Serves meat, vegan options available. Italian restaurant where most is vegan or veganisable. Vegan dishes include "volioli", a vegan version of the restaurant's rolioli, pasta, polenta, a choice of marinara, butternut squash sauce or spicy puttanesca sauce, stuffed portabella mushrooms, stuffed bell peppers, pizza with house-made plant cheese, salads, soup, and for dessert a vegan chocolate truffle. Provides soy milk or almond milk for coffee. Private dining room available for parties and events. Reservations accepted. Open Tue-Sat 4:00pm-8:00pm.
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1622 Main St, Cambria, California, USA, 93428
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- Outdoor seating
- Wheelchair accessible
- Accepts credit cards
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Last update on 26 Nov 2024 by Guest
Update business info
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20 Reviews
First Review by EmilyPrice
SeanDavid
Points +582
So delicious - Edit
Lots of great vegan options and the everything is very fresh. The owner is super woman with all she does, and still finds the time to make her own vegan mozzarella. A must visit restaurant if you're coming to Cambria!
Read moreGuest
Babyfreud
Points +266
Eggplant parm 😍 - Edit
Delicious and light Cesar salad and a divine eggplant parm with house made cashew cheese. Very accommodating menu - many items can be made vegan.
Read moreGuest
KeithO
Points +32
Great food in a small town - Edit
Considering the size of Cambria this is a great restaurant with, at most 18 covers (you must book in advance) The menu is quite small but most items can be made vegan. The puttanesca sauce was particularly good.
Read morePros: Good atmosphere , Good service , Good flavours
Guest
seawolfbeach
Points +17
Chef/owner Victoria has taken vegan Italian food to a new level. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Edit
Many vegan items and all dishes can be made vegan!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2022-11-20
Pros: Homemade cashew-sunflower seed cheese is divine. , Fresh sauces and egg free eggplant parmigiana 😋, Excellent wine selection!
Cons: I can only give 4/stars because she has some non, vegan items on the menu. This is a Happy Cow rule, Mezzo Italiano deserves 5 stars. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Guest
JuliaGorsch
Points +64
AMAZING - Edit
We loved the food. We both had the eggplant Parmesan and it was sooo good. The best vegan food we had in weeks. The cheese was very delicious. Also our waitress (I think she might be the boss) was so nice and friendly. Definetly recommend this place.
Read morePros: Many vegan options , Homemade cashew cheese , Very friendly
Cons: Serves meat
Guest
yummy81
Points +118
Eggplant parm:) - Edit
Homemade eggplant! The owner makes her own cheese out of sunflower seeds and cashews. Her marinara sauce is fantastic!
Read morePros: High quality, Friendly
Cons: Take out only for now
Guest
moretofuplease
Points +522
Very Vegan-Friendly - Edit
They had me at Vegan Italian. Cambria has a few restaurants with some vegan items, but this is the only I know that says everything on the menu is either vegan, or can be veganized. My wife and I shared three items: Caesar salad, stuffed red peppers, and polenta. Later two came with the same veggies: very large broccoli pieces and cooked grape tomatoes. Both had store-made vegan cheese, which was more like a cheese sauce, Peppers came with a butternut squash sauce. There was a choice of four vegan sauces for the polenta -- I opted for the puttanesca, although I worried it might be too spcy. No worries, everything was pretty mild, and I could have added chili flakes, but didn't. It was tasty and filling, no need for the bread I would have had at another Italian place. Due to pandemic, it was outdoor seating with food in boxes, plastic cutlery, which made eating an adventure. And it was a bit pricey, but hey it's Cambria, plus inflation. Otherwise thumbs up!
Read morePros: Vegan options, tasty
Guest
TheIncredibleNoms
Points +18
Absolutely awesome - Edit
First time eating at this place and not only was the lady who helped us navigate the vegan options so nice, the food is delicious. Need a BASKET of that bread Pronto😆
Read morePros: Great service, Great food, Food was fresh and hot
Guest
jtoskey
Points +192
Great food in a town with few good options - Edit
So appreciative of Mezzo! We tried the stuffed portobello, polenta, and the q-ball with pasta. All were large portions and delicious. The home made vegan cheese was great and don't miss the rolls!
