Lou’s Sushi is back as a solo effort from chef Lou Valente, following years of resets, pop-ups and rebuilding.
Lou’s Sushi reopened Jan. 23 in Midtown Sacramento, nearly a decade after the original restaurant closed. The first Lou’s debuted in 2013 and quickly built a loyal following before shutting its doors in 2017. Now Chef Lou Valente is back behind the counter, reopening the restaurant under the same name and in a familiar part of town.
The original closure followed a legal dispute with a business partner, which ultimately left Valente without the restaurant he had built. After stepping away, he went on to open Southpaw Sushi, another project that later ended after a separate partnership dissolved. Instead of immediately launching something new, Valente returned to a more traditional kitchen role, working under veteran sushi chef Shige Tokita in Carmichael. Tokita, who opened one of Sacramento’s earliest sushi bars, Shige Sushi, in the late 1970s, became a reset point for Valente. “I put my learning shoes back on,” Valente said.
After working with Tokita, who ultimately closed his shop in 2023, and a short stint making pizzas near UC Davis, Valente began hosting sushi pop-ups inside Holy Spirits next to LowBrau. The pop-ups allowed him to cook without the pressure of a full opening while staying visible to diners who remembered the original restaurant. Over time, those nights led to conversations with the owners about reopening Lou’s permanently in the space.
As plans moved forward, Valente turned to the community for support. In the months leading up to the opening, he launched a GoFundMe campaign that raised more than $14,000 toward an $18,000 goal. Contributions came from longtime customers, industry peers and diners who had followed his work across projects and pop-ups. Combined with a bank loan, the funding helped bring Lou’s Sushi back to life.
Inside, the room is intentionally restrained. Low lighting gives the space a moody, intimate feel, while a glass-enclosed kitchen anchors the dining area and puts Valente’s work on full display. The footprint is compact, with a tight waiting area near the host stand that fills up with guests waiting for a table.
Low lighting gives the space a moody, intimate feel, while a
glass-enclosed kitchen anchors the dining area and puts Valente’s
work on full display.
Drinks are handled through the neighboring LowBrau, with a cocktail menu created specifically for Lou’s Sushi by bar lead Jacob Rodriguez. Rather than building drinks that compete with the food, Rodriguez approached the menu as an extension of it. “We really wanted to highlight what was in season and what worked with his menu,” Rodriguez said. “The idea was to make it complementary to what he has going on and also pay homage to some of his dishes.”
One of the most interesting drinks is the Holy Shiitake, a martini made with mushroom-washed vodka. The cocktail draws directly from Valente’s signature foil-steamed mushrooms, translating its savory depth into liquid form. Rodriguez described the process as an experiment in restraint, aiming for something close to a freezer-door martini with subtle mushroom notes rather than an overtly earthy profile.
The Holy Shiitake, a martini made with mushroom-washed vodka, is
inspired by Valente’s signature dish, foil-steamed mushrooms.
The food menu leans heavily into hand rolls, with options like blue crab, shrimp tempura and scallop. For diners who can’t decide, there’s a three hand roll combo for $25, with nigiri and sashimi available to round things out. The format reflects the popularity of hand roll-focused sushi restaurants, a trend that started with KazuNori in Los Angeles and has reached Sacramento in recent years with spots like Kinjo and Hello Temaki.
Alongside the hand rolls, the menu includes a short list of composed plates like hamachi kama (grilled yellowtail collar), kara-age (fried chicken), tuna tataki and seafood nachos. For those looking to splurge, the “Sicilian sashimi” is the move. Priced at $50, the platter features a variety of beautifully cut fish dressed simply with olive oil, lemon, capers and red onion, a nod to the classic preparation popularized at Swan Oyster Depot in San Francisco.
“Sicilian sashimi,” a nod to the classic preparation popularized
at Swan Oyster Depot, features a variety of beautifully cut fish
dressed simply with olive oil, lemon, capers and red onion.
Rather than rotating dishes frequently, Valente plans to keep the menu steady so guests know what to expect when they return. After years of stops, resets and pop-ups, Lou’s Sushi has come back as a compact operation with a steady rhythm, built and run entirely on Valente’s own terms.
Lou’s Sushi is open Wednesday through Sunday from 5 p.m. to “9-ish.”
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