ABOUT US

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VOTED BEST ITALIAN RESTAURANT IN WINDSOR!

The not-to-be-missed fine dining experience at Mezzo Ristorante & Lounge goes far beyond innovative, award-winning cuisine. A cool blend of an eclectic contemporary atmosphere extensive wine list, specialty cocktails and live entertainment are the ingredients for one of Windsor's most appealing destinations.

Welcome to the award-winning Mezzo Ristorante & Lounge in Windsor, Ontario. Since its 2002 opening, Mezzo has graced Windsor’s Little Italy, also more famously known as Via Italia Windsor. It sits at its stately corner, as one of Windsor, Ontario’s most appealing destinations.  

This exquisite dining experience goes far beyond innovative, award-winning cuisine. You will savour a cool blend of eclectic contemporary atmosphere, an extensive wine list, creative specialty cocktails and live entertainment for our guests’ enjoyment. These are Mezzo’s ingredients of over 20 years of culinary success. They invite you to come experience Italian dining beyond the usual. Nothing but the best for you and your guests.

This culinary journey began over 23 years ago when fine dining in Windsor, Ontario was transformed. A dream of creating a most unique and memorable fine dining experience. Mezzo Ristorante & Lounge was born. 

Italian cuisine, is made with love, traditionally, but with a fusion twist. Within that dream was the hope to create community partnerships and assist homeless communities and local charities by filling their most dire needs as often as possible. 

We believed in the concept of giving back and help build community partnerships centering around delicious food. For example, since its inception, Mezzo Ristorante & Lounge hosts its own local Kid’s Drive and Christmas Charity Luncheon. This annual event takes place on Christmas day since 2002 when the restaurant opened! Mezzo attributes the restaurant’s constant success built upon his nurtured community relationships and local charity support. It’s not very often that he declines an opportunity presented to us. 

Mezzo Ristorante & Lounge experienced unrelenting success over the years until the recent Covid19 era. Like so many Windsor Essex businesses, Mezzo began experiencing challenges. Restaurants faced specific challenges because of mouth to hand contact with utensils, never-mind social distancing policies that lowered the restaurant capacity. An upscale dining experience is social and relaxed. Restrictive policies created a rigid cafeteria-like experience that was extremely stressful.

A restaurant once known for its relaxed, social dining experience was reduced to providing only food for an unknown length of time. They continued to do what worked: provide delicious food and help the community. Mezzo owners, along with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW 773) took the helm to feed Windsor Essex hard-working, frontline workers during the crisis. 

Mezzo even offered and used a special sanitizing service called ZOONO® to all local businesses. Zoono made the customers feel safe to dine freely again. Also, pivoting the business to focus on takeout for a period of time gave Mezzo a great opportunity to reach a brand-new demographic.

Although customers know Mezzo as a dine-in establishment, the restaurant’s survival meant focusing on takeout. Mezzo offers all regular menu items for takeout and new dinner boxes becoming an immediate success. So much so, they remained on the takeout menu even after lock downs ended. Customers still enjoy the Date/Zoom Night Antipasto Box, Dinner Box, Vegan Box, and Salmon Seafood Box. Dinner boxes feed a family of 4 to 6 affordably. You’ll receive ciabatta bread and herbed butter, a main course, a side, and dessert. Mezzo Ristorante & Lounge offers order pickup and delivery through Skip the Dishes or Uber Eats.

The business faced other challenges experienced by all Windsor, Ontario businesses. Much like other cities globally, Windsor experiences job loss, which directly effects the ability to eat out at a higher-end restaurant. Rising inflation rates also make it difficult for families to eat out. Windsor Essex job announcements add to residents' optimism but these advantages haven't come to fruition yet.

Upcoming Local Market Opportunities: 

1. The Windsor Chrysler plant retooling to the 4.5 million sq. ft. Stellantis battery plant, promising to create approximately 3,000 jobs. 

2. The International Gordie Howe International Bridge build between Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, Michigan. This area is North America’s busiest border crossing and will relieve border congestion improve the flow of goods, services, and commerce between Canada and the United States.

