AJ’s Armenian Cuisine

My husband and I had lunch the other day. We both ordered the chicken k-​bob. It was delicious, as was the veggies, the rice and everything! My only reason for 4 stars is that I went to their website and printed the lunch menu. Unfortunately once we arrived it was apparent that they have raised the prices but not changed the online menu. That is just careless management. So be prepared if you look online before arriving. The prices are higher on everything compared to the online menu.

Nice family joint. We walked in and we’re immediately greeted and seated and beverage order taken. Restaurant was clean, tables were well stocked and we were treated well. Appetizer of hummus and red pepper dip came out promptly and was super tasty and served with yummy pocket bread. Food portions were not too big, not too small and we’re fantastic tasting. Restroom was very clean and smelled lovely. Parking was a big of a downer because it is in a small shopping area. Will return when in the area. Thank you :)

Visited for the first time tonight. Service was wonderful… fast, friendly and efficient. The food was delicious. I had chicken. My husband had lamb. Both were cooked perfectly. Really enjoyed the grilled veggies, too. Would highly recommend.

I love this small, cozy place. Very friendly wait-​staff and delicious food.

What a nice find. Ordered lamb shanks and fattoush salad with chicken. The lamb was perfectly cooked: tender, moist, and falling off the bone. The salad, however, was the star. Moist, flavorful chicken — hard to do with chicken breast — cucumber chunks, red onion, toasted pita croutons tossed with romaine and dressed with a simple yet delicious vinaigrette. We don’t get to Fresno very often, but we will probably come back to AJ’s next time, too.

Food was phenomenal! The only exception was the severely overdressed salad, and the rice pilaf was unlike any I’ve ever had, also it was flavorless… however… I’m telling you the chicken, was so moist! The roasted veggies were so yummy, oxymoron… veggies= yummy… say what… We loved it. We shared a sampler of the apps everything was perfect. But did I mention the chicken? Omg, the person who said it was life changing was right! I drove an hour to eat here and it was worth the gas!
The service… ugh…Not so much. We were seated all the way in the back, we didn’t have a single person speak or service us for over 20 minutes, when Cleary they saw us. It made us very uncomfortable actually, as we had a a party of 5 and 2 of which are African Americans, and we were getting very odd and very longgg stares from the other patrons. Our waitress was dry, seemingly inconvenienced to wait on us, and always hurried away.
The food was so great, I’m willing, as are the people in my party, to give it another chance. Hopefully, the service. An catch up to the quality of that life changing CHICKEN!

Great tasting food!
I got the chicken kabob. Life changing. By far the best, most authentic Armenian cuisine in Fresno.

I love AJ’s! The food is always delicious! I usually ordered the chicken plate. The service is excellent. I highly recommend!

I love Mediterranean food. And I am sure there are Mediterranean restaurants here in the valley that are really good and I haven’t tried them… yet. But of the dozen or so I have sampled, AJ’s is easily in the top two.
Friday lunch, we were seated almost immediately. Service was excellent. The pilaf was light and delicious, the vegetables cooked but not soggy, but the lamb — the lamb was fantastic. I had the shish lunch, with tender, lean marinated lamb chunks, and I enjoyed it immensely. And then one of my friends gave me one of their lamb riblets… incredible! I will be back again, and soon — and enjoy a plate of riblets all to myself!

I love this place I am a truck driver from Los Angeles And every time I’m in the area. AJ’s it’s the place to eat for me. Highly recommend

Every time I am in Fresno for a visit with family, we make it a priority to eat at AJ’s. We are Armenian and can be brutally critical when it comes to Armenian restaurants, but we love this place. The shish is excellent and the bulgar pilaf is almost as good as my father’s. Try the yalanchi and other appetizers too. Enjoy!

The dressing on the fattoush salad is crave-​worthy. Grilled chicken is moist and flavorful. I went from dining in to also taking home meals. (This is popular for local families.) Fantastic menu choices. Friendly, efficient service. Clearly a local favorite. Great vibe. A colleague who regularly dines at The French Laundry and other Michelin Star restaurants said he thinks the food at AJ’s is the best in CA based on flavor, creativity and quality of ingredients.

Have had dinner a AJ’s a number of times and never disappointed.
The lamb dishes are excellent, salads have nice dressing and very
generous servings, always.

