Tacos El Gordo Opens on Ashlan Avenue
The locally owned Fresno restaurant, unaffiliated with the San Diego and Las Vegas chain, serves tacos, asada fries, and breakfast in a former BJ's Kountry Kitchen space.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Mexican Food
Tacos El Gordo opened in late September 2026 at 4065 E. Ashlan Ave. in Fresno, in the former location of BJ's Kountry Kitchen. The locally owned restaurant is not affiliated with the San Diego and Las Vegas Tacos El Gordo chain.
Why it matters
The restaurant grew out of a taco truck the owner ran for several years, and many customers followed him to the new location. Its breakfast offering reflects that customers still arrive expecting the breakfast the previous tenant served for more than 40 years.
The restaurant is open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily at 4065 E. Ashlan Ave., the former site of BJ's Kountry Kitchen, which served breakfast there for more than 40 years. The owner, who previously operated a taco truck at Chestnut and Gettysburg avenues, has not yet set a date for the planned earlier opening time or expanded breakfast menu.
The players
Moises Oropeza
Chef who previously cooked at Westwoods BBQ & Spice Co. and Sabor Cocina Latina & Bar before opening the Fresno restaurant.
Tacos El Gordo
Locally owned Fresno restaurant named after its owner, who was given the nickname El Gordo while working at Toledo's Mexican Restaurants locations, and not affiliated with the San Diego and Las Vegas chain.
The details
The menu includes tacos, asada fries, weekend menudo, sopes, breakfast burritos, and chilaquiles. Chef Moises Oropeza, who previously cooked at Westwoods BBQ & Spice Co. and Sabor Cocina Latina & Bar, opened the restaurant after leaving those jobs.
Timeline
Four or five years ago: the owner operated a taco truck named Tacos El Gordo.
Late September 2026: Tacos El Gordo opened on Ashlan Avenue in Fresno.
Weekends: the restaurant serves menudo.
Culture Shift
The move from the owner's Tacos El Gordo truck at Chestnut and Gettysburg avenues to a fixed Ashlan Avenue storefront follows a common path for Fresno taco operators who build a following on wheels before opening a restaurant. Customers who followed the truck to the new location show that the business's identity rests on its owner rather than on the chain of the same name in San Diego and Las Vegas.
Fresno diners who want breakfast at the Ashlan Avenue location can visit daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., since the restaurant has not yet moved to an earlier opening time. Customers who remember the former BJ's Kountry Kitchen breakfast should note that the menu now includes breakfast burritos and chilaquiles.
The takeaway
A neighborhood restaurant can carry a following from a food truck into a storefront when the owner's name, not a chain's brand, is what customers recognize. Anyone choosing where to eat on Ashlan Avenue can check the 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. hours before visiting.
Further reading
For more Fresno dining coverage, explore Mexican Food in the city.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Fresno Bee.