Read moreCambriaLocal
Thanks for the lovely review, we are so glad you had a chance to try our special vegan cheese, we tried a few recipes but we ended up making our own and we are loving how it stays nice and melty like real cheese does. We have been adding vegan options to the menu all along and we really appreciate our vegan customers, we want you to have so many choices instead of just one or two of the usual ones. Maybe one day Happy Cow will allow us to receive 5 stars! (They currently only allow 4 stars if meat is served in any way)😒
Read moreGuest
AmberKMH
Points +181
Mezzo Italiano with Vegan Options! - Edit
For starters we both enjoyed a salad...I ordered the dinner salad and my husband ordered the spinach salad - both salads were fresh and the dressings were flavorful! I also had a Paloma Rose organic wine that was certainly enjoyable!My main course was the Cavitappi with Q-ball, a corkscrew pasta, with puttanesca sauce and a quinoa ball - the pasta was delicious, the sauce had a nice spice and quinoa ball was topped with their housemade vegan cheese and served with perfectly steamed cauliflower! We also had a freshly baked homemade roll with our dinner. They also make a sourdough pizza there...I love, love sourdough so it would be great to add a sourdough bread or roll option to the menu. We were given wonderful service and the atmosphere was cozy and relaxing. I definitely suggest stopping by Mezzo if you are in Cambria!
Read morePros: Lots of vegan options , Homemade, fresh food, Friendly service
CambriaLocal
We have considered doing more bread items so maybe one day you will get your sourdough wish.😄I am so glad you tried our organic wine, it is remarkable how delightful wine is without pesticides and we love featuring small family wineries from Italy on our wine menu. We continue to expand our vegan selections and we really enjoy offering some exciting options instead of the usual steamed veg and pasta you get at most restaurants. We overwhelm you with vegan choices.
Read moreGuest
RebekahAlexander
Points +18
I wanted to leave 5 stars - Edit
This was the best vegan Italian food I’ve had. It was all homemade! Can’t wait to go back and try new items. They had a good vegan menu for not being a full vegan restaurant. Been vegan for 7 years and I was very impressed.
Read moreCambriaLocal
Thanks, Rebekah! We love hearing how our vegan options are for those of you have been doing this for a while. We are sort of new to the vegan scene but find it so easy to accommodate many plant-based options with no difference in flavor and our non-vegan clients cannot tell the difference! We continuously add vegan options and believe this is a great way to stretch our culinary talents. In fact, most of our sauces and base items are entirely vegan and vegetarian so there is something for everyone.
Read moreGuest
PlantyTraveler
Points +213
Molto Bene! - Edit
We've been coming to Cambria for years, but only had a chance to try Mezzo tonight, based on other reviews here. We were not disappointed. The food was excellent and the service was prompt and friendly. Three of us ordered the eggplant parmesan and one got the polenta. Everything was outstanding. We also ordered salads and bread, which was warm from the oven.
Read moreCambria definitely doesn't have a lot of vegan friendly options, but Mezzo will most definitely be on our list next time. I would gladly have given it a fifth star if I could have. Plus they are serious about their mask policy, which we really appreciated!
Pros: Extremely good food., Friendly service., Great vegan options.
CambriaLocal
I am so sorry it took me so long to respond, I did respond after you wrote it but I guess I did not enter it. We really appreciate this review and the 5th star we wish Happy Cow would let us have! We have more vegan options than anyone in town, or maybe the county. We are super happy that you appreciate the mask policy, we are just starting to go back to some inside dining, but patrons must be fully vaccinated to book inside. We hope to see you again next time you visit Cambria.
Read moreGuest
AndyFraisier
Points +22
Mezzo Amazing! - Edit
My wife and I stopped here on our yearly trip to Cambria and would say that this is easily the best Vegan-Italiano cuisine we've had paws down! We would have ordered the whole menu if we could have ate it all. Everything is homemade and made to order (cheeses, sauces, desserts), which made the entire experience that much better, plus it's owned and ran by 3 women. If you're in this area, please stop by and give them your business, as the other restaurants don't even compare to the amount of vegan options they have. If Happy Cow would let me, I would give 5 stars as they are more than deserving.
Read morePros: Great vegan options, homemade, European wheat
Cons: No cons
CambriaLocal
Thank you so much! And really thanks for explaining the Happy Cow limitation on us getting a 5-star...we thought it was super weird, but at least now we know it is an issue on the app. We look forward to seeing you again. (Chef Victoria)
Read moreGuest
missfury
Points +285
Vegan Italian I wish I could get at home. - Edit
Mezzo is super cool, cute, and the food is fantastic! We are here two nights, and are eating here both times. Creative and delicious, and we can’t wait to come back next time we are in town.
Read morePros: Lots of vegan options, Quality food, Great service
CambriaLocal
Thank you so much, it is always lovely to see a guest return two nights in a row...we know we must be doing something right. We look forward to seeing you on your next visit. I am a little surprised to see a 4-star given the feedback you gave Linda, but I am assuming it is because we are not 100% vegan...and while I personally could easily shift into an entirely vegetarian and vegan option, we live in a very small town and the vegan business would not sustain us so we'd be unable to continue. We have very limited meat options, some organic chicken and a meatball is pretty much it, so we make 80% of our food entirely vegan, and the majority of the menu is in fact, vegetarian. That said, we only do a little under 10% of our business as vegan so it clearly is not a viable option to change that in the future. We want to still be here when you come back! :-). Ciao, Victoria
Read moreGuest
spiceislandvegan
Points +1388
Surprisingly delicious - Edit
This place offers many vegan options. Half of the items in the menu are vegan and/or many can be modified as vegan. Their sauces are vegan.
