Irma’s Pampanga Becomes a Legacy Business After Three Decades in the Mission

For more than three decades, Irma’s Pampanga Restaurant has been where San Franciscans go for Filipino food, not only in the Mission but from across the city. This June, that role became official: the San Francisco Small Business Commission named it a Legacy Business, on a nomination from District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder.

Behind the restaurant is Irma Chingcuangco, who opened its doors in 1990. She told the Commission how she got there. “More than thirty years ago, I came to this country with very little. I was a single mother trying to rebuild my life and create a future for my children,” she said during the nomination hearing. “During one of the most difficult periods of my life, I was given an opportunity through a women’s shelter program to start a small business. I took that opportunity and built Irma’s Pampanga Restaurant.”

And she built something that lasted. The restaurant has weathered a fire that destroyed its first location, more than one economic downturn, and a pandemic, staying open through all of it. Along the way it became more than a place to eat. Customers who first came in as children now bring their own kids. Cooks and servers who got their start in Irma’s kitchen have gone on to careers in the industry, and a few have opened restaurants of their own.

The Legacy Business designation honors that kind of staying power, and it brings real support. Through San Francisco’s Legacy Business Program, registered businesses gain marketing and promotion, including a place on the citywide Legacy Business map, features across the Office of Small Business’s social channels, and inclusion in self-guided Legacy Walks. They also receive hands-on business assistance, from grant applications and lease negotiations to zoning and succession planning, along with access to grants like the Business Stabilization Grant, which encourages landlords to offer long-term leases. 

Irma went through the process with help from two MEDA colleagues: Lupe Mercado, Program Manager for Preservation in the Community Real Estate program, and Felipe Tuyub, Mission Corridor Specialist and Business Coach in Business Development. MEDA acquired the building, one of its small sites properties, in late 2024, with the aim of keeping longtime residents housed and small businesses rooted in their commercial spaces.

For Irma, that stability has changed how it feels to run the place. “I don’t feel stressed out like I was before MEDA acquired the building. I don’t feel under pressure,” she says. “MEDA understands this business is very important, and something good for the community.”

Same corner, same kitchen, same welcome since 1990. Come hungry. 2901 16th Street