Ristorante Paradiso by Natsume Ono

Nicoletta, in her late teens or early 20's is seeking out the mother who left her as a child.  She finds her way to Casetta dell'Orso, a quaint little restaurant in the heart of Rome. The food's delicious, but the handsome staff of bespectacled gentlemen is the real draw. Nicoletta's mother, Olga, left her with her grandmother when she was 4 years old to marry her dream man, Lorenzo, whom she believes would have refused her had she revealed the existence of her child. Fifteen years later, the adult Nicoletta plans to expose her mother by telling Lorenzo the truth.

But instead decides to observe her mother and her relationship with her husband and the people who work in the restaurant.  She finds herself attracted to one particular waiter, Claudio, who still wears a wedding ring even though he has been divorced for years.  But his ex-wife continues to eat in the restaurant every week almost making in impossible for him to move on.  So Nicolette continues to watch and learn from everyone as she starts to work in the kitchen prepping and cleaning.

I enjoyed this quiet graphic novel though I'm not really sure I understood everything but found the illustrations intriguing and it kept me reading.