Fresno and Clovis have said goodbye to some beloved local restaurants in recent weeks and months.
They range from Mexican restaurants to Japanese sushi spots and an Indian restaurant.
Most are locally owned. A couple are franchises.
Although several restaurateurs either declined to talk about their closures or couldn’t be reached, many are facing the same challenges: rising rents, wages, food costs, energy bills and customers who are pulling back on spending.
It’s the same difficulties that led to a flurry of chain fast-food restaurants closing their doors in recent weeks.
Here’s a look at who’s closed or closing in Fresno and Clovis.
Figaro’s Mexican
Mango salad is pictured at Figaro’s Mexican Southwestern Grill at Fowler and Ashlan avenues in Clovis in this file photo from 2016.
Figaro’s Mexican Southwestern Grill is closing its Fresno and Clovis locations. Both have been open for 10 years serving its popular mango salad and tacos.
The Clovis location closes Sunday. The Fresno location will probably close the last week of August, an employee said.
An employee who declined to be identified said the Clovis location, at Ashlan and Fowler avenues, wasn’t profitable.
The Fresno location — in Park Crossing at Fresno Street and Friant Road near Heirloom — was due to renew its lease. It was already paying about $12,000 a month in rent, an amount that would increase, the employee said.
Figaro’s has two locations remaining open: the original in Tulare and another in Hanford.
Beard Papa’s
Global cream puff company Beard Papa’s has closed its dessert shop in Clovis.
The cream puff franchise named after the founder’s fluffy beard closed July 12.
It had been in The Trading Post shopping center at Herndon and Clovis avenues near Sprouts.
It opened in late 2021, specializing in cream puffs, with flavors ranging from vanilla to green tea.
The company did not return messages seeking comment about why it closed.
Mirchi Massala
Both Mirchi Massala, left, and DiCicco’s, at Shaw Avenue and First Street, are closed.
Indian restaurant Mirchi Massala opened at First Street in Shaw Avenue in February 2025.
But it closed in recent months, an eviction notice posted on the door. The owner did not return a message seeking comment.
The restaurant marketed itself as serving authentic Indian food, preparing its own spice blends and not relying on commercially made bases for its curry.
A new restaurant, Rutba Indian Cuisine, already has a flyer on the door. It plans to open Aug. 1 and offer takeout and delivery.
La Jacka
Manager/chef Fernanda Cox, left, and her mother, CEO and owner Miriam Martinez, opened La Jacka Restaurant in 2022 in downtown Fresno where they serve vegan Mexican cuisine using jackfruit from Nayarit, Mexico. Their last day of service was June 21, 2026.
La Jacka has closed its brick-and-mortar restaurant in downtown Fresno, though other aspects of the business are still alive.
It started as a food truck in 2014, gaining fans among people looking for a meat alternative in the seasoned jackfruit imported from Mexico, before opening the restaurant.
Founder Miriam Martinez decided not to renew the restaurant’s lease in the South Stadium building at Van Ness Avenue and Mono Street due to economic conditions, rising costs, declining sales and concerns around safety and homelessness downtown, according to a Fresno Bee story. She also noticed traffic dropped amid anti-ICE protests at the nearby U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office.
Martinez also owns The Hot Spot Kitchen, a commercial commissary kitchen for food providers, and is considering selling her popular dishes in other ways.
Hummus Republic
Hummus Republic, at 2424 Tulare Street in downtown Fresno, has closed.
In May, The Bee reported that both locally owned franchises of Hummus Republic were temporarily closed.
Now the landlord says the restaurants will not reopen and they are talking to new tenants interested in moving into the spaces.
Hummus Republic opened its first restaurant in 2021 downtown at Tulare Avenue, near N Street. A red “Sorry we are closed indefinitely” sign now hangs on the door.
A second location opened in 2022 next to the GB3 gym at Palm and Nees avenues, and is also closed.
S21 Sushi & Sake
S21 Sushi & Sake at First Street and Bullard Avenue has closed. A new restaurant is moving in.
The longtime Japanese restaurant S21 Sushi & Sake, in the outbuilding at First Street and Bullard Avenue, has closed.
The restaurant sold sushi, ramen and more.
The restaurant owners retired, according to a broker involved in leasing the space.
But workers inside the building are already preparing it for a new restaurant.
A leasing report shows the space has been rented by Elev8te Hospitality. That’s the company connected to David Rasavong, who owns Banzai Japanese Bar & Kitchen in the Tower District and Satay Thai Kitchen & Bar.