It’s a new year and new restaurants are coming.
Despite last year being a dismal one for the Fresno-Clovis restaurant scene, with at least 37 eateries closing, restaurateurs are a hopeful type.
They’ve got all kinds of new eateries in the works, from new locations of big chains, to little mom-and-pop smashburger places in southeast Fresno.
The owners of Saizon and Butterfish are gearing up to open their newest concept — and it might even be the year that Toledo’s Mexican Restaurant opens its newest locations, along with Randy’s Donuts.
Here’s a look at who’s coming in 2025.
Frida Café, the coffee shop inspired by Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, has been slated to go into downtown Fresno’s historic Water Tower for years. (It’s now operating inside Bespoke Cocktail Lounge on Fulton Street in the mornings.)
“This year, it will all come together,” Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias told The Bee on Friday.
Millions of dollars of work, including replacing an electrical transformer that served a city block, is almost finished.
Dave’s Hot Chicken is taking over the old Burger King near Fashion Fair mall on Shaw Avenue. The inside is demolished and rebuilding work will begin as soon as it gets permits, with hopes of a June opening, the franchisee said.
Hazen Burgers, at 4772 E. Olive Ave. near Chestnut Avenue, is a little smashburger place also serving classic burgers, milkshakes, asada fries, quesadillas, burritos and more. It’s scheduled to open Feb. 8.
House of Pendragon, the Sanger-based brewery, is opening a tap room and barbecue restaurant at the northwest corner of Pollasky Avenue and Eighth Street this spring.
Los Amigos Mexican Restaurant is planning a location inside Fresno Yosemite International Airport. It will be a 2,000-square-foot mariachi- and folklorico-themed restaurant in the newly expanded terminal concourse opening this fall. It will have a sit-down dining room, a full bar and a panaderia with fresh baked goods.
Ono Hawaiian BBQ is planning to open a location this year in The Trading Post Shopping Center at Herndon and Clovis avenues, according to retail broker Lewis Smith of NEWMARK Retail California.
Otherside Cafe is a coffee shop and bakery by the same people who own popular restaurants Saizon, Heirloom and Butterfish. It’s at Shepherd and Willow avenues, near Saizon. It should open within the next couple of weeks. Follow its Instagram for updates.
Paris Baguette, a popular French-inspired chain bakery with South Korean roots, has two new locations coming this year. The first, in the Villaggio shopping center at Blackstone and Nees avenues, is scheduled to open in mid-March. Another is headed to the Marketplace at El Paseo, near Highway 99 and Herndon Avenue.
Randy’s Donuts is getting close to opening its two locations in Fresno (which won’t have giant 35-foot wide donut signs on top like the one in “Iron Man 2”. The iconic Southern California company has a store coming to Shaw Avenue near the Red Wave Inn and Maple Avenue. Another will open at Palm and Bullard avenues, behind the car wash.
The donut shops had planned to open by late last year, but kept pushing back the date. Now a bit gun shy, they say they’re still planning to open, but told The Bee don’t want to give out any updates.
River Park has two new unnamed restaurants that have signed leases and are scheduled to open this year, according to the shopping center. A locally owned Mexican restaurant will open in a month or two in the former Rubio’s spot.
A local chicken restaurant is slated to open in the former Smallcakes Cupcakery spot in the main plaza area in about four months.
Roll-Em-Up Taquitos is a franchised restaurant specializing in taquitos that plans to open its first Fresno location in the Marketplace at El Paseo this year. It serves two-, three- and four-packs of hand-rolled, pan-fried taquitos, along with nachos and sides.
Satay Thai Kitchen & Bar, a modern Thai food restaurant, is taking over the former Nambo Vietnamese spot at Shepherd and Chestnut avenues. A full-service, sit-down spot with a full bar, it’s scheduled to open in February.
Seoul Meat Co. is opening a Korean barbecue restaurant in the outdoor portion of Fashion Fair mall. The restaurant has locations in Kirkland, Wash., and Riverton, Utah, where customers can cook their own meat at their table.
Take 3 and Grumpy Burger Lady’s made a big splash on social media late last year, but said they didn’t quite get the green light from various governing agencies to officially open. Now, the owner tells The Bee the restaurant on Fulton Street in downtown Fresno is slated to open Monday, Jan. 27.
Teriyaki Madness is a quick-service Asian restaurant from Seattle specializing in chicken teriyaki bowls and teriyaki dishes. It plans to open in new construction near the theater at The Marketplace at El Paseo.
Toledo’s Mexican Restaurant will finally open the new location its been working on for years at Cedar and Nees avenues. Jesse Toledo, part of the family who owns it, isn’t saying when just yet. He’s waiting on a few last-minute construction details and then the project will need to pass various inspections, he said.
“My wish would be as soon as possible,” he said. “As soon as they’re done, we’re gonna open.”
Uncle Harry’s NY Bagelry & Coffeehouse is returning to Fig Garden Village after closing its location there in 2017. The popular hangout wanted to stay at the time, but couldn’t agree on a lease. Now, they have, and it’s slated to open near its old location sometime this spring.
The Fresno Bee
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Bethany Clough covers restaurants and retail for The Fresno Bee. A reporter for more than 20 years, she now works to answer readers’ questions about business openings, closings and other business news. She has a degree in journalism from Syracuse University and her last name is pronounced Cluff.