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Operating in Turin since 1994, Mezzaluna is a vegan and organic restaurant, cafe, and health food shop in a charming historic building in the city center, with outside seating in summer. The restaurant offers a la carte menu and a selection of fine organic wines, beers and juices, the deli features a variety of vegetable specialties and pastries. A la carte service is available for dinner, and deli for lunch and takeout. The shop provides many organic products, including bread, pasta, sweets, grains, pulses, vegetable proteins, and fair trade products. Open Mon-Tue 9:00am-7:30pm, Wed-Sat 9:00am-11:00pm.
Category: Vegan, Italian, Macrobiotic, Organic, Western, Buffet, Juice bar, Beer/Wine, Take-out
Reviews (21)
First Review by CatarinaGarcia
Contributions +84
great restaurant and market! - Edit
the food was creative and very good, especially the moussaka (a traditional greek dish)!! the little market was also great, it had so many options we ended up taking cookies home in addition to the chocolate soy tart from the menu!!
Contributions +105
cibo buono, ottima presentazione - Edit
Abbiamo organizzato qui la cena per l'anniversario di matrimonio dei miei genitori e ci siamo trovati benissimo! Eravamo in 11 più le mie 2 cagnolone, solo io vegan e mio marito vegetariano, tutti gli altri onnivori ma è piaciuto molto a tutti! Il servizio è perfetto e lo staff è gentile e molto disponibile. Il cibo è fantastico! Davvero speciali i ravioli del Plin con crema di anacardi, il seitan con carciofi e l'insalata russa! Inoltre ci hanno preparato una torta alla frutta appositamente per l'occasione...buonissima e bellissima! Per di più la location è una piazza molto bella e vivace.
Contributions +13
amazing lunch with a lot of choice - Edit
I ate here while on a holiday in Turin. I didn't speak Italian very well but got good service anyway. On the menu you could mix and match items as you wanted to from different categories such as grains, legumes and side dishes. I had the quinoa dish, chick peas and some salad which were all amazing! I liked this place very much, would recommend!
Contributions +4300
nice comfort food with a plus - Edit
Mezzaluna has been offering vegan food for over 20 years. Owners are the same since then, and they have enlarged and enriched their cosy place and their dishes. Menu changes daily, and the dishes vary according to available seasonal ingredients. Portions are big and well worth the money. Ingredients are mostly organic, and recipes take inspiration from all over the world. Don't miss the antipasto platter, a selection of all their appetizers and hors-d'oeuvre which is, by itself, a complete meal. Seitan "meat" balls are wonderful, as well as the thai noodles and the truffle crepes. Tempeh and tofu dishes are also very nice, last night I had a wonderful miso-marinated tofu grilled with friarielli (small green pepper bells from Southern Italy). Desserts are scrumptious, with a large selection of homemade tarts and spoon desserts, and a weekly raw cake. The restaurant is ideally located in one if the more bustling areas at night, with an incredible choice of places to spend your evening out. Highly recommended.
Updated from previous review on 2016-08-14
Pros: nice food, central location , big portions
Contributions +32
lovely staff, lovely food - Edit
Simple and lovely friendly place - wish it opened for dinner every night and not just some! Great vegan ice cream next door too.
Contributions +24
Fantastic! - Edit
We were blessed to be able to eat at Messaluna on a Monday, when most everything else, especially vegan, is closed. We arrived a little late, but the owner was super helpful, warm, and welcoming. We had humus, a cashew-cheese pie, pasta with smoked tofu cream, a seitan-tofu smoky-spicy combination, caponata, fruit tart, and peach soy yogurt. It was all great! The flavors were wonderful, portion size generous, and a clean, simple, but attractive setting. The food is fresh, creative, and worth the money. We also appreciated the grocery selections in the rear of the restaurant. Everything you'd need to get started on a vegan/macro eating plan. We live in the NYC area, so we have a lot of choices for vegan food, but I wish we could eat at Mezzaluna every week, too, but alas! we were just visitors from the USA.
Pros: Food quality & flavor, Nice selection, Really friendly staff/owner
Cons: None
Contributions +98
could be better - Edit
This place has some vegan and gluten free options but could be better. My boyfriend and I went to this place an hour before closing on a Monday. Perhaps it was because of the time/day, but the woman behind the counter was not very friendly and told us that we could not use any of the empty tables to sit and eat food from the deli. It was "take away only" after 4pm. The food was not very appetizing, but it was one of the few places open on Monday at all. There was nothing raw, and everything was brown in color and greasy looking. It just wasn't my idea of healthy vibrant food. There are so many fresh ripe fruit and veggies in Italy in the summer and it would be great if they used them. Instead, it looks as though most of their ingredients are grain based or legume based, with lots of oil.
