In 2026, Wayzata's downtown dining moved toward the walk-in. Eloise became Bar Eloise, with room held for people who show up without a reservation. Tono Pizzeria + Cheesesteaks moved into the former D'Amico & Sons space on Lake Street East. Parcelle has a grab-and-go café on its way to the lakefront. Even Maggie's Family Restaurant closed for a few days in September and promised a new look on reopening. Most of these changes arrived during patio season. Winter is when they have to work indoors, and this winter's town calendar runs along the same few blocks.
The patio that set a precedent comes in by Nov. 1
The patio is where the shift shows most clearly. According to Wayzata.com's coverage of the July council meeting, the Wayzata City Council voted 4-0 on July 21 to add about 468 square feet to the restaurant's existing 165-square-foot patio, with seating for roughly 28 guests. The expansion runs south along Broadway Avenue into the public right-of-way in front of the neighboring Chico's. Community Development Director Alex Sharpe told the council that Wayzata had never before approved a sidewalk café that extends past the storefront of the business holding the permit. He added that the decision could become a reference point for future applications from businesses that share downtown buildings or frontage.
That patio has an end date every year. Public Works recommended, as a condition of approval, that the furniture and planters on the expanded section be removed by Nov. 1 each year so they stay out of the way of snow removal. The permit covers the 2026 season only and goes back to the council for renewal each year. By the time you read this, the extra outdoor seats on Broadway are gone or about to be.
The relaunch was built for this. Owner Lindsay Pohlad's team explained the change in Wayzata.com's August announcement, saying guests "love the food and the spirit of Eloise, but they want a place that feels easier to drop into, more casual, and more connected to the neighborhood." The indoor plan matches that goal:
- More bar seating and high-top tables, plus televisions in the bar area for anyone who wants to watch a game over dinner
- A large share of the indoor dining room held for walk-ins
- A large operable front window facing Broadway Avenue
- A menu drawing partly on sister restaurant The Grocer's Table, with shareable plates, handhelds, hearty entrées and a more family-friendly lineup, while Eloise favorites and the cocktail program stay
- Sunday brunch, which started Sept. 20
Bar Eloise reopened Friday, Sept. 4, after a short closure. The Star Tribune's October restaurant roll call describes the new version as having televisions, an expanded food menu, cocktails, local draft beer and nonalcoholic drinks. Pohlad told the council the original patio, built when Eloise opened in 2024, was meant mainly for cocktails and appetizers, but customers soon wanted full meals outside. The patio grew because of that demand, and the new dining room is meant to keep it going through winter.
The same move, farther east on Lake Street
Bar Eloise isn't the only downtown spot heading this direction. On May 29, Tono Pizzeria + Cheesesteaks held its grand opening at 810 Lake Street East, in the former D'Amico & Sons space at the Cross Creek shopping center. The menu is fast-casual: individual brick-oven pizzas and Philadelphia-style cheesesteaks made with prime beef on Amoroso's rolls, plus salads, appetizers and desserts.
Tono has local roots. As Wayzata.com reported at the opening, co-founders Shaz Khan and Antonio Gambino opened Frank & Andrea in Dinkytown in 2016, then launched the first Tono in Maplewood in 2019. Gambino's father, who was from Sicily, founded Andrea Pizza, known for its locations in the downtown Minneapolis skyway. His mother was from Philadelphia, which explains the cheesesteaks. "This has been a location on our mind for a really long time," Khan told the opening-day crowd.
Maggie's Family Restaurant changed this fall too. In September, Gordon Ramsay filmed at Maggie's, and Wayzata.com described residents gathering outside while production trucks and crew filled the area. Before the closure, the restaurant told customers to "come check out the new look when we reopen." The Sun Sailor reported that the restaurant was expected to reopen Sept. 23.
