I received pork chops instead of lamb chops. I kept it because of time restraints. Server was too busy on the phone with social media. Old charming rustic bar and dining area. I hope my experience will be much better the next time I'm here. read more

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Old coffee inn has some inside seating. Got the honey cinnamon latte which had great taste. Amazing customer service

Awesome place, clean, fast service, friendly people working there. I highly recommend visiting atleast once if you are visiting this area.

Before my recent visit, it had been a few years since I've eaten here last. It was good last time and it was good this time too. Both times were for dinner and with both times I chose the basque option which gives you a 7 course meal. My steak was ordered medium but received it medium rare, but I didn't mind because it was delicious. It was seasoned just right and was my main course of the night. Service was pretty good and each course was brought out with enough time in between to properly enjoy each food item. I really want to try the Sunday breakfast. I hear it's great but it gets busy. The place itself is a little old, it could use some updating, however the vintage look gives it character. read more

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Great birthday party. 9 people all had great food. Service was also great. We will be going back. Mike and family read more

Had a great experience here on a recent Wednesday evening. Full bar and especially great selection of bourbon. I enjoyed a few drinks with a friend and we also ordered dinner. The Gouda burger was delicious. My friend enjoyed his meal as well. Points for excellent bar service and a cool atmosphere with chill and friendly people. The bar area we sat in was quite small. I know they have events such as karaoke and live music but I think that is on the back patio. I'd like to go back soon to see how their event set up is and to try some more of their food menu. read more

Saw this place features on Undercover Billionaire. Sad to say but this business is CLOSED. Not sure what happened to this little place but the surrounding area is dead and not the best part of town. I feel bad for the owner who let this lady run this place into the ground. read more

Shepherd's Inn - Closed Coffee Shop :/ - Basque Near Me - Fresno, California

As someone who has long appreciated Basque restaurants, especially those in Nevada, it was pleasing to find a good one right here in the Central Valley. For those not familiar with food at a Basque restaurant, let me start by saying if you are foodie looking for some extravagant dining experience, they will not probably fit your bill. If on the other hand, if you enjoy a hearty meal, with generous portions, you'll like these establishments. We came in on a Friday afternoon just as happy hour started and began with two appetizers - warmed pickled beef tongue and fried chicken livers in green bell pepper and onion. The dining room was not yet open, but the ladies behind the bar were more than happy to serve us at the bar. I ask you, where can you find this as an appetizer? Not many places I can think off. They were great. Oh, we enjoyed our appetizers with a few picon punch cocktails - a drink you will not likely find in anyplace other than a Basque restaurant and bar. It is a staple, and the bartenders mixed them perfectly. As for dinner - which after the hearty appetizers meant a lot more food coming was served Basque style, which is family style. We had their garlic fried chicken and Friday fish special which was Cod topped with clams and mussels, and both were fine. Like other Basque restaurants, they offered several types of lamb. We are big lamb fans and often make it at home, so we decided to do something a little different and were pleased with our choices. Along with the clam chowder, salad, bread, beans, and potato salad, we ended up taking home most of our entrees which was fine by us. The staff was really nice. Shepherd's Inn is the type of place where there are a lot of regulars, but the staff and the patrons gave off a good vibe. If we lived nearby, we too would probably become regulars. The location in downtown Fresno was easy to find, and we were lucky to find a meter spot by the restaurant. The restaurant is across from the bus and Amtrak station has some sketchy characters milling around, but we didn't feel unsafe. The building is non-descript, but once inside the bar is unique. If nothing else stop for a drink and look at the bar - they are not made this way anymore. If you have the opportunity to stop for lunch, dinner or even happy hour while going through or visiting Fresno stop by - you will not be disappointed. read more

Shepherd's Inn - Not many places have a bar like this! - Basque Near Me - Fresno, California

