Help us crown Fresno’s best new restaurant of 2025. Vote for your favorite
Update: Locally owned The Yellow Chilli won the best new restaurant of 2025 with 60% of the vote (15,229 votes). You can read all about it here.
The Chop Cheese Bodega on Blackstone Avenue won with 22% of the vote. See what all the good reviews are about in this story.
And Chinese restaurant Dragon Wok came in third place with 16% of the vote. Read about how the owner is following in his parents’ footsteps.
Original story: What’s the best new local restaurant of 2025?
That’s what we want to know from you.
More than 30 new restaurants opened this year in Fresno and Clovis. And that’s just locally owned mom-and-pop shops. To keep our list from getting out of control and focus on true newbies, we excluded second locations, reopenings, chains and franchises, coffee and tea shops, breweries, wine bars and dessert places.
Here’s a quick summary of who opened, with links to stories The Fresno Bee has run about them.
Be sure to scroll all the way down and vote for your favorite. Make sure you type “YES” in the first field to prove you’re not a robot. Vote as many times as you want. We’ll let you know who the winner is after the holidays.
New restaurants of 2025
Aleppo Kabob opened recently at Blackstone and Sierra avenues serving authentic Mediterranean food.
Al-Hadara Restaurant & Cafe at Shaw and Blackstone avenues offers authentic Yemeni flavors and traditions.
Branch Breakfast Co. is a breakfast spot with American food and a few Mexican-influenced dishes at Marks and Herndon avenues.
The Breakfast Factory has donuts — including Armenian ponchik donuts — and breakfast and lunch sandwiches at Willow and Ashlan avenues in Clovis.
The Cave is a bar and restaurant inside the Sun Stereo Warehouse building in downtown Fresno serving burgers, chicken and $10 tri-tip sandwiches.
Chatore, an Indian restaurant opened by a former truck driver, serves authentic Punjabi flavors near Herndon and Milburn avenues.
The Chicken Spot at 4410 E Cesar Chavez Blvd. is a funky little building with a drive-thru serving all kinds of chicken.
Chop Cheese Bodega on Blackstone Avenue near Bullard Avenue sells the namesake sandwich that might be the next big trend.
Desi Slice serves pizza with Indian toppings, such as a masala twist pizza, along with traditional American pizzas. It’s at Sommerville Drive and Perrin Avenue.
Dosan Social Eatery opened in a prime spot on Shaw Avenue in Clovis, combining aspects of Sweet Tomatoes and the Silver Dollar Hofbrau.
Dragon Wok is a new Chinese restaurant at Herndon Avenue and First Street.
Focaccia, an American restaurant with an Indian chef with international experience, opened near Milburn and Herndon avenues.
Fresno Country Cafe is a down-home, country-music-playing classic breakfast spot at Marks and Ashlan avenues.
Hazen Burger is a smashburger spot that also serves asada fries, burritos and more on Olive Avenue near Chestnut Avenue.
The Hogg Pitt BBQ & Catering opened in the former The Sandwich Works spot on Ashlan Avenue. It serves savory barbecue, including pork ribs, fried fish and tri-tip.
House of Pendragon Beer Garden & BBQ opened its first restaurant on Pollasky Avenue in Clovis, serving smoked tri-tip sandwiches, loaded mac ‘n’ cheese and pretzels with beer cheese.
Ichi Shabu, a Japanese hot pot restaurant at Campus Pointe near Fresno State where customers decide which ingredients to add to the broth simmering at the table in front of them.
Keidy’s Restaurant is Fresno’s first Honduran restaurant, serving fried chicken on top of a bed of sliced plantains and more on Blackstone Avenue in the old Ronnie’s Midway Market.
Okome Sushi Box is a sushi restaurant that also has a Japanese matcha cafe inside at Bullard and West avenues.
Mariscos El Barba Negra, a Mexican seafood restaurant, that opened in the former Joe’s Steakhouse building on Van Ness Avenue in downtown Fresno.
Mex Sabor Cocina Mexicana is a new fast-casual Mexican restaurant in River Park that replaced Rubio’s. Customers love the birra tacos.
Mirchi Massala, a fine dining Indian restaurant at First Street and Shaw Avenue, is known for its lamb shank, vegetarian dishes and more.
Otherside Cafe is a coffee shop and restaurant from the owners of Heirloom. Its menu includes breakfast burritos, salads, avocado toasts and tri-tip sandwiches and it’s at Shepherd and Willow avenues.
The Philippine Kitchen at Herndon Avenue and First Street was created by a Filipino woman who wanted to share her recipes with Fresno.
The PM Lounge is a private, upscale dining club that welcomed Shaquille O’Neal for its red-carpet grand opening at Cedar and Nees avenues.
Rice Barn Thai Bistro is a new restaurant that replaced Com Pho Bamboo at First Street and Nees Avenue.
Saffron Indian Bistro is a new restaurant at Fort Washington and Friant roads, serving authentic Indian food. It has a budget menu, vegetarian food and other specialties.
Satay Thai Kitchen & Bar is a restaurant at Shepherd and Chestnut avenues with its roots in southeast Asia. It serves Thai food with a modern twist.
Salam Roast & Broast, on Abby Street near Costco, was opened because the owner wanted to bring a halal restaurant to Fresno.
Teppan Tora is a Japanese restaurant serving teppanyaki, sushi and more at Friant and Fort Washington roads.
Tete’s Kitchen serves grandma’s recipes from her days in Bethlehem and Jerusalem. The Mediterranean restaurant is in Old Town Clovis.
Wake Me Up Farms is a new bakery and cafe at Champlain Drive and Perrin Avenue where everything is rooted in seasonality and made with what’s growing nearby.
Wagyu 2 Go is a new wagyu burger concept at Shaw and West avenues from the people behind Colorado Grill.
Willow Osteria is the newest restaurant from Jimmy Pardini of Annesso Pizzeria and The Annex Kitchen. At Willow and Shepherd avenues in Clovis, it specializes in pasta and other Italian food.
The Yellow Chilli is the highly anticipated Indian restaurant near Palm and Herndon avenues associated with international chef Sanjeev Kapoor.
Did we forget anyone? Email your vote to bclough@fresnobee.com.
This story was originally published December 22, 2025 at 1:09 PM.
