If you’ve waited in line at Heirloom, snagged a honey-saffron latte at Otherside or caught the Instagram glow-up of Saizon, you’ve been eating your way through one restaurant group’s playbook — probably without realizing it.

Now that group is growing again. Owners of Otherside Cafe confirmed this month that their second cafe will land at the corner of Palm and San Jose avenues, at the entrance to the Fig Garden Financial Center — just north of Fig Garden Village, behind Elbow Room and Chipotle. It’s taking over a freestanding former bank building most recently home to Guarantee Real Estate. Co-owner Rema Koligian said in an Instagram video that she expects it to open by the end of 2027.

That new cafe is just the latest move from Brandon Smittcamp and partners Rema and Kevin Koligian — the trio (plus chef Justin Shannon at Heirloom and Saizon) are behind some of the buzziest places to eat in town. Here’s the full lineup.

Otherside Cafe A customer places an order at Otherside Cafe, Brandon Smittcamp and his partners’ latest venture offering espresso drinks, food and desserts in northeast Fresno. A customer places an order at Otherside Cafe, Brandon Smittcamp and his partners’ latest venture offering espresso drinks, food and desserts in northeast Fresno. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com

Opened in May 2025 at The Row at Heritage Grove, Otherside pairs a serious coffee program with an all-day food menu. General manager Adam Byrd — a 20-year bartender at The Lime Lite who (which Smittcamp also owns) fell for coffee on a trip to Colombia and then worked at Verve — oversees the drinks.

The house-roasted beans show up in creative lattes, such as the best-selling honey saffron (a sous-vide syrup of honey, saffron threads, vanilla bean paste and salt), a blackberry latte and a spiced ube latte dusted with red Fresno chile salt. Chef Justin Shannon built the food menu: breakfast burritos, avocado toasts, tri-tip sandwiches, salads and a popular $18 miso salmon bowl. Full inside look here.

Heirloom Heirloom is a north Fresno restaurant serving seasonal, local farm-to-table food from one of the best chefs in town. Heirloom is a north Fresno restaurant serving seasonal, local farm-to-table food from one of the best chefs in town.

The “farm-driven” original at Friant Road and Fresno Street is the group’s crown jewel — ranked No. 4 favorite restaurant among Bee readers, with lines out the door despite its counter-service setup. The menu shifts with the seasons, but fans gravitate to the tri-tip, the Santa Maria burger and the mushroom taquitos. A second Heirloom is on the way to Clovis near Herndon and Fowler avenues, just east of Butterfish. Construction hasn’t started yet — Smittcamp told The Bee it’s still a dirt lot — and the owners are targeting late 2027 or early 2028. Expect the same farm-driven menu, counter service, a patio and a walk-up window for online orders.

Saizon The patio area at Saizon, part of The Row, a new development at the northwest corner of Willow and Shepherd avenues. Photographed Wednesday, July 12, 2023 in Fresno. The patio area at Saizon, part of The Row, a new development at the northwest corner of Willow and Shepherd avenues. Photographed Wednesday, July 12, 2023 in Fresno. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com

The group’s splashiest concept, Saizon sits near Otherside at The Row at Heritage Grove and landed on the Los Angeles Times’ 2025 list of the 101 best restaurants in California. LA Times critic Bill Addison called it “the buzziest restaurant in Fresno” and praised Shannon’s modern American menu that “flirts with several genres: seafood bar, small plates, steakhouse.” Addison sampled a chile-rubbed flat-iron steak with chipotle butter, Dungeness crab legs with Dijonnaise and tomatillo vinaigrette, and broccoli stalks dressed with prosciutto, bread crumbs, shaved Grana Padano and grilled-lemon vinaigrette. “Impressive cooking in such a massive restaurant isn’t easy, and neither is personable service, but Saizon pulled off both,” he wrote. Entrees run $29 to $58; brunch hits weekends. More on the LA Times nod here.

Butterfish California Poke Owners Rema Koligian and Brandon Smittcamp and chef James Boone are pictured in this file photo from 2017 when they opened Butterfish California Poke in north Fresno. The restaurant offers fresh and healthy poke bowls with customizable menu options. Owners Rema Koligian and Brandon Smittcamp and chef James Boone are pictured in this file photo from 2017 when they opened Butterfish California Poke in north Fresno. The restaurant offers fresh and healthy poke bowls with customizable menu options. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com

The group’s longest-running concept opened its first location nearly a decade ago. After some pandemic-era rethinking, Butterfish now runs two spots — Friant Road at Fresno Street in Fresno, and Herndon and Fowler avenues in Clovis — serving customizable poke bowls plus hot bowls like teriyaki beef, spicy crispy chicken and Sriracha fried shrimp. Appetizers include Tokyo fries drizzled with sweet-and-spicy sauce. Here’s how the menu evolved.

Mayd Modern Mediterranean A custom bowl with Moroccan lamb meatballs is pictured in this handout photo from Mayd Modern Mediterranean. A custom bowl with Moroccan lamb meatballs is pictured in this handout photo from Mayd Modern Mediterranean. Melissa Gotelli Special to The Bee

Mayd took over the former Butterfish at Palm and Herndon avenues in 2021, and DoorDash named it the No. 1 Mediterranean delivery spot in the country for 2024. The counter-service menu runs build-your-own bowls, lamb meatballs, tri-tip shawarma, shrimp, salads and “naakos” — tacos built on naan instead of tortillas. DoorDash users love the Greens + Grains bowl and the wood-fired naan. The name is a riff on “handmade” and “homemade.” Original opening coverage here.

Butterfish + Mayd (Clovis) Butterfish California Poke, left, and Mayd Modern Mediterranean are opening a new dual-concept restaurant location at Loma Vista Marketplace in Clovis. Butterfish California Poke, left, and Mayd Modern Mediterranean are opening a new dual-concept restaurant location at Loma Vista Marketplace in Clovis. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com

Here’s the real curveball: Butterfish and Mayd are combining into one dual-concept location at Loma Vista Marketplace, the new shopping center at Shaw and Leonard avenues. Each brand gets its own dine-in area, with walk-up windows for both sandwiched between them and a shared, covered and heated 80-seat patio. The owners are aiming for a late October or early November opening.

Note: This story is an AI-produced recap of an original story by a Bee reporter. It 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.

Adam Byrd, left, with Brandon Smittcamp, right, inside Otherside Cafe. Adam Byrd, left, with Brandon Smittcamp, right, inside Otherside Cafe. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com Heirloom chef and co-owner Justin Shannon, left, talks about the food served at Heirloom, with co-owners Brandon Smittcamp, center, and Kevin Koligian, right, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019 in Fresno. Heirloom chef and co-owner Justin Shannon, left, talks about the food served at Heirloom, with co-owners Brandon Smittcamp, center, and Kevin Koligian, right, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019 in Fresno. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com

This story was originally published October 16, 2026 at 11:05 AM.

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