3. The area’s mega-hospital.

4. Global online retailer, Amazon, a land purchase and plans to build its first fulfillment centre in the area.

Mezzo 's owners are always happy to share  their valuable business advice with local businesses and restaurant owners alike. The restaurant's success lies in longevity and the following relationship-building skills. 

We  feel that Mezzo’s success was due to the partnerships created with fellow Windsor Essex business owners and organizations. Since the internet era began and depending on how many partners in a promotion, market reach can often quadruple and more easily go viral. Keeping in focus other local businesses and creatively promoting each other helps all community members. 

Mezzo Ristorante & Lounge is happy to share a very important and most recent business lesson they learned. That is, flexibility and the ability to pivot. During the Covid19 era, many businesses had to think fast. Mezzo already offered online reservations and takeout, but during lock downs, had to completely shift to takeout. 

Known mostly as a dine-in restaurant, it was difficult to compete with so many area restaurants already offering takeout. Mezzo made it through this difficult time and is now known by both.

Mezzo Ristorante & Lounge offers award-winning cuisine and has garnered numerous accolades for its food and dining. The restaurant received the 2023 Top Choice Award for Windsor Essex #1 Italian Restaurant the 3rd year in a row. As well, in 2023, they also received a Consumer Choice Award in the general restaurant category. Recognized by Restaurant Guru for “Best Risotto in Windsor” in 2022 and “Best Romantic Restaurant in Windsor” in 2020. Also in 2020, Trip Advisor acknowledged Mezzo as Top Trip Advisor Eatery Pick. Locally, Mezzo Ristorante & Lounge was awarded 3 times from Biz X Magazine:

-2002 Outstanding New Business

-2005 Remarkable Restaurant Décor

-2006 Eat Your Heart Out For This Entrée: Ahi Tuna

Mezzo in the Italian language means “half,” describing the layout, situated at a a street corner and split into two separate halves. One side of the restaurant designated for formal dining, and the other side a casual bar and lounge.

The beauty of dining at Mezzo Ristorante & Lounge is the ability to choose one of 4 dining experiences. Would you like to dine in a casual and contemporary lounge on bar stools? How about a more formal experience in our main dining room, at a table or intimate curved booth, all dressed in white linen?  If you’re planning a meeting, seminar, birthday party, graduation, engagement or retirement party, the staff at Mezzo will ensure your required details are met. The state-of-the-art projection screen and sound system is perfect for photo slides and presentations alike. Also, take in the breeze on our patio during more seasonal weather.

As soon as you stroll into Mezzo, you’ll enter the lounge. This open-concept area is a casual, contemporary and upscale lounge experience. Full wall to ceiling bar, adorned in glass and mirrors faces the oak-adorned bar with full seating for 10. It is fully stocked to the ceiling with everyone’s favourites as well as unique offerings. This is where Mezzo cocktail magic is made.

Savour libations like a classy dry martini, a unique cocktail or mock-tail or a glass of local or international wine in our beautiful lounge. Enjoy domestic or imported liquors, liqueurs, and beer as well. Mezzo Ristorante & Lounge is well-known for its tasty dessert martinis, dessert wine, after dinner bitters, Italian grappa and dessert coffee. All drinks are made our way or can be made just the way you like. Before, during and after dinner, our drink experience is what we consider the cherry on top. With bar stool seating only, Mezzo’s lounge is simply perfect for a girl’s night out, a casual evening with friends or family, or a starting point for dinner any night of the week.

Just beyond the lounge is our main dining room. There, our guests are seated at tables adorned with fine, white linen, polished silverware, flute water glasses and long-stemmed wine glasses. You can also choose to sit intimately in one of our curved booths. The hostess will seat you and your server will request your preferred before dinner drink. Complimentary ciabatta bread and herbed butter soon follow because we believe bread should always accompany a meal. The main dining room atmosphere is a more intimate experience and live entertainment is offered weekly. At times, Mezzo is asked to close for a private party or charity event utilizing the main dining room, lounge, and private party room. The entire restaurant seats 191. 

Mezzo private event and party room is available for up to 40 guests. Whether you’re planning a small wedding reception, business presentation, corporate function, seminar, lunch, dinner, cocktail reception, holiday office party, birthday party or anniversary, we’re here to help. You’ll also be impressed by the impeccable service offered by our fully-trained, professional servers.

