The Downtown Club

So. I am writing this review even though I know this place has been closed, sold and will be opening under a new name in the future. I am writing based upon my several experiences here.
I have had the pleasure to attend a few work-​related pre fix meal functions here and to dine in for one of their weekday lunch buffets. The atmosphere of this location is amazing with beautiful wood accents and natural light. Parking would be tough if you don’t work downtown… but I think they used to offer valet parking.
I loved the upscale feeling and creative plating of the dishes… but the proteins always seemed a bit over cooked. And sometimes, it felt like flavor came second to fanciness. For the most part, service was great, and I could see why it was such a popular place for events and business lunches.
It will be very interesting to see how the new owners transform this space.

Hidden gem is a vexing term that Unilocaler’s often use to describe a place that is super awesome and so special, although I have to admit that word «Gem» is the only word to describe this incredible sui generis place, I would call it the mother of all Gems if I could, for this restaurant cum banquet venue excels in its elegant 1920’s setting, delicious affordable food and superior service. This is no private club as the name might have indicated, its an open to all restaurant that even offers the convenience of a valet service, but for those of us self parkers, there is plenty of cheap available meter parking on L street, just remember to bring coins.
The Downtown club is open 4 days a week for lunch only (11am-​2pm), from Tuesday to Friday and they have 2 dining options, first is their standard menu that offers Mediterranean, Italian and classical American favorites with the inexpensive price of $ 10-​$ 15 meal per person. The second choice is their $ 10 lunch buffet menu which happens to rotate with different cuisines everyday, I was fortunate enough to come on a Wednesday, enjoying their absolutely delicious and high quality Mediterranean flare. The lunch buffet schedule is as follows:
Tuesday: American/​BBQ
Wednesday: Mediterranean
Thursday: Italian/​Asian
Friday: Seafood/​Deli
For only $ 10 the Mediterranean lunch buffet is probably the only Mediterranean buffet in Fresno/​Clovis that I’ve seen and its without a doubt the best Ive tasted so far in California let alone Fresno. The quality one might think would be inferior for only $ 10, but the quality is actually 5 stars, because the taste, flavor and quality was really goo. The Mediterranean buffet had the choice of fattoush salad, beef kebab, chicken kebab, freshly hand made bread, fire roasted vegetable and rice pilaf and their amazing garlic sauce.
The best thing I love about this place is how they lightly salt their food, therefore for those of us in love with salt we could add it as you go.
Their interior was just a blast to the 1920’s. The décor start with a charming titanic like foyer, which then leads you to a hall of walls embellished with dark wood and carpet, it felt very elegant. The main hall was just stunning, with its lofty 20 foot ceilings and skylight gracing the main dining room. I was bewildered by the presence of the old printing press machine that gave this already beautiful place a historic and charming setting. I couldn’t imagine a more unique and remarkable place to dine in Fresno than the Downtown club.
Lastly the service was excellent, water was always topped up frequently without asking, while the servers was utterly courteous & well mannered. They even hold a brief casual conversation with me and my party, creating a very warm welcoming feeling.
With $ 10 short in my wallet, I felt like I was robbing from them, for having such a spectacular dining experience that would unhesitatingly drive me back. This is one place without a doubt in sight that captures the word «gem» with its full meaning.

I was really interested in visiting this place because of the skylight interior.
What I found was a pleasant and affordable buffet for $ 10!
Each day has its own theme. Wednesday just so happened to be Mediterranean food.
There was rice pilaf, pita bread, butter (wish there was hummus offered with the buffet, but you can order it on the side for additional $), a choice of beef or chicken, salad and veggies. There was also a yummy sauce.
For $ 10, it honestly wasn’t that bad.
The chicken was actually moist and the rice pilaf was average. The food wasn’t exceptional but for the price of a $ 10 buffet, it’s hard to beat the value.
The place has valet but we opted to park just around the corner at the meters and walked there instead.
I will be back to check out more of the food offered on different days.
The staff was prompt, nice and a little slow but that’s okay. The waitress was very sweet and charming. You get a real flashback when eating here, downtown Fresno back in the 80’s vibe.
The owner also made his rounds, in making sure everything was to our liking. Very kind of him.
The bathrooms were clean. Just a note.
For the price, amount of food, good service, & skylight, I give this place 3 ½ stars but it’s a 3 because we can’t do halves.
I’ll update more once I’ve tried the other buffets or items on the menu.
. Also support local businesses everyone ! Drop by and check it out.

