Tuba, a Turkish restaurant at 1007 Guerrero St. near 22nd Street, was evicted in June and closed its doors after more than 14 years.
The eviction notice, posted on the doors, was dated June 12. Tuba was paying a monthly rent of about $9,400 in a five-year lease, according to court documents. The suit said that Tuba owed the landlord about $41,000 in rent.
Mission Local spoke to Tuba’s owner, but he did not want to comment before speaking to his lawyer.
In the now empty space, passersby can still see what remains of the 10-table restaurant that served falafel, Knafeh and lamb kebabs: the dark red walls and a shelf of wine bottles. Its sign — half-way scrubbed off — is still on the window.
Mikko Shah, who lived nearby for over six years, found the restaurant’s closure abrupt and described Tuba as a “family run restaurant that is always a reliable place especially for a big group.”
It was never really packed, Shah said, but she always saw people dining there. “I know people who go there regularly. I’ve been there more than 10 times,” she said.
The building where Tuba was located is owned by Luisa Hanson, a restaurateur who owns the Luisa’s Ristorante & Wine Bar a few doors down.
Hanson, 93, has a history as a landlord of raising rents and forcing out beloved neighborhood businesses, including the John Barleycorn Pub in Nob Hill and Café Que Tal in the Mission.
Hanson’s attorney, Daniel Bornstein, also represented the landlord of Laku, the Japanese boutique on Valencia Street that closed in March after a rent increase.
Hanson and Bornstein did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Don’t know the details, but as every tenant of her building on Guerrero over the years can tell you, Luisa has been scamming hopeful restauranteurs and screwing them over once they have moved in for many many years. The problem is that the location seems great if you do’t live here, but no parking and the lack of foot traffic combined with a slumlord approach from Luisa drives most businesses under.