At Alla?s Armenian Restaurant and Deli, special recipes passed down in the family for over 150 years provide an authentic element. Alla?s offers great homemade food with affordable prices, making it a restaurant that is impossible to resist.

The restaurant was recently owned by Jonny Bedrosian, who owned Bedrosian’s Armenian Deli, but after years of serving the Fresno Metropolitan area, he decided to close down due to personal reasons.

Arthur Sargsyan bought the restaurant from Bedrosian and opened the it under a new name. Alla?s is becoming an icon in Fresno for traditional Armenian food and desserts. Since Bedrosian’s has closed and re-opened, Alla?s has hosted a larger customer flow.

The whole restaurant is currently under construction for remodeling, but Sargsyan still manages to keep his doors open with happy customers all the time.

At Alla?s, Sargsyan does not look at people as just customers. He does his best to make the clients feel at home and comfortable. While I was dining there, Sargsyan explained that it is not that the dish is homemade, but that the recipes are from generations ago. This is the detail that makes the food so interesting.

Upon entering the restaurant, I was very eager to try Armenian food. I once had eaten Armenian food in England, from which I had got food poisoning. But, little did I know, I was in for a tasty delectable treat at Alla’s.

After a prompt seating and a greeting from the waiter, I was faced with the tough decision as to which entree I would choose. I was amazed by the many traditional appetizers, so I decided to order an entree of losh kebab — a popular dish, traditionally served in most Armenian restaurants. My brother chose the lamb koofta. In addition to our main dishes, we ordered yalachi, which is a vegetable-based appetizer.

While we waited for our food, the waiter brought out seasoned pita chips with hummus. These chips were not the ordinary store-bought pita chips; it was clear that they were homemade.

Next we were served our dinner salad, which, with its combination of fresh vinaigrette and ice-cold vegetables, made it extremely refreshing. The salad dressing was the best component of this starter. The vinaigrette contained freshly-squeezed pomegranate juice and red wine. The dish didn’t just taste spectacular, but was matched with fabulous presentation.

Following our starter dish was the entree, which was, indeed, different. The losh kebab which was tasty and spicy. The dish was a traditional meatball marina plate with pilaf and Bulgur rice. The meatballs were tender and delicious, and the seasoning that was used made it even better. I wish more were served than just three because they were a little bit small.

Although the sauce was tasty, I seemed like it was canned, and reminded me of the spaghetti sauce customers can buy at the store. I can’t complain about the rice pilaf. It was buttery and a little crispy, just as I like it. The Bulgur rice was equally satisfying, with its bits of vegetables and parsley in the mix.

After enjoying the main dish, our waiter approached, asking us if we like yogurt. Hesitantly, we responded with a yes. He explained that at Alla’s Armenian Restaurant and Deli, they have a secret family yogurt recipe, unlike any other.

He further explained that people all over the state come into to his restaurant to order these by the jars. I decided to try it, and I was a convinced this was the most sour yogurt in the world, while I like plain yogurt. It was rather inexpensive at $8.95 a jar, though I wouldn’t recommend it to someone if they had no desire to taste something so sour.

Two people can order two entrees, salad, pita chips with hummus and yalanchi all for $21.95. The prices for a regular dinner at Alla’s is economical compared to many other Armenian restaurants here in Fresno. The losh kebab was $9.95 and the koofta combination was $11.95. The aspect that brought home the winning touch for All’s was that the server had a smile on his face all the time.

Alla’s Armenian Restaurant and Deli offers a vast amount of traditional Armenian food and great customer service for those who look for it. I can truly say that Sargsyan knows what he is doing when it comes to serving high quality Armenian food. I applaud Alla’s for their hard work and dedication to their new restaurant that serves awesome food.

Alla’s Armenian Restaurant and Deli is located on 3051 E. Ashlan Ave Fresno, 93726. To contact them, call 559.221.1161.

For more food reviews, read the Dec. 7 article, Castillo’s dishes up consistency, authenticity.