Restaurateur grows eatery brand with new Downtown Memphis spot
John-Paul Gagliano said the second location of Tonica, coming to 265 S. Front St. represents a new chapter for the restaurant. The first Tonica, at 1545 Overton Park Ave. in Midtown, opened in 2022.
"I love Tonica," he said. "We're moving into a 4,500-square-foot dining room. It's allowing me to restructure, rebrand, refresh all of Tonica. We've got a huge menu change coming up, new cocktails, new everything."
The new Tonica will be open seven days a week.
Gagliano is the son of Sabine Bachmann, founder of Tonica, Ecco, and Libro restaurants. Bachmann has moved to Italy, and Gagliano is taking over ownership of the restaurants. He hopes to have the new Tonica open by Oct. 9.
Gagliano said the new site — the onetime home of Pretty Taco and The Paramount — matches the original Tonica's aesthetic, with its large windows and exposed brick.
The project received a $30,000 retail improvement grant from the Center City Development Corp. on Aug. 20.