Here are the top 5 most missed restaurants in town. Hint: Fresno really loved hofbraus
When El Torito was torn down last month, it launched a wave of nostalgia for Fresno’s long-closed restaurants.
So The Bee decided to ask readers which Fresno-area restaurants they missed the most in poll last week.
It turns out Fresnans really loved hofbraus. Whether it was the dark cozy atmosphere or the pastrami piled high, both of Fresno’s hofbraus landed at the top of the list.
Both are gone now, though the folks at Mad Duck have opened Duck Haus, a food truck serving hofbrau-style food.
Here’s a look at the top most missed restaurants and what happened to them.
1. Silver Dollar Hofbrau
On Shaw Avenue near Highway 41, the hofbrau had corned beef and tri-tip sandwiches on the menu, big circular booths and elaborate woodwork. It would get so packed during big games that the restaurant sometimes ran out of glasses.
After one partner moved and another died, remaining owner Truman Campbell (also a one-time leader of the state Republican party), then 87, kept it open as long as he could.
“Time has passed us by,” he told The Bee when the restaurant closed in 2015. “Everyone has moved north.”
The Silver Dollar Hofbrau building was sold, remodeled and eventually became Hustler Hollywood.
2. Old Fresno Hofbrau
The Old Fresno Hofbrau was downtown, at Tulare and R streets where a Grocery Outlet now stands. Founded by the Saghatelian brothers, it closed in 2007 after 43 years, its contents auctioned off at the end.
Smelling of roasted meat and sauerkraut, the restaurant was known for its cold beer and buffet-style carving stations.
It closed after the owner learned it would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to bring it up to code after he was sued for failing to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The building was eventually torn down.
3. Grandmarie’s Chicken Pie Shop
One of the most iconic restaurants in the Tower District, the Chicken Pie Shop opened in its longtime Olive Avenue spot in 1956 (though it spent 10 years next door before that).
It was known for its chicken pot pies and other comfort food. Its retro style was epitomized in its vinyl green booths. (Some of that seating is still around, across the street at The Howlin Wolf cocktail bar).
The Chicken Pie Shop closed in 2019, when the 72-year-old owner decided he wanted to spend more time with his grandkids. Recently, a company applied for a permit to open a cannabis dispensary in the building, but it was not granted.
4. Estrada’s Spanish Kitchen
Estrada’s Spanish Kitchen was one of the longest-running restaurants in Fresno. Started in 1917, it had several locations, but most Fresnans remember it as the house at 370 N. Blackstone Ave.
The family lived upstairs.
In all, it operated from 1927 to 1997, though there were other locations and versions of it.
Estrada’s was known for its tostada compuesta or “hot salad,” chile rellenos and enchiladas.
5. The Daily Planet
Another iconic Tower District restaurant, The Daily Planet, was inside the Tower Theatre building until its 2005 closure.
Dripping in art deco style, it opened in 1980. It was instrumental in making the neighborhood into a thriving entertainment district.
A mural of naked ladies overlooked the bar, where many cocktails, including the popular Stockholm 75, were consumed. The pot roast was perhaps its most famous dish.
Runner ups: The top 10 restaurants also included Coney Island, The Ripe Tomato, Nicola’s, Acapulco and Plaza Ventana’s two locations.
This story was originally published April 6, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
