Mezzo Brings Bistro Warmth to Market City

A wooden block bearing a thin-crusted prosciutto pizza is a fine way to begin an evening at Mezzo. The restaurant, in Market City Shopping Center’s former Formaggio space outside Waikiki, pairs Italian-style cooking with Mediterranean and local touches in a compact room that is more polished than its shopping-center address might suggest.

The format is comfortably flexible. You can settle in for a full dinner of pasta, seafood, meat and dessert, or claim a bar seat, order an Old Fashioned and make a meal of a board, a few small plates and pizza. Mezzo has the relaxed, lived-in character of a neighborhood favorite without asking anyone to dress the part.

Its dining area and bar give the evening two slightly different tempos. Tables suit a lingering date night, anniversary meal or birthday dinner, while the counter has drawn regulars and visitors into easy conversation over whiskey, wine and cocktails.

The menu makes it easy to order across categories rather than commit everybody to one course. Start with appetizers, add a pizza or pasta, then bring in an entrée if the table is still hungry. It is a useful arrangement for mixed groups, especially when one person wants seafood, another has their eye on short ribs, and somebody else is determined to save room for dessert.

Crispy pork belly is one of the starters that keeps coming up, and it has the satisfying role of a first plate that can disappear quickly. The Mezzo board, with its selection of meats and cheeses, is another natural opening move for a table that plans to sip before dinner gathers momentum.

Bruschetta keeps the formula straightforward: soft bread, tomato, garlic and olive oil. It is the sort of plate that lets the ingredients do the work, and larger groups can make quick work of it.

For a more unexpected starter, escargot has been noted for its careful presentation as well as its flavor and texture. A seafood trio is another small-plate option, useful when the table wants to sample rather than settle immediately into a main course.

The garlic shrimp scampi comes with mushrooms, noodles and a creamy garlic sauce. Its generous portion makes it particularly easy to split, though a person with a serious appetite may reasonably keep it to themselves.

Pizza has room to be more than an afterthought here. The prosciutto version has been served with a thin crust and a generous topping of meat, while Mediterranean-style pizzas and smaller six-inch pizzas have also appeared on the menu. The range lets a couple treat pizza as a course or lets a group use it as a shared middle act between starters and entrées.

Mezzo meatballs have shown up in more than one direction: with pasta, spinach, artichoke hearts and demi-glaze, and also in a robust, olive-forward puttanesca sauce. That gives the menu a pleasant bistro looseness; the cooking is Italian-inspired, but not locked into one narrow lane.

A house salad of greens with basil and garlic vinaigrette offers a fresh counterpoint to richer plates. It is a sensible addition when the order includes creamy scampi, meatballs or a cheese-and-charcuterie board.

The dinner choices reach beyond pasta and pizza. Duck has appeared as braised duck, duck breast and a succulent duck entrée, making it a strong pick for diners who want a more substantial, restaurant-style plate.

Short ribs are another hearty route, described as notably tender and available as a main course. Lamb chops, ribeye and surf and turf broaden the options further, so a table does not have to agree on a single idea of dinner.

Seafood also gets attention. Seared fish with a mildly spiced sauce and a kanpachi dish with vegetables have been among the choices, while prime rib loco moco shows the local note that occasionally surfaces in the menu’s wider mix. Specific dishes and specials can change, but the overall pleasure lies in having several directions available.

Mezzo’s bar has a whiskey-forward identity, yet it does not limit the evening to serious brown spirits. Old Fashioneds, wine, port and full cocktails all have a place, and whiskey flights have given curious drinkers a way to compare pours without turning dinner into a lecture.

The room also accommodates people who want the bar atmosphere without alcohol. Mocktails can be prepared on request, and Plantation iced tea is among the nonalcoholic options that has appeared alongside the more spirited offerings.

There is a friendly, neighborhood-counter quality to the bar, with the sort of easy mingling that can turn a quick drink into another round and a shared appetizer. Strong cocktails are part of the appeal, but the setting is not overly precious about them.

The Mezzo affogato is a fitting finish for a restaurant that takes both coffee and after-dinner drinks seriously. It pairs ice cream and coffee with chopped nuts, and it has also been offered with nut liqueur. Shared after dinner, it gives the table one more reason to linger.

Crème brûlée brings a pudding-like center under a crisp caramelized sugar shell. Mud pie heads in another direction: an ice-cream-cake-style dessert with plenty of richness but not an overwhelming sweetness.

Tiramisu and cheesecake round out the familiar dessert territory. With several choices available, a group can order individual finales or put spoons into a shared affogato and call it a night.

Mezzo is small enough to read as a bistro rather than a large dining operation. The interior is stylish and inviting, but the mood remains laid-back. It works just as naturally for a romantic dinner as it does for a casual stop after work.

Conversation is generally easy in the dining room, though the volume can rise when larger groups arrive. On some evenings, live music, including jazz, has added another layer to the room; music schedules can vary, so it is worth confirming before planning an evening around it.

The restaurant’s address outside Waikiki also helps give the meal a neighborhood orientation. It is a place to go for dinner itself, not merely a convenient pause between visitor attractions.

Mezzo has indoor dining, bar seating and counter seating, so the choice can match the occasion. A full table makes sense for a celebratory dinner; the bar is well suited to a shorter visit built around drinks, an appetizer and perhaps dessert.

Parking is available in the shopping center’s free lot. It is generally workable, though busier Friday periods can call for a little patience.

Reservations have worked well for Friday night, while walk-ins have also been accommodated at other times. Booking ahead is a reasonable option for a busy evening.

For gluten-sensitive diners, rice substitutions have been available. The restaurant does not offer gluten-free pizzas or pastas, so that accommodation is best viewed as a menu adjustment rather than a separate gluten-free program.