Italian native Cesarina Mezzoni, owner of two Italian restaurants in San Diego, says food is a love language of Italy, and it’s a feeling that can be sensed all around the European country.
She said she feels a similar level of passion and love for Ocean Beach, and it’s where she, her husband Niccolò Angius and their business partner Giuseppe Capasso own both of their Italian eateries, Cesarina and Elvira.
They both grew up in Rome and spent the first two decades of their lives there before arriving in San Diego about 10 years ago.
“We moved for love because my husband was supposed to just come here for work and just spend a few months here in San Diego, but then we ended up falling in love with the city, the culture and everything around us,” Mezzoni said.
The couple both have strong ties to food. Mezzoni said her husband worked in his family’s restaurant in Rome growing up, and she learned to cook from her mother.
“My parents met in Rome and fell in love through food,” Mezzoni said. “It’s kind of their love language. Something fun that I always like to say is that my mom, before learning how to speak Italian, she learned how to cook. My mom is one of the best cooks. She is amazing, and that love for food inspired me.”
One of Mezzoni’s favorite items to prepare is pasta.
“For someone who’s Italian, it’s like the first thing you learn to make,” she said. “Pasta is special because it takes just a few ingredients to put together, it’s very cheap and you can make awesome dishes. You don’t need anything fancy.”
The Mezzoni and Angius started their local culinary journey by selling homemade pasta and sauces from scratch at the Ocean Beach Farmers Market. After about a year of selling as a pop-up vendor, the couple took a leap of faith, followed their hearts and opened their first restaurant, Cesarina, in 2019.
Cesarina, named after Mezzoni, is pasta-centric. There are also Italian staple desserts on the menu, such as tiramisu, cannolis and gelato. Plus they offer a wide selection of wines, including their own Chianti wine from Italy, which Mezzzoni said she and her husband helped create.
Their second restaurant, Elvira, opened in 2023 and is named after Angius’ grandmother. This restaurant is more of a homage to Rome, the city where Mezzoni and Angius met and fell in love.
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She added that they settled in San Diego, and in particular Ocean Beach, since the area reminds them of Rome, but without the chaos of a big city.
“Ocean Beach has such a unique, relaxed spirit,” Mezzoni said. “It feels authentic, creative and deeply connected to the ocean. Here, you just enjoy the quality of life that is priceless, especially right now that we have two kids. Every time we spend more than a couple of weeks in Rome, we’re like, OK, we need to go back to San Diego.”
Here are Mezzoni’s favorite places for dining, art and open space in Ocean Beach.
Niccòlo Angius (left) and Cesarina Mezzoni are the owners of Italian restaurants Cesarina, in Point Loma Heights, and Elvira in Ocean Beach. (Cesarina Group)
Q: Where is your favorite dining option?
A: The 3rd Corner Wine Shop & Bistro. They have a wide wine selection as well as a very large food menu. It’s like a little wine shop with a restaurant inside. We are affectionate to 3rd Corner because it’s right around the corner from our sister restaurant, Elvira, so it’s like a go-to place after we are done with our jobs for a glass of wine and a charcuterie board. I also go there very often with my friends. I just like the vibe.
Q: What is your favorite small retail business or pop-up vendor to support?
A: Ocean Beach People’s Food Co-op. It’s like a neighborhood grocery store; basically, they have all organic and farm-to-table produce. It’s a vegetarian market, so they sell no meat.
Beachgoers relax and take a dip in the water at Santa Cruz Cliffs in Ocean Beach on Friday, March 13, 2026. (Kristian Carreon / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Q: Where is your favorite open space?
A: Santa Cruz Avenue beach. I love the fact that it’s a pretty tiny beach. The water is awesome and warmer compared to other areas in San Diego. And it also reminds me of Italy!
Q: Where is the best piece of artwork?
A: The surfboard bench on Long Branch Avenue beach. It’s like a surfboard cut in half, all next to each other. It’s also just so beautiful watching the sunsets from there.
Q: Where is your favorite entertainment attraction or historic landmark?
A: We love the Ocean Beach Farmers Market on Newport Avenue. I go there every Wednesday. It’s where we started our business, so it’s very special to us. We still buy tomatoes there. We are like tomato suckers, and you find the best tomatoes there.