Restaurant history

"Traditional Italian Cooking" is a phrase that's bandied about a lot lately, but at Mezza Luna you can be sure the Italian cooking is traditional, because the same family that opened the business sixty years ago is still doing the cooking today.

We here at Mezza Luna have been in business for over seventy years, under the same family ownership. Therefore we feel a brief history of how the Mezza Luna evolved would be in order. Besides, the history of the restaurant is quite interesting.

It all began in 1937 when a woman named Speranza Cubellis, who was in the produce business at the time, decided to move her family of five to Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. Speranza had her business in the Woonsocket-Bellingham area where they had lived. At this time, the produce business on Cape Cod was very profitable, so moving here was a wise investment. As soon as they moved in, they set up a giant fruit stand on Main Street and for those of you in the lower end of the downstairs dining room, you are sitting in it. In two years, everything had changed when WWII broke out in 1939 and produce, like everything else, was scarce. Luckily, Camp Edwards was in use and the Cape began to prosper and develop. At this time with so much construction going on, construction workers and laborers needed housing, or actually just a place to stay. Speranza along with her son Johnny and daughter Sylvia began taking in boarders and as the old saying goes "what's a good hotel without a fine eating establishment?" Speranza and her old world recipes began to serve meals to travelers, military and anyone else who wanted to eat a home cooked meal. Don't forget spaghetti and meatballs at that time was only 35¢. Imagine that!

Throughout the years, much reconstruction was done. These dining rooms and lounge were at one time where the Cubellis family lived and grew up. As we all know, change is inevitable, and for the Mezza Luna it seemed as though change happened every day. The business grew with the help of Speranza's children and it seemed to get better every day.

Presently, at the Mezza Luna, E.J., Johnny, and Sylvia still carry on the tradition of Nona Speranza by using the same recipes she used for her sauces and breads. We want to give you the same treatment today as Speranza would have given you in 1937, the finest quality Italian food and hospitality on Cape Cod.

Recent exterior renovations have updated the look, but inside, you'll still find the most authentic Italian lunch and dinner entrees available. Daily dinner specials abound including the famous Wednesday and Saturday "Famous Prime Rib" dinner, and the Thursday "All-you-can-eat" pasta. Don't forget to bring the children because Mezza Luna serves up one of the best kids menus around. Dessert is homemade and fresh, and the atmosphere will definitely make you feel at home.