New Times recently caught up with Toni's sibling owners Yoko and Kevin Takarada to reflect on the past 37 years and their recent project to infuse new life into the restaurant with a major renovation.
"This new facelift is a significant chapter in Toni's Sushi Bar's history," Yoko Takarada tells New Times. The decision to renovate wasn't made lightly, but the siblings were committed to providing their loyal patrons with a fresh and inviting ambiance.
Untouched for more than two decades, the interior now exhibits a captivating transformation, thanks in part to five tons of bamboo imported from the mountains of Kyoto. Craftsmen shaped the bamboo into dramatic archways and structures, embodying strength, beauty, and flexibility.
The team today: (from left) general manager Susan Fnu, head chef Toshiya Sato, Yoko Takarada, and chef Satoshi Koto
Photo by Ruben Cabrera
Toni's Sushi Bar is far more than a business venture for the Takarada siblings. It's a labor of love inspired by their father, Hiromi "Toni" Takarada.
Born in Japan, Toni moved to New York with little more than determination. His humble beginnings, washing dishes and working in a tofu factory, laid the foundation for what would one day become Toni's Sushi Bar. After a stint in Santo Domingo and another in Columbus, Ohio, Toni detected untapped potential in South Beach.
"My mom was devastated. They were pouring all their savings into the restaurant, opening it in a desolate area with nothing more than retirement homes. It was a big risk for the family, but they decided to go for it," Yoko recounts.
In 1987, Toni's Sushi Bar opened its doors for the first time, and the family's gamble soon paid off.
As South Beach evolved around it, the restaurant played host to locals and celebrities alike. During the '90s peak of South Beach glamour, the cast of Miami Vice, including Don Johnson, frequented the establishment. "Lauren Hutton and all the top models would dine at Toni's after their photo shoots," Yoko remembers. "That was when South Beach was at its height."
A decade in, Takarada was overseeing a flourishing Washington Avenue empire, capitalizing on the South Beach boom with Thai Toni four blocks to the south and, for a time, Toni's Chinese Chrysanthemum a few doors up from Toni's Sushi.
Not to say it was easy. Running multiple restaurants is a challenge in the best of times, and the turn of the millennium brought unwanted controversy and national headlines. Takarada apologized, and, eventually, the controversy dissipated.
As the boom continued, more Takarada restaurants opened on South Beach. Some, like World Resource Cafe, lasted for more than ten years, then closed. Thai Toni morphed into, of all things, a Chinese restaurant.
A selection of Toni's top-of-the-line nigiri, much of it made with fish flown in from Japan
Photo by Natalie Chaban
Toni and Lilly Takarada died of cancer within ten days of one another in 2012. Toni was 61, Lilly, 62. By that time their children had taken the helm, leading a team of dedicated Toni’s veterans. While Yoko continued as general manager, Kevin moved to New York to continue his career on Wall Street. In 2017, he returned to his roots and opened a fast-casual sushi restaurant in Manhattan, which now boasts multiple NYC locations.
Kevin Takarada says Toni's owes its longevity to the restaurant's straightforward approach, evident in presentations like the omakase, a selection of nine pieces of top-grade nigiri or sashimi priced at $85 and $95, respectively, that showcases an unwavering dedication to pure, unadulterated flavors. Other Toni's favorites include salmon carpaccio, thinly sliced with Toni's signature dressing of mayo and chives, and the usuzukuri, paper-thin cuts of fish arranged in the shape of a flower, served with ponzu.
"It's all about consistency," Kevin says. "Consistency of the food quality, value, service. And key to all that has been our enduring staff."
"We know that we're not Zuma or Makoto, nor do we want to be," he adds, referencing sleek spots in Brickell and Bal Harbour, respectively. He proudly notes that some of Toni's staff members, including general manager Susan Fnu and head sushi chef Toshiya Sato, have been with the restaurant for more than 20 years. "I think our team knows that we're maintaining something very special here."
Adds Yoko, "We have a very loyal waitstaff that's been with us for a minimum of 12 or 13 years. Our clientele appreciates that. Going into a restaurant and being welcomed by a friendly face that you've known for so long is unheard of in a city like Miami, much less South Beach. I have couples that come in that are grandparents now that started dating at Toni's in the late '80s."
Both siblings are quick to note that Toni Takarada's entrepreneurial spirit and dedication live on in the newly redesigned establishment.
"My father made a big impact on people's lives," Yoko says. "To this day, I have customers that come in and then cry to me when they find out that he passed away 12 years ago, or ex-employees that tell me about the good things my father did for them. My father's name still comes up in meetings...His legacy lives on."
Untouched for more than two decades, Toni's interior has been transformed thanks in large part to five tons of bamboo imported from the mountains of Kyoto.
Toni's Sushi Bar photo
Kevin credits the clientele. "We are only as good as our customers, and we are very thankful for the years of patronage they provided. With this recent renovation, we want to give back by creating new experiences for them, in addition to the consistency and quality they are accustomed to," he says.
"I think everything is cyclical," Yoko says. "Right now, downtown, Brickell, and Wynwood are at their height, but I do think the Beach will come back because it has something special. My father saw it 40 years ago, and I don't see why it wouldn't come back again."
Toni's Sushi Bar. 1208 Washington Ave., Miami Beach; 305-673-9368; tonisushi.com. Daily 5:30 to 11:00 p.m.
