My Lunch In Fresno Mike’s Grill
Prior to this last trip, I had been looking thru Yelp for places to have lunch in Fresno. I consider myself a carnivore plain and simple, so I was especially interested in a couple of places that specialized in barbecue. The two places were The Dog House and Mike’s Grill. Each of these eateries is located close to each other. The two places, however, were miles apart in their approach to dining comfort. Let me explain.
The Dog House Grill
The Dog House is across the street from Fresno University and has a tri-tip sandwich that is raved about on Yelp. It’s a large building with a very big smoker sticking out of the building. But because it is across from the University it is quite popular. The wife and I made our way to this spot in hopes of finding a great place to eat that we could come back to again and again. Unfortunately, that was not to be. As I am pulling up to the business I can clearly see a long line snaking its way out of the building. When we pulled into the parking lot there was no room for parking and there were several cars executing a vulture parking technique for the next available parking spot. My wife suggested we move onto the other dining spot.
Mike’s Grill
The other spot was Mike’s Grill. Mike’s Grill I found out also has a great tri-tip sandwich and in the Yelp reviews, a lot of people that had been to both eateries preferred Mike’s to The Dog House. I felt challenged, it was up to the wife and me to see if they had it right.
So we made our way to Mike’s Grill. Of course, I missed the location and had to double back. I knew to look for a small building and on the way back I found it. In my defense, I have to say that I have a garden shed that has more square footage than that building.
The Layout
Now Mike’s takes a totally different approach to dining. The smoker is located in the parking lot. The kitchen is in the small building where they take orders. The dining area is outdoors in the parking lot under a temporary canopy cover. There are several tables and chairs under the canopy. Several barstools are located in the back of the building to round out the seating arrangements.
When we pulled into the parking lot the lunch crowd had just cleared and there were several people in line. An easy five-minute wait, I ordered the Jumbo tri-tip sandwich and my wife ordered the pulled pork sandwich.
I noticed that when an order was ready someone would step out of the building with a bag of goodies yell out the order number and the transaction would occur.
Our Order
When we got our order, I had ordered the combo plate with the jumbo tri-tip sandwich which included a side and a drink. I had chosen macaroni salad as the side dish. The macaroni salad was not your ordinary mayo-based salad but more like a pesto based macaroni salad. Very interesting and totally unexpected. I also really liked their homemade barbecue sauce. My wife thoroughly enjoyed her pulled pork sandwich. The total for lunch was twenty dollars and change.
Steakhouse Gift Cards – Amazon.com
The next time we are in Fresno we are going to try The Dog House. Then after having tried them both, I can tell you if IMHO the Yelp reviews were spot on. But for today if you’re looking for a great Tri-Tip sandwich come to Mike’s Grill on Cedar Ave in Fresno, Ca. I’ve been there and it’s a good meat sandwich for the hungry carnivore.
Check out Mike’s Grill on Yelp(click here)
Related Article: Best tri tip sandwiches in Fresno
(Mybusyretiredlife.com All Rights Reserved)
(Mybusyretiredlife.com All Rights Reserved)
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A long time ago this used to be a place to get keys made.
Hello Kristy,
Thank you for the comment and history lesson. I can probably agree with you as this place is really small. Similar to a key shop I know in Modesto. But I like the food even better and I hope you found it good as well.
RayC.