116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Tomaso’s Pizza starts new Cedar Rapids chapter on First Avenue
Family restaurant continues, 27 years later
Jun. 22, 2023 10:11 am
CEDAR RAPIDS — When Tom Carfrae started Tomaso’s Pizza’s first brick-and-mortar location on Center Point Road NE 27 years ago, it was a hit that grew to four locations around Linn County.
Now run by his son and daughter-in-law, Nick and Holly Carfrae, the Cedar Rapids location’s move to First Avenue NE is both a new beginning and a continuation of the same reliable pies the Carfraes have been baking for years.
“I want people to say, ‘Yes, this is different, but it’s the same,’ ” Nick said at the new location.
That’s because in a crowded pizza scene, Tomaso’s doesn’t need to rebrand — it’s not here to just be another option. It’s here to deliver a level of quality that many pizza places don’t strive for.
If you go
What: Tomaso’s Pizza
Where: 2706 First Ave. NE, Cedar Rapids
Hours: 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Phone: (319) 364-4313
Website: tomasos4me.com
Details: Single-topping pizzas available in New York-, Detroit- and Chicago-style crusts in the upscale but casual sit-down environment range from $16 to $28. Specialties like the Mombo Combo range from about $24 to $38. Full line of local beers on tap and wine by the bottle.
The new spot
With pricing on the higher end for pizza in Cedar Rapids, the new spot was designed to reflect not only the quality of the pizza, but the price.
After closing their original brick-and-mortar location at 3234 Center Point Rd. NE, Tomaso’s opened at the end of March in the renovated site at 2706 First Ave. NE.
“I had this vision. Everybody thought we were crazy,” Holly said.
The new building, beautified after years of short-term office leases, offers twice as much space, with walls lined by large booths, a full section of wood tables and a full view of dough stretching, flour splashing and sauce being spooned out in the open kitchen where it’s all made.
The casual environment delivers pizza to your table as well as any of the 10 local or regional beers on tap, and new additions like wine by the bottle.
The couple bought out the business from Nick’s father several years ago. Immediately after, they found out they wouldn’t be able to stay much longer at their Center Point Road space, with limited lease renewal options.
Pushed out of their comfort zone, they used the new space as an opportunity to create something that reflected the business’ new chapter under their ownership.
“We wanted to make it our own. The one on Center Point Road, Nick’s parents created it and it was an amazing success. But it was their place,” Holly said. “Nick and I wanted a place of our own and wanted to class it up a bit.”
The food
Tomaso’s standing in the pizza scene, with pies upward of $40 for deep dish styles, can be reduced to quality in simplicity.
“It’s homemade with fresh ingredients of high quality. We don’t skimp on anything,” Nick explained. “We make sure your cheese doesn’t have certain byproducts in it — stuff like that.”
With New York thin, Chicago deep dish and Detroit deep dish crust styles, popular options like the Mombo Combo with pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, green peppers, black olives and Italian sausage have earned it a variety of accolades.
In 2019, it was featured on Food Network’s “The Best Thing I Ever Ate.”
Other specialties include the Tex-Mex Taco with all the fixings of a taco, and the Great Garden with artichoke hearts, tomatoes and jalapenos.
Nick says while the upfront cost may seem high, the value proposition of their pizza makes the higher quality worth it compared to eating out with a family at other restaurants.
“If you’re spending $40 on a pizza, I get it, it sounds like a lot compared to Papa John’s,” he said. “But how much did it cost per person for dinner? For pizza, sure — expensive. For dinner, not so much.”
The couple hope Tomaso’s, long a favorite for local pizza in the Corridor, soon becomes a neighborhood favorite at their new location.
History
Tomaso’s, named after its founder with an Italian-esque twist, was Tom Carfrae’s first brick-and-mortar restaurant in 1996.
A serial entrepreneur, Tom started making the dough in a Danish bakery in northeast Cedar Rapids at night, selling pizzas from home. The idea came while working as a salesman for the family’s Carfrae Meat business, when he saw a need for high-quality pizza that wasn’t being fulfilled.
After high school, Nick started a takeout-only spot on Mount Vernon Road SE in 2001, which was open for three years.
Over the years, Tomaso’s franchised three other locations — including Hiawatha around 2005 and Marion around 2009. Today, both locations are run independently of the Carfraes’ location.
Another franchise on 212 Edgewood Road NW in Cedar Rapids did not renew its franchise agreement after about 10 years. Today, Roscoe’s Pizza stands in its place.
Comments: (319) 398-8340; elijah.decious@thegazette.com
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