Fire ravages Sam’s Hof Brau in Arden Arcade, a staple of Sacramento’s restaurant scene

Michael McGough
·1 min read

A fire caused major damage early Tuesday morning to Sam’s Hof Brau, a longtime staple of Sacramento County’s Arden Arcade neighborhood.

Crews responded around 3:30 a.m. to a two-alarm fire at the restaurant, located at the corner of Watt and El Camino avenues, Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District spokesman Capt. Parker Wilbourn said.

“The majority of the damage was pretty extensive,” Wilbourn said, including serious damage to the kitchen area and rear of the building.

Firefighters used chainsaws to ventilate smoke, heat and fire out of the roof of the building, Wilbourn said, which helped to save the Goodwill and Dollar Tree stores in the same building. The Goodwill store directly next door to the restaurant sustained some smoke damage.

A building worker sifts through the kitchen area of Sam’s Hof Brau on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Arden Arcade. The restaurant, a long time staple in the area, was heavily damaged in a two-alarm fire earlier in the morning.
A building worker sifts through the kitchen area of Sam’s Hof Brau on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Arden Arcade. The restaurant, a long time staple in the area, was heavily damaged in a two-alarm fire earlier in the morning.

Sam’s Hof Brau first opened at 2500 Watt Ave. in 1959, a product of late restaurateur Sam Gordon. After some changes over the years, ownership of the eatery returned to the Gordon family in 2017.

“It’s obviously a very sad day for the Arden Arcade community,” Wilbourn said.

No injuries were reported in the fire, Wilbourn said.