow avenues. This one will be called Furniture City Plus and carry lines of furniture that the existing store across the street doesn’t.
The Habit Burger Grill has just started construction at Herndon and Brawley avenues, in front of Tractor Supply Co. The building isn’t there yet, so it’s too soon to know when it will open.
Happy Bunz is a vegan doughnut maker who plans to open her own location at the southwest corner of Palm and Bullard in late March or early April. The business also offers gluten-free doughnuts and will continue to deliver.
The Healthy Fix is a smoothie and juice bar opening in February at 9423 N. Fort Washington Road.
Hino Oishi, which has a restaurant of the same name at Campus Pointe, is working on opening a location just south of the new theater at the Marketplace at El Paseo.
InfiniTea is taking over the rolled ice cream place at the RiverView Shopping Center at Friant and Fort Washington roads. It will serve boba tea and desserts.
LimeNBasil is a restaurant owned by the same people who own InfiniTea. It’s a pho, tea and coffee place that will take over the now-closed MaRoo restaurant at Bullard and West avenues.
Mad Monk is that bright pink building on Blackstone Avenue. The owner of Rasputin Music two doors down plans to turn it into a store selling new and vintage clothing, used books, records, CDs, DVDs, games and more.
Marie Callender’s will reopen its location at Shaw and Cedar avenues this year, after both Fresno restaurants closed last year. Right now, its bakery is the only part that’s open, serving pies, cheesecakes, bread, cookies and more.
The restaurant is gearing up to start doing takeout of its regular menu, probably this month, said Bikram Samra, part of the company that owns the franchise. Then once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted in Fresno, the restaurant will open for regular dining.
Also keep an eye out for a ghost kitchen that will operate out of Marie Callender’s kitchen soon doing only delivery called The Pizza Mill.
Ono Hawaiian BBQ is taking over the former Del Taco at the northeast corner of Shaw and Brawley avenues.
Peet’s Coffee made a splash with the news that it’s opening a location inside The Post, formerly Bullard Pharmacy, at West and Bullard avenues. It should open in about three months.
Petra Mediterranean Grill is in a new building on Blackstone Avenue, just south of Barstow Avenue. Its owner hopes to have it open by March.
Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers is bringing its chain of restaurants specializing in chicken fingers and not much else to Clovis, with plans to tear down the former Pier 1 on Shaw Avenue and build a new restaurant with a drive-thru in its place. Although construction should happen this year, an opening won’t happen until 2022, the company said.
The restaurant is also looking to open a location in Fresno.
Regal Cinemas has almost finished construction of its new theater at the Marketplace at El Paseo. It plans to open in 2021, according to the company, though just exactly when likely depends upon when coronavirus restrictions are lifted.
Revival 23, the locally owned shop at Copper and Maples avenues, has been used as an office for its online shop recently, but will reopen this spring as a home decor store.
Ross Dress for Less will move into the former Sears at Manchester Center, opening this year.
St. Joaquin (as in “saint”) is a natural wine bar and cafe by the owners of Quail State, the rooftop bar. They hope to open by the middle of this year somewhere in downtown Fresno, though a location has not been finalized yet.
Starbucks is planning a new location at Copper and Maple avenues, just east of the current shopping center, that will employ 25 people, have a drive-thru and nitro cold brew coffee on tap.
Triangle Drive In has two new locations in the works. First, it will open next to Curry Pizza Co. on Shaw Avenue near Feland this spring, as soon as COVID-19 regulations loosen.
Another new location is planned for the burger joint in new construction happening at Highway 180.
Urbane Cafe, a sandwich and salad chain with locations all over Southern California, is coming to Visalia. The restaurant will open in February at Beech Street and Mooney Boulevard, on the site of a bank that was demolished.
Quail State, the downtown rooftop bar, is technically open now as a store and selling to-go food, wine and cocktails. The owners hope to open as a bar as soon as restrictions allow, hopefully by the end of March, they say.
Wayback Burgers, a fast food burger joint, has a new location at the Marketplace at El Paseo, the shopping center near Highway 99 and Herndon Avenue. It is scheduled to open in mid to late February.
This story was originally published January 22, 2021 at 9:37 AM.
