Eliza's Restaurant plans to reopen in early November after water from a fire at the neighboring church damaged the California Street building and forced the Chinese restaurant to close. The fire did not reach the restaurant, but it affected both the business and the Sung family’s apartment above it. Firefighters dragged hoses through the family's apartment as they battled the blaze.
The trouble started on June 29, 2026, when a three-alarm fire tore through the historic San Francisco Central Seventh-day Adventist Church in Lower Pacific Heights, according to the Central California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. The fire triggered a shelter-in-place order for nearby residents, and more than 100 firefighters responded to the blaze, according to NBC Bay Area. Crews used as much as 1 million gallons of water battling the flames, per KTVU.
Flames Next Door, Flooding Inside
Water from the church fire seeped through the Sung family's apartment above Eliza's and into the dining room and kitchen below. Jan Sung, who ran the restaurant with her husband Ping before their retirement about a decade ago, lives in the apartment above the business her sisters now operate.
The restaurant owners safely evacuated with an infant, but their apartment sustained significant water damage, according to the same NBC Bay Area account. The building was later yellow-tagged, meaning it was unsafe to occupy until repairs were completed, per the KTVU report. Water, smoke and electrical damage also meant replacing the restaurant's appliances.
A Family Restaurant With Deep Roots
Eliza's opened on Oak Street in Civic Center in 1988. The Sung family later closed that location; the California Street outpost opened in 2000. They also operated an Eliza's on 18th Street in Potrero Hill, closing that branch in 2009 to focus on California Street, according to a 2009 SFGate report. Ping Sung designed the California Street restaurant's interior, including its art glass, some of which survived the fire.
Eliza's menu includes Peking duck, served Friday through Sunday or until sold out.
Counting Down to Reopening
Replacing the restaurant's appliances is part of the work ahead of reopening. Replacement equipment was due to arrive the week after the fire's aftermath was reported, according to restaurant staff.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported the restaurant's planned reopening. The cause of the church fire remains under investigation, according to the conference's statement. NBC Bay Area reported that investigators were considering whether it might be connected to a renovation project at the church. Eliza's is working to restore the restaurant and the family's home above it.
When the fire report may be ready
The San Francisco Fire Department says investigation reports can take weeks or months to complete, depending on the incident's complexity. The department does not give a specific timeline for the report on the church fire.
