This north Fresno bar closed for four months. Now it’s back with a new look, menu
The Standard — a 15-year-old bar, restaurant and lounge in north Fresno — has always had a classy vibe.
After closing for four months for a remodel, it’s officially back open this week. It still has a classy vibe, it’s just a new and different one now.
In addition to tearing out rock walls, they’ve made lots of other changes, including adding “female friendly” food and a new cocktail menu. And — hopefully — no more line for the women’s restroom.
The Standard
The business in the RiverView shopping center at Friant and Fort Washington roads has been around since its predecessor, The Dirty Olive, closed.
Steve Bisla opened The Standard. (Longtime Fresnans might remember his other businesses, including nightclubs Bisla’s and On The Rocks).
Today he runs The Standard with the help of his general manager and part owner, Rajan Bisla, the nephew who is “like a son” to him.
They were both itching for something new, said Steve Bisla.
“We felt like it was time,” he said. “People liked it, but for us it was time to update.”
Construction workers did some heavy duty work. They knocked out the rock archway and wall that separated the dining area from the lounge.
They sawed several inches off the concrete bar, a move that sent a massive cloud of dust floating across the restaurant that the owners watched in awe from their office security cameras.
They also removed the water fountain and fire pit on the patio, freeing up space for people to mingle at events.
In all, the remodel brought in new chandeliers and lighting, all new seating, glassware, silverware and more.
Bisla chose the name The Standard because he wanted to be “the standard for nightlife” in Fresno.
Now?
“The ambiance of the place is completely different from what it used to be,” he said. “Hey, it’s a new standard, like standard 2.0.”
One thing the owners kept in mind as they revamped The Standard: women. They spend more, he noted, and probably care more about the vibe and decor of a place.
“Women want a safe place to go,” he said. “They’re going to appreciate what we did more than the men.”
Women drive 70% to 80% of consumer spending decisions, according to Forbes.
The food and drinks
When revamping the menu, the owners kept The Standard’s popular favorites on the menu: burgers, calamari and wings.
But they added dishes women seemed to like, including pasta and salads. There’s a new pasta alla Norma with a spicy vodka sauce, for example, and a shrimp linguine with sun-dried tomato butter and creamy house-made pesto.
They added a steak salad with a made-to-order petite filet and candied peaches that’s already popular. Also new: a citrus salmon salad and a beet and apple salad.
“I’m a meat-and-potatoes guy, but I love that beet salad,” said Rajan Bisla.
The cocktail menu is completely new.
One highlight: Baby Got Daq. That’s The Standard’s take on a daiquiri. It’s a smooth-drinking grown-up version of a pina colada that’s ideal for a hot Fresno day.
The bartenders are using fresh herbs, squeezing their own juices, even making their own coconut-washed rum. The alcohol is soaked with coconut oil and frozen overnight. The coconut fat rises to the top and is scraped off, leaving its flavor in the rum that goes into that Baby Got Daq.
And one more way the business is catering to women?
It often got complaints that the bathroom wasn’t big enough, with lines forming out the door. So they added three more stalls and remodeled the entire restroom with marble walls and adjustable lighting on the mirrors.
Details: The Standard is at 9455 N. Fort Washington Road. Hours: 4 p.m. to midnight Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, 4 p.m. til 1:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. 559-434-3638.
This story was originally published November 3, 2023 at 11:25 AM.
