What’s happening on the Mexican restaurant scene in Fresno? A lot
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Fresno saw multiple new Mexican restaurants open or plan to open this year.
- Tacos El Franc, Michelin-recognized, is expected to open on Shaw Avenue this summer.
- A recently closed Mexican restaurant on Ashlan Avenue is exploring a food trailer.
If you like Mexican food, you’ve got some eating to do.
Several new restaurants have opened or are coming soon in Fresno. One restaurant did close, but the city’s reputation as a hot spot for Mexican restaurant remains strong.
Here’s a look at what’s happening lately on the Mexican restaurant scene in Fresno.
Mexican restaurants in Fresno
Aliberto’s Mexican Food
Aliberto’s opened in a former KFC at Dakota and West avenues repainted in bold yellow and red colors.
The colors inspired some conversation in a Reddit thread online.
The restaurant has an indoor dining room and a drive-thru open til 2 a.m.
The menu includes tacos, rolled tacos, quesadillas, tortas, 18 kinds of burritos and breakfast burritos. It also has salads, bowls and combination plates.
Reviewers online raved about the carne asada.
Chicomostock
Chicomostock, a taco truck, opened a brick-and mortar taqueria. The little restaurant is at 224 W. Olive Ave., halfway between Palm Avenue and Golden State Boulevard.
Many may know it from its time parked at the corner of Blackstone and Ashlan.
The menu at the restaurant features all kinds of tacos, burritos, tortas, quesadillas and more.
Con Azucar Cafe
Con Azucar Cafe serves Latin-American inspired drinks and is coming to Sierra Vista Mall.
It’s expected to open this summer at the main entrance to the indoor portion of the mall, where Yan’s Chinese Grill used to be.
It already has a location in Fresno on Cesar Chavez Boulevard.
Expect drinks such as the popular horchata latte — the creamy Mexican drink plus a shot of espresso. There’s also a Mocha Mexicano, café de olla and traditional coffee drinks such as coffee and vanilla lattes.
Papi’s Mex Grill
Papi’s Mex Grill already has two locations in the Fresno area and is gearing up to open a third. It’s taking over the former Casa Corona spot at Bullard and West avenues, which closed in late 2024.
The new Papi’s is aiming to open before summer hits.
It will serve its popular surf-and-turf burritos and have a full bar serving the margaritas it’s known for, from the classic to a spicy mango.
Papi’s has a restaurant at Champlain Drive and Shepherd Avenue, and a location at Riverwalk, the shopping center on Avenue 12, off Highway 41 just north of Fresno in Madera.
Tacos El Cabezon
Tacos El Cabezon, the taco truck that drew big lines at Maroa and Shaw, isn’t parked there anymore. But it now has a brick-and-mortar location in downtown Fresno.
It opened in the former Chicken King spot at 1234 Fulton Street last month.
It also has a location at McKinley and Fruit avenues in the works.
There’s asada and al pastor, chorizo and tripas and costillas de puerco costia (that’s pork ribs). Tacos starts at $3 and are served on homemade corn tortillas, or on flour tortillas, which some taco purists may balk at, but it’s what you’d get in Mexicali, owner Armando Arias Jr., said. Everything (except the spit-roasted al pastor) is cooked on the grill with open flames and mesquite.
Tacos El Franc
Tacos El Franc is taking over the Heroes Comics shop that closed in 2023 on Shaw Avenue near Highway 41.
But this is no ordinary taqueria. Tacos El Franc has been recognized by the Michelin Guide and has a location in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter.
Its original location is in Tijuana and it serves street food.
It’s expected to open this summer.
Taqueria Yarelis
Taqueria Yarelis — home of the 3-foot-long Anaconda burrito — has opened its third location.
This one opened this month at Blackstone and Nees avenues in April. It took over the space left by Brothers Ramen & Japanese Eatery when it closed, in the same shopping center as Rubber Soul Bicycles and diagonally across the intersection from River Park.
Taqueria Yarelis has a menu full of tacos, burritos, asada fries, sopes and tortas. There’s also what it calls antojitos — its mangoanadas, fruit cups and more.
The Anaconda burrito is its claim to fame. It’s a behemoth that can feed up to eight people. It went viral in 2016, racking up 16 million views on Facebook. People walked away from the restaurant cradling it like a newborn baby — and it weighed as much as one.
Cocina Familia Mendoza
The Mexican restaurant that took over the former BJ’s Kountry Kitchen near Save Mart on Ashlan Avenue closed recently. The owners did not say why.
The restaurant had good reviews on Yelp.com — 4.8 out of 5 stars.
We may not have seen the last of this restaurant, however. The person managing the restaurant’s social media told The Bee they were looking into getting a food trailer.
Reporter Joshua Tehee contributed to this report.
This story was originally published April 15, 2026 at 12:15 PM with the headline "What’s happening on the Mexican restaurant scene in Fresno? A lot."
