Mezzaluna Pasteria & Mozzarella Bar — Restaurant in Pacific Grove

Mezzaluna doesn't look like much from the outside and Italian food is something we don't search for as I myself am Italian and used to cook prodigiously before I became ill, but it was raining and I wanted comfort food without having to do it myself.

The place was empty as we walked in at 5pm. I wondered why we had bothered to make reservations, but 30 minutes later the restaurant was packed on a cold Thursday evening. We soon found out why.

We were greeted by the dapper, lovely house manager and waited on by his sister, an elegant woman who knew as much as I, a native Sicilian, about Italian food. Her care was immediate, considerate, and knowledgeable. Mezzaluna's staff is top-notch, creating an intimate, special feel to the place.

My husband ordered the mushroom soup with truffle oil and I got the burrata with mushrooms and toast. I immediately thought it had to be a mistake; I hadn't tasted anything this good in forever. Every flavor was sharp, creamy, and luxurious. Although we usually don't trade food, we each did it on this occasion as some things are simply too grand to be selfish about.

For the main course we both had the carbonara, and although Mezzaluna uses pancetta instead of guanciale, they also use duck instead of chicken eggs, so the richness of the dish isn't compromised. My husband said it all: "I've never had anything like this in my life." I'll admit it...I cheat and use cream in my carbonara. Mezzaluna's carbona is authentic, and so incredibly good I finished the entire thing even though I was feeling poorly. I even tried to steal some of my husband's. I still stutter when I talk about it. BEST carbonara IN MY LIFE. And I have traveled worldwide. (Also, the portions are generous!!)

I had to order the special flourless chocolate cake with ice cream for dessert (my husband went for a combination of gelato and sorbetto). So decadent! Simply over-the-top with intense flavor. The entire dinner was above and beyond our wildest expectations, and the dedication of the restaurant to cheeses and pasta makes it so much more divine.

The ambiance of the restaurant is incredible. Understated, trendy, beautiful...it all comes together with wonderful seating, music, and light. Intimate, not distracting, yet so alive! The cherry on top of the cake.

STUPENDOUS, Mezzaluna, your food AND your staff. To the owners, BRAVA. As long as I'm able to crawl, we will be in your restaurant a minimum of once a week. I am ecstatic to have discovered this gem. I hope dearly I am able to enjoy it with my husband of 50 years for as long...

4.5 stars. Mezza Luna lived up to previous reviews with a vibrant atmosphere, attentive service, a wide-ranging menu of Italian specialties. Clearly a popular spot for dinner with an upscale decor and clientele. They specialize in mozzarella bar which showcases the different types of mozzarellas made in house with a well curated selection of accompaniments such as beets, wild mushrooms, eggplant, etc. Along with the mozzarella, they make all the pasta and gelato in house daily. The menu reflects this with just antipasti (with parmesan gelato!), mozzarella, and pasta sections. Our server could not have been more helpful and attentive. The mozzarella appetizer we chose consisted of the three types of cheese available. A buffalo mozzarella, a burrata, and a Fiori di latte mozzarella made with cow’s milk. Served with crostini, pickled olives, pickled cauliflower and roasted red peppers. The Fiori I considered fairly bland. Just not a lot of flavor. The burrata was delicious-it’s our favorite type. And the buffalo was as expected, tasting exactly like the cheese we were served in southern Italy. A great way to start a meal. After much deliberation we make our pasta selections. DW chose the Pappardelle con Bolognese di Maiale-pork Bolognese with red wine and pistachios-with my choice being Rigatoni alla Buttera. This dish is one that the chef has made for a long time starting in NYC. It’s rigatoni pasta with Italian sausage, peas, and a tomato cream sauce. Both of our pasta dishes were delicious (though beef is preferred by the Bolognese eater). You can truly tell the pasta is fresh and the food is created by people who care about what comes out of the kitchen. We unfortunately left no room for dessert-missed the gelato opportunity dang it. This is certainly one of the most popular places for dinner in Pacific Grove. And many patrons clearly knew one another. We would dine here again without question. Highly...

I was so disappointed. It was like they tried to "elevate" Italian food and only succeeded in making it not Italian food at all. Very crowded. The atmosphere certainly did not match the prices.

We ordered the salumi for the table. Though not bad, I was not impressed with the quality of the meats, especially charging $25 for about 12 very thin pieces of meat that were the exact size of the little crostini. Appetizers should not cost more than main courses.

As there was nothing that sounded appetizing on the pasta menu, i just ordered the only thing that sounded ok from the mozzarella bar menu, the burrata with pea something (it isn't on the online menu so I'm not sure of the name). I have NEVER seen or heard of burrata being served like this. There was no seasoning at all and no olive oil. It was pureed peas with no seasoning, pea plant stems, 28 peas, and HALF of one burrata. It had no flavor at all except the very fresh peas. I could have put it all in my small hand. Extremely boring and worth about $5.50 but it cost about $20.

My daughter got the pasta that had goat meat in it. The sauce did not pair well with the meat. My husband got a different pasta dish that came in the same sauce and he said it was alright, but not GOOD.

Just overall not flavorful and too expensive. Our check (with no alcohol and no dessert) was $130 and the food was not even as good as you'd expect from a cheap family restaurant; certainly not even 1/8 as good as my cooking. This was such a waste of vacation dollars. To top it off, the cappuccino wasn't even made right! They have more alcohol than food so i think they are banking on you being drunk and thinking the food is as good as the wait staff. This restaurant gets a 2 instead of a 1 because the wait staff...