Though popular Vietnamese spot Sunflower remains closed in their prime corner location at Valencia and 16th the team, who still has another restaurant on Potrero Hill, remains cagey about why it abruptly closed in September or if it will ever reopen they've just opened a new restaurant right next door, in the former Mariachi's space that's been vacant for several years. As Uptown Almanac reports, the place is pan-Asian, vegan, and it's called Indochine (508 Valencia Street).
The restaurant's About page says that they "bring traditional Korean dishes and make them vegan," but the only Korean items on the menu so far are a kimchi maki roll and a vegan version of bibimbap.
The place got a handsome remodel and just snuck open on Thanksgiving day, and vegans the city over will be clamoring to try dishes like lemongrass "chicken"; wok-fried spicy tofu with bell pepper, celery and chili; red and yellow curries; deep fried yam maki rolls; and vegan Mongolian Delight. All dishes are in the $5 to $12 range, which should also make them popular, and you can see the full menu here.
Meanwhile, SFist called the Potrero branch of Sunflower to see if there's any update on the space at 506 Valencia (which is also connected in back to another storefront at 3111 16th Street) and an employee there said she did not know if there were plans to reopen. Also, she said, she could not discuss why they closed.
Mission Mission commenter Susie, who claimed to represent the restaurant, noted earlier that the problem had to do with ADA compliance, which could stem from threats of litigation, or actual litigation, from local opportunist ADA enforcers who have also struck other nearby Mission businesses like Chile Lindo. Back in 2010, Chile Lindo owner Paula Tejeda told Inside Scoop and SF Weekly that "The entire Mission is being attacked by this same lawyer," referring to Thomas Frankovich and his disabled plaintiff Craig Yates, who at the time threatened Tejeda's landlord with $1,000 fines for every incident of lack of access to the restaurant because of a six-inch step required to enter the premises. She ultimately was able to resolve the situation and reopen after a brief closure.
ADA compliance measures in older buildings can sometimes require large sums and significant structural changes to resolve, and damage lawsuits can also get very expensive. This 2008 piece in the Chronicle details some of the controversy surrounding ADA enforcement, which is largely done via civil suits in California, and can come with fines of $4,000 per infraction.
The restaurant's rep suggests that Sunflower will, indeed, reopen at some point, after renovations are complete.
Indochine - 508 Valencia Street near 16th - Currently open 5 to 10 p.m., but it looks like it will be open 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and 10 p.m. on weekends
