FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE) – The moment you step inside Elbow Room Bar and Grill, you’ll appreciate the legacy of one of Fresno’s finest restaurants.
Elbow Room has been a favorite with locals since 1955, when it was a converted house near Palm and McKinley. From there, it moved north to Shaw Avenue in the 1970s, but it settled into its Fig Garden Village location in 1997.
“When we moved into this space, we decided surreptitiously, sort of to photograph a number of the regular customers who were in, you know, many days a week at the old location,” said Mike Shirinian, owner of the Elbow Room Bar and Grill.
When Shirinian took over in 1994, he had those photos created into murals around the restaurant. Look closely at those murals and you may notice some famous faces, including Jerry Tarkanian. The former Fresno State Men’s Basketball coach would often drop by…