Feeling hungry? Well, the Owlet staff has a few restaurant suggestions to check out.

Libelula Fresno 

by Aris Cookson

When people walk into Libelula in Downtown Fresno the owners want it to feel like a comfortable place in the neighborhood. There are many wall decorations and paintings made by locals all around the city. They pride themselves on being a warm and welcoming space for everyone, even animals! There are both indoor and outdoor seating to enjoy the weather outside under an umbrella or the inside where you can enjoy all the local art. The portion sizes are large, and you will defiantly have delicious leftovers to take home! All ingredients are local and fresh, and the bread is made from scratch. They have their own homemade sauces to pair with the popular tater tots. Also, if you need a sweet treat after or before, there is a bakery connected to it as well! The restaurant is a family-owned business, run by a couple, with their daughters also working alongside them in the bakery. 

They have a wide variety of food options, they can accommodate to your dietary needs whether your gluten free, lactose intolerant, vegetarian, or vegan they have you covered. There are asterisks next to food items, one means they can accommodate to make it vegetarian and two means they can make it vegan! Also, they have highlighted items which are or can be made gluten free. My personal favorite item is the Spicy Thai Mac n Cheese which is $16. The Thai Mac is a creamy cheddar mac n cheese spiced with red Thai curry, ghost pepper jack cheese, their homemade kimchi and topped with crunchy tater tot bits. Also, they have weekly specials written behind the front counter as well as weekly house made flavored waters. My server Sandra is great at doing her job. She always makes sure everyone has what they need and constantly checks up. There are only two servers but one is also the co-owner meaning that she constantly must do other work. When Sandra is unable to serve others due to her being busy, the owner and others in the kitchen come out to make sure everyone has their food when it is hot and ready. 

One negative aspect of the restaurant is the parking. Since it is downtown Fresno there is paid parking and parking meters instead of parking freely. Also, the AC unit is only facing the middle of the dining area so it can be hot around the rest of the perimeter. Overall, Libelula Fresno is a welcoming place that you should definitely try when you have the chance!