Margarita Monday — $6 House Blended — Lindsay only Cinco de Mayo Monday — $10 plates all day Mother's Day Brunch Buffet — Sunday May 10 Closed every Tuesday Margarita Monday — $6 House Blended — Lindsay only Cinco de Mayo Monday — $10 plates all day Mother's Day Brunch Buffet — Sunday May 10 Closed every Tuesday
Chicken enchiladas in our signature red sauce
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No. 01
★ Tulare County · 36.2°N 119.1°W
China's Alley

Grandma's recipes,
still on Sweetbrier.

Founded by Nofie "Grandma China" Garcia in 1943. Now in its third generation. Same red sauce. Same kitchen. Same family.

The Menu → Call to Order
★ 4.4 · 556 Reviews · Mexican · Family Owned
Today: 10 AM – 8 PM · Reservations · Catering · Full Bar
“

Her doctor — Dr. Bowen — owned the building. He told her to pay it off when she could. Grandma rolled tortillas by hand and named the place after the alley. That was 1943.

Ruben Gonzales · 3rd Generation Owner · ABC30 Dine & Dish
★ Specimens · Plates 01–06

Six dishes Lindsay grew up on.

Our menu runs sixty deep. These six are why people come back. Every recipe traces back to Grandma's kitchen — except the fried chicken, which came from Bell Johnson, an African-American cook who worked here in the 1940s. We never changed his recipe.

Heritage · 1943
Chile colorado
Plate No. 01

Chile Colorado

Beef · Red chile $15.95

Beef in our house red chile sauce. Grandma's recipe — unchanged since the day we opened.

★ Most Ordered
Carne asada tacos
Plate No. 02

Asada Tacos

Three · Corn tortilla $13.95

Grilled steak, pico de gallo, cilantro, onion. Simple, the way it should be.

Bell Johnson · 1940s
Slow-cooked fried chicken
Plate No. 03

Fried Chicken

Slow-cooked · Hand-breaded $14.95

The recipe Bell Johnson left us in the 1940s. Worth the wait.

— locals call it in 45 min ahead
Old School
Crispy fried tacos
Plate No. 04

Crispy Tacos

Ground beef · Cheddar $12.95

Fried golden, topped with lettuce and cheddar. Grandma's potato in the meat — that's why they taste like home.

Combo three-taco plate
Plate No. 05

Combo No. 4

Soft · Hard · Fried $14.95

Three-taco classic. Rice and beans on the side.

$6 Mondays
House blended margarita
Plate No. 06

House Margarita

Tequila · Fresh lime $5.00

Visalia drives in for these on Friday nights.

The Full Menu →
Fried chicken close-up
Exhibit · 1940s

The fried chicken
that takes 45 minutes.

An African-American cook named Bell Johnson developed the recipe in the 1940s. Slow-cooked, hand-breaded. Locals call ahead. We never changed it.

★ Three Truths

What makes us, us.

Every restaurant claims authenticity. We have receipts — three of them — that go back eighty-two years.

01

Potato in the meat.

"She'd put potato into the hamburger meat. That's how the food would go further." Grandma's depression-era trick became the reason every Valley family says our taco meat tastes like home.

Grandma Nofie's recipe
02

Bell's fried chicken.

In the 1940s, an African-American cook named Bell Johnson made the chicken. Slow-cooked, hand-breaded. Locals call ahead 45 minutes so they don't have to wait.

Bell Johnson's recipe
03

The Ruben Special.

3rd-gen owner Ruben Gonzales has added one dish to the menu in 30 years: tri-tip, beans and lettuce, served in a sea-shell-shaped fried tortilla. The only "new" item that earned its place.

Ruben's contribution
Catering tray
Exhibit · Tulare County

Lindsay's kitchen
since the citrus boom.

We opened in 1943 to feed the workers in the orange groves. Eighty-two years later, we're still feeding the Valley.

★ This Week

What's on right now.

★ Every Monday

Margarita Monday

$6

House blended margaritas — $6 all day. Lindsay only (Porterville is beer & wine).

Lindsay · Full Bar
★ Monday May 5

Cinco de Mayo

$10each

2 taco · 2 enchilada · or taco + enchilada combo. Chicken, ground beef, or shredded beef. $5 house margaritas.

All Day · Dine In Only
★ Sunday May 10

Mother's Day

Buffet

Celebrate Mom the way she deserves. Brunch buffet at both locations — call to reserve a table.

Reservations Recommended
★ Two Kitchens

Find us. We've been here.

Walk-ins always welcome. Reservations recommended for parties of six or more — give us a call and we'll set the room up right.

Lindsay ★ Full Bar
★ The Original · Since 1943

Lindsay

Where Grandma started — same kitchen, same red sauce, same family.

Address
170 N Sweetbrier Ave
Lindsay, CA 93247
Phone
(559) 562-4899
Today
10 AM – 8 PM
Call Directions
Porterville Beer & Wine
★ Second Home · Beer & Wine

Porterville

Same family, opened in the '90s on Henderson Avenue.

Address
1377 W Henderson Ave
Porterville, CA 93257
Phone
(559) 782-3615
Today
10 AM – 8 PM
Call Directions
★ Word of Mouth

★★★★★ 4.4 stars · 556 reviews.

Eighty-two years of regulars. Here's what they're saying.

★★★★★

This place in my opinion has always been the best Mexican restaurant in Lindsay and still is. The food and service were both superb.

Joe Rickman Google
★★★★★

Local, family owned and run. Very friendly and fun experience with a close-knit environment. Always a good time at this restaurant and bar.

Paul Arellano Google
★★★★★

My go-to for fried chicken, chicken enchiladas and mole — who needs to go to a wedding for that? The staff is super great.

Frances Mann Google
★★★★★

I have been coming to this restaurant for years, since I was a child with my parents — and now I bring my own family here.

DeeDee D. Google
★★★★★

The owner makes a mean margarita. Always packed on Friday nights and you can see why — it's the real deal in Lindsay.

Frank Trejo Yelp
★★★★★

Been coming here for 30+ years. The chile verde and red enchiladas are exactly the same as they were when I was a kid. That's the magic.

Charles W. Google
★ Lindsay · Since 1943 ★

Come hungry.
We'll feed you right.

Walk-ins welcome. Reservations for parties of six or more. Catering for the whole Valley.

Call Lindsay Call Porterville