Damis-Salaam Abdul K

It was the beginning of a six-​week «vacation» (not really) in Fresno. I was living by myself in a one-​bedroom apartment with no furniture, little food, a small fan, and a broken air conditioner. I didn’t know many people and I certainly didn’t know what to do with myself on the weekends. What’s a girl to do? Call her parents, of course.
And my parents came to the rescue! Armed with groceries, towels, bath mats, and a fan, they rode in on their white horse (well, it’s an off-​white, on-​its-​last-​legs Infiniti) to help me. Not only that, they had randomly met a woman at the Winco in Stockton whose uncle owned a seafood place in Fresno. She insisted that it was good, so my parents insisted that we go. («We have to feed your dad…»)
Salaam’s is located in Chinatown in downtown Fresno, right about where the area starts looking a little shady. In fact, when we first walked into Salaam’s, we weren’t that impressed by the looks. The restaurant looks a little dingy, a little dirty. Vinyl seat booths, definitely a little older. We weren’t sure about the place, but since we were already there and we had to feed my dad, might as well.
It turned out to be the best decision. Salaam’s serves Southern-​style deep-​fried battered fish – catfish, snapper, prawns, some fish tacos, etc., with typical Southern-​style sides. The owner, upon hearing who we had been referred by, was very friendly and attentive – not that I think he wouldn’t have been, anyway. That’s just the style there. The employees have a very homey, hospitable attitude. And because it was our first visit there, free lemonade!
The food there belies the restaurant’s outward appearance. It’s incredibly flavorful, well-​cooked, and filling. In fact, we had leftovers. The prawns are HUGE and tasty. Macaroni and cheese is fantastic, as was the lemonade and the other sides my parents had. We were so full, but couldn’t stop eating, because it was so good.
As another reviewer has stated, this place is really a diamond in the rough, a great hole-​in-​the-​wall find in downtown Fresno. Though I’m back in San Diego now, I still do occasionall crave some deep-​fried catfish from Salaam’s.

This is a bit of a long but happy story about Salaams Seafood Restaurant. My wife and I were food shopping and we met a lady who was shopping for her daughter. As it so happened we were doing the same thing.
We chatted briefly before mentioning we were on our way to Fresno and the lady mentioned she knew a great place to eat in old China Town.
So we wrote down the directions and left for a two hour drive to Fresno. Upon arriving we picked up our daughter and headed to Salaam’s for lunch.
Fresno’s historic China Town is a few blocks from Grizzlies Stadium and is a bit of a ghost town. We found Salaam’s on the south side of the street, parked in front and walked in.
We were greeted by the owner who was very courteous and helpful. We decided to order 3 different Salaam Catch of the day plates. Catfish, Red Snapper and Tilapia all deep fried in herb batter.
Our choice of sides and were Yams, Coleslaw, and Mac ‘n Cheese. For drinks we had very tasty homemade lemonade and ice tea.
The food and service was outstanding. If you are in the neighborhood, hungry and interested in checking out a unique family owned southern style restaurant with excellent food and service, stop by Salaam’s for lunch.
Did I say the giant prawns were the best?