Our Story

Background: A History of 縁 (en)

We Be Sushi - Est. 1987

Owner-chef, Andy Tonozuka, describes the history of the restaurant as 縁 (en), roughly meaning “treasured circumstances bringing people together”.

The restaurant began with just two questions: “What’ you want!?” “Do you want to sell this business?” 1987: stumbling upon a laid-back diner 0n Valencia, a 5 minute chat with the owner was all it took to settle the purchase. 

Compared to the expensive and exotic perception of sushi at the time, the new family-run restaurant served “casual sushi” with the motto: reasonable, delicious, & filling. Andy was determined to make tasty sushi as familiar to the everyday American as the hamburger.  

Thus, a brand-new sign hung atop the restaurant two weeks before opening: “McSushi”. A week later, a letter was delivered from McDonalds threatening a lawsuit. Without a name and a week until opening, Andy posted the letter, a piece of paper, and a pen on the restaurant window asking for name suggestions. Out of the 200 name suggestions, “We Be Sushi” rang true. The lawsuit and name contest had become notorious thanks to the San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen. A crisis turned fortunate circumstance: We Be Sushi became part of the Mission District community and found its place in the city.

For over three decades, We Be Sushi has grown and evolved with Valencia Street and the San Francisco dining scene. The restaurant continues to serve great sushi with not only the motto of reasonable, delicious, & filling, but also with the mission to give back and thank the city which has provided so much fortunate 縁 (en).

At We Be Sushi, we aim to offer our guests an experience: the joy of food. Our team is dedicated to serving fresh, delicious and healthy 「食」(shoku), the Japanese word for food, with the spirit of 「おもてなし」(omotenashi), meaning to wholeheartedly look after our guests. 

Owner-chef: Andy Tonozuka

縁 (en) has always been a vital part of Andy’s sushi chef career.  

This was his first 縁(en) that led We Be Sushi business begin, Andy’s sister was working at a catering company in Tokyo at the time. She introduced him to a client who recommended him to a sushi restaurant in the National Diet Building of Japan: Hatsuhana.
Andy’s sushi chef experience was founded in the environment at the restaurant when he was 19. Hatsuhana’s owner, Mr. Tanaka, would go every day to the Tsukiji Fish Market to purchase fresh seafood. Chefs competed to prep the most prized ingredients or the fish which would mark a sushi chef’s expertise. However, Andy also never forgot the first lesson he had learnt as a new apprentice: “first sushi rice, then the fish”. Sushi was not complete without perfecting the rice on which the fish would be placed.
This competitive training was imperative as high-level skill was crucial at Hatsuhana. Being in the central government building, the diners were exclusively top government officials with gourmet palates. Politicians such as Yuzo Shigemune, the chairman of the House of Councilors at the time, would frequently host parties to which Hatsuhana catered. As so, some of Andy’s first clients included the Prime Minister and Japanese movie stars. 

8 years in training and looking for something new, Andy’s second 縁 (en) came after a timely chat with Mr. Tanaka. Plans were underway to open a sister restaurant in Manhattan and he wanted Andy to be one of the first chefs for Hatsuhana New York.
1976: Without knowing a word of English, Andy stood at the counter serving sushi to New York celebrities and movie stars. Unable to converse, recognizing faces and tastes was a must.  To thank such loyal clients, Andy was determined to serve what he knew was best. Coordinating with Hatsuhana in Tokyo, he organized the first airmail of fresh fish from Tsukiji Fish Market directly to a U.S. sushi restaurant.
A year in, Hatsuhana had become a New York status symbol (and in 1983, Hatsuhana became the first Japanese restaurant to earn an acclaimed four-star New York Times review). 

Though having such successes under his belt, Andy’s experiences had, in a way, been limited. Beyond politicians and celebrities, he wanted more Americans to enjoy sushi in the sense of expanding more 縁 (en).
This drive has carried over to today at We Be Sushi: creating new 縁 (en) between customers and sushi is at the heart of the restaurant. We Be Sushi continues what Andy knows best: “first sushi rice, then the fish – but foremost, the people.”