A wedding portrait hangs on the dining room wall at a Tavolo. It shows Giovanni and Adelina, Maria Lewis's great-grandparents. Giovanni grew up in the countryside near Puglia, and Adelina grew up in Bari. He crossed to Philadelphia alone at thirteen. The photo hung for years in her grandparents' South Philly dining room, and the restaurant's own About page tells first-time guests to "look up when you visit."
The portrait suits the restaurant. Greg and Maria Lewis already run one of Pittsboro's best-known special-occasion dinners. a Tavolo is the place they built for regular weeknights, at 367 Freedom Parkway in MOSAIC at Chatham Park. For residents of The Preserve at Jordan Lake, it adds a full-bar Italian dinner to MOSAIC that runs until 9 p.m. on weeknights, and you don't have to wait for a special occasion to go.
A second restaurant from the owners of The Sycamore
The Lewises own The Sycamore at Chatham Mills, 39 West Catering and Forest Hall Wedding and Event Venue. The Sycamore is a chef-driven restaurant in a restored early-1900s textile mill. It serves hand-cut steaks, local seafood, unusual cuts and cocktails, with live piano, and it's open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday.
The couple designed a Tavolo as something different. Their About page calls it "a more casual, everyday Italian dining experience." It says the space works "whether you're celebrating a special occasion or just need a good meal on a Tuesday night." When MOSAIC announced the restaurant in August, Greg Lewis said he pictured a neighborhood Italian restaurant for family dinners, drinks with friends and special occasions.
The schedule follows the same plan. a Tavolo serves dinner Tuesday through Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m., and the restaurant has said more days and lunch may come later. It began with a reservation-only soft opening on October 20. Sean Lennard, WRAL's Triangle Food Guy, reported in his October 23 Foodie News column that a Tavolo "opened this week" in MOSAIC. MOSAIC's tenant directory now lists it as open. You can book through Toast, which asks guests to cancel promptly or call if their plans change.
What's on the menu
The kitchen makes its pasta, dough and sauces fresh every day. It buys from North Carolina growers and producers when the quality is there and serves those ingredients alongside traditional Italian imports. The Lewises don't serve their family recipes. A chef runs the kitchen, and the About page says family classics still shape the cooking, including the clams and pasta Maria grew up eating and later taught her daughters to make.
That dish appears on the menu as Linguini alle Vongole. Here's how the menu breaks down:
- To start: hand-tied burrata, crispy calamari and Cozze alla Marinara
- Pasta: Rigatoni alla Zozzona, Sunday Gravy, Linguini alle Vongole, Penne alla Vodka and Mafaldine con le Sarde
- Larger plates: Pesce al Limone and a braised lamb shank
- Wood-fired pizza: Margherita, Broccoli Rabe and Artichoke, Bianco and Bolognese
- Cocktails: All is Pear in Love and War, La Medusa, a Classic Negroni, the Haw River Old Fashioned and the Mosaic Mule
The menu marks the pizzas "coming soon" and says they'll be ready "in the next week or two." If you're planning a pizza night, call the restaurant first at (984) 334-1974. The About page also mentions the homemade sauce that simmered on Sunday stoves in both of the owners' families. Greg's mother's family came from Naples, so both sides trace back to southern Italy.
The restaurant also has a patio for dining outdoors when the weather is good, plus takeout.
The rest of the evening at MOSAIC
a Tavolo matters most when you see it next to MOSAIC's other open food and drink spots. Here's what the directory currently lists as open:
| Spot | What it is | When it fits |
|---|---|---|
| a Tavolo | Italian dinner, full bar | Tuesday–Saturday, 5–9 p.m. |
| Greek Kouzina | Greek and Mediterranean, lunch and dinner | Daily until 8 p.m. |
| Hops & Berry Taproom | 80 taps, full food menu, stage and live music | Until midnight Monday–Thursday, 1 a.m. Friday–Saturday |
| People's Coffee | Coffee, tea, juices, breakfast and lunch | Daytime, closes at 4 p.m. |
| Jersey Mike's | Made-to-order subs | Quick meals |
Greek Kouzina has served MOSAIC since 2022, and Jersey Mike's since November 2021. MOSAIC announced Hops & Berry in March 2024. Before a Tavolo opened, a sit-down dinner at MOSAIC meant Greek Kouzina, which closes at 8 p.m., or the taproom.
Now a Preserve household can book a 7:30 table at a Tavolo, finish pasta and a Negroni, and walk to Hops & Berry for live music. For a slower evening, you can sit on the patio when the weather allows.
Dessert still has to come from the table at a Tavolo. Pecan Jacks will be MOSAIC's ice cream and candy kitchen, with small-batch ice cream, Southern pralines, brittles and chocolates at Suite 120, 60 Mosaic Blvd. Its listing now says January 2027. The Flying Biscuit Cafe is listed for spring 2028.
For an earlier night in November, the Chatham Park events calendar lists NoVi Vibes & Bites on November 19, with local acoustic music and a rotating food truck. Outdoor NoVi Flow yoga, led by YMCA instructors, meets November 21 on NoVi Green.
Saturday, December 5: a Tavolo's address is the event parking lot
MOSAIC's holiday celebration falls on a Saturday a Tavolo is open, and the crowd parks right outside. Brightspeed's Merry + Bright Christmas Drone Light Show is a free community event at the Philip H. Kohl MOSAIC Family Commons, 457 Freedom Parkway. The Eventeny event page sends event parking to 367 Freedom Parkway, the Greek Kouzina lot and the lot next to it. That's the same address as a Tavolo. Security staff will be on site to direct cars.
Here's the schedule for the evening:
- 3 p.m.: The Blood Connection, a nonprofit, opens a blood drive at the Family Commons. It runs until 8 p.m.
- 5 p.m.: a Tavolo opens for dinner.
- 6 p.m.: The holiday market opens with 30+ local vendors, along with free photos with Santa, Christmas Train rides, kids' crafts and a visit from the snow sisters. The concert starts at the same time, with the Northwood High School Marching Band and the George Moses Horton Middle School Choir.
- 7 p.m.: The drone show begins, with holiday characters and colors in the sky.
- 8 p.m.: The festivities end. a Tavolo keeps serving until 9.
That timing allows two plans. One is a 5 p.m. reservation, arriving before the event lots fill, then walking to the Commons in time for the drones. The other is a table after the show ends at 8 p.m., when the market is closing and the lot starts to empty.
Accessible parking and drop-off are at 120 MOSAIC Blvd, in the lot shared by 79°West and Hops & Berry. Show your placard to the security staff at the entrance. The show is free, but you need a ticket through Eventeny, and the $0 tier has already shown as sold out. Check the page before you head out.
The same morning, Chatham Park's NoVi starts its Merry Mornings, a holiday stroll from 8 a.m. to noon with seasonal drinks and treats for sale. It repeats December 12 and 19.
If you're hosting family over the holidays and want help mapping out your own corner of Chatham County, from a first dinner at a Tavolo to the Pittsboro spots worth showing out-of-town guests, Brooke Gelhaus is always glad to share what she knows locally. Let's Connect.