New dining options coming to Clovis with city's first food hall
The eatery is located in the Franco Family Building, which was once Clovis' oldest Mexican restaurant, opened by Seferina Franco.
CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) -- 8th and Pollasky will soon be known as the place where fine dining meets fast casual with Clovis' first food hall: the Third Place Global Eatery.
Executive Chef Robert Vieira has three menus that will each feature a different style of cuisine.
"You're going to get a tray," says founder Andrew Penn. "You're going to get cardboard boats, but the cool thing is you can get a bison smash burger, you can get a Peruvian empanada."
We got a sneak peek at some of the menu items, including the bulgogi beef wonton tacos, Peruvian chicharon sandwich and a classic fried chicken sandwich.
Locally sourced isn't limited to the ingredients.
"All these tables are straight from Shaver Lake," Penn said. "After the fire, there was a lot of lumber that we did not want to go to waste."
Seating ranges from communal tables to bar stools.
"If you're here for a date, you can sit in the courtyard -- softer lighting, nice string lights going everywhere," Penn said.
Space can be sectioned off for private events or ticketed menu tastings.
A multicultural beverage bar will offer artisanal teas and lattes.
"Taking ingredients from different cultures and making coffees we haven't really seen before, especially in the coffee and boba side," Penn said.
Or you can step outside and grab beer, wine or seltzer from the courtyard bar.
The rich flavors coming from the kitchen and bars match the building's rich history.
The eatery is located in the Franco Family Building -- which was once Clovis' oldest Mexican restaurant, opened by Seferina Franco.
"She had a huge family, she was able to put all of her kids into education and open a restaurant as a migrant fieldworker, so it's a testament to the American dream and also the Clovis way of life," Penn said.
Penn says rather than demolish the building, they wanted to preserve the community staple for the next generation.
This is all just a preview of an even bigger project.
Shortly after this, Penn says the plan is to build a 30,000-square-foot food hall.
"You can start as a booth, start as a stall and then you can graduate to fine dining," Penn said.
For news updates, follow Vanessa Vasconcelos on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
