DUP assembly member for North Belfast Brian Kingston called it an “utterly appalling” attack.
He said the former church building had closed about five years ago.
“No-one wanted to take it on since,” he told BBC News NI.
“There are many people seeking to regenerate the Shankill Road, to bring derelict buildings back into use.”
“This totally undermines this work.
“The vast majority of the people on the Shankill are opposed to arson attacks and opposed to attacks on anyone.
“Those responsible have done a great disservice to this community.”
Sinn Féin MP Paul Maskey said those responsible “do nothing but damage their own communities”.
“Targeting a building because of who owns it is despicable, especially when areas are crying out for jobs and investment,” he said.
North Belfast councillor Carl Whyte, from the SDLP, called the attack “devastating”.
“When I visited there were bags of food still sitting in the doorway, a reminder that these are ordinary people trying to run a business and support their families,” he said.
“The owners and staff were providing a service to the community and have much more to offer than those who have targeted their business.”