Fresno has a lot of food news.
It also has a very hungry staff.
Here are the places we visited and wrote about in August:
Openings
Badd Burgers opened in Strummers, offering meat and plant-based burgers to those there to rock out.
Tony’s Fresh Juice Bar opened at the larger Tony’s Fresh Market in Kerman. It’s one of many places offering new drink options in the Central Valley.
Clovis’s 559 Taquería is opening a new location where Fresno’s El Mariachi used to be. It’s expected to open before the end of the year.
Heirloom announced a new location in Clovis. The Fresno spot has people lining up to order lunch, even in the heat.
Clovis is seeing a surge of openings, including a new Grocery Outlet, and so is Fresno.
Essen Cafe, a new breakfast place serving ‘elevated American’ food, is opening near Fresno High early next year.
A new chain restaurant, Victoria’s Mexican Food, is coming into a former KFC location in north Fresno.
Sana’a Cafe, when it opens, will add another option to the growing Yemeni coffee scene in and around Fresno.
Hometown Icons
My Homies Kitchen is serving up meals inspired by and using Central Valley ingredients, produce and protein — and it’s run by a local.
“Xef” Zubia runs My Homies Kitchen focusing on sustainability in creating health-conscious meals focused on traditional indigenous knowledge, located in downtown Fresno. Photographed Friday, July 31, 2026. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com
Fresno’s pride shined through in a national poll about nostalgic foods.
A’cappella Chocolate made its way into Costco, TJ Maxx and HomeGoods. It’s made in Fresno.
The Lincoln Pub & Grub won Best Happy Hour in Fresno. Here’s why.
These Fresno restaurants were the busiest in July.
Vampire Penguin expected to close this summer. It reopened after it discovered three more months on its lease.
Gateway Restaurant and Lodge is getting featured on an upcoming episode of “America’s Best Restaurants Roadshow”.
La Reina de Michoacan still has hopes to reopen years after the city of Fresno installed a bike lane in front of the shop, limiting parking options.
The Central Valley is certainly ready for fall as several restaurants and pop-up vendors switch to seasonal menus.
Growing pride in Lao roots is changing how some restaurants identify their cuisine.
Problems at Bulle mar new restaurant’s reputation. It was one of Fresno’s most-anticipated restaurants of the year.
The West Shaw Costco is losing its food court for several months for renovations and upgrades. Additionally, multiple Central Valley Chili’s will be undergoing renovations as part of a brand-wide effort to refresh their stores, but details on when are slim.
Visalia’s BT Buns & Torts closed for good, as did more than half a dozen other places. The Fresno County Environmental Health Division temporarily closed others.
Original stories by Bethany Clough, Amber Hair, Maria G. Oritz-Briones, Gagandeep Singh and Leqi Zhong
This story was originally published September 1, 2026 at 1:52 PM.
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Amber Hair (they/them) is the food and restaurants reporter and influencer. Amber has been in professional journalism for more than a decade, writing for outlets like the Orlando Sentinel, The Villages Daily Sun, the Pacific Coast Business Times and others. In their spare time, they enjoy going to concerts, reading and spending time with their cats.