My heart skipped a beat when I saw Shepherd's Inn for the first time. You will find it in a run down brick building, downtown. The restaurant has probably been its same location for 70 + years. Half bar, half restaurant. No pretense, long family style tables, wait staff and owner all friendly. They make you feel like you have been coming here your whole life. This is REAL Basque hospitality, real Basque food, and a really legitimate Basque hang out. This is Basque land. Our meal entrees for the night (Saturday), a huge rib eye steak (beautifully med rare and tender) and 4 pcs of the best garlic fried chicken you can imagine. But hold on to your seat. And start thinking....to-go boxes.... immediately. Mr. B opted for the Basque style meal. That includes AYCE soup and salad, potato salad, beans, stew, bread and butter, fries, and the entree. Oh yes, and a small cup of ice cream. Wisely, I chose the American style. That means I could choose between soup and salad. I got bread and butter, and a choice of starch (rice or potato). They always excel with french fries, so that was my choice. I knew I could nibble off Mr. B's sides and not even make a dent. We also ordered an appetizer, the pickled beef tongue, and with absolutely no regrets. The tongue came out first. Warm, thinly sliced, drizzled with good olive oil, garlic and herbs, a pile of meat that actually could have been the whole meal for the two of us. That and the AYCE salad and we could have left. But here comes the sides for the day....chicken noodle soup (good not great), the potato salad with small bits of tender shrimp (yummy), the homemade beef stew (loved it), the ranch style beans with chunks of hock. We sampled each, but knew there was much more coming. (P.S., yet another visit yielded a clam chowder that was surprisingly good. But that of course is on Fridays.) The meal, superb. The service, wonderful. The price, well, it doesn't get any better. We lugged home 6 small containers, enough food to feed us for three more days. And we have enjoyed every minute of it. And the bill? $53. This is such a bargain, and such a winner of a meal. You will not regret the experience. read more

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We enjoy going to shepherd inn. Service is always good Food is always good. My son order the fried chicken and he said it was the best We also got the lamb chops and they were delicious as well read more

Okay, it's a fun and different place to take out of town guests, and sometimes in the past the food has been good. Even tonight, for example, the potato soup, the potato salad, the green salad and the pork stew were all tasty. And the Picon punch was extremely small, but also tasty. But when you order a steak well done (yeah, I know it's not a foodie thing to do, but that is how I like my steak), and it comes back completely raw and red, and then you cheerfully and politely send it back, asking again that it be well done, and then (1) it comes back completely red, still, and (2) you can't bring yourself to eat a bite of it, and (3) you never see the waitress again until she asks you "Would you like a box for that?" ****that's a one-star experience.**** Yes, I'd love to bring this cold, raw steak home, the steak that I ordered well done...TWICE. I leave my $20 steaks uneaten ALL THE TIME. That's how I roll. Really bad experience. The waitress disappearing also meant that we never got to order more drinks either or ask for ketchup for the kids' fries (well, we grabbed some from another table) -- or get any kind of service. My husband, who never complains about food at all, didn't like his leg of lamb, either. The man loves lamb. He got little slices of lamb, not on the bone. He said it tasted like it had been "sitting around" and it wasn't fully warmed up. He said the gravy tasted like canned gravy (and not even canned "lamb" gravy, if there is such a thing) and the dish wasn't heated up enough so that the gravy was fully liquid. It was just glop. In other words, it was a very disappointing meal. There's no excuse for a person receiving a red steak when she ordered it well done -- TWICE -- and then never checking back, or acknowledging "Hey, she never touched this -- maybe it really sucked -- I wonder if I can help make this situation right." Nope. I guess it's much easier to ignore it. I will be adding a picture of my steak -- AFTER it came back from being sent back for additional cooking. And mind you, this is the edge piece I cut into. The center is probably fully raw. Yuck! read more

Shepherd's Inn - I cut into the edge of my "well-done" steak -- and this is AFTER I sent it back for more cooking. - Basque Near Me - Fresno, California

Four stars for this local Basque restaurant... Because they do exactly what they set out to do, and they do it pretty well. We were here with a group of almost 20 for my birthday dinner. We knew we would have big appetites, plus picky kids too. What we liked about our experience was that there was literally something for everyone. As you probably know from reading other reviews, you order your main entrée, which comes at the end of a series of dishes served family style Ours included soup, bread, green salad, potato salad with a little shrimp hidden in there, spaghetti and meatballs. Everyone seemed really happy with their entrée. I got the thumbs up on the lamb chops, pork chops, steak, salmon, shrimp, chicken marsala, and more. If you have kids with you, ask them about special options for them. These are not on the menu. Our little guys enjoyed hamburgers, grilled cheese sandwiches, chicken fingers with fries. The servers are friendly and handled our crazy large group with great good humor. The only downer really is the parking situation. There are not a lot of spaces available in front of the restaurant. But, it's downtown, and that's how it rolls. I think this place would be a great option for groups of four and up, or everyone can ooh and ahh over each other's massive entrées. Plus, it's a great way to show your support for family owned downtown businesses. read more

