Tono Pizzeria + Cheesesteaks — Restaurant in Maplewood

Tl;dr The food is fantastic and they made me cry over my cheesesteak. Eat here now.

So one of my goals as part of the coronapocalypse is to try one new restaurant every week. After a 55-mile bike ride today, Tono seemed like a good bet. I love pizza, I love cheesesteaks, I already pre-worked the calories off, hurrah! I ordered through DoorDash, which appears to be their preferred delivery service. (Also, side shout out to DoorDash for reducing their commissions to restaurants starting Monday.)

I live in downtown St. Paul - and had my food in approximately 40 minutes. Super speedy considering the drive itself from Tono is about 15 minutes.

I had the supreme cheesesteak and the Tono pizza. On both counts, fantastic. You can scroll down for more detailed accounts of the food. People ain't lying. This is some of the best pizza I've had in a long time. I live above a Black Sheep and so I'm spoiled by the fact that I don't even have to put on real shoes to get good pizza. But I'd call Tono again in a heartbeat before I'd saunter downstairs.

Pizza's a super personal thing. Ask ten people, get twelve opinions. But this is really good stuff.

So anyway, as I'm unpacking my food, I notice an envelope stuck in between the two boxes. I'm sitting at my kitchen island, waiting to get into this cheesesteak. And I open this card. There's a picture below.

And here I am, 5 in the afternoon, a grown man bawling over a cheesesteak.

These are weird, screwed up times right now - really hard times for a lot of people. I'm one of those who is fortunate to be relatively insulated from a lot of the insanity, and so I've tried to step up my pickup and delivery game because that's something I can do to help our restaurants.

But to get a handwritten card thanking me for my order?

You appreciate me? Naw, I appreciate you. Thank you for doing what you do - for keeping at it, for feeding us, for keeping people working and doing things they probably love to do and are undoubtedly really good at doing.

You guys are the stars here. I'm just a dude who can't wait to tear into the other half of that pizza tomorrow. If it even gets to tomorrow, no promises here.

Tono is still relatively new on the block. The family's obviously not - if you've been to Frank and Andrea's in Dinkytown, the apple didn't fall far from the tree. So eat here. Not just because the food is awesome, but because you're supporting some...

07/26/25 Updated

The GM of this location, Min, has reached out and apologized for this incident since it is not the standard they operate at, which I knew this wasn’t normal. The person I interacted with has since been retrained. I appreciate the opportunity for growth. Stopped in tonight and cashier was incredibly sweet and the food was ready promptly. This place was clean and sauces were filled although it was close to closing. This location is my favorite compared to others. A lot of people will only ever want to leave bad reviews but never update when an issue has been resolved- I know reviews mean a lot, we want to be heard. I believe updating solutions should be a new normal and I am happy to report 5 stars but I’d give 7 stars if I could. :) Thank you!!

Went in tonight to grab food after an incredibly long day of work and was told by the person tonight that they close the kitchen by 9:45pm.

I walked in at 9:50pm and understood it’s always a “to-go” order, chairs are up on the table, I definitely know. I used to work in the restaurant business and I get people want to go home. My order was going to be my usual beef sandwich and I did drive out of my way to this location since it usually does adhere to my odd hours. I have been here countless times after 9:30 (not because I want to but I can’t get out of work any sooner) and have never been told that.

I’m disappointed but it’s not that I can’t go somewhere else to get food, but it’s how I was told. Instead of “Hey we closed down early today, business was slower, so sorry” it was “Yeah, that’s our standard of 9:45., sorry. ” I have always loved Tonos and this specific location. I even said, as I was walking out that it wasn’t good business to close doors early. I know pre-bussing and putting items away somewhat, but everything shut down? At that rate, you should have locked the doors, that would have avoided this entire...

Food made fresh after ordering. Cheesesteaks offer big portions at fair prices. Love the specialty sauces. Customer service needs improvement.

The cheesesteak is a large sub, and with the fries, could easily feed 2 people. You can choose the type of cheese to top the sub; the mozzerella is my favorite. The sub is served on a soft roll, it would be better if toasted because the roll gets soggy quickly, especially with sauce. There are a variety of specialty sauce to dip into - including ranch, honey and balsamic. Ample seating indoors with an outdoor patio too. Discounts for police and military.

Areas to improve: The entry doors are extremely heavy and hard to get in/out if you have mobility issues such as cane, walker or wheelchair. The staff does not offer to help if you are struggling. The customer service is mediocre. The first time I went to Tono I asked for olive oil and mayo on my sub. - The sub was served drenched in oil to the point I had to scoop it off with a spoon. The second time I went, I again asked for mayo and was rudely told to go get the mayo near the drink fountain (they would not add mayo to the sub like was done the first time I tried Tono! The difference is huge with the flavor - when added to the sub, the mayo is slightly warmed by the food and melts like a second layer of cheese ). I grabbed a mayo packet and when opened, the contents were congealed and looked rotten. So no mayo on the sub like I requested. I then discovered the specialty sauces - it would be nice if the staff offered the sauces or they are easier to find on the menu. Also, the temp inside is the restaurant unbearably hot. The noise level is also loud. The staff also did not greet me when I entered, both times, and was not helpful with questions about the menu.

3 1/2 ☆ Taste of food was good. Customized flavors a plus. Customer service needs improvement....