DD Karabakh Farmers Market

DD Karabakh Farmers Market - Armenian Market/Restaurant

DD Karabakh Farmers Market is a large Armenian/Middle Eastern/Russian Market located at 5030 N First St, in Fresno. (You will find it at the corner of First and Shaw behind the Chevron station in a former nightclub.) 

The photograph above and below show the spacious floor plan from the former disco. The Market has lots of goods and wide, clean aisles.

On a Saturday the market had a constant stream of customers with large orders. Chefs were clearly busy with family-style catering orders. The Restaurant is a side business. You order at the deli counter in the rear of the store (below). 

The market is filled with staples used in Armenian, Russian, Georgian, and Middle Eastern cooking.

There is a large selection of cured meats, dairy products, grains, produce, baked goods, and regional specialties such as a variety of olives, olive oil, pickled products, smoked fish, and more.

I ordered with my two companions from the counter. We ordered the falafel plate, beef lula kebab plate, and lamb rack plate. The beef and lamb plates came with yellow (tumeric) pilaf, hummus, and dill flavored yogurt sauce. Salad can be substituted for the hummus but you must ask for the substitution. The default is hummus. The falafel plate was not on the posted menu boards but on a "NEW!" sign at the entrance.

We also ordered three additional pastry items at the register. A khachapuri (flaky Georgian cheese pastry), a potato perashki, and a beef perashki (Russian stuffed dough) The major seasoning for both the potato and beef perashkis is mint.

Perashkis at the top and Khachapuri below

The food is cooked to order and takes at least 15 minutes to prepare. If you are in a rush you should call ahead. This is not fast food: it is home cooked food.

Lamb Rack Plate

Falafel Plate

Lula Kebab Plate

The food is standard Fresno Armenian food, plus regional specialties from Georgia, Russia, and the neighboring Arabic countries. Having lunch alone or with the family while shopping makes it a different experience. Our lunch for three, including drinks and the three extra pastries, came to $33.16. No tips are required as the restaurant is a side, self-serve arm of the large Market. Remember to grab your drinks from the cooler on the way out to the patio, and make sure to ask someone at the counter to open any Mexican soft drinks (they do not have screw tops).

Covered Outdoor Seating