1 Response
Mezzaluna 13 Jul 2016 - Hello
we are sorry for your experience, but at that time of the day most of the food is already sold and there is very little left, especially raw food which sells very well in summer. The woman at the counter was there to help closing and cleaning the place - the owners were away for some shopping for their kids, they were back a little later - and the kitchen was already closed & cleaned because on Monday we do lunch service only, the place stays open for the shop and the little takeout service that's still possible. We hope to have you our guests at a time when we can show our full potential.
Best regards
Contributions +455
Great spot for a big lunch - Edit
This is a great local restaurant with a super friendly team. Good variety of food and a great shop at the back.
Pros: Good range of food , Inexpensive , Lovely team
Contributions +62
Ottima Colazione! - Edit
Premetto di averci solo fatto la colazione, l'ambiente e lo staff creano una bella atmosfera accogliente.
Il cappuccino e la torta homemade buonissimi!
Pros: Tanta scelta, le torte e i dolci!
Contributions +16
Amazing, can't stop going. - Edit
This resturant completely changed some of my friends ideas on what vegan food tastes like! I love it so much, I recommend it to anyone.
Pros: one plate, enough for a big guy, amazing location
Cons: bit pricy, but worth it
Contributions +832
friendly, cosy, fun spot - Edit
Very nice spot! Nice folks also, the first time I arrived was a Friday eve and the place was fully booked. They said that reservations were usually needed a few days in advance, but luckily they set me up to come the next day. The chefs are really proud of their work and whip up some great things in the open kitchen. I only went for dinner once, but was able to grab some deserts and snacks to go, and everything was great. Recommended! Just try to make reservations if you can, especially on weekend eves.
Pros: friendly, cosy, fun
Cons: pricey, sometimes full
Contributions +28
Ottima scelta di piatti - Edit
Si mangia bene con una buona varietà che cambia ogni giorno.
Ottimo prezzo, bella location con un servizio semplice e
friendly.
Pros: Varietà del cibo, Prezzi medi, Location
Cons: Difficioltà a parcheggiare, La sera quasi sempre chiuso
Contributions +134
Great lunch spot - Edit
I have read several reviews here and was lucky enough to have a chance to be located close to this restaurant with work for a while to be able to go there and try it out. I have been there twice now and truly love it. The food offered is not of the fancy kind but has a great everyday lunch menu with different choices of vegetables, grains and "meats". I tried a great quinoa bake (that I will definitely have to try at home) some great vegetable mix with carrots and tofu as well as a great veggie wrap. The other time I was here they had a great Seitan"stew" as well so I am excited to try everything they have on the menu. Its great because you can either put together your own plate with several choices of the three categories: grains, vegetables and "meat". You can either choose to have a portion as a side dish or get the meal size portion. As one orders the food at a counter you actually can see everything you choose right in front of you to get an idea what it exactly is. I love everything I have tried there so far and will definitely go back as often as possible.
Pros: Great food variety, Affordable, great lunch spot
Contributions +28
Worth a visit - Edit
Good & tasty. The vegan pizza wasn't that good but the other dishes were great. We also had a very good service. :)
Contributions +36
What is their good rating about? - Edit
We tried Mezzaluna, the name sounded sweet, the reviews were good, we were disapointed.
We tend to prefer 100% vegan restaurants (we feel that nowadays a vege business knows what the dairy industry implies, which is killing cows and baby cows, not vegetarian at all in our opinion). So when we visited the Mezzaluna shop before lunch, we didn't appreciate all the non vegan items : obviously owners are not ethical vegans (sorry baby cows).
Now we still tried and shouldn't have.
The place is ok, the waitress smiles. Now the price could be described as moderate but certainely not inexpensive. There was a very long wait for what was ridiculous food, the desert wasn't the flavor that was ordered and we didn't care but there was a hair cooked in it and no replacement was offered, we had lost enough time (and money!)anyways. Give it a try if you want, others seemed satisfied, but we won't give it another chance. Too many good vegan places in Turin to waste time there.
Pros: Smiling waitress, Outdoor seating
Cons: Food, Non vegan shop, Long long wait
4 Responses
Mezzaluna 07 Sep 2014 - Hello
we can't remember of any guest who ever complained about a hair cooked into their dessert. Everyone in the kitchen wears a cap as everybody can see, but it still may happen, and we have no interest in refusing a replacement. But we should be noticed first of course. Also we have no interest in serving a dessert instead of another, they all cost the same. Again, had we been noticed, we would have corrected the error. Our restaurant is 100% vegan, the shop retains some vegetarian items. Our place is fairly old, having been opened in 1994, and we still have customers from back then, when being vegetarian was already a big step forward. We are the oldest vegan restaurant in Turin and helped building up the current momentum for the vegan food. Our food convinced hundreds of people about the viability of a vegan diet, at a time when it was not as easy as today. We understand all the reasons why you don't like our compromises, that come from 20 years of history, but please be honest and limit to criticize that, our restaurant is known for being one of the best of any kind in Turin.