One more spot is still coming. Parcelle, the California-inspired organic café whose flagship is in northeast Minneapolis, plans a small grab-and-go café at 641 Lake Street East. The Star Tribune's October roll call lists it as planned for this year. Parcelle's own site still shows the Wayzata location as "Coming Soon." Once it opens, Lake Street gets a quick coffee-and-something stop to go with the sit-down options.
Together, these four make up most of a downtown dining year: a full-service room that now saves seats for walk-ins, a fast-casual pizza and cheesesteak counter, a refreshed family restaurant, and a grab-and-go café on the way.
Winter's busiest nights are on the same blocks
The town calendar matters here because downtown Wayzata's biggest winter nights happen within a few blocks of these restaurants. In order:
- Nov. 9 to 13: Winter Medallion Hunt clues. The fifth annual hunt posts clues online at wayzata.org and wayzatachamber.com and on social media. Winners must be 12 or under, and the first child or family to find the medallion gets to light up Wayzata on Nov. 20.
- Friday, Nov. 20: Light Up the Lake, 5 to 7 p.m. The City of Wayzata's event page notes the date is a week earlier than usual, falling on the Friday before Thanksgiving.
- Dec. 1: Chilly Open golfer tickets go on sale.
- Saturday, Feb. 6, 2027: Wayzata Chilly Open, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wayzata Bay.
Light Up the Lake is worth planning around because of the earlier date. Anyone used to treating it as a post-Thanksgiving event will miss it by a week if they don't adjust. The city's schedule spreads the evening across downtown:
- Depot Park: a llama photo opportunity, plus a candy hunt at 5 p.m. for ages 5 and under
- Inside the Historic Wayzata Depot: hot cider and treats, plus a reindeer food activity for kids
- Panoway Plaza: letters to Santa, Muni refreshments and the IOCP food drive
- Lake Street: free glow light wands handed out before the parade, horse-drawn wagon rides, strolling carolers and music
- The Wayzata PD parade float: the Toys for Tots collection
At 5:45 p.m., the Wayzata Firefighter's Parade of Lights runs along Lake Street from Broadway to Barry Avenue. Right after it, Mayor Mullin leads the town lighting ceremony at Panoway Plaza. The parade starts at Broadway, the street where Bar Eloise rebuilt its dining room around walk-ins. With the event ending at 7 p.m., a family can catch the parade and lighting and still be in time for an early dinner.
For the food drive, IOCP is asking for brand-name boxed cereal, canned tuna, toilet paper, name-brand hearty soup, and spaghetti sauce in plastic jars or containers. That list is worth adding to your grocery run the week before.
The Depot, at 402 Lake Street East, turned 120 this year. In August, the Lake Minnetonka Historical Society hosted a birthday celebration with tours and a sheet cake, as Wayzata.com reported. On Nov. 20, the old Great Northern Railway depot is where the cider is served.
February puts the action on the ice
By February, the outdoor crowd has moved onto the frozen bay. The Wayzata West Metro Chamber's Chilly Open page describes four nine-hole courses plowed out on Wayzata Bay. Golfers use hockey sticks and golf clubs to hit and putt tennis balls, and the day also includes a chili cook-off, a "Snowga" class, snowkiting and costumes. The heated 19th Hole tent sits in the 6Smith parking lot at 294 Grove Lane East.
Feb. 6 also falls well before the Nov. 1 deadline rolls around again and the Bar Eloise permit comes back to the council for renewal. That means the town's two largest winter gatherings, Light Up the Lake and the Chilly Open, both take place in the first winter of the walk-in dining rooms, the fast-casual counter on Lake Street East and, possibly, a lakefront café. If you want a warm table after the parade or after the 19th Hole tent, this winter Wayzata has more no-reservation options than it did a year ago.
Thinking about how Wayzata's casual turn affects the value of a home a few blocks from Lake Street, or which upgrades actually matter to buyers who want that walk-to-dinner lifestyle? Jesse James Forsell pairs renovation know-how with deep knowledge of the western suburbs, and he's happy to talk it through. Schedule a free consultation and let's map out your next move before the Chilly Open tickets sell out.