I like the no-frills feel of this place, at least the restaurant part (didn't go in the bar). It does look like I imagine a budget Mom and Pop would have in the 50s or before. Some may object, because it's not a low+budget place today. Basque dinners are mostly in the low 20s, and specials in the 30s. I thought the lamb dishes were average, especially the non-special ones: the quality of the meat was not great - this is typical of the shoulder cuts, but perhaps sous vide would have improved it. Chicken dishes, pastas, the lamb stew side dish, all were good, and the European style potato salad was particularly tasty (a lot like Argentinean maionesa). We had a hankering for Basque that night despite not being in Bakersfield, and this place satisfied. Oh, a one word comment: garlic! They did ask if we wanted it. read more

Shepherd's Inn - Lamb Steak - Basque Near Me - Fresno, California

Very good food, very friendly service it's a nice go to spot downtown Fresno. Thanks for always having good service abs food guys. read more

Excellent food! Old style restaurant that has been around for years. The service was absolutely excellent and very friendly. I never have basque style food before, But I will definitely have it again. I had the ribeye steak and it was Cooked perfectly. My wife had the garlic fried chicken and it was excellent I had to have me a bite! For three extra dollars you get a seven course meal. If you are hungry and want to get food I definitely recommend it read more

I am quite happy with myself for following my gut feeling in picking this restaurant. It is across the street from the greyhound station and it gets dodgy at night but what I like about this joint is that it is unpretentious, from the way it looks to the matter-of-fact attitude of the bartender and servers. This is my kind of place! I got the Boneless pork chop $16.95 and the girlfriend had the Top sirloin $21.95. We went with the basque style, which is a 7 course meal consisting of bread/butter, soup, salad, potato salad, side dish of the day, which happened to be beef stew and ice cream for dessert. For folks who don't want to stuff themselves silly, they offer the Shepherd's meal at $13.95, which gives you all of the basque style items listed above without the main entree. Not bad at all..... I like that they have a Decent Liquor list at very good prices too. For Example, old fashioned cocktail for $9 And a flight of Jim Beam consisting of 4 shots is just $12. Yeah, my kind of place. read more

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I came in for lunch to the Cafe and I was blown away. The cashier went from taking money to making salads bare handed, no one was wearing gloves then one girl decided to throw some on, luckily it was the one who made my sandwich. Another young lady did not have her hair tied up and was also touching everything with her bare hands. Come on guys there is a pandemic, be safe and sanitary. The sandwich was nothing to rave about. Won't be returning. read more

What a hidden gem! So I've heard about this place over the years and it never dawned on me to try it just because it definitely has mixed reviews in my circle of friends. I happened to go with a regular and there are special signature cocktails. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to reveal the one I had, so I won't. It was so delicious and part of that is because the bartender squeezed an entire fresh orange into the drink. It's by far THE best cocktail I've had in Fresno, hands down. I've been to lots of places and it seems like most drinks taste watered down or not potent. The cocktails here are delicious and have the perfect blend. You have to try the lamb lollipops! It comes with choice of soup or salad and rice pilaf. The rice pilaf is standard, but the lamb lollipops are incredible!! They are wayyyy better than the lamb I had at The Elderberry House in Oakhurst (which is at least 3 times more expensive). They don't taste gamey at all. Melts in your mouth and has great seasoning. Let's talk about the environment for a little bit. It's right next to the train station so depending on when you go, it might be very tough to find parking. Downtown is a bit sketchy. Just like Forrest Gump says "You never know what you're going to get." I would definitely NOT go alone at night. When you walk in, it is a bar atmosphere and dimly lit. In the 2 times I've been there (once for lunch and once for happy hour) it doesn't appear to be kid friendly, which is fine - it's a bar! An eclectic mix of people for sure come here. I can definitely see this as my go to place when I'm downtown. I'm so happy I was introduced to it! read more

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Wowwww! The ambiance and food is great here! I felt comfortable here. Everyone looked so happy. The food was so goooooood! The Italian dressing on the salad was amazing! My fettuccini alfredo pasta was great. No complaints! I will definitely come back for more for sure. A nice little plus is the area around the restaurant might look shady but keep walking and you will find that it's actually a verrrrry nice area. It won't feel like Fresno. If you are facing the restaurant, walk west and you will run into the nice area. read more

