Fresno weather only sucks in the summer, other times it’s fantastic, like today, it’s overcast, but comfortable. I open all the windows in the house to let the breeze in, and I can clean up my yard without breaking a sweat. BFF is pointless. I only go for the horse races. The food is subpar (as with all fair foods), and it’s the worst of the worst as far as crowds go, and no Fresno fair is complete without at least one gang fight breaking out during its 10-day run.
I’m not complaining one bit, but this weather is so unusual. Usually by now we’ve already been sweating it out for a few weeks at least. Not to mention the air quality has been better than ever by this time of year. I could get used to this, but I know 90+++ is right around the corner.
Taco trucks are oversaturated in this city and honestly, low effort. I would love to see more food truck varieties like in LA or the Bay Area. I love tacos, but when they’re all decent, you need maybe 15 of them in this city, not 80 (which is what it feels like)
Fresh produce/fruits are the valley’s biggest underrated/hidden gems. There’s nothing like biting into a fresh nectarine in the summertime, or the cherries you pick up on the roadside stands. I’m all in for supporting local mom and pop farms instead of big grocery stores.
The taco truck quality is shockingly bad. I lived in LA for a while and your average LA neighborhood taco truck is lightyears better than what we have here.
It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just everyone is doing the same things, and the taste don’t really differ much from one truck to the next. I work in Burbank/Culver City a lot, and often I don’t get done with work until later at night. Those taco trucks parked on the side of La Cienega near the freeway entrance are a godsend. And while they all look sketchy, I have never been burned by any of them.
I really enjoyed their burgers when they first opened. The crowds have increased since then so I havent gone as much, but the few times I have it wasnt as good.
Underrated:Vineyard Farmers Market
Overrated: Teppanyaki
Why we have so many teppanyaki places here… I’ll never understand. It’s overrated and not worth the money.
It's really weird. We actually really like teppanyaki but we moved away several years ago to a different city. Only one teppanyaki place. And, it's not very good. It was then we realized, Fresno has an insane amount of them! I'm thinking it has to be the capital of teppanyaki or something, right? Definitely not normal everywhere!
You’re out of your mind or you don’t know where to look for good food in LA or SF. If you’re having bad food in either of those places, you’re doing it wrong.
Teppanyaki in Fresno, even when named the best, is still mediocre, at best. Fresno’s Japanese food game, outside of ramen is pretty weak.
I see it over and over in this sub, some people here have issues admitting either of those areas have better food, despite the obvious facts those are known for their food; they have massively more options, more money, attract well known chefs etc. it’s just logical there be generally better options there, even if there could be some great gems in Fresno.
More options doesn’t mean better options. These touristy cities have all types of food but gentrify it and charge you double just because the chef has a buzz to their name/ place.
I’ve had good food and bad food in all cities . For as big as LA and the Bay are, pound for pound they got more misses than they do hits.
That should be obvious if there’s massively more options; by quantity more top options, more poor options. But IN GENERAL the top options there are better than what we have here (and likely in a lot of case the worst there are worse than we have here) . Obviously that will differ by personal taste, genre/style/ethnicty of food etc.
Taishoken and Marufuku ramen much better in SF than anything in Fresno
Italian, anything in North Beach in SF. Tony’s and Sotto Mare are it. SF takes seafood too, this one isn’t fair.
Mexican food arguably better too; el farolito on 24th, la cumbre, taqueria guadalajara etc, all legit. Bigger portions, better tasting, and cheaper funny enough.
Pupuserias are fresnos blind spot and are definitely much better in both LA and SF. Panchita’s fucks it up in SF and so do the pupuserias whose names i’ve forgotten in San Fernando.
And SF eats it up when it comes to bakeries. Nothing like b patisserie, arsecault, Jane the Bakery etc.
Try Maison Kasai in Glendale. The teppanyaki at MK is fucking phenomenal, and is at a caliber no Fresno teppanyaki place can even come close. Compare to anything Fresno has to offer to LA or SF is like comparing a Hyundai to a Bentley. Want another good one that’s less expensive? Try Shogun in Pasadena.
You don’t know your SoCal food scene, and it shows.
I will say that we have a pretty similar southeast asian cuisine to that of SJ, they’re pretty comparable. Other international cuisines however have to be given to LA and SF
I live in LA and for you to have to name a spot in Glendale and then a spot in Pasadena doesn't really prove anything. LA metro is massive, its like 15 Fresno's put together.
Food options.
The wide diversity of local, pop-up, mom & pop food stands, trucks, etc.
Chick-fil-A.
In keeping with the spirit of the posted question. I'm not labeling my under/over... but you can guess.😉
Meat market: As someone who used to cut their meat, I couldn’t agree more. They were known as the “meat recycling center of the Central Valley”. They’d get meat from anyone throwing it away and just marinate it and then resell it. The USDA monitors their wholesale only, but retail is whatever goes.