Best regards
Claudio
Laure 13 May 2015 - We had decided not to say anything about getting the wrong desert, the place was busy, the waitress seemed slightly overwhelmed and we were not too bothered with trying something else.
However, I did go to the waitress, inside the restaurant and showed her the hair in the desert, she offered absolutely no replacement, not even a sorry. To be fair I did not demand or ask for a replacement, but I feel it should have been offered indeed. But yes, it might have been just a bad day, it happens too.
As for the non vegan products, I feel that animals are more important than the habits of some customers, and a vegan business should maybe feel that way too? It could be a good opportunity to educate about the reasons behind this choice and the cruelty of such products? Now there is a vegan option for simply everything your clients are used to, cheeses included, they really could be fine with such a decision.
Laure 13 May 2015 - I know, from personal experience, that it was diferent in the 90's, but now, especially having more info out there, internet included, we can no longer say that we do not know.
Many people, especially vegetarians and vegans now know what the dairy and egg industries are about. If some of your customers do not know or would rather ignore it, you know and can make the decision not to sell these products, not to pay for this.
Now it is great that you have done so much for veganism in Turin, congratulations on this still...
Mezzaluna 12 Jul 2015 - Well, I apologize for the behaviour of my waitress, she does not remember this episode but yes, maybe she was overwhelmed by the amount of work, I have no way to know which version is true. Non vegan products are further reduced now, we are now preparing vegan cheese in a natural manner from different kinds of nuts, not the hydrogenate fats garbage you find in some vegan shops. Thank you for taking the time to respond!
Contributions +22
A gem! - Edit
What a gem this place was!
We spent a few days in Turin and kept going back, even if there are many other great restaurants in Turin as well. But this was our favorite, and I'll tell you why. We went there mostly for lunch (due to our schedules, we were on a business trip) and with just about 8 euros you get a plate of so many different kind of food rich in proteins: seitan, tempeh, tofu, different kind of vegetables and even if they are all on the same plate they all taste different and unique. We chose to have a plate that the staff filled, and they filled it with everything! You can also pick yourself, but if you choose this option then it might be helpful to know some Italian or at least no a little bit about Italian food.
The staff was very friendly and helpful, even if the place was crowded during lunchtime.
We also went there dinner and it was so lovely, pure aesthetic bliss. The restaurant has outdoor seating on a small piazza, so you can enjoy your authentic, delicious Italian food (including such delicacies as seitan tartar) and your red wine under the stars. Very romantic! We had tiramisu for a dessert and after having tasted just one bite my partner said: "there's no going back to an era before this tiramisu", with a mysterious look on his eyes. (Whatever than meant, I'm sure it was something positive!)
If I ever go back to Turin, I wouldn't miss this place for a world.
Updated from previous review on Sunday September 15, 2013
Pros: excellent food (rich in proteins!), Italian food!, nice vibe
Contributions +18
Lovely people! - Edit
On my vacation to Italy I came here after an enormously long day and they were just closing, but lucky for me they filled a bucket of food for me which was DELICIOUS! Afterwards I went back and they were all so friendly. If I lived in Turin, I'd probably come here every week :)
Contributions +16
Beyond expectations! - Edit
Never experienced vegan food so good! We let the wonderful staff prepare two plates full of samples from everything on the menu. Absolutely blown away! The food was unbelievable! The price is great for the amount of food you get. The restaurant is small, so if it is full with you arrive --wait!!!!!! It's worth it!
Contributions +16
Vegan Turin - Edit
The staff at Mezzaluna were very friendly and helpful. Some of the staff spoke English and even those who did not tried to. The atmosphere was good and the food was great. The chef explained the menu and prepared a selection of different mini dishes for us to try. Fresh food cooked while we waited and a friendly atmosphere what more could a hungry vegan want.
Pros: Friendly service from happy staff, Great fresh food, Good price for the area
Cons: None except it was raining
Contributions +557
good - Edit
simple, quick, cheap and very good and home made !
Contributions +41
Nice - Edit
It's a small store with many types of organic food, fair trade products, vegetarian/vegan products. It also has different home-made dishes that I didn't taste but that seemed to be really good.
Pros: location, good variety of food, home-made food
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