What’s the next big buzzy restaurant coming to Fresno?
That’s a question the Fresno Bee’s food reporters get a lot. And we have some answers for you.
But first, let’s take a moment to note what is probably the most talked about restaurant of the year so far, Bulle (with Horn Barbecue and all its associated drama coming in shortly behind it). Bulle opened at Marks and Herndon avenues in the spring, serving caviar and beef tartare and with decor than Fresnans love to talk about.
And we know that Heirloom’s planned second restaurant, headed for Clovis, is going to be the talk of the town — but that won’t be opening in 2026.
There are more high-profile restaurants coming in the second half of the year.
They’re not all fancy. One serves tacos — with a Michelin label loosely attached. Another features a celebrity chef and breakfast. One is casual place from the people behind Heirloom and Saizon. And there’s a final one you probably haven’t heard of yet, but we’re predicting it’s going to get some attention when it opens.
Here’s a look at the buzzworthy restaurants opening the coming months.
Buzzworthy restaurants coming to Fresno, Clovis 
Tacos El Franc is one of Fresno’s most anticipated restaurants and will open in the old Heroes Comics store on Shaw Avenue near Freeway 41 in Fresno. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com Tacos El Franc
Regular readers of The Bee’s food & drink section may already know about Tacos El Franc from the story The Bee broke back in March.
Tacos El Franc is a Tijuana-based taco shop that was recognized by the Michelin Guide in 2024 and 2025 (no stars awarded, just Michelin inspectors recommending the food). It’s taking over the former Heroes Comics shop on Shaw Avenue, not far from Highway 41.
It has locations in Tijuana and San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter and was featured in Netflix’s “Taco Chronicles.”
The restaurant serves the Tijuana-style taco, selling for $4.75 each.
Meats are grilled on mesquite charcoal and tacos are served with creamy avocado.
If The Bee’s readership numbers are any indication, people are interested in this restaurant. They haven’t stopped reading this story, even months after it published.
The restaurant is shooting for a mid-September opening.
Hibachi Burger 
David Rasavong, right, who co-owns Banzai with his brother-in-law Westley Nguyen, left, and Rasavong’s wife Anna Nguyen, hold plates of food from the new Japanese restaurant in the Tower District when it opened in this file photo from March 26, 2021. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com
Fans of S21 Sushi & Sake Bar were heartbroken when the restaurant closed as its owners retiring.
But the spot at First Street and Bullard Avenue already has a new restaurant gearing up to move into the space.
Hibachi Burger is moving in. That’s a locally owned concept by David Rasavong, who has several Asian restaurants in Fresno. He owns or is a partner in several successful restaurants, including Satay Thai Kitchen & Bar in north Fresno, Love & Thai in southeast Fresno and Banzai Japanese Bar & Kitchen in the Tower District.
Hibachi Burger, which he will open with a partner, combines burgers with hibachi-style cuisine.
The menu will feature burgers with various Japanese sauces and spices, sushi and different styles of fries, Rasavong said. And matcha milkshakes.
“It’s just a fun concept,” he said.
It will be fast-casual spot, not super formal dining. He’s aiming to open in September.
EggBred 
A bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on a milk bun is on the menu at EggBred. The restaurant founded by Albert Shim, a chef who appeared on “Chopped,” and other TV shows is planning a location in Clovis. Special to The Bee EggBred
EggBred, a breakfast spot created by a chef who was on “Chopped,” and other TV shows on The Travel Channel and ABC is headed for Willow and Nees avenues near Trader Joe’s.
The “craft breakfast sandwich” restaurant founded by Albert Shim has franchises throughout California, Florida and a few other states.
The Clovis location is aiming to open the first week of September.
It will sell its breakfast sandwiches on fluffy milk buns with creative names such as Scramble Me Softly, made with soft-scrambled eggs, chives, caramelized onions, sharp cheddar and a smoked paprika spread.
Meat options include chorizo, bacon, rib-eye asada, ham and the meatless Impossible sausage. It also serves cold-pressed juices.
Mayd + Butterfish 
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
Two popular restaurants, Mayd Modern Mediterranean and Butterfish California Poke, are combining to open a single, unique location in Clovis.
The dual restaurant is at the Loma Vista Marketplace, the new shopping center at Shaw and Leonard avenues.
The restaurants are owned by the same people, who also are partners in trendy local restaurants Saizon, Heirloom and Otherside Cafe.
Mayd serves creative Mediterranean food, including build-your-own salad and grain bowls.
It has a one location near Palm and Herndon that won The Fresno Bee’s poll for best new local restaurant in 2021 and the title of No. 1 spot for Mediterranean delivery nationwide in 2024, according to DoorDash.
Butterfish is a poke place serving bowls made with the raw tuna and other proteins. It has locations at Friant Road and First Street, and Herndon and Fowler avenues in Clovis.
The new location in Clovis combines them both side by side. It has dine-in areas for each restaurant. It will also have a shared patio that seats 80 and is covered and heated off the Butterfish side, Brandon Smittcamp, one of the partners in the business.
Walk-up windows for both brands are sandwiched between the two.
They hope to open the new location in late October or early November. The existing locations will remain open.
An Eggbred breakfast sandwich features the house pork chorizo patty, served with an over medium egg, sharp cheddar, avocado-cilantro crema on a toasted milk bun. Special to The Bee EggBred 
A custom bowl with Moroccan lamb meatballs is pictured in this handout photo from Mayd Modern Mediterranean. Melissa Gotelli Mayd Modern Mediterranean 
Employees at Butterfish on Friant Road near Fresno Street prepare poke bowls after opening with a new menu in this file photo from Nov. 4, 2020. The restaurant is now offering hot bowls such as teriyaki chicken and beef with fried rice and other toppings. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com
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Bethany Clough
The Fresno Bee
Bethany Clough covers restaurants and retail for The Fresno Bee. A reporter for more than 20 years, she now works to answer readers’ questions about business openings, closings and other business news. She has a degree in journalism from Syracuse University and her last name is pronounced Cluff.
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