Chef-owner David Nayfeld stands for a portrait at Che Fico Pizzeria on October 1, 2024 in San Francisco, Calif. Nayfeld said the acclaimed San Francisco restaurant was significantly damaged in a Thursday fire near Alamo Square. No injuries were reported, and Nayfeld said the restaurant will rebuild while focusing first on employees.
Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle
Che Fico, one of San Francisco’s best-known restaurants, sustained significant damage in a Thursday fire on Divisadero Street, co-owner David Nayfeld said, while pledging that the restaurant will rebuild and reopen.
No injuries were reported in the blaze, which broke out Thursday afternoon on a tightly packed block near Alamo Square.
“There were no injuries,” Nayfeld wrote in an Instagram post Friday. “We sustained significant damage but, thanks to the @sffdpio the building was saved.”
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The San Francisco Fire Department responded just after 3:30 p.m. Thursday to a fire initially reported at 838 Divisadero St., the address of Che Fico, Fire Lt. Mariano Elias told the Chronicle.
Elias later said the fire started next door in the chimney of Foghorn Taproom, at 846 Divisadero St. The cause of the fire and the full extent of the damage were not immediately clear.
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In a short video clip posted to Instagram, a visibly distraught Nayfeld said Che Fico’s staff had followed evacuation drills and that “everybody is OK.”
“Our team followed all our evacuation drills we had been practicing,” he said.
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David Nayfeld, co-owner and executive chef at Che Fico, and daughter Helena are seen in the kitchen before dinner service in San Francisco, Calif. Friday, July 8, 2022.
Stephen Lam/The Chronicle
He praised the Fire Department response, saying firefighters saved the building.
“They were incredible,” Nayfeld said.
The fire was contained by about 4:15 p.m. Thursday, Elias said. Traffic was closed between McAllister and Fulton streets during the response. The fire was visible from Alamo Square Park, and firefighters were seen working from the roofs of Che Fico and neighboring Foghorn Taproom.
Che Fico, a California-Italian restaurant known for handmade pastas, pizza and salumi, opened in 2018 and became one of the city’s most prominent dining destinations. The restaurant is led by Nayfeld and co-owner Matt Brewer.
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Nayfeld said the restaurant did not have a reopening timeline. For now, he said, the priority is caring for employees.
“We’re going to make sure our team is taken care of,” Nayfeld said. “This business is hard. It’s a bit soul-crushing sometimes. Every time that dining room is full… It’s worth it for that. But this is a hard day.”
He said other restaurants would help absorb employees while Che Fico is closed.
Mayor Daniel Lurie, District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood and Ned Segal, the city’s chief of housing and economic development, reached out after the fire, Nayfeld said. Mahmood’s district includes Alamo Square and NoPa.
“That meant so much in the moment that they had our back,” Nayfeld said, adding that he had also heard from “tons of neighbors and regulars.”
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Firefighters were visible on the roof of both Che Fico and neighboring Foghorn Taproom at around 4 p.m. Boba Guys is also located on that block, as is the hostel Let’s Be Buds.
Alyce McFadden/S.F. Chronicle
In his Instagram post, Nayfeld apologized to diners whose reservations or plans were disrupted and said the restaurant would be contacting them.
“For those of you that know us — know that we are no strangers to adversity,” he wrote. “We will rebuild and reopen better than before. We are committed to our team and our community.”
Nayfeld echoed that in the video.
“Che Fico is going to be rebuilt,” he said. “We’re going to be better than ever.”
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He said the support from customers and neighbors has helped sustain the team through the immediate aftermath.
“Our community is what makes Che Fico,” Nayfeld said. “That line outside the doors when we open is what brings brightness into our lives. … We will be back.”
Dining and Cooking