Does everyone know there’s a deaf restaurant in the Mission? Am I the only one who slept on this place? As of last weekend, I am asleep no more.

Mozzeria is almost a year old and is the first restaurant from home-trained cooks Melody and Russell Stein. Melody says their restaurant is one of less than 10 in the whole country owned by deaf people. That’s her below, using a sign language interpreter service to call a hearing customer who was late for a reservation.

I, on the other hand, was right on time for dinner. When my waiter approached the table with a handwritten note to introduce himself, I nervously blurted out an audible, “Beer, please!” He read my lips, returned with a honey saison. Soon my initial awkwardness vanished.

As tables slowly filled up with small parties – some talking, but most signing – I noticed it was still so quiet I could hear every word to Led Zeppelin’s "Stairway to Heaven" being played on the speakers. 

Like any SF eatery worth its house-cured pancetta, Mozzeria sources most ingredients locally and makes everything from scratch, including their pasta and cheeses. I ordered giardiniera on soft mozzarella, chili rigatoni, a pear and brie pizza, but the show stopper was the Mozzeria Bar.

A cheesy block of fried mozzarella, with red sauce, and basil, the Mozzeria Bar is simply good. It’s a small $9 meal I’d cross town for, in the rain, which I did the following day. 

Also worth a rainy trek – the all in-house made vanilla goat cheese ice cream and chocolate cookie with oats with baked plum for dessert.

Mozzeria is open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday. 

All photos by Summer Sewell