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Met three friends for lunch at noon last Tuesday. Sat at the bar with the boys. Rechelle was our bartender and waitress. She was great. We all ordered the lamb chops. Served with garlic, they were fabulous. Not on the menu, you have to ask to see if it's available. The sides were classic Basque Potato salad with shrimp and Shepherd's lentil soup. Amazing.... Bring $2 in quarters to pay for parking to feed the meter ( gives you two hours) and you are in for a delicious surprise!!! read more

I've been coming here since I was a little girl. So I have sentimental reasons for eating here every time I'm visiting family in Fresno. Today I brought my husband for the first time to try the famous fried chicken while we waited to catch our train back home. Unfortunately the kitchen was closed and our train would be leaving before it opened for dinner. We had time to kill so we had a drink at the bar. The bartender (didn't get her name) was lovely and poured a great drink. After hearing me rave about the food and how sad I was a gentleman named Raul appeared and offered to open up the kitchen early for us! We had the fried chicken with green salad and potato salad. The chicken was amazing and I love the homemade Ranch dressing. The potato salad deserves a parade. I will dedicate my life to replicating it at home. Thank you for making my day! read more

What is Basque food? I actually didn't know the answer as I started writing this review. How uniformed of me, but hey a lot of people eat foods they're unfamiliar with or don't know the backstory behind. I'll try and explain it as best I can and offer some helpful insight about this restaurant. I've eaten and enjoyed Basque food for many years, but the closest and simplest explanation my mind could come up with was a multi course buffet proceeding your primary entree. At least that's what comes to my mind based on my personal experiences with Basque food. I believe Fresno only has two Basque restaurants; this one and Santa Fe Basque, but don't quote me on that. Here at Shepherd's Inn they serve Basque and American cuisine. The food here, while restaurant quality, is reminiscent of a fond home cooked meal. It's not super fancy by any means, but there's something familiar and comforting about it. From what I've gathered from their menu, it's considered American if you just order an entree, but if you order your entree Basque style then you'll get a seven-course meal with it (for only a few extra dollars). The menu says that the seven-course meal includes: soup, green salad, potato salad, the side dish of the day, stew, and bread and butter. That's only six if you include the bread. Every time I've eaten here they always give a scoop of ice cream or sherbet at the end so I assume that's the seventh. I wouldn't count bread as a course even if I do eat it like it is its own meal. I definitely wouldn't recommend getting Basque if you're not that hungry or you don't eat a lot in general since it would be a waste of food in my opinion. Although, I think they have a minimum amount of people needed in a party to be able to order Basque. I heard someone say the last time I was there that there needed to be 8 people that night, but if I were you I'd call ahead and ask before setting your sights on Basque. The different courses are served family style one at a time and definitely start stretching your stomach before your actual meal arrives. If you want more of any of the side dishes, just ask because they'll give you more. The courses seem to fluctuate a bit every time I eat here. The bread, salad, and potato salad are always the same, but the others vary. I don't eat red meat, so on my most recent visit I couldn't eat the soup or the stew, which I was kind of bummed about. My aunt is allergic to shrimp, so they brought out a small side of pasta salad for her in lieu of the potato salad which was nice. I didn't ask, but I doubt they'd have alternatives/ substitutions for the soup and stew since that just seems like too much extra work for them. There was still a lot for me to eat even without those two so I didn't mind. Although you can eat as much of the sides as you want, you CANNOT take any of the leftovers home with you. Seems like a waste of food, but I'm sure they have their reasons. They probably don't want people ordering more only to take it home with them. You can of course take your main entree home if you don't finish it. The food here is decent to good. Like most places it probably depends on what you order and what your standards are. If anything, I'd say if you haven't already, at least try it once since Basque is a unique dining experience in my opinion. On my last two visits I ordered the fried calamari which isn't bad, but this last time I couldn't help but compare it to Tahoe Joe's and disappoint my tastebuds. Their garlic fried chicken is very popular and supposed to be really good. I've read some confused reviewers not knowing where the entrance is. The restaurant is adjacent to a bar. The bar entrance is on the LEFT and the restaurant is on the RIGHT. They usually have a sign outside in front of the door. You can still access the restaurant from inside the bar since they're adjoined. When you enter the restaurant, there's an opening to the bar and a stairwell to the left and some double doors straight ahead. The restaurant is inside those double doors. They also tell you not to park in the 7-Eleven parking lot next door unless you want to get towed so look for street parking out front which shouldn't be terribly hard. read more

