Top Fresno Eats stories: El Mariachi, Masa Madre, Tahoe Joe's; memories of restaurants past

Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
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• The Visalia Tahoe Joe’s closed Sept. 21, leaving the chain with two locations.
• The Hernandez family reopened in June as Masa Madre at Palm and Bullard.
• Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Co. is opening a second Fresno site on North Willow.

For longtime Fresnans, September brought the kind of restaurant news that stirs memory as much as appetite. A beloved steakhouse chain born here grew smaller. A 25-year Mexican kitchen quietly came back under a new name. And a look at the ghosts of Fresno dining past reminded us how much of the city’s story is told through its tables.

Tahoe Joe’s keeps shrinking

The Visalia Tahoe Joe’s closed quietly on Sept. 21, leaving the 31-year-old chain with just two locations — the Fresno restaurant on North Cedar Avenue and one in Bakersfield.

Started in 1995 by Central Valley restaurateur David Fansler, Tahoe Joe’s has changed hands repeatedly. Fresh Acquisitions sold it at auction after a 2021 bankruptcy. BBQ Holdings bought it for $5.2 million. A year later, MTY Food Group acquired BBQ Holdings. The original Fresno location at 2700 West Shaw Ave. closed in 2016.

El Mariachi reborn as Masa Madre

Fans of El Mariachi at Bullard and Marks avenues watched the 25-year-old restaurant close in March after the family and landlord couldn’t agree on a new lease. In June, the Hernandez family reopened a few doors from Mama Mia Pizzeria as Masa Madre, at Palm and Bullard avenues.

Sandy Hernandez’s recipes are intact — the former Mariachi burrito is now the Masa Madre burrito, torched tableside — alongside new discada and ceviche tacos. “We are all immigrants. It’s tough times for immigrants lately too, so it feels good they built something,” said her son, Bryan Hernandez, 37. “They never went out of business. It was more like, let’s start something new.”

Classic Fresno then and now

Reporter Bethany Clough’s tour of what’s left of the city’s ghost restaurants is required reading for anyone who still misses the Silver Dollar Hofbrau, which closed in 2015 and is now a Hustler Hollywood on East Shaw Avenue. The Ripe Tomato, a French restaurant in Fig Garden Village from 1977 to 2014, became a Pieology Pizzeria that has since closed too. Nicola’s — home of the legendary stuffed steak — ran from 1972 to 1997 on Maroa Avenue and is now Club Encore. And the two-story house that held Estrada’s Spanish Kitchen from 1928 to 1997 still stands on Blackstone Avenue, now home to Saiz Construction.

A loss in Visalia

The Valley’s restaurant community mourned Pedro Mendez, the 52-year-old owner of Chapala Grill in Visalia, who died after a battle with cancer. A GoFundMe for his medical bills raised more than $110,000. “Pedro was the staple at Chapala Grill here in Visalia and cared deeply about his community,” Tulare County Supervisor Eddie Valero said. Mendez is survived by his wife of 25 years, Maria Fernanda, and three children.

Closings and clarifications

Tacos El Cabezon closed its Fulton Street taqueria, with the owner saying the tacos will return via food trailer. Starbucks is shuttering 250 stores, including the Fig Garden Village and Shaw-and-Woodrow locations. Crumbl closed its Hanford store after five years. And Rio Acai Bowls clarified that its Fresno and Madera shops are staying open — only the Bakersfield locations are closing.

New arrivals

Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Co. is opening a second Fresno location on North Willow Avenue, near Fresno State. Dad’s Cookies is moving from a Clovis gas station to a Fulton Street storefront near Chukchansi Park, with a grand opening set for Oct. 3. Posh Bagel opened its first Fresno shop on East Nees Avenue. EggBred drew lines in Clovis. And Teriyaki Time celebrated its grand opening on Shaw Avenue as teriyaki emerges as a hot trend locally.

Also worth a bookmark

Belmont Avenue, often overlooked, is one of Fresno’s great eating streets — from Richard’s Prime Rib to Oaxaca Restaurant and Malee’s Kitchen. Rosa Brothers’ horchata milk is appearing at Central Valley Costcos. A Clovis family bottled a great-grandmother’s pasta sauce. Fashion Fair added MongQ and Escapology. The Fresno Greek Festival rolled out Smyrna meatballs. Yard Burger consolidated to one Blackstone spot. And if your morning runs late, here are five Fresno places serving breakfast all day.

Original stories by Bethany Clough, Amber Hair, Gagandeep Singh and Maria G. Ortiz-Briones

This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence based on our own originally reported, written and published content. Before publishing, journalists reviewed this content in compliance with McClatchy Media’s AI policy.