8 restaurants open at new Table Mountain Casino near Fresno. Here are the options
Looking for a new place to dine out?
If you don’t mind driving 20 minutes or so northeast of Fresno, eight new places to eat just opened at the newly-built Table Mountain Casino Resort in Friant.
Specifically, two fine dining restaurants, a large cafe, a coffee shop and a food court with four eateries selling tacos, pizza and more.
One of them, the first Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers in the Fresno area, is especially popular already.
The massive 12-story new casino opened late last month, kicking off with a Blake Shelton concert in its new concert venue. Just off Friant near the old spot off Millerton Road, it has a 171-room hotel and a 110,000-square-foot gaming floor full of slot machines and table games.
The buffet is gone (like so many buffets during COVID-19) but Table Mountain management is hoping customers will come for the new restaurants as much as they do for the slot machines.
“I would really like for people to say, ‘Hey, let’s make reservations. I want to come up and have some dinner and maybe we’ll play some games while we’re there,’” said director of food and beverage Brett Cardoza.
Japanese restaurant Sukai
The star of the show – at least on the culinary side of things – is the teppanyaki and sushi restaurant on the top floor.
That’s Sukai (pronounced “Sky”) Teppanyaki Grill.
Surrounded by windows with views of the foothills and tabletop mountains, it also has a lounge with live trees inside. A plant-filled atrium has floor-to-ceiling windows that open in good weather.
The menu has all kinds of sushi, with a sushi bar where you can watch chefs in action.
The teppanyaki part of the menu ranges from $24 to $45. It includes chicken, filet mignon, several types of seafood – even lamb chops.
Like other teppanyaki places, the food is prepared on the grill in front of diners. But unlike those places, there’s fewer tricks and less of a show, Cardoza said.
“We wanted to have more of a refined, higher-end style,” he said. “It’s more of a focus on the actual cuisine.”
There are also private dining rooms – nestled up against the hillside with impressive views – with teppanyaki grills that can be reserved.
For now, alcohol is not being served anywhere on the property. Managers declined to comment on what their future plans are for drinks, but state records show the casino recently applied for a liquor license.
Details: Sukai is open from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and Mondays. On Sundays, it’s open from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Reservations are encouraged and can be made online or by calling by 559-822-7777 after 2 p.m.
Eagles Landing Steakhouse
This place is a holdover from the previous location – but it’s gotten a big makeover.
On the same floor as the slot machines, the steakhouse also has a high-end feel with massive windows and outdoor seating.
The menu includes several kinds of steak (including a 40-ounce prime tomahawk) from Brandt Beef in Southern California.
Oysters on the half shell, clam chowder and other dishes are available. Prices range from $20 for a burger to $80 for a 16-ounce filet mignon.
Details: Eagles Landing Steakhouse is open from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, and from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays. Reservations are encouraged and can be made online or by calling by 559-822-7777 after 2 p.m.
Freddy’s and the food court
The food court is on the far side of the gaming floor, with four quick-service restaurants.
“Freddy’s has been a huge hit here so far,” Cardoza said.
Based in Kansas, the burger joint has more than 400 locations in 35 states, with the next closest in Bakersfield.
It’s known for its steakburgers, thin crispy patties often served as doubles or triples. It’s also known for its trademarked Fry Seasoning and frozen custard.
Plans call for Freddy’s and 777 Tacos to be open 24 hours.
The Mexican taco spot offers grilled chicken and carne asada in tacos, burritos, quesadillas or taco salads.
Mangia! Italian Kitchen serves pizza and Italian sandwiches.
Twisted Noodle has pad thai and rice bowls.
Breakfast, lunch and (soon) dinner
The Blue Oak Grille is the casual dining restaurant on the casino floor. It’s open for breakfast and lunch now and will soon be open for dinner.
No reservations necessary, it offers breakfast favorites like pancakes and omelets.
Lunch and dinner options include $9 pizza and a $26 tri-tip plate, along with sandwiches, salads and appetizers.
Blue Oak Grille also has a bar area, complete with beer taps (but no alcohol in them yet). You can eat and gamble at the same time as the bar is equipped with gaming screens.
Details: As of the first week of August, Blue Oak was open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily with dinner slated to start in the future.
Peet’s coffee and pastries
Native Gathering Grounds is a coffee shop serving Peet’s Coffee and pastries.
Desserts like cake, cronuts, big cookies and almond bear claws are on the menu.
They are baked in house in a kitchen near Blue Oak. It has a 12-foot-wide window where visitors can watch the bakers at work in the mornings, with the scent wafting out over the casino floor.
The coffee shop is open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
The casino’s designers aimed for elegance, but also wanted to balance that with a down-to-earth feel, said director of marketing Shawna Ridgebear.
“You feel like you’re in this beautiful, beautiful resort, but you still feel like you’re in the Central Valley,” she said.
Details: Table Mountain Casino is at 777 Jackpot Lane in Friant. 559-822-7777.
