It wasn\u2019t in the best neighborhood, hence the bars on the windows, but had a 4.6 out of 5 stars rating on Yelp.com. It would draw customers from Clovis and travelers on their way back from the nearby national parks.<\/p>\n
Said one Yelp reviewer from San Francisco: \u201cLOVE the ice cream here. La Reina is literally in the middle of no where but their ice cream is worth the drive.\u201d<\/p>\n
The shop would close during the slow winter season, but lately, it\u2019s been closed even in the hottest of summer months.<\/p>\n
What happened to La Reina de Michoacan?<\/p>\n
What\u2019s going on with La Reina de Michoacan?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been closed for three years.<\/p>\n
Owner Gabriel Alvarez still hopes to reopen it someday.<\/p>\n
He said he closed the shop when the city installed new bike lanes.<\/p>\n
La Reina de Michoacan \u2014 which translates to The Queen of Michoacan, a state in west-central Mexico \u2014 does not have its own paved parking lot, so most customers park on the street in front of the business.<\/p>\n
When the new Class IV bikeways<\/a> were installed on Belmont between Palm Avenue and Abby Street, it took up the that space. The bike paths physically separate riders from car traffic by more than a mere painted line, with wider painted margins as well as flexible posts that rise from the pavement.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s affected a lot of customers,\u201d Alvarez said. \u201cWe don\u2019t have parking. My sales go down.\u201d<\/p>\n The city\u2019s design team took parking into account when designing the bike lanes, according to city spokesperson Sontaya Rose.<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately at some locations, retaining street parking and installing the protected bike lanes were incompatible with each other,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The city never heard from the business during extensive outreach before or after the lanes were installed, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t want to see businesses closing, but the city department did not receive any correspondence that the business was impacted,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Alvarez ended up selling the building, but still has access to the space.<\/p>\n \u201cI need to open again,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Perhaps he\u2019ll reopen there in February, he said. Or perhaps someplace new.<\/p>\n \u201cI need to open (in) a new place, River Park, Clovis,\u201d he said. \u201cI need to start again.\u201d<\/p>\n When times were good, he would sell 300 to 500 of the strawberries-and-cream bars a day.<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody (was) asking for this flavor,\u201d he said. \u201cThey loving my ice cream.\u201d<\/p>\n ![\"Installation](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/FRS_EPZ_LA_REINA_02.JPG\" "\\"FRS_EPZ_LA_REINA_02.JPG\\"")
Installation of a bike lane along Belmont Avenue has eliminated parking for customers at La Reina de Michoacan, which the owner says led to its closure. Photographed Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026 in Fresno. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com ![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/FRS_EPZ_LA_REINA_06.JPG\" "\\"FRS_EPZ_LA_REINA_06.JPG\\"")
The owner of La Reina de Michoacan has closed his business after installation of a bike lane in front of his shop along Belmont Avenue eliminated parking options for customers. Photographed Friday, Aug. 21, 2026 in Fresno. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com Paletas from La Reina de Michoacana come in a variety of fruit flavors. MARK CROSSE The Fresno Bee
Gabriel Alvarez owns La Reina de Michoacan, a paleteria in Fresno. REBECCA PLEVIN The Fresno Bee
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