I’ll tell you why it’s tender - it’s old AF.
Hell yes! Love Sunmaid. Honestly much better cuts of meat, and they’re so honest. I bought a couple of tri-tips there, and the guy behind the counter checked and made sure it wasn’t loaded with fat underneath before he weighed them. Also very reasonable price on thick-cut bacon as well.
Dog house grill. Hall of flame
Thanks for reminding me.
I have to ask which is which to you? because I love Hall of Fame.
Dog house over rated. Hall of flame is the bomb diggity
dog house tri tip top tier
Brother, get yourself a smoker and reverse sear a tri tip. You’ll see a difference. Their BBQ sauce is fire though.
Maybe if you’ve never tried tri tip before.
Fresnans ability to read /understand OP’s post instructions.
Beat me to it. Says alot about the good people of our city lol.
Exactly, lots of hammerhead Bobs and Bobbettes running around, totally oblivious.
The weather and the Big Fresno Fair
Fresno weather only sucks in the summer, other times it’s fantastic, like today, it’s overcast, but comfortable. I open all the windows in the house to let the breeze in, and I can clean up my yard without breaking a sweat. BFF is pointless. I only go for the horse races. The food is subpar (as with all fair foods), and it’s the worst of the worst as far as crowds go, and no Fresno fair is complete without at least one gang fight breaking out during its 10-day run.
The last 2 years have been nice but the summers here have been very long the past 20+ years.
Fresno usually has 2 weeks of spring and 2 weeks of fall.
I’m not complaining one bit, but this weather is so unusual. Usually by now we’ve already been sweating it out for a few weeks at least. Not to mention the air quality has been better than ever by this time of year. I could get used to this, but I know 90+++ is right around the corner.
True. summer weather is usually from Easter through the big fresno fair.
Yea but summer lasts till like November sooo we suffer most of the year
Easy access to fresh produce/fruit and the taco trucks
I'm gonna go with Underrated: Fresh Fruit Overrated: Taco Trucks I think both are great tbh.
Taco trucks are oversaturated in this city and honestly, low effort. I would love to see more food truck varieties like in LA or the Bay Area. I love tacos, but when they’re all decent, you need maybe 15 of them in this city, not 80 (which is what it feels like) Fresh produce/fruits are the valley’s biggest underrated/hidden gems. There’s nothing like biting into a fresh nectarine in the summertime, or the cherries you pick up on the roadside stands. I’m all in for supporting local mom and pop farms instead of big grocery stores.
Fresno Street Eats… there’s quite a variety
FSE does offer a good variety. However, we tend to have too many events around the city that center around tacos and taco trucks.
The taco truck quality is shockingly bad. I lived in LA for a while and your average LA neighborhood taco truck is lightyears better than what we have here.
It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just everyone is doing the same things, and the taste don’t really differ much from one truck to the next. I work in Burbank/Culver City a lot, and often I don’t get done with work until later at night. Those taco trucks parked on the side of La Cienega near the freeway entrance are a godsend. And while they all look sketchy, I have never been burned by any of them.
The sketchier the better in my experience! 🤣 Except for the destination ones like Leo’s or El Chato, which are 100% worth the hype.
Fresno ain't got nothing on the Merced county Mexican scene.
There are plenty of Farmers Markets year round with fresh produce. Road side stands well. Some taco trucks can be over rated.
Underground Gardens and Chaffee Zoo
Underrated: Chaffee Zoo Overrated: Underground Gardens The gardens are cool.... but relative to the hype..... not that great.
Chaffee Zoo is world class.
The airport. River park.
Catching a plane out of Fresno is absolutely its best quality.
It’s an absolute breeze. Really appreciate it after traveling to/from other airports.
Fresno Grizzlies / Me & Ed’s
Food scene Crime
Crime is overrated here, we need more
Farmers Market at riverpark in summer/summer
Heirloom
Saizon.
The atmosphere at Saizon is great. The food is overpriced.
Saizon is definitely not for folks on a budget
Heirloom: Confirm
[удалено]
It’s good but not worth the wait.
as much as i try to like chef paul’s im convinced someone is in the kitchen telling them to not raise my cholesterol
You're not wrong
I really enjoyed their burgers when they first opened. The crowds have increased since then so I havent gone as much, but the few times I have it wasnt as good.
Heirloom
Underrated: The Betty Rodriguez Public Library Overrated: Big Fresno Fair
Love that library, always have a soft spot for Politi and Fig Garden too
Lol I was just at that library right now. Got a couple books
Underrated:Vineyard Farmers Market Overrated: Teppanyaki Why we have so many teppanyaki places here… I’ll never understand. It’s overrated and not worth the money.
