mozzeria: san francisco's deaf restaurant

mozzeria was the most memorable restaurant experience

we've had. not only because of the incredible zagat-rated

food and wood-fired pizzas, but because there is 

truly something special and different about this place.

we've never been anywhere like this in our lives.

it is owned by melody & russell stein, a deaf couple 

who created this restaurant which employs all 

deaf or hard-of-hearing employees. this incredible 

aspect of the restaurant makes for a special 

atmosphere that will definitely make you stop, 

slow down, notice, and enjoy your meal. 

you'll want to return again and again. 

when my brother and sister-in-law were visiting us

last weekend, we knew we had to take them here...

especially because their little son zach {our nephew}

was born with a hearing loss. obviously when someone

in your family is affected with something, it becomes

more personal and makes me so much more aware

and appreciative of others with similar situations.

you also realize that it is not a disability, but a 

gift and something that makes them special. my

sister-in-law whitney was so prepared to have a

 child with a hearing loss, as she had learned sign 

language during college and took multiple trips

to kenya to work at deaf orphanages. she has a 

special connection to the deaf community and

it was strengthened even more with little z.

for all these reasons, we were excited to take her

to mozzeria! because this place has great food on

its own, it doesn't boast or publicize the deaf

aspect at all {it doesn't need to!} so, we didn't 

tell jeff & whit about that part. we simply took

a cab, walked in, and i watched them slowly

realize what this restaurant entailed.

^^ you walk in and you can circle whether you have a 

reservation, and write down your name. the restaurant

is soothingly quiet, with some people talking but lots of

others signing to each other. it is one of the coolest and

most beautiful things to look around and see many diners,

chefs, and waiters speaking in sign language. whitney

picked up on it immediately and tears came to her eyes

as she realized where we were! she had heard about it

before in an article, and remembered it at that moment.

i was so glad we had waited to come here with whit & jeff!

we loved our darling waitress, and we wrote down our 

orders while whitney signed and made new friends like 

she always does. the waitress showed us her favorites,

and we went with two amazing salads and two pizzas.

this kale salad packed with roasted beets, chevre, candied 

almonds, and the best lemon vinaigrette started us off right. 

i don't know what it is about a good, fresh salad, but it makes 

me love a place immediately. this salad starts your meal right.

^^ as does the pumpkin salad with argula // pepita // 

sesame seed / /grana padano // currants and a 

homemade port vinaigrette. this salad is perfect for

 fall and i probably ate most of it at our table :)

the pizza came out and satisfied all of us. we tried the 

quattro formaggi {four cheese} pizza, (yum!)

^^ as well as the italian sausage {boys choice}

the crust was done to perfection on both, and 

the flavors were fresh and authentic. 

i'd come back for this great pizza.

^^ here's whit showing pictures of little zach

and making new friends through sign language.

there is such a great community and a lot of groups

 who regularly meet at mozzeria, both hearing and deaf.

^^ i could have watched them sign all night! 

^^ one more shot of that perfect crust

{the most important part!}

^^ right by the door they have this painting showing

how to say "pizza" in sign language, which i loved! 

^^ here's jeff & chase making "pizza" in sign language 

together with their hands. i loved this memorable 

night and we all promised we would come back

with zach and eat here in the future!

mozzeria doesn't advertise the unique experience

of the restaurant -- they let the food speak for

itself, and people who know about it continue

to come back. we will be some of those people

now, and i hope you will too when you're in SF!

thank you mozzeria for the great meal and

absolutely wonderful, memorable experience.

xoxo