Went for lunch. Food and service excellent. Valet service a nice touch since parking a little tuff. Entrance to Resturant could use a little attention, very cold and gloomy but once you get in Resturant is very nice. Well worth the time.

bought a groupon…$ 20 for $ 40 worth of food. Seemed pretty simple, but when we presented the groupon we were told that it didn’t work that way. We were told that we had to purchase more than $ 40 to use the groupon??? For what you get the food is a little pricey and it was pretty easy to go over the $ 40 requirement. The food is just okay… could pretty much make the same thing at home.. Service was good and staff was nice but I wouldn’t recommend this place to my friends.

My friend and I are true fans of the Downtown Club. I don’t think it receives all of the love it deserves because some of the items are priced a couple of dollars higher than most selections available downtown at neighboring restaurants.
If you don’t know what to order, you can never go wrong with the mediterranean entrees on the menu. The fattoush salad is yummy as is the shish kebab. They used to have a salmon fillet over a bed of button mushrooms, cooked in parchment paper that was utterly superb. I’m talking“makes you want to lick your plate” superb, but for some reason, they took it off the menu. I believe they should bring it back.
The feather in The Downtown Club’s cap is the short rib burger. The burger is cooked to perfection, then topped with barbecue sauce and a large onion ring, all inside of a toasty, buttered bun. It is magnificent and a must try. It is accompanied by shoestring fries. Not a favorite of mine but the burger makes it all better.
The services is very good. Typically the owner is there at lunch time. He is personable and often visits tables to see how everyone is enjoying their lunch.
Bottom line: Shell out the extra bucks and visit the Downtown Club. You HAVE to try the short rib burger. You will not be disappointed.
*** They offer free valet parking. Don’t worry about trying to find a place to park. The valet is a really nice gentleman.

Tried to have lunch here today, my chicken piccata was so tough I couldn’t cut with a knife! I sent back expecting a fresh piece of chicken but what I got instead was a steak knife! I said no, if you have to have a steak knife then how can it be chewed! Very disappointed!

When you decide to eat at this restaurant think twice. We had a private party booked 3 months in advance. The day before the event I received a call from the owner Nick wanting to back out last minute. Very unprofessional. Then he told us we would have to pay a absurd cleaning fee. He cornered on our our colleagues to make him sign additional waivers for damages. All in all he threatened to sue us if we did not pay him. Never do business with this creep.

OVER CHARGED… NO INTEGRITY!
Lunched at the Downtown Club Dec. 5, 2014 with a client. I was overcharged but paid the bill because client needed to return to her business. Contacted the owner Nick that same afternoon by telephone and he told me «he’d take care of it.» I mailed in the receipt and a letter explaining the difference between what we ordered and what we were charged. Now a month later. no refund (though promised).
This is not the review i wanted to post… but integrity in dealing with customers is paramount to me wherever i choose to spend my dollars. Owner Nick apparently has chosen to operate his business with no regard for integrity or his guests.
i won’t darken his door again!

Four of decided to walk over to the Downtown Club for lunch since one of the girls in our group loves this restaurant. We were seated and waitress was friendly but unfortunately had to wait over an hour to get our food and even then, it was only ¾ of our orders. The 4^th plate came out about 5 – 10 minutes after that. The special with the chicken kebab/​rice pilaf/​and salad was very good any my coworker enjoyed her chicken bacon sandwich. The prawns were a fail as they apparently had no flavor.
We complained to the waitress about the wait and she sent the manager/​owner over. He didn’t seem to care that it took forever and was unapologetic. Couldn’t explain why other tables (who were seated 10 – 15 minutes after us) got their food before us. He eventually have us a small discount.
When we were finally able to get out of there, I asked to have my meal on a separate check and of course did not get the discount promised.
Three out of four in our group will not be back.
P. S. As we walked out, a party of about 25 – 30 walked out of the restaurant – they told us they had been waiting 1.5 hr for their food and never got it. ???

Food is fabulous
Short rib burger is my husbands favorite
Chicken kebob and pilaf… yummy
The best is the dressing!!!

Just finished a great lunch Food was excellent lots of flavors nice portions
Chowder is tops Service was fast and spot on will return to try the rest of the menu items This is a place to search for The chefs know how to prepare a cuisine I would expect to see on a Cruise Shop
Plus I think it is a bargain
I even ate my veggies

Called about a month ago for a luncheon of 14 people for today. Got there today and they didn’t know who our waiter or waitress is. Took for ever to have our order taken. Food was so so. They added a gratuity to the check but waiter said the house keeps half of it (seeming to ask for additional amount.) Don’t recommend this place for luncheon of more than 1 or 2 people. If they don’t know how to handle a large party they shouldn’t take reservations for a large party.