The space is surrounded by beautifully etched glass walls. It is separated from the main dining room with its own kitchen access and proximity to restrooms. The private event room is also equipped with a state-of-the-art sound system and projection screen, perfect for a business presentation or photo slideshows. The room can also be set up in different layouts to accommodate your needs.  We can also custom create a menu and even a welcome cocktail with your direction, making your event, completely your own. We’ll perfect the details, work within your budget and wow your guests in the end.

Seasonally, our patio offers two, refreshing outdoor dining experiences, dressed in white linen dancing in the breeze. Sit under our more secluded awning-covered patio, surrounded in lush greenery or a sunny, umbrella-shaded, open-air, area facing the main streetscape.

Mezzo Ristorante & Lounge offers a lunch and dinner experience that’s a AAA cut above the rest.  

You’ll crave Mezzo’s satisfying and affordable lunch options. Enjoy open-face sandwiches and sides, along with customer-favourite appetizers and lunch-portioned dinner menu favourites for a finer dining experience at lunch. Whether it’s a business meeting, or a friend or family gathering, Mezzo's lunch menu choices offer something to satisfy everyone.

Mezzo Ristorante & Lounge dinner experience is truly like no other. Savour a half dozen freshly shucked, delectable P.E.I. oysters, offered daily, or our lightly floured calamari tossed with onions, and herbs, and served with chipotle aioli. A dinner favourite and award winner is Mezzo’s pan-seared sesame encrusted sushi grade Ahi tuna with mango chutney accompanied by mascarpone basmati rice, and daily vegetables. Or savour every bite of Mezzo’s Beef Tenderloin, pan-seared ‘AAA’ beef tenderloin in a cabernet sauvignon reduction with fresh local mushrooms topped with crispy onions and daily accompaniments. View our dinner menu

And for dessert, Mezzo Ristorante & Lounge recommends you eat responsibly, because their desserts are extremely addictive! Their in-house tiramisu is a must-try. Layered ladyfinger cookies soaked with liquor and espresso flavoured mascarpone cheese and topped with dusted chocolate. Or finish your delicious meal with Mezzo’s specialty Vanilla Crème Brûlée: a caramelized vanilla custard with Mezzo garnish.  If you’ve tried them all, be sure to ask for our newest dessert offering called “It’s a Wrap.” Light vanilla crepe filled with ice cream & berries and drizzled with chocolate sauce. View our dessert menu

Mezzo Ristorante & Lounge is located at 804 Erie Street E. in wonderful Windsor, Ontario Canada’s Via Italia. We’re open convenient hours. Call 519-252-4055, email info@mezzo.ca, or RSVP online. 

Order for pickup , or choose delivery through Skip the Dishes or Uber Eats. 

Gift certificates are available on-location or online.

Mezzo’s insatiable drive for customer satisfaction and creativity, drives co-owner Filip Rocca to continue enhancing all the attributes of Mezzo. Enjoy an intimate, yet lively gathering place where the area’s best cuisine is enjoyed in a relaxed, yet upscale atmosphere. 

- APRIL 2024- INTRODUCING  OUR NEW GENERAL MANAGER!

 MATT JONES - a.k.a the Whisky Chef

We welcomed Matt to the Team!

With a career spanning 30 years in hospitality, Matt has worked every position in a restaurant front to back, on 4 continents. He took a decade long break from working in restaurants, and traveled North America as Whisky Specialist and all around Cocktail Consultant for the largest whisky company in the World, Beam Suntory. He presented to service staff and consumers in a different bar or restaurant, in a different city, every night of the week.

As a curator of spirited culinary & cocktail events, Matt collaborated with top chefs and bartenders across Canada and the US. In 2016 and 2017 he was named the World Whisky Ambassador of the Year, and was featured on the cover of Whisky Magazine. 

Matt moved back to Windsor to be closer to his family in 2019, and has been working as Executive Chef and Food & Beverage Manager locally for the last 5 years. 

He has now found his home as the new General Manager of Mezzo, stop by and welcome Matt!

Instagram @whisky_chef
Facebook Matt Jones (Whisky Chef)

We look forward to welcoming you soon.