2 cafes in Fresno / Impish smartphones

CoffeeBeer >> Double Shot Buzz >> Fresno 2

I have to admit that I never thought I’d been spending two days exploring the city of Fresno. I mean, having grown up in California I’ve passed through this place in Central California a few times in my life, mostly travelling up Highway 99 to somewhere else, both as a child with my family and as an adult. And it was only a couple of years ago that I went from Bakersfield to Fresno with my adopted brother to meet a friend of his for lunch.

But as of this year, my bizarreal artiologist uncle, also known as Unkletom, has moved from Sacramento to Fresno. And on my most recent trip to America just in the past couple of months, my friend Mistah Rick was picking me up at my siblings’ house in Bakersfield to drive both of us up I-99 to the Bay Area. So what a perfect reason to stop and take my Unk out for lunch and a few pints.

Located in the San Joaquin Valley, Fresno is the largest city in Central California. The population is over 50% Hispanic, and the surrounding area is predominantly agricultural. The original inhabitants were the Yokuts people and the Miwok people, and in the 1700s the Spanish started to settle the area. It wasn’t until 1872, with the establishment of a railway station for the Southern Pacific line of the Central Pacific Railroad, that the place was named Fresno, which is Spanish for “ash trees”. Today the city features a campus of California State University, and it serves as a gateway to Yosemite National Park and the Sierras. It hosts a very ethnically and racially diverse population, and the majority of registered voters are Democrats. So it’s a surprisingly cosmopolitan place.

Because my Unkletom is currently living at the CalVet Center, which is a long-term care facility for American veterans, Rick and I booked a hotel for the night in downtown Fresno, not far away from the center. When we arrived to pick up Da Unk, he was waiting outside, eager to get out and have lunch and a couple of pints with us. So naturally we found some good places for beer, which will be covered in a future Pint Pleasures column. But as Woman/Man/Whoever cannot live on beer alone, we found a couple of surprisingly great places for coffee.

As I already mentioned, Fresno is a pretty cosmopolitan city, so it wasn’t too surprising to discover that not too far between the pubs we were visiting was the Bab Al-Yemen Cafe. Located in a little suburban-looking strip mall, this doesn’t look like much from the outside. But when we walked in, we found ourselves in a comfy Middle Eastern-style living room setting. After selecting where we wanted to sit, we ordered our coffees. Out of habit I instantly ordered a Cortado, at which point the owner told me that I probably want the classic Cortado and not the American version, because there are two varieties on the menu. So I was quite happy he mentioned that, as my classic Cortado turned out to be absolutely gorgeously full-bodied, with the same rich and luscious appeal of a Turkish, Armenian, or Greek coffee. Rick and Tom both ordered the Mufawaar Coffee, which is boiled like Turkish coffee with cardamon pods. I realise I probably should have ordered one of those like they did; but my cortado was equally dreamy and just what I wanted. After the stresses of the previous week I felt myself finally starting to unwind, so the combination of relaxation and peaceful gorgeousness felt exquisite.

While we were sitting in our comfy space enjoying our Yemeni caffeine heaven, my uncle got a call from his oldest son who’s lived in Australia for years. I’ve always liked my cousin Scott, from back when he was a bizarre but likeable little boy, to the last time I talked to him as a young man at his sister’s wedding. So I ended up having a chat with him, and he invited me to come over and visit some day. So my long list of potential travel destinations had just increased. How do I fit it all in?

Owned by Ahmed Ghazaly, who also owns the burger place next door, Bab Al-Yemen opened in 2021 in the site of a former bar. It appears to have an enthusiastic and loyal customer base, which is understandable. Besides their wonderful coffees they also offer a range of sweet pastries, which I feel confident in saying are probably pretty gorgeous as well.

After spending the day with Da Unk, Rick and I dropped him back at his home, and the two of us headed back near our hotel. In the morning before getting back on the road, we went searching for a nearby coffee shop for breakfast. And right in the middle of Fresno’s Mural District, we found Sacred Heart Coffee. Located just inside the classic Warnors Theatre and Frank’s Place, this is a simple, very comfortable cafe that has no signs of anything Christian or church-related. The staff seemed very friendly, and the service was really quick, and they obviously were proud of offering some decent coffee. My cortado was lovely and welcoming, as was my croissant, and Rick’s cappuccino and muffin were equally good. I mean, what more can I really say?

The cafe was formerly called Fulton Street Coffee. After that closed in late 2020, the place went through an ownership change and rebranding, and apparently the new name Sacred Heart is in honour of the Catholic upbringing of new owners Saul Pinedo and Nathan Olvera. This also explains some of the Spanish coffee influences, as they do offer some sweeter Latin-style coffees as well as the usual cappuccinos, macchiatos, cortados, etc. And all of their syrups are made in-house.

The adjacent Warnors Theatre is a pretty interesting place as well. Having originally opened in 1928, the building, designed by B Marcus Priteca, is on the National Register of Historic Places. The interior features a full-orchestra pipe organ which was originally intended to be used to accompany silent films. But by the time movies started to include their own sound, it was too late to cancel the order or the organ. So it was still used for cinema showings up until 1973. The place obviously has great acoustics, because the Berlin Philharmonic, under the direction of Herbert von Karajan, gave a concert there in 1956.

And there’s even more to see once one has had their coffee and breakfast at Sacred Heart. The entire neighbourhood, known as Fresno’s Mural District, is worth taking a stroll around, which is what we did for a good hour. From the giant Fresno Postage Stamp visible from the cafe to the pop music mural near the One Putt Broadcasting building, and even Renoir Corner, a tribute to the Impressionist painter which incongruously overlooks the Chicken Shack on Fulton Road, there are murals painted on every conceivable wall and building that could use a little pepping up. Personally I think all cities should be like this. But then I suppose that’s just my thinking. And I do think differently than a lot of people.

Speaking of thinking differently reminds me of a recent WhatsApp conversation with my pseudobrother about my phone’s creative but potentially destructive editing habits:

My phone keeps changing the word “Leigh” (my cousin’s name) to “Manual”, and this morning it insisted “commuted” should be “freaked”. And earlier, when I was trying to say “shopping center”, it kept changing it to “shopping worlds”. But it doesn’t complain when I type in “centre” instead of “center”. I think I have a xenophobic phone. Autocorrect is the Scrooge of Manheim.

Scourge of mankind... I’m sick out by Remortgaging (poop emoji) listening to the gurgling of the film Manchester. (That’s my attempt to type “I’m sitting out by Betsy’s pool listening to the gurgling of the filter mechanism” without stopping to check what Lester has actually written. Mannheim in action!) Omg! Hilarious! And I’m serious about my phone constantly inserting German words. I’m currently having a chile relleno and a margarita in a local restaurant. Before I sent this message to you, I noticed my phone changed “chile relleno” to “screen wheelchair”. I was laughing so hard I caught the attention of a couple of customers who probably thought I’d had too many margaritas. A screen wheelchair is always my go to.