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Shepherd's Inn is a VERY surprising restaurant across from the train station in downtown Fresno. It is home of one of the best steaks that I have had. I would rather come to Shepherd's Inn than to Morton's, for certain. An unassuming historic building, Shepherd's Inn looks more like a diner than a fine dining establishment. Despite the fluorescent lights and long tables with checked cloths, the food is 100% fine dining. I always order the Shepherd's Steak - rare with peppers and onions on the side and a blue cheese crust on top- basque style. This means that I have soup, salad, pasta and potato salad, baked beans and basque stew, bread and butter, steak and frites, and ice cream. Delicious! Everything but the steak is generally served family style. This past weekend, the soup was split pea. Oh my! A fresh soup that is generally smooth but with some subsequently added split peas for a bit of al dente. Perfectly seasoned (perhaps marjoram) and delicious. Then, a simple green salad in a light vinaigrette provides a palatte cleanser before the creamy potato salad with the crunch of celery and the delightful addition of baby shrimp and an al dente macaroni salad with delicious salty onions that compliment sweet tomatoes. As if there has not been enough of a prelude, you dig into some tasty house beans and the wonderful basque stew, which is a divine blend of mushrooms, stewed tomatoes, tender chicken and some green veg. Then, the piece de resistance - the STEAK! An aged rib-eye steam that comes from a normal size cow. That is, the steak is quality not quantity. About the size of a mass market paperback rather than a dictionary, this juicy and flavorful steak will not disappoint. I skip the fries (who needs them with all the time in flavortown) and load up on the blue cheese. I don't know where the meat comes from, but it is a reason alone to come to Fresno. Who knew it was flavortown? A few bites of the neopolitan ice cream provide the finale for a firecracker meal. Janet Stone, owner since 1999, delivers an experience that is like coming home - she treats you like one of your own and puts food on the table that gives you that bistro cozy feel. Plus, where else can 5 people order rib-eyes, basque style, and have a $140 bill. THE BEST!!! read more

I went here for a drink. I didn't like it! It was a small crowd of regulars. Now I like regulars, but these were the *bad* regulars. You know the ones that have a wife and kid at home, but they haven't checked in all day, girls who purposely try to look at you mean to see what you are going to do. Um I don't like that. This bar/restaurant/INN was recommended by one of my hubby's friends. Yeah. So as we were leaving "his friend" starts talking to a girl outside the bar. Come to find out she's a prostitute! My hubby said that they have good sandwiches there at lunch. And I guess it would be very convenient if you meet someone there, considering the INN is upstairs. read more

My Father used to take me to the Basque hotels for food when i was a kid. It'd been a long long time since id been through this part of town. We'd been out all day and it was time for lunch so we decided to drop in for a late meal. Bread, butter, beans, salad, beef barley soup, ny steak, roast leg of lamb, gravy mashed potatoes, fries...all humble comfort foods. Things my Dad used to love. Still the same after all these years. Not trendy, not changed in who knows how long. Just comforting and filling read more

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YUMM!! There is A LOT of food, all served family style so if you don't want to over do it then I would suggest ordering the "Shepherd's Meal." The Shepherds meal comes with Bread/Butter, Soup of the day, Salad, Potato salad, Rice Pilaf, Stew, and Ice cream. YUMM. Also, the bar has an awesome atmosphere. Bar tenders are all extremely nice, willing to put on what ever sports team you want to watch, and there is a fantastic juke box. Need I say more??? read more

If you leave here hungry, something is definitely wrong. Ordered the Basque-style meals of catfish, calamari and chicken marsala. Started out with some fresh bread, clam chowder, green salad, macaroni salad, beans and penne pasta. Oh yeah, then the entrees came, which almost seemed ridiculous after all of the other dishes. Brought home half of our entrees. Good hearty food. read more

Great food, alot of food and friendly atmosphere. It has a bar next door which is small and cozy. Great family style dinners. You have to try the pork chops, they're the best. Nice restuarnt located right next to Amtrack and a great family atmosphere. read more

