When Vino Grille & Spirits closed last summer in northeast Fresno, its customers were heartbroken.

The large restaurant that served a niche of wine lovers citywide — including with its specialty wine store and wine club — left a hole in the Fresno food and drink scene.

But now a new restaurant is taking over the prime spot.

Oak Hill Wine + Bistro is a restaurant, bar and wine store that promises to be a home for wine lovers.

“It’s a great location,” said one of the partners, Brett Cardoza. “This area is a great area for a higher-level dining experience with wine.”

The restaurant’s owners are still working on the building and hope to open this spring.

The business is a partnership between several longtime restaurant industry people, including Cardoza and his wife, Stephanie. He worked in management at restaurants such as Yosemite Ranch and most recently was director of food and beverage at the Table Mountain Casino’s eight restaurants and its dining room that fed 600 employees daily.

Raul Gutierrez Jr. and his wife Jovanie Mauricio are also partners in the business. They own the Papi’s Mex Grill locations and grew up in the restaurant business.

Oak Hill’s menu will feature an array of small plates and appetizers, perfect for pairing with wine, as well as substantial entrees like steak.

Guests can anticipate offerings such as snow crab on toast or beef tartare (raw steak) on toast, according to Cardoza. There will also be charcuterie boards boasting local fruit and imported cheeses.

“Every item is prepared from scratch in our kitchen,” he stated. “We aim to source as locally as we possibly can.”

The venue will be open for both lunch and dinner services.

As for wine, expect more than the usual go-to options, Cardoza said.

“We want some specialty library wines that you can invest in, hold in your cellars if that’s what you like to do,” he said.

Oak Hill will have a range of wine, including from wineries in Paso Robles, Napa and elsewhere.

It will also have craft cocktails.

The large, former Vino Grille building will undergo some changes before it’s ready to reopen. A few renovations have been made to the building, including the separation of entrances for the wine store and the restaurant.

There also plans to install a louvered pergola that provides a cover for the front patio space. This covering is designed to shift and provide shade at different times of the day.

In addition to the structural changes, there will also be an introduction of new elements such as benches, planters, and greenery as well as communal spaces for conversations both inside and outside the building.

The site was previously occupied by Vino Grille & Spirits from 2017 to 2023. Prior to this, the business had been in various forms and locations, being run by Chuck and Jen Van Fleet. The business originated as a wine store back in 2006.

The Van Fleets sold Vino Grille in 2022. It closed less than a year later, its new owner citing recovering from COVID-19, labor shortages and the rising cost of food.