We Be Sushi’s original location at Valencia and 22nd streets has closed after 36 years of operation.
The restaurant’s last day was Feb. 29, according to owner and chef Andy Tonozuka. The reasons are “mainly, the slow business, and another one is, I’m 74 now, and I got sciatic nerve pain,” he said.
Tonozuka hung a “Restaurant for sale” sign in the window of 1071 Valencia St. on March 3, right before he hopped on a flight to Japan to celebrate his grandson’s second birthday — and enjoyed tons of quality sushi.
Earlier this year, Tonozuka and his wife, Eiko, temporarily closed the location because of Tonozuka’s nerve pain. “WeBe back as soon as the pain is over,” they promised in a sign in the window.
They did return, but not for long.
Tonozuka is looking for someone to buy out the remaining five years of his lease. He’s asking $80,000 for the lease and all the items inside the restaurant. He will retain the name “We Be Sushi” for his 16th and Valencia location.
The price is negotiable, he added. If “nobody buys it, I may ask somebody in my restaurant at the 16th location to” look after the 22nd St. location.
Originally opened as “McSushi” in 1987, the restaurant was briefly embroiled in a legal battle with McDonald’s until the owners rebranded it shortly afterwards. Tonozuka chose “We Be Sushi” out of 200 names suggested by the community.
The restaurant was compact, but that did not detract from its popularity. “Because of that small restaurant, we bought a house … We sent our kids to the university, all the way,” said Tonozuka.
In its heyday, We Be Sushi had five locations in San Francisco, which dwindled to two, leaving only the original location and the fifth, at 538 Valencia St. Tonozuka reserved the original location for his own pleasure, serving as the only sushi chef.
“There used to be a lot of families living here, and a lot of them came over with kids, and also pregnant women,” he said. “So I call them We Be Babies.”
That customer base shifted over the years, said Tonozuka. During the pandemic, the location closed for 20 months; when it restarted, it only opened for five nights a week.
“On the afternoon of March 3, I put the paper on the window, ‘Restaurant for sale,’ he said. He also thanked the neighborhood for 36 years of support. Then he locked the door and left for the airport, he said. It was, he said, a “very unexplainable feeling.”
All he wants to say now is how much he appreciated his customers.
Tonozuka, who described himself as “mentally and physically halfway retired,” will devote his time to teaching chefs at the 16th Street location, which will remain open.
We Be Sushi was my gateway sushi. 11 days after I arrived in SF from Austin, I was relishing California, as it was 80F and there was delivery sushi. Shortly after I ate what We Be dropped off my early dinner on the rickety wooden deck at 112 San Carlos, the earth began to shake and I experienced my first earthquake surfing the slats moving in 3 space.
After my first visit to We Be restaurant when I first moved here in 1998, I fell instantly in love with the funky ambiance and charm of this delightfully approachable sushi restaurant. It embodied really special feelings of home for me, and instantly became my favorite (along with sister-vibes restaurant Country Station on Mission and Sycamore). Man, this city is changing fast! I hardly recognize it anymore, but still appreciate it for the most part… 🙂
Every time I walk by the old We Be on 22nd and Valencia I think of Kana and Wani-san with extreme fondness for their attention and care, with a little mistiness in my eyes. Best of luck in all your future endeavors, and I hope our paths cross again soon!
With gratitude and appreciation,
-Drew
Only ate at this location a few times but it had a cozy homelike feel. Delicious sushi at affordable prices made me feel welcome. During the pandemic one of the ways to feel normal for a little bit was to go to the location near 16th and Valencia and eat seated out on the sidewalk dining area and enjoy a bento and the company of friends and family. Gochisousama deshita.
Andy is great guy and a true gentleman.
Many years ago, I took a sushi making class through City College and he taught it at his restaurant’s primary location. We had to pay a token sum for the fish, but he and his wife volunteered their time and use of his restaurant.
I’ve been a loyal customer ever since.
Love We Be Sushi! Otsukare!