Moses McQueens is one of the most hyped up spots in Fresno and here are my thoughts.
Upon arrival, there was no parking, you have to park on the streets. It's very nice, I like the turquoise color with the wood trim, but my house in Tower is also a craftsman and is made in 1920 so I also have a 106 year old house. Gf, Lila n I showed up on a Saturday at 11am. It was dead. Right next to a gas station on Ventura and Vanness. The customer service was great at the bar, but i just did not vibe with Moses McQueens overall. Went inside to the bar, it was small and intimate. Ordered a Meet me downtown drink. I HATED it. It was too strong and bitter for my liking. The Darling, Sabor, Howlin Wolf, Tabachines and Modernist have superior cocktails. Lila got an espresso martini and the bartender made it work. It did not look appetizing to me because i like a froth n 3 beans on the espresso martini. We each ordered a chicken sandwich combo. She ordered the classic and I ordered the carribean. The carribean had a coleslaw, mango pico & habanero on it. It had no taste. I make my own mango pico and when choosing a mango, you have to make sure it is just ripe enough to have a juicy citrusy taste and i mix jalapeños n Serranos. I was excited to taste the mango habanero salsa in this chicken sandwich and was extremely disappointed. There was no seasoning or salt and no kick for them advertising it had habanero. If you want to know what i mean by a habanero kick, go taste Don Tacha's habanero salsa. It was so so bland and the chicken was tough. Sweet potato fries were soggy n flacid, not crispy with a soft inside. Awful.
The cook wasn't super friendly either. I ordered a coke and they did not have it in a bottle or can, but from a nozzle. I've worked at 5 guys and Taco Bell and I've punched a soda box many a times to change it. I've called a Co2 guy to come replace my Co2 when it was low or not working. I know what a fresh coca cola and cherry Pepsi tastes like. I tasted the coca cola, it was flat. I asked Jay to check the Co2 or if it was low. He checked it, said it was fine, but ran it again, gave me another cup and I lied n said it was fine since he made all that effort. It was not. It did not have that crispiness of a fresh frizzy coca cola from McDonald's or even a local place like Libelula, if you've ever popped a top on a cold Mexican coke and took a first sip or pop a tab on a cold coca cola and take your first refreshing sip, you know what i am talking about. That's the coke they use for your jack n coke or rum n coke. So disappointing. While we were eating, a random umhoused person walked in looking through the trash can and took a tray of trashed food and walked away with it. They were also eyeing Lila's purse and i had to tell her to grab her purse. I left my full cup of soda there and if you know me, i always finish my coca cola and always have a back up coca cola and unfortunately, this day, i did not have my back up coke. First impressions on food was not a great one. Is Moses McQueens worth the hype? For me? No and i probably wouldn't return unless a group of girlfriends really wanted to go and even then, I would be apprehensive about ordering food because a lunch, soda n cocktail with tip was about 40 bucks.
Also, There's always a question that pops up on Yelp that asks if a business asked me to write this review. I screenshotted it on this Moses McQueens one. No. Any review that I write is very honest, even if I might know someone who might work there or the owner. It's hypocrital of Yelp to ask me this when I know of many Yelp Elite people, not just one, who are content creators and partners with different restaurants/small business. Not only that, i thought Yelp doesn't allow business owners to be on the Elite Squad and I have met a handful of small business owners that were Yelp Elite members. I am not a business owner. I do a small side hustle once a year for extra $. I loved the Elite community and friends I made, but if Yelp wants to be passive aggressive with asking me these questions every time I write a review, let's pop the lid open on that can or worms. Fresno is a small big town and everyone knows everyone or knows someone who knows someone. However, my opinion is also my own and has always been my own even when it comes to Yelp reviews. I march to the beat of my own drum and always have. Yelp used to be a big part of my life and I am moving forward because i am no longer part of this community. I have different groups of friends, but my life mainly consists of catering to my dogs, binging shows, babysitting my nieces, crafting and thrifting and supporting local when I can because I don't have an endless supply of money. read more