How Long Does a Divisadero Storefront Stay Dark After a Fire?

This summer, two Divisadero kitchens caught fire about two weeks apart, a block from each other. By October, one of them, Che Fico, had a reopening date and reservations open. The other, The Mill, still had no public timeline. At Divisadero and McAllister, a corner storefront that went dark after a fire in 2022 is only now getting a new tenant.

This fall's new arrivals mostly moved into spaces that were ready to use: a hotel dining room, a rebranded bistro, a back patio. The storefronts damaged by fire have recovered on their own, much slower schedule, and that schedule has done more to shape the corridor than any single opening.

Che Fico sets a date four months out

The first fire started in mid-June near McAllister Street. The San Francisco Chronicle's July follow-up reported that, according to the fire department, flames started in an oven flue at Foghorn Taproom and spread next door to Che Fico's roof, causing significant damage. The same story said a family-owned natural foods grocery and a boba shop nearby were evacuated and temporarily closed while firefighters worked from the rooftop. No one was injured, and the building was saved.

On Oct. 3, the Chronicle reported that Che Fico would reopen at 838 Divisadero on Oct. 18 and was already taking reservations. Che Fico's own site listed the same date for its official reopening. From fire to scheduled reopening took about four months. That is the fast end of what this street has seen.

If you've lived around here for a while, one detail has changed since the last time Che Fico was in the news. The downstairs Alimentari was set to close in May 2024, and SFist reported at the time that the space would switch to a Che Fico To-Go counter and private dining. By the time of this year's fire, the restaurant was one operation, not two.

The Mill, a block away and still closed

The second fire broke out around 2:30 a.m. on June 29. According to the Chronicle, a Divisadero bartender heading home after a shift saw smoke around The Mill. Firefighters arrived three minutes later and found the fire in the back of the building. They kept it from spreading to the neighboring homes and businesses. The fire department said the two fires were unrelated, and both started as accidental oven fires.

The Mill at 736 Divisadero is where Four Barrel Coffee and Josey Baker Bread share a café, so one fire closed two of the street's best-known names at once. SFGATE reported the day of the fire that the café would be closed until further notice. By mid-July, the Chronicle reported that The Mill and Che Fico both planned to rebuild. Josey Baker had moved his baking to another location for now, but neither business had announced when it would reopen. Since then, The Mill hasn't announced a reopening date, while Che Fico has set its return for Oct. 18.

The Chronicle reported that neighbors were still rattled weeks after the two fires, and that the closures had brought economic hardship for local merchants along with a strong show of community. The same article noted that the century-old wooden buildings here sit close together, which is why one kitchen fire can affect the whole block.

The four-year version, at the same corner

The slow end of the range is near where the Che Fico fire started. In 2022, an apartment fire upstairs at Divisadero and McAllister sent water down into Oasis Cafe at 901 Divisadero. The longtime neighborhood café and Eritrean and Ethiopian restaurant closed, and the storefront has been empty ever since. Gazetteer SF reported on Sept. 29 that a new coffee shop, Cafe MD, will open there "in the coming months." The old Oasis sign, "The Best Coffee Made One Cup At A Time!", was still hanging in the window.

The same report said Kava Lounge next door was also damaged in that fire and is still vacant. A week after the Oasis fire, another fire hit 244 Divisadero at Haight and closed Phuket Thai, a restaurant that had been there for 35 years. That building is still empty. Gazetteer summed it up: "Fires, in many ways, have defined the ebb and flow of Divisadero Street in recent years."

Here's the status of each fire-damaged storefront as of mid-October 2026:

Of the five, only Che Fico has a reopening date within months of its fire. The other four have been dark for anywhere from about four months to roughly four years.

What opens quickly on Divisadero

This year's new arrivals have one thing in common. None of them had to rebuild a burned-out room to open.

Esme opened in June at 311 Divisadero, in the Metro Hotel. It's a French bistro, and Eater SF reviewed it on July 13. It took over an existing hotel dining space.

Divis Taqueria at 607 Divisadero is the same business that used to be Bistro La Chaumière. In early July it added Mexican street food to its French galettes and brunch and took a new name, according to SFist's July 9 report. Same space, same owners, a bigger menu.

Olive Juice at 354 Divisadero, on the Lower Haight end of the street, opened on its back patio before its indoor café was ready. The San Francisco Standard reported that the pop-up runs Thursday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., with the full café planned for 2027. The Standard's October openings list gave Oct. 8 as the start date. Olive Juice's site now says "Now Open." As the name suggests, olive oil goes into almost everything on the menu, including the espresso drinks and smoothies. The patio menu also has a rotating quiche, a dill-heavy egg salad sandwich and a Greek yogurt bowl with olive-oil granola.

So a hotel dining room, a rebrand and a patio pop-up all opened within weeks or months. Cafe MD's corner sat empty for four years before a new tenant was announced.

Two blocks of Fulton, one closing and one opening

The same pattern holds a few blocks off the main corridor, near USF. Lucky Supermarket at 1750 Fulton St. closed for good on Sept. 11. The Chronicle reported the closing date in August. Across the street at 1799 Fulton, Barista Coffee & Brunch is moving into the former Starbucks. KRON4 reported on Sept. 29 that it expects to open at the end of October or in early November. The coffee space is getting a new tenant quickly, which fits the pattern. There's been no word yet on what will replace the grocery store.

Your short list for the next few weeks

• Che Fico, 838 Divisadero: Reopening scheduled for Oct. 18, with reservations through its website.
• Olive Juice, 354 Divisadero: Patio pop-up open Thursday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Esme, 311 Divisadero: French bistro in the Metro Hotel, open since June.
• Divis Taqueria, 607 Divisadero: Galettes and brunch, now with Mexican street food.
• Barista Coffee & Brunch, 1799 Fulton: Expected late October or early November.
• Cafe MD, 901 Divisadero: Expected "in the coming months," with no date set.
• The Mill, 736 Divisadero: Closed since June 29, with no reopening date announced.

If you own a building on Divisadero, or you're thinking about buying one of the older mixed-use properties nearby, I'm glad to walk through how corner retail like this tends to change hands over time. I'm Greg Mundia with Mundia Real Estate, and you're welcome to reach out. Let's Connect.