This was our wedding reception location and we received so many compliments. This location at night is absolutely beautiful. The owner Nick is a great man and was so cordial and professional. We went through quite a fe coordinators but in the end everything went smoothly. Our food was superb, was served promptly and was hot. I believe this restaurant and venue is a great downtown staple and I hope it stays in business for the next 30 plus years. If your having an event or want a great lunch The Downtown Club is a great choice.

The ‘new’ Downtown Club has been open for a few months now. They used to be a private, ‘members only’ club, but anyone can go there now (at least for lunch; i’m not sure what the rules are for dinner).
I’ve been there several times. It’s just okay. The owner is very friendly. Service is slow every time, even when they aren’t busy. If you are here on your lunch break, expect you’ll need to use some vacation time to make up the extra time you’ll be there.
The food is also hit or miss. The first time I ordered the calamari it was plentiful and tasty. The last time, they only gave me a few and they weren’t so great. Definitely not enough for the price. Same goes for a side of fries. First time, plentiful. The last time, very, very few (not enough to split as we had intended) and not worth the $ 7 price tag. I ordered the steak once and that was a mistake. It tasted weird. Like it’s the type of steak that has preservatives pumped into it and it was really tough. I’ve had good luck with the chicken (though my coworker’s chicken was completely raw). They also have a light and fit menu. Instead of rice and fries they substitute fruit and cottage cheese (those portion sizes have also gotten smaller).
I intend to keep visiting and I hope it improves and becomes more predictable (and that the service gets a bit faster).

Meeeeeeehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
For the price of its entrees ($ 12+), this place is pretty bad. I tried a few things here during a lunch with 5 other people, and none of us were impressed at all. If the food had been half the price charged, it would be fine. It’s a nice, fancy looking space, but the food does not match it at all. The low calorie chicken plate was especially bad. It’s $ 12 yet looks like a microwave dinner.
Service was very good though.

I am writing this review while still sitting at the restaurant. The food was pretty good. This is why they’re getting a bad review:
1). Our food took AN HOUR to be served.
2). They failed to serve the soup/​salad that comes with our entrees.
3). They did not apologize for the fuckup or even acknowledge it («I just assumed you got them.»)
4). Our check took another half hour (and counting… we’re still waiting)
THIS IS NOT HOW YOU RUN A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS. I expect to see yet another vacant commercial space in down (ghost)town.

Very impressive for downtown Fresno
Valet Parking is offered.
White linen table clothes cover the tables. Lots of wood is in use throughout the restaurant in their large open spaces with high ceilings.
They now have an option to either join the club or not. Members will receive discounts on meals and use of banquet rooms… they have 7 of them.
They will soon have a full bar in which you can also dine in.
Ordered was the Mediterranean Chicken (see pic) for $ 12. It was prepared with angle hair pasta with garlic and fresh diced tomatoes. It had a very small amount of some sort of white cheese that did not have too much flavor. For the meal itself, it was flavorful and the chicken pieces were moist and plentiful.
One suggestion would be to add a bit of olive oil to the dish as it seamed a bit dry. Also substituting sun dried tomatoes for the fresh tomatoes would be better IMO.
This is an upscale restaurant, so dining in shorts and a t-​shirt would be out of place.
The staff are dressed in long sleeve white shirts and are very attentive to your needs.
The menu has a verity of salads, sandwiches, pasta and other main entrées and deserts

The Downtown Club is in one of Fresno’s oldest buildings, where the newspaper was once printed. As a matter of fact, the printing press is still there. Although closed for awhile, it is again open and doing a good business.
The room is beautiful, with amazing skylights and lots of wood. It definitely has an old club feel to it. The barroom is devoid of drink or furniture for now as the new owner awaits a liquor license, but this will probably be only short-​term.
The food is traditional men’s club, lots of meat dishes. There is fish, salads, and pasta, too.

The Downtown club is open again — membership not required. The food is still excellent. I had the charbroiled salmon which was both healthy and great tasting. The wait staff is great — many of the old faces. I met Nick Farid — the new owner — a charming man who was visiting tables making sure the dining experience was first class.
I will gladly go again.