I love LOVE this place for dinner, Basque style! Affordable, delicious food, and comfortable atmosphere. Always lots of food for me to take home. I finally got to try their breakfast last weekend and it was the best breakfast I've had out in Fresno, in a long time. I've heard people get on the train to travel here for breakfast and I understand why. Lots of food as expected and wine at 9am Will continue to rave about this place. read more

Shepherd's Inn - Skillet potatoes, eggs, bacon, Italian sausages, biscuit & gravy, fried chicken. Delicious! - Basque Near Me - Fresno, California

I've only been here once and it was an okay experience but as compared to the only other Basque restaurant in Fresno, this place comes in at a close second. Maybe after trying this place half a dozen more times, my mind will change but I'm not sure if I'd come here without a group of other people. The location is right across the street from the Amtrak/Greyhound station and if you want front row parking, bring quarters and some change. It's definitely a bar in the front and we looked kind of lost but they quickly directed us to the restaurant in the back. Cool little hole in the wall restaurant with nice AC but the swinging door allows the loud bar music to carry over. I had the New York steak, my fiancé had the fried chicken and my daughter had the fried shrimp and we ate Basque style. For our basque spread we had the clam chowder, bread, house salad, potato salad (with mini shrimps), beans and chicken stew. The clam chowder and potato salad was great but I wasn't impressed with the bread. I liked the salad but there were some wilty leafs and the beans and chicken stew were filling but the flavor was just okay. My steak was good but I'm not sure if I'd get here it again. If I came back, I'd get their fried chicken. read more

So good! So much food! I visited this place on the recommendation of a local I met at the Saroyan Theater, while visiting for a show. I had the Basque style broiled chicken breast with garlic on top. Honestly, I could have done without the garlic. It seemed to be minced garlic that you can buy in a jar, just slapped straight from the jar onto the chicken. Aside from that, everything was great. The rice pilaf side dish was amazing. I could have eaten a plate of it by itself. If you are not familiar with this place and happen to be in town I definitely suggest you stop by and give it a try! Something to be mindful of is there is a lot right next to the building where you cannot park and street parking was a little challenging to find. read more

My BF and I are riding the greyhound headed towards our destination and happened to make a pit stop in Fresno for 30 mins. The bartender was so helpful wishing I would of have gotten her name. She took down our food and drink order and sped it up so we could take to go since we only had 30 mins. We almost left without it because we were running out of time but we did not and let me tell you the food was amazingly delicious! My BF got the Phil cheese steak sandwich with fries and I got the same but with out cheese and side of potatoes salad. I really appreciate the bartender and Ricky for rushing and even running over to the greyhound bus to ensure we got our food. I highly recommend this place and the drinks are delicious as well. Thank you once again for everything. We will come back to try your dinner which looked so tasty. read more

This place really went downhill! Orders steak medium. Blood raw. Isn't sirloin not supposed to be fatty? They buy crappy meat, plan lettuce for salad . Real CRAPPY food. Don't go you will be sorry, it's not what it once was. read more

I honestly don't hate this place. I came here on my first date with my now husband for a drink and have eaten maybe 2 or 3 times, so I have memories there. I remember the food being pretty good and the service nice. What made me and my husband stop going there, and the reason why I'm writing this review is, we sat at the bar opened the menu and a family of roaches flew out. We immediately got up, kindly whispered to the waitress what happened and walked out. I went through the reviews and found that other people had the same exact experience, seems like they haven't taken care of the problem. There were soooo many roaches that I honestly don't think anyone should eat there until it's taken care of. read more

I wanted to like this place. leg of lamb roast was hellla dry, new york steak was the same. sides were okay. service was good. prices are low. read more

Shepherd's Inn - Basque Near Me - Fresno, California

Service was good as was the food. I had the garlic chicken, and potato salad, it was good. Another person at the table had the pork chops and said they were good. Couldnt believe that it came with three chops. I recommend giving it a try. I will return read more

