681 St. Clair West
416-658-5687

I went out on a dinner date on a cold snowy Saturday night and we did not know where to go. St. Clair West did not resemble a street full of restaurants like the Danforth, The Annex, Queen West, or Yonge street. We wanted something with light healthy food with many veggie options. We were very happy when we stumbled upon Mezzetta, a middle eastern cafe located at St. Clair and Christie. Mezzetta is 2 level casual dining establishment, which has live jazz on Wednesday evenings. Dimly lit and cosy inside Mezzetta is filled with art that reminds you of a cosy living room.

For a cold Saturday night in late February, the place was crowded with locals from the Wynchwood Park and Hillcrest Village neighbourhoods. It felt like a local bar or bistro.

Mezzetta’s menu is simple. They only serve item in “tapas” format (i.e. appetizers). There are 50 items on the menu and they recommend choosing 10 items for $28.00 would feed 2 people comfortably. Well, they were right. We ordered 9 vegetarian items and one non-veggie item for my dinner date. In addition, we ordered 2 diet Cokes and an order of pita (40 cents) to go with our order of hummus, babagonoush, morroccan carrots with herbs and olive oil, sauteed eggplant cubes, beef dolmades (vine leaves), spanokopita )spinach and feta cheese in phyllo pastry), eggplant in a hot chili sauce, and an order of pickles and kalamata olives. It was nice to share so we could taste an assortment of many different dishes. For an appetizer, portions seems pretty large and I was happy since I am known for my large appetite. Service was extra friendly and food was served fast and with a smile. Most dishes are cold but some are hot (the menu indicates dishes that are not served cold). You can order dishes separately and I think they’re $2.95 but ten dishes are more than enough for 2 people.

Accepts all cards. Offers takes out and catering. Ambiance is perfect for a nice date, casual, but appropriate. Live music on Wednesday nights. Since it’s a small cafe, it can get crowded so reservations are strongly recommended.