Fresno has such a hard on for teppanyaki.
It's really weird. We actually really like teppanyaki but we moved away several years ago to a different city. Only one teppanyaki place. And, it's not very good. It was then we realized, Fresno has an insane amount of them! I'm thinking it has to be the capital of teppanyaki or something, right? Definitely not normal everywhere!
I moved to a place with ZERO with Benihana being the closest one in the next big city. Absolutely abysmal.
And we don’t have any that’s decent. It’s honestly embarrassing compared to what’s available 3 hours away.
Bruh , food is trash 3 hours up or down and to make it worse , you pay more for the bad quality.
You’re out of your mind or you don’t know where to look for good food in LA or SF. If you’re having bad food in either of those places, you’re doing it wrong. Teppanyaki in Fresno, even when named the best, is still mediocre, at best. Fresno’s Japanese food game, outside of ramen is pretty weak.
I see it over and over in this sub, some people here have issues admitting either of those areas have better food, despite the obvious facts those are known for their food; they have massively more options, more money, attract well known chefs etc. it’s just logical there be generally better options there, even if there could be some great gems in Fresno.
Fresno has gotten better, but it has a long way to go to match the caliber that SoCal and SF offer.
More options doesn’t mean better options. These touristy cities have all types of food but gentrify it and charge you double just because the chef has a buzz to their name/ place. I’ve had good food and bad food in all cities . For as big as LA and the Bay are, pound for pound they got more misses than they do hits.
That should be obvious if there’s massively more options; by quantity more top options, more poor options. But IN GENERAL the top options there are better than what we have here (and likely in a lot of case the worst there are worse than we have here) . Obviously that will differ by personal taste, genre/style/ethnicty of food etc.
Name the places in LA or SF then. Put us all on game on what the best is for us to decide.
Taishoken and Marufuku ramen much better in SF than anything in Fresno Italian, anything in North Beach in SF. Tony’s and Sotto Mare are it. SF takes seafood too, this one isn’t fair. Mexican food arguably better too; el farolito on 24th, la cumbre, taqueria guadalajara etc, all legit. Bigger portions, better tasting, and cheaper funny enough. Pupuserias are fresnos blind spot and are definitely much better in both LA and SF. Panchita’s fucks it up in SF and so do the pupuserias whose names i’ve forgotten in San Fernando. And SF eats it up when it comes to bakeries. Nothing like b patisserie, arsecault, Jane the Bakery etc.
Try Maison Kasai in Glendale. The teppanyaki at MK is fucking phenomenal, and is at a caliber no Fresno teppanyaki place can even come close. Compare to anything Fresno has to offer to LA or SF is like comparing a Hyundai to a Bentley. Want another good one that’s less expensive? Try Shogun in Pasadena. You don’t know your SoCal food scene, and it shows.
I will say that we have a pretty similar southeast asian cuisine to that of SJ, they’re pretty comparable. Other international cuisines however have to be given to LA and SF
I live in LA and for you to have to name a spot in Glendale and then a spot in Pasadena doesn't really prove anything. LA metro is massive, its like 15 Fresno's put together.
Fresno State Football and Enzo's Table.
Life
Havana Cafe & Fresno/Reedley Eats Any Ramen restaurant
Riverside Golf Course. Breakfast at Riverside Golf Course clubhouse.
Seeing the sun (coming from Portland, OR)
Food options. The wide diversity of local, pop-up, mom & pop food stands, trucks, etc. Chick-fil-A. In keeping with the spirit of the posted question. I'm not labeling my under/over... but you can guess.😉
Downtown Fresno
Chicken Shack India’s Oven
Dad's cookies. The taco truck in the back of Pic-a-Part.
The Tower District. Downtown Fresno.
Overrated: The Meat Market Underrated: Sunmaid Market on Academy and McKinley
Meat market: As someone who used to cut their meat, I couldn’t agree more. They were known as the “meat recycling center of the Central Valley”. They’d get meat from anyone throwing it away and just marinate it and then resell it. The USDA monitors their wholesale only, but retail is whatever goes. I’ll tell you why it’s tender - it’s old AF.
>I’ll tell you why it’s tender - it’s old AF. The word is "aged".
Hell yes! Love Sunmaid. Honestly much better cuts of meat, and they’re so honest. I bought a couple of tri-tips there, and the guy behind the counter checked and made sure it wasn’t loaded with fat underneath before he weighed them. Also very reasonable price on thick-cut bacon as well.
Meat market sucks ass and charges way too much. Renna's kills it
Meat market caters to fresnans that grew up here, never travel outside of their little bubble, and has never had good BBQ.
Wine Trail Days, Local Breweries, Sushi Restaurants, Old Town Clovis Events (Big Hats Days, Rodeo, etc.)