Tono Pizzeria + Cheesesteaks is quietly moving into two of the Twin Cities' most visible dining zones, with new locations headed for Minneapolis' North Loop and downtown Wayzata. Crews are already tearing out walls at both sites, and renovation photos from the team show full-on build-out mode in progress. While the owners are staying mum on exact opening dates, the expansion pushes what started as a single wood-fired shop into a metro-wide operation.
Where The New Shops Will Be
As reported by Bring Me The News, the Minneapolis outpost is slated for 250 N. Third Ave, near Target Field in the North Loop. Out in the western suburbs, the Wayzata restaurant is set to move into the former D'Amico & Sons space at 810 Lake Street East in the Crosscreek Shoppes. According to the report, the Tono team has shared photos from both build-outs but has not yet gone public with a grand opening date.
A Fast-Growing Twin Cities Chain
The brand was launched in 2019 by co-owners Antonio Gambino and Shaz Khan, according to the Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal. Tono's website currently lists about 10 Twin Cities locations, reflecting the chain's growing presence in both suburban corridors and busier downtown pockets. The upcoming North Loop and Wayzata shops continue the company’s pattern of quick rollouts across the metro.
New Concepts On Deck
The Tono team is not stopping with pizza and cheesesteaks. They are also working on two spin-off projects: a focaccia-based quick-service operation called SliceCraft at Lupulin Brewing in Big Lake, and a coal-fired, full-service restaurant planned for downtown St. Paul. The Star Tribune reported that SliceCraft’s kitchen was slated to open in mid-March, with the coal-fired restaurant expected in early summer. The Prince coal-fired project’s page previously listed a September 2025 launch that did not materialize, according to Prince Pizza.
What This Means For Neighborhoods
In the North Loop, a Tono near the ballpark adds another quick, wood-and-char-focused pizza option to a neighborhood that has steadily filled up with new restaurants and food hall concepts. Wayzata’s Crosscreek Shoppes spot puts a well-known Twin Cities chain directly on the lakefront strip, where it can catch both weekend visitors and weekday regulars. Coverage from Racket notes that suburban expansion and satellite downtown locations remain defining trends for Twin Cities restaurant growth this year.
