Local
Portola’s Imperial Garden to serve its final meal Dec. 31
The family-owned Chinese restaurant, a San Francisco Legacy Business, is closing after 31 years in the neighborhood. Owner Elaine Yen says declining restaurant visits and limited parking contributed to the decision.
Imperial Garden Seafood Restaurant, a longtime fixture in San Francisco’s Portola neighborhood, will close Dec. 31 after 31 years in business, owner Elaine Yen announced in September.
Yen’s father, Phong Yen, opened the restaurant in 1995 with her late mother, Elin Yen. The family’s Chinese American dream, Yen said, was to build a business that gave their children direction while meeting a need in the neighborhood.
The restaurant, known in the community as 德群, or duk kwan, has struggled since the pandemic. It has also been recognized as a San Francisco Legacy Business and is known for offering the city’s only vegan dim sum, according to Yen.
The property was sold in February. Although the restaurant had several years remaining on its lease, the new owners offered Yen the option to leave early because they have no long-term plans for a restaurant at the site. Yen said the family was not forced out and had no conflict with the new owners.
Instead, she cited a combination of pressures, including fewer people in the neighborhood dining out and a lack of parking. The closing will end a family-run business that served the Portola for more than three decades.