Tono Pizzeria + Cheesesteaks celebrated the grand opening of its newest Twin Cities location May 29, bringing the locally founded restaurant concept to downtown Wayzata.
The restaurant opened at 810 Lake Street E., in the former D’Amico & Sons space at the Cross Creek shopping center. Tono marked the occasion by offering a free pizza to the first 100 guests arriving for the 4 p.m. opening.
“Thank you everyone for coming out — this has been a location on our mind for a really long time,” co-owner and co-founder Shaz Khan said. “Welcome to Tono – Wayzata!”
Tono specializes in individual brick-oven pizzas and Philadelphia-style cheesesteaks, combining two family culinary traditions in a fast-casual restaurant setting.
The company was founded by Khan and his longtime friend and business partner Antonio Gambino. Before launching the first Tono restaurant in Maplewood in 2019, the pair opened Frank & Andrea in Minneapolis’ Dinkytown neighborhood in 2016.
Gambino comes from a family with longstanding ties to the Twin Cities pizza business. His father, who was from Sicily, founded Andrea Pizza, known for its locations in the downtown Minneapolis skyway system. Gambino’s mother was from Philadelphia, providing the other half of the inspiration behind Tono’s pizza-and-cheesesteak menu.
According to the company, its pizza dough and sauce recipes were developed more than 45 years ago. Tono’s menu includes 12-inch pizzas, several varieties of cheesesteaks, salads, appetizers and desserts. Its cheesesteaks are prepared with fresh prime beef and Amoroso’s rolls, a Philadelphia bakery brand closely associated with the sandwich.
The Wayzata opening continues Tono’s expansion across the Twin Cities, with restaurants now operating in communities including Maplewood, St. Paul, Woodbury, Chanhassen, Maple Grove, Coon Rapids, Apple Valley, Inver Grove Heights, Elk River and southwest Minneapolis.
The new location adds another casual dining option to Wayzata’s eastern Lake Street business district and places the growing Minnesota restaurant company within walking distance of downtown shops, residences and the Lake Minnetonka waterfront.
Tono Pizzeria + Cheesesteaks is located at 810 Lake Street E. in Wayzata.
