Chef Neal Fraser is partnering up with his Fritzi team once again to open a new standalone restaurant at the Original Farmers Market. The entirely new concept is to be called El Granjero Cantina.
The new Mexican spot will fly under the Fritzi banner (as opposed to Redbird, which Neal and Amy Knoll Fraser also operate in partnership with the Sprout group), and features cooking from Fritzi executive chef Javier Escobedo. Expect casual Mexican fare along with alcohol in the former Ulysses Village space, which closed in 2018 after 16 years in business.
Amy Knoll Fraser confirmed the upcoming opening to Eater, saying that the restaurant is eyeballing a summer 2020 debut. Meanwhile Fritzi Coop continues to operate inside the market itself, as well as a second location at the Steelcraft development in Bellflower. As for the Original Farmers Market, changes have been slowly coming to the property for several years now, including a changing of some of the old guard stands as well as a new British pub from chef Brendan Collins called Market Tavern opening early this year.