Well, we usually go to Shepherd's Inn for their delicious fried chicken. Last time we came was back in 2015. So today, my husband and I were close by and decided to go for lunch and order their fried chicken basque style. The side dishes came out yummy as always. We got macaroni salad, lamb stew, chili, bread and butter, and rice. We were enjoying our food until the fried chicken came out. Immediately we noticed the skin was not golden brown and crispy with some garlic on top like it use to be, instead it was more like a reddish/brown baked skin smeared with tons of garlic. The temperature of the chicken was only warm, which concerned me because I get food poisoning very easily. It came with four pieces per plate (we ordered one plate per person) and not one of the chicken was piping hot like it just came out of the fryer. The taste was also very tart/tangy/sour which was not to our liking. It did not taste like fresh fried chicken. My husband and I were so disappointed. Although the waitress was super nice and friendly, she only apologized and told us that the chef made the chicken fresh. There were no attempts to fix our order or try to offer us something else. We ended up leaving the eight pieces of chicken on our plate. We didn't even want to bring it home to try to reheat it up. Luckily the side dishes were filling and we didn't leave still hungry. It's so sad because we really liked this place before. Unfortunately if this is how the fried chicken is now going to be cook, we most likely will not be going back there anymore. read more

Haven't been here in 2 years but the fried chicken was better than it should have been, the gravy was infused in Turkey, and the atmosphere was down home local and welcoming. read more

Shepherd's Inn - Menu - Basque Near Me - Fresno, California

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I met a friend at Sheperd's Inn last night for a 'Farewell to Fresno' dinner as neither of us had been there before and we both left satisfied! I sat in the bar first while waiting for said friend to arrive and ordered a Jack & Coke. It was stiff and affordable and the bartenders were nice so no complaints there! The crowd was pretty rowdy for a Tuesday night but everyone stayed on their own stools and nobody had any problems. Moving into the dining room made the stark contrast in clientele evident. The room is about 3/4 wood paneling with Basque influenced photos for decor. The brown vinyl table sheaths and chairs remind me of my church's basement where we would have weekly potluck dinners. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, just different than what I expected based on the name, logo, and location (the Historic Santa Fe Hotel). I can tell the food and service is why everyone I know who's been here raves about the place! Both my friend and I ordered Basque-style dinner which includes (as separate courses) soup, salad, bread, potato salad, stew, beans, entrée of choice, and a scoop of ice cream. The soup was hot, the salad was cold and not overdressed, the potato salad was delicious and the stew beef was cooked perfectly. I do wish the rolls had been warmed up or toasted on the flat top as they were still cold from fridge storage (carb lover over here). For entrées, I ordered the Basque chicken (breast cooked perfectly, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, a slice of melted cheese, and capers with a healthy spoonful of minced sautéed garlic (wowza!) on top) and my friend got the top sirloin with the same garlic treatment. Even though we were both stuffed from the multiple courses pre-entrée we had to try our entrées and were not disappointed. In addition to the great food we really appreciated our friendly waitress and her patience with us. We ended up staying about 25 minutes past closing because we were savoring our meal as much as possible! read more

Stumble in at 10:37 AM, in the thrall of a wicked hangover. 54 minutes until the train arrives. The sun bakes hard-tack concrete. Its cool and dark in here. Outside, it isn't. Two televisions play bowling, two more play Nascar. Specials on the board: Boilermaker (Killians and Tullamore Dew) 6$, Dickel Whiskey Flight, 10$, Manhattan, 5.50. By the time you come in, the dozen patrons are already drunk, shouting and laughing with the joy of a morning at a bar. Its raucous in here. Outside, the streets are eerily quiet. Order a bloody at 10:39. Order a Manhattan and some pickled tongue at 10:57. The bloody is alright, the pour heavy-handed. The Manhattan (arriving at 11:01) is watery--having being shaken instead of stirred--but a good deal for $5.50. Inside, the mirrors behind a back bar thats stood since 1926 glisten dully, alcohol paraphernalia, the horns of a bull, and sports memorabilia cover the wall. Outside, the homeless stare with the gaze of the hopeless, their eyes one-way mirrors, betraying nothing, more evocative than the handheld signs advertising their plight. The pickled tongue arrives at 11:09, served in a pool of olive oil and red wine vinegar, garlic applied liberally on top. Its tender, slightly warm; the flavor of the tongue mild but distinct, tart, sweet. It glistens in the neon radiating into the perpetual twilight of the bar, sweet, soft basque bread and butter cut through the vinegar. Its fantastic. The bill is closed out at 11:28. Outside, train 712 sulks at the station, on time, ready to carry me onward. It bleats its barbarian's roar, shuddering into motion. Inside, life goes on, a man orders another shot, the bartender plays liars dice. It is 11:35. read more