The best french fries in Fresno are at this bar. Some people don’t know it exists
Drive by the building in northwest Fresno and the sign on the building says Little Leaf Tea.
But inside there’s a heck of a lot more than tea going on:
A restaurant, a high-end whiskey bar, tea cocktails that are getting trendy in bigger cities and the best french fries in Fresno, according to Fresno Bee readers who voted in our poll.
Little Leaf Bar & Restaurant is a small spot, tucked between Kuppa Joy and D Hou Chinese restaurant at the northwest corner of Bullard and Palm avenues.
It used to have the space on the corner that Kuppa Joy now occupies. But there seems to be some confusion about whether Little Leaf is still there ever since it left the corner space and consolidated the tea business into the restaurant and bar in 2022, said owner George Widjaja.
“The regulars, people around here, they still know,” he said. “But since we don’t have the corner space anymore, a lot of people (go) ‘Oh, I didn’t know they were still there.’”
So we figured it was the perfect time to delve into the surprising history of this spot — and tell you about those french fries.
The best french fries in Fresno
The menu has regular fries, garlic-Parmesan, truffle and Tokyo fries. Those last ones are topped with Japanese mayo, barbecue sauce and furikake seasoning.
But it’s the kimchi fries that are the star of the show here.
“If there is 10 people that come into the store, at least six or seven people are going to have the kimchi fries,” Widjaja said.
They are skinny shoestring fries topped with kimchi — a grilled pickled cabbage — and Sriracha mayo, a Korean gochujang aioli, furikake seasoning and green onions for $13. Customers can add the optional bulgogi, thinly sliced Korean-style beef, for an extra charge.
“It bursts in your mouth,” Widjaja said. “It has a spicy, sweet and creamy and a little lit picklish ... flavor.”
The menu
Little Leaf started as a tea spot in 2009. It sold, and still does sell, hot and cold drinks and loose-leaf tea.
In 2013, the space next door was empty and Widjaja and his business partner decided to open a bar. But a bar needs food and they didn’t want to do the same appetizers every bar does, he said.
So they opened a vegetarian restaurant. It lasted about two weeks when it became clear that wasn’t what customers wanted.
They pivoted.
“Everything is something a little bit different,” Widjaja said of the menu. “We don’t do mozzarella sticks or onion rings.”
Instead, it’s “modern cuisine.” Think American, Chinese, Japanese, Italian and more.
His partner, friend and chef Stephen Moenadi died at age 26 of a heart condition a few years after the restaurant opened. Some of the more elaborate dishes left the menu with him, such as the coffee-crusted grilled pork loin.
But the business continues its creative streak.
One popular seller is the ramen burger. Its bun is made with ramen noodles formed into bun shape and served with a burger patty and a sunnyside up egg. And that beef bulgogi — available as a plate, burrito, taco or in a bowl — is the most popular seller.
Little Leaf started serving lunch about three years ago.
The bar
The bar with its dim lighting is usually on the quiet side.
It specializes in high-end whiskeys, with more than 100 whiskeys and bourbons available.
And there are tea-based cocktails.
There’s an apple-cran vodka drink, for example, made an organic cranberry apple tea mix and vodka.
Although Little Leaf has been doing tea cocktails for years, the cocktails started getting popular in Southern California and the Bay Area and on TikTok a couple years ago.
There are a handful of TVs, but Little Leaf isn’t so much of a sports bar as a “golfer bar,” Widjaja said.
They get a lot of golfers as customers, he said.
But really?
“Mine is just a normal neighborhood bar and restaurant,” Widjaja said.
Details: Little Leaf is at 6011 N. Palm Ave. Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Closed Sundays.
