Pacifica to lose Vallemar Station, another community fixture

With family health stressors and property ownership challenges, Denise Ash, who currently runs the restaurant and is the daughter of the original owners, said she can’t continue operations anymore, which had been suffering for a while.

“The first 15-20 years were great, but then, especially after COVID ... it never really came back,” she said.

Ash first announced the potential closure a few months ago but, due to a tentative property purchase, the exact date was unknown until now.

The restaurant is known for its made-from-scratch menu, which encompasses everything from sauces and salad dressing to its famous prime rib dish and popular crab cakes. The busy, aromatic kitchen will be missed, but Ash said she’ll miss the community, including longtime regulars, even more.

“We have a lot of people who have been coming here for 30 years. We watched them come in when they were babies and then come in now, and they’re drinking,” she said.

Ash added that others in the community, including the Gust family — which owns Nick’s Seafood restaurant at Rockaway Beach — has also stepped in and helped support the business.

Pacifica residents have also dealt with the emergency demolition of the long-standing pier due to structural damage, which included the Chit Chat Cafe. Ash said such losses are especially hard in small towns like Pacifica.

“Pacifica is one of the hardest places to have a small business,” she said. “Pretty soon you won’t see many mom-and-pop places anymore.”

Pacifica resident Sue Fenstermaker has been going to Vallemar Station one to two times a month and said she enjoys not just the food but also the historical photos and ambiance.

“I think it’s upsetting for residents to see these popular places go,” she said.