From Vietnamese to vegan, new Modesto, Turlock restaurants opening starting in spring
Spring is always a sign of rebirth, in nature and hopefully for valley restaurants in business, too.
As the valley weather warms up and vaccinations offer a light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, the region should also see several new eateries springing up starting in April.
Along them are some Modesto and Turlock sites that will either welcome new eateries or offer expansions for existing ones.
In downtown Modesto, on ever-changing 10th Street, two familiar restaurants should be opening soon. First, the new plant-based cafe The Farmancy is taking over the former Krazy Rolls location. The cafe, which serves an entirely vegan menu, first opened last May, one of the first new restaurants to launch after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Owner Erin Doran has amassed a 10th Street empire that includes side-by-side wedding/event center The Century and co-working space Nine3One, as well as the new Rosé Bouquet Flower & Wine Bar, which started as a floral shop and now also has an attached wine bar.
The Farmacy originally opened in the Rosé Bouquet space last spring. Then it transitioned to doing plant-based meal prep as the pandemic kept restaurant dining rooms closed, and Doran worked on getting the wine bar up and running. Since its launch in early February, Doran has focused back on The Farmacy.
The cafe will take over the former Krazy Rolls cinnamon roll bakery space, three doors down on the same side of 10th as her other businesses. The cafe will serve its plant-based menu again, as it was last spring and summer, and keep offering plant-based meal prep options as well. Doran said renovations are underway now and she hopes to have it reopened in its new space this spring.
New pho shop opening in north Modesto
Across the street, in the former Monsoon Indian restaurant space, Rancho Fresco Mexican Grill owner Ismael Covarrubias confirmed he is expanding with a new eatery. He plans to submit plans to the city and then begin renovations shortly, but doesn’t have a firm timeline for opening yet. While he’s tight on the details, for now he said it’ll be a pizza place that serves drinks. But he promises to reveal more ... soon.
Across town in north Modesto, another new restaurant is opening in The Marketplace at Oakdale Road and Sylvan Avenue. The shopping center debuted in late 2019 with the opening of the new flagship Save Mart store. In January, the new La Parilla site opened, expanding the family owned Mexican restaurant to four locations.
Coming soon in the same strip of the retail center will be The Pho, a new Vietnamese restaurant. As the name suggests, it will focus narrowly on pho, a popular Vietnamese noodle soup.
Owner Thuan Do, who also owns four Kung Fu Tea locations in the region, said he wanted to keep his menu small to ensure the best quality and freshest ingredients. So The Pho will only serve pho and Vietnamese spring rolls, as well as boba tea. The new restaurant will also have a contemporary design and when completed (and COVID-19 safety restrictions lifted), should be able to seat about 100.
Do said he hopes to have the space ready by mid-April. When he opens expect him to have two kinds of broth daily, chicken and beef. Something tells me once they do, there will be a whole lot of slurping going on in north Modesto.
Turlock to see high-end steakhouse soon
In downtown Turlock, Hauck’s Grill which closed last year amid the pandemic, is finding new life as a steakhouse. The Main Street site is being transformed by Turlock restaurateur Jerry Powell, who also owns The Udder Place and The Grand Cru, both also in the city’s popular downtown area.
The full-service dedicated high-end steakhouse will be called Cuts, Powell said. Once completed, and indoor dining is allowed again, it should have capacity for about 150. Work is underway to renovate the space and give it a whole new look inside. Powell said they are also expanding the outdoor patio and adding an inside bar.
Powell has also expanded his Turlock sites outside of downtown, and with his team took over Sushi Garden II on West Monte Vista Avenue and is in the process of renovating the space. The Japanese sushi restaurant, which remains open while work is underway, has been renamed Katana.
They’re expanding the patio, changing decor and redoing the bar. Powell expects that work to be done in the next two to three months.
And finally, while we’re in Turlock, no word yet on a new location for El Rosal which closed mid-December. The West Monte Vista Avenue site will be the new home of a cannabis dispensary, which has been approved and is in the works. The restaurant has vowed to return in a new location this year. But no site has been selected yet and there’s no timeline for opening at this time. So, as they say, stay tuned.
Elsewhere around the Business Beat:
While we’re talking about Turlock restaurants, here is how you can help Latif’s by Pedretti employees put out of work by a recent fire at the old-school diner.
Pop-up pizza shop Sanctuary Pizza will serve up pies as part of fundraiser to help the staff of the iconic longtime Turlock eatery. The restaurant suffered a kitchen fire in early February which shut down operations. The site is temporarily closed, and repair work must be done on the fire-damaged areas before reopening.
The fundraiser will be from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 28. There will be other vendors as well, and you can drop off donations if you don’t want pizza. But, come on, who doesn’t want pizza? Especially for a good cause.
