Mazzas Family Restaurant in Mt. Vernon, Ohio

Tom and I recently tried Mazzas Family Restaurant, a new-to-us restaurant in Mt. Vernon. We ate there with our friends, Chris Ferlinc and Bill Cashell on a cool, but beautiful fall evening.

Normally we meet Chris and Bill farther north, but they were riding the Ohio to Erie trail on their bikes. We knew the day they were coming through and intended to ride with them for a while before we met for supper. Unfortunately, because of the arthritis in my left hip, I can no longer get on and off our tandem. I hadn’t tried to ride for a couple of years, so I was surprised. Instead, I walked across the street to say hi, and then Tom rode with them on his trike to Centerburg. Even though the day was cool, it was better weather than the sleet the previous day.

Chris taking a break from riding in Centerburg

After Bill and Chris finished their ride for the day, Tom and I picked them up and gave them several choices for dinner in Mt. Vernon. We all agreed that Italian sounded good and Mazzas is the place for Italian in Mt. Vernon.

Mazzas Family Restaurant was founded in Mt. Vernon in 1939 by Joe Mazza, the oldest son of Italian immigrants Salvatore and Rose Mazza. Joe first opened a lunch counter next to the bus terminal in 1939. When his brothers returned from World War II, they became a part of the business and it grew into a successful restaurant. They opened a larger location on High Street in Mt. Vernon.

Joe retired in 1979 and his youngest son, Mike, took over the restaurant. Mike’s son, Mikey, took over the restaurant when his father suddenly died. Mikey is the third generation of the Mazza family to run the restaurant. Mazzas Family Restaurant opened at its current location in 2018. The new building has room for banquets and private parties as well as a large dining room and bar.

The atmosphere was very nice and our waitress was attentive but not overwhelming. We all ordered house specialties. I got the chicken parmigiana. Tom ordered lasagna. Bill got spaghetti. And Chris ordered a house salad with fried gnocchi. All of us agreed our food was delicious. The serving sizes were just right – generous but not too much. We also ordered two pieces of flourless chocolate torte. Super yummy and perfect for sharing with a partner. It was so good, I forgot to take a picture.