The food they serve you is the same as if you were sitting at their kitchen table it’s cooked to order always fresh and the salad is made with generous slices of cucumber and tomatoes and their house dressing is delicious. No need to eat at any other Mediterranean or Armenian restaurant this place is a winner!

It was our first time eating Armenian food. It tasted like a fusion of the regional cuisines, with especially noticeable Greek, Lebanese, and Persian. We tried the four appetizer sampler, the Lulu and the lamb shish, followed by a watery yogurt called than. It was all very delicious. Together with the pleasant service, cleanliness, and dog-​friendly outdoor dining space, this restaurant deserves a full five-​star rating.

An easily overlooked, underrated restaurant that serves very well-​executed Armenian cuisine. The space is large, pleasantly peaceful, and feels ever-​so-​slightly formal. This is a great option if you have 15 extra minutes to burn and you want to return to work feeling more relaxed and rejuvenated than you would getting something on the fly.
Everything on the menu is good. The chef here is not just reproducing family recipes, but is managing to be creative and innovative in this genre. Their specials are always solid and the service is friendly and capable.
A great place to bring your parents.

This is my favorite restaurant of all time. Being half Armenian I know the quality of yummy Armenian food vs. the Americanized stuff they try to pull. I am very picky with my Armenian food since I have high expectations because of my grandma. I came here for the first time years ago because my cousin had told me about it. AJ’s is my first choice for Armenian food hands down!
The service here is so sweet & welcoming. Very helpful & attentive. Consistently makes sure you are okay & refills your waters. They greet you with pita breed. Make sure you get their hummus for the pita bread because it’s the most delicious hummus ever. I have 2 white friends who had never tried Armenian food & they were so impressed one of them & myself went back a couple weeks later! My old boss was Armenian like me & she had never had it before. I told her about how it was the best food. That weekend, her & her husband went for the first time now she said she is hooked. She even bought my coworkers & I it one random day just because! My other coworker is the world’s pickiest eater you will ever meet & he even said this is one of his favorite places to eat!
My favorite is their Yalanchi. Again, I am very familiar with how I know Yalanchi should taste. I can’t explain their spices other than you just have to try it. Chicken kebab is my favorite dish & their vegetables are grilled to perfection. I always get double vegetables because they put a seasoning on here that is so great.
You’re not coming here for the atmosphere. I wouldn’t consider it a hole in the wall restaurant because I feel like it is a very popular place to go in Fresno. It’s a very simple, comfortable restaurant with white walls. You can go very casual here. I have seen people on their lunch breaks with suits vs. the people in jeans & a t-​shirt.
If you know anyone who has never had Armenian food or just to go somewhere different, AJ’s is the absolute best!

Large place. Nice patio. Friendly service.
Chicken and lulu sandwiches were quite good. Meat was plentiful, juicy and tender. Veggies fresh. Only thing missing was some kind of sauce to bring it all together. Hummus and dolma tasted fresh.

I ordered the lulu kebob lunch and a small order of hummus to go. It came with two pita breads as well as grilled vegetables and rice pilaf. I had to restrain myself from eating on the drive home! It smelled amazing and tasted even better. The kebobs were juicy and quite big. The pilaf was perfectly cooked, pita bread was warm, and the hummus was perfect. So glad I decided to stop by.

A client requested to come here for lunch, and I don’t have much experience with Armenian food, but I really liked this place!
The food was the star of the experience naturally. I order the Lulu after seeing Unilocalers rant and rave about it. It was a bit dry/​overdone but pretty well seasoned. I’ll definitely spring for the chicken next time. Their portions are perfect though, I did the half bulgur and half pilaf with veggies which was all terrific. They offer free, warm pita bread as an appetizer which was nice. The Fettoush salad was beautiful! I think I’m going to get that next time. Their tomatoes looked garden grown, with that lovely sweet vinaigrette they use, toasted pita chips and chunks of seasoned chicken on top. My boss got the special which was the Mante (or Armenian Ravioli) with a yogurt sauce. That was delicious too! The beef in those was also a bit overdone too though.
The location is great (minus the parking situation — though they were pretty crowded), and their patio looks gorgeous. I’d like to eat out there next time. I liked the low noise level too. It’s so rare to find these days. Their prices seem pretty comparable to the other Armenian venues I’ve been to (and for lunch spots in general). The only real complaint I had was the service was lacking a bit. It took awhile for us to get our food and some drink refills.
Other than that, I look forward to going back! Very good!