Eliza’s is a Chinese restaurant on California Street in Lower Pacific Heights, serving Mandarin and Hunan dishes in big portions at round glass-topped tables. The Sung family has run it since 1999.
Temporarily closed: A fire in the church next door in June 2026 damaged the restaurant, and the owners have been repairing it and replacing the kitchen equipment. They planned to reopen in early November, so please call before you go.
What to order
The menu is known for the sunflower beef with enoki mushrooms, spicy eggplant, Hunan lamb, kung pao prawns and a celery salad with pickled ginger and sesame oil. Peking duck is served Friday through Sunday, or until it sells out.
A family restaurant
Jan Sung and her husband, chef Ping Sung, opened the family’s first Eliza’s on Oak Street in Civic Center in 1988. A second location ran on 18th Street in Potrero Hill from 1994 to 2009, and the California Street restaurant opened in 1999. It was named one of the city’s best new restaurants the following year. Jan and Ping have since retired, and Jan’s sisters, including Betty Leung, run the restaurant. The glass sculptures and blocks that decorate the dining room are part of its look.