Read moreWe chose the soup that was special that day: butternut squash soup. Also the homemade rolls, stuffed portobello mushrooms, mixed green salad, and Q-Ball with puttanesca sauce.
They were all delicious. The food were served piping hot.
I highly recommend this restaurant. The price is high but considering that they made everything in house mostly and not buying store bought meatless meatball like Gardein, for example, and make their sauces, this is gourmet! A lot of labor was involved. The cashew cheese is yummy and house made.
Pros: Delicious
Guest
anastronomy
Points +578
Small Portioned Tasty Food - Edit
Let me start by writing that the food that was ordered tasted amazing. I had the Cavatappi pasta with a Q-ball and the Caesar salad. Regardless of the tasty food, it is expensive and the portion size is not worth it. Also, keep in mind that the pasta only had one Q-ball and the salad was $12 for some lettuce, dressing, and a couple of pieces of toasted bread. There are few vegan options in Cambria (and Mezzo does have a good amount of Vegan options) but if your looking for a good-portioned meal for a reasonable price, I recommend going elsewhere.
Read morePros: Tasty food
Cons: Price
CambriaLocal
We are so happy to hear you enjoyed your food, that is the most important thing. As for the price, well, you might be able to find cheaper vegan food in town, but you won't find anyone who uses the same level of quality organic produce as we do. Everything is made from scratch, we invented the Q-ball for our vegan customers and it is packed with nutrition and flavor. Our Caesar is organic romaine hearts, hand-torn, and the croutons are housemade as well. We really made an effort to make as much of our menu vegan-friendly as possible and our prices are completely competitive with other restaurants in Cambria. So if delicious food is what you want, we are here...if you are just shopping for cheap eats, there are always options...but they won't ever be as delicious as what we serve at Mezzo.
Read moreGuest
Lendasock
Points +370
Good decent food open late - Edit
Had their pasta, was pretty good. But be sure to add on the chia seed balls. I forget what they call them, but they are off menu and delicious. Unwilling to remove cream from their mash potato to make it vegan
Read morePros: Open late
Cons: Inflexible in changing vegetarian to vegan
CambriaLocal
Thank you for the review and so glad you enjoyed the Q-balls. They do not have any chia in them, they are quinoa-based. We have a very vast selection of vegan items, far more than any restaurant around here and we do almost everything vegan to start with. We do use butter in the mashed potatoes (not cream) and I kind of resent the implication that we were "unwilling to remove cream" as it is literally impossible to do. We make a huge effort to provide a very large plant-based menu for our vegan guests. https://mezzoitaliano.com/vegan/
Read moreGuest
Skeptocat
Points +19
Delicious vegan menu - Edit
Mezzo Italiano offers a general menu and separate vegan menu. In addition to the foods, they have a large selection of coffee drinks and teas. We took out but there is a comfortable dining room with a beautiful mosaic on the center table and two small, dog friendly patios.
Read moreWe had the celery potato soup, a yummy broth full of black pepper, celery, onion, and potato. The portobello mushroom was stuffed with wild rice and topped with a butternut squash sauce. The pizzette, a small pizza, comes with three choices of sauces. We chose the spicy puttanesca, which was generously spread and contained olives and capers. We were offered vegan cheese on it but preferred the sauce alone. While the dessert choices are limited to coconut or chocolate truffles, the chocolate was rich and creamy.
Pros: Packaging to go is environmentally friendly. , Dog friendly patios. , Pretty dining room with accommodating wait staff.
Cons: Closed Wednesdays. , Too few vegan desserts.
Guest
Shellypauls
Points +32
Small town great option - Edit
This restaurant had a lot of vegan options. They have vegetarian listed but you can ask for it to be made vegan. The side of wild rice quinoa with butternut squash was delicious. The stuffed portobello mushroom was excellent too. Their homemade focaccia roll was vegan and yummy. They do sell a vegan pizza I am interested in trying.
Read morePros: Lots of options, Delicious
Cons: A little pricey
Guest
EmilyPrice
Points +297
Total gem! - Edit
We went up for a day trip to see the elephant seal rookery in San Simeon. We felt very lucky to find this spot on our way back home- LOVED the atmosphere and they had some great organic and local wines. Very small and intimate. Try the split pea soup!!!
Read morePros: Stuffed peppers were great, Owned and operated by three nice ladies
CambriaLocal
Thank you, Emily, for that great review. We are glad you stopped in and checked us out. See you next time! Ciao!
Read moreGuest
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