Fasika has filed a permit to open a second location at the Helm Building in Downtown Fresno. Photo via Fasika Facebook page

An Ethiopian restaurant will soon add to the diversity of food in Downtown Fresno.

Fasika plans to open a second location at 1105 N. Fulton St., on the ground floor of the 10-story Helm Building.

The Ethiopian and Kenyan restaurant is expanding beyond their original location at 4712 N. Blackstone Ave, said Sevak Khatchadourian, owner of the Helm Building.

The space is 2,000 square feet and will have indoor as well as outdoor dining, said Khatchadourian. It will share an outdoor patio with other eateries in the building. The patio will be twice the size of the one used by La Boulangerie, caddy-corner to the Helm Building.

Khatchadourian said the cafe Little Bean will make a return to the Helm Building around the same time as Fasika.

 

Little Bean operated for about a year in the Helm Building before issues with power infrastructure forced them to close around June 2015. They were known for offering a $10 cup of coffee sourced from rare beans from Panama.

Permits for both restaurants have been filed with the City of Fresno and once they are approved, work can begin to move in. Khatchadourian said that should happen before the end of the year.

Little Bean serves crepes as well as other pastries, said Khatchadourian.

Food at Fasika is often served without utensils — though utensils are available upon request. The large assortment of vegetable and meat dishes is served community style and diners use injera, a fermented pancake, to eat the food.

Fasika’s Kenyan dishes feature skewered meats and veggies.

Work on the Helm Building’s seven ground-floor units is ongoing. Work stopped at the beginning of the pandemic and then resumed. The pandemic has slowed the remodel, but there has been a lot of interest, Khatchadourian said.