Immigrant family opens new downtown Vallejo pizzeria

VALLEJO – An immigrant businessman has opened a new pizza restaurant in downtown Vallejo with a traditional menu of pizza, burgers and wings – and a few unique Indian-inspired pizzas.

The exciting promise of a new downtown restaurant has been growing for those who have noticed the window dressing and signs for Fusion Pizza at 414 Georgia St. Last week the neon “open” sign was finally glowing in the window. 

Business owner Sukchain Jit Singh immigrated to New York City from the Punjab region of India as a young man and immediately took on work at a pizza shop. In those days he was also a champion wrestler and he told the Vallejo Sun that the sport has taught him to be persistent in facing life’s challenges.

Singh came to California to join family members who helped him get started in the trucking industry, but his dream was to open a restaurant of his own. After putting aside money for eight years, Singh was finally able to purchase what was formerly the China Cafe and transform it.

Fusion Pizza uses fresh vegetables from the Vallejo farmers market to offer all the classic topping combinations as well as some of their signature options such as Chicken Curry Pizza and Chicken Tikka Pizza. Their wings come in a variety of flavors like lemon pepper, mango habanero, Louisiana rub. And yes they have Ranch dressing to accompany any pizza.

Fusion also offers burgers, salads, desserts and beer and wine. There is a vegan and vegetarian burger, a vegan pizza, and there is a gluten free pizza crust option as well as the choice of regular or thin crust.

The family-run business is planning a grand opening in the coming weeks once they get the finishing touches on the interior decorations and add new lighting to the spacious dining hall lined with comfortable semicircle booths that are perfect for large parties.

Singh’s nephew Gurlal Gill is closely involved in the restaurant along with other family members. Gill said that it took eight months to work their way through the city and county permitting process. 

Gill said that Vallejo city workers in the Planning and Development Department were very helpful but the building had plumbing issues and other code compliance details that had to be resolved before they could open. 

“It took some time but we resolved all the issues,” Gill said, proudly pointing to a city business permit and a county food service permit posted at the bar.    

The family looked at a number of locations in the Bay Area cities before deciding to locate their business in Vallejo. Gill said that they liked the location’s proximity to the waterfront and the diversity of the city, but they also felt that Vallejo had a unique history as a port town.

When the family decided to open in Vallejo some people warned them about the safety of the neighborhood but Gill said that they have had no problems in the time that they have been building out the restaurant. 

“We feel very comfortable here, people are kind hearted and supportive,” Gill said. “When we first opened everybody was curious, we served more than 200 people in the first few days.”

Gill said that the family is grateful for the support and they want to reciprocate. “You know at this time of inflation everybody wants good food at a decent price so we decided to use quality ingredients and keep our prices low,” he said.

Gill said that as in many cultures, sharing food has a special place in Sikh community and they feel fortunate to welcome Vallejoans to their new restaurant. 

“Businesses take time,” Gill said “We are new here but we are excited for the chance to learn and improve in Vallejo.”