Latin restaurant in Fresno has a new home, a new look — and a $135 shot of tequila

Walk into Sabor Cocina Latina & Bar’s new location and the first thing you see is intricate Mexican art.

Winged horses and a bull are made from thousands of tiny beads hand-glued into sculptures that take anywhere from a week to a month to make.

They’re eye-catching — and so is the rest of the new restaurant.

After eight years on Figarden Drive, the restaurant is opening in its new home for dinner Friday, Feb. 17. It’s taken over about half the space Ginza used to occupy near the former Daily Grill restaurant in the Park Place shopping center at Palm and Nees avenues.

Sabor’s previous location closed in mid-December.

The new spot has been renovated so much it looks like a brand new restaurant. There’s a new bar and a new brick wall behind it. Walls were torn down and moved. Kitchen equipment was replaced. New dishes were purchased.

The new location is bigger, with a larger bar and kitchen. The owners changed locations because Sabor was a little hidden in its former shopping center, and had several break-ins, said co-owner Santos Arevalo.

This location a bit easier to reach for some Fresnans, and most of their existing customers already live in the area, he said.

The menu at Sabor

Much of the menu is the same — including Sabor’s popular chile relleno — though new items are gradually making their way onto the menu.

When Arevalo and Alberto Torres first opened the restaurant, it went by SABORmx, a nod to Mexico. Over the years, it evolved to include more cuisine from all over Latin America and the Caribbean, in part because Arevalo’s family is from El Salvador.

So now you can order lomo saltado, a Peruvian dish made with top sirloin, onions, tomato, soy sauce, french fries and steamed rice.

New on the menu is tiradito de sandia, a sort of vegan ceviche made with watermelon instead of fish, with plenty of lime, cucumber and jicama.

“The No. 1 seller is the chile relleno,” Arevalo said. “Everybody seems to love it.”

A little different than the version found in many Fresno Mexican restaurants, the pepper isn’t coated in egg batter. It’s available with chicken, shrimp or sauteed vegetables.

There are also tacos, steak and more on the menu.

Tequila and cocktails

The restaurant has a full bar, with wine, and beer on tap.

And, of course, cocktails. There are six types of margaritas on the menu, including a jalapeño one and a tamarind one.

There are also signature cocktails with flags of the countries they originated.

Arevalo’s favorite? The Colombian Cumbia, made with Cumbé aguardiente, a Colombian liqueur with a mild anise flavor, and fresh lemon juice.

And that high-end tequila? It’s not a shot you’d knock back in a bar with a salt shaker and a lime slice.

“It’s called a sipping tequila,” Torres said. “It’s very smooth. It’s supposed to be enjoyed like a fine whiskey.”

It’s something you’d sip with dinner, either neat or on ice. The price all has to do with the agave that’s used, how many times it’s distilled and the barrels used to ferment it, Torres said.

Sabor has more affordable tequilas available also, but it’s high-end tequilas range from $20 to $135 for a 2-ounce pour of the Clase Azul Añejo.

Sabor is requesting diners make reservations for its first month or so via its website or by calling 559-375-1644 (though they will take walk-ins, too).

Sabor will be open for dinner only starting at 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Regular hours start Monday, with lunch served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. or so.

Sabor is at 7845 N. Palm Ave., suite 104.