Peter Donnelly plays a set.
by James Judd
When you walk into The Mews Restaurant, you can feel it before you even sit down—the warmth, the anticipation, and the community that has made Coffeehouse at the Mews an essential winter event for more than three decades. It’s part open mic, part salon, part confessional, and a reflection of the generous spirit that defines Provincetown.
Peter Donnelly, the songwriter who founded the series, and Ron Robin, the radio host who left show business to become a restauranteur, are the duo behind the Coffeehouse’s popular shows since its inception.
In 1991, Donnelly came to Provincetown for the summer, played a few Wednesday nights at Rick’s Café, and fell in love with the town. “At the end of the summer, I decided I wanted to move here,” says Donnelly. “I was talking to Ron about maybe having a salon at my house to keep writing songs and meeting people. He said, ‘Why not use The Mews? It’s sitting empty all winter.’”
A handful of curious people showed up for the first night. The next week there were twelve. By the end of the winter, poets from the Fine Arts Work Center were reading between folk songs and jazz musicians, and something special had begun.
“We built a really supportive environment,” Donnelly says. “People came in trying something new, sometimes their first time on stage, and the audience just went with it.”
For Donnelly and many others, the Coffeehouse became an artistic lifeline helping to stay the course during long winters. “It ran from the first Monday in November through mid-May,” Donnelly says. “That’s how I met people, and it gave me an audience to write to.”
Robin, who co-owns The Mews with his husband Edmund Teo, came to Provincetown from a background in radio. “I was a rock-and-roll DJ in Boston in the seventies,” he says. “The station owner told me my name would be Rockin’ Robin. Eventually I dropped the ‘rockin’ and made it my legal name.”
The showman’s hustle never left him. “When I came here, I wasn’t a restaurateur—I was an entertainer,” he says. “Whether it’s radio, television, or a restaurant, it’s all about producing an experience.”
Robin draws a parallel between creating theater and running a restaurant—lighting, pacing, cast, and audience all matter. “A good server is like a host on a talk show,” he says. “They chat, they connect, they make people comfortable.”
When The Mews opened in 1964, Provincetown was a different place—quieter in winter, less polished in summer, and still finding its identity between a historical fishing town, haven for artists, and destination for debauchery. Robin, who bought it in 1983, originally imagined a more formal fine-dining spot. “We thought we’d be playing classical music, linen tablecloths, the whole thing,” he says. “But we quickly learned who we were and who our audience actually was.”
By the mid-eighties, the restaurant tagline had evolved into “Elegant dining in a casual waterfront atmosphere.” “Tastes change,” Robin says. “I’d call us contemporary dining now. Fine dining today means something else—very precise, and that’s great, but it’s not our personality.”
Remnants of restaurants history are still present in the swanky new interiors: along with carefully placed sections of wood paneling from the original Mews, there’s an early menu offering “the finest obtainable filet mignon” for $8.95. “We still offer that price,” says Robin, “but only as a downpayment.”
The new décor is also a reflection of the artistry of local craftsman. The whimsical stained-glass dividers between the booths, new tables for two along the windows overlooking the bay, and much of the artwork adorning the walls were created by local artists. It’s a testament to a commitment to supporting the community that supports The Mews.
“Attention to detail tells guests you care,” he says. “If a window rattles or a handle’s loose, it adds up. People sense when a place is loved.”
In 2018, Robin finally bought the building and decided it was time to turn his long-gestating wish list of renovation projects into reality. What began as a simple kitchen-floor repair turned into an architectural adventure.
“We discovered seven layers of flooring,” he laughs. “And underneath that, the whole building was supported by tree trunks—actual tree trunks from a hundred years ago! So that had to go.”
The renovation was finished just in time for summer. “We got our licenses on July 2 at noon,” Robin remembers, “and we opened five hours later.”
For Donnelly, the renovated upstairs room is now the Coffeehouse’s new home. “We took a few years off during construction,” he says, “but this fall we’re back.”
Every Monday night through mid-May, locals and off-season visitors will once again take their turn at the mic. Some read poetry, others sing, some try stand-up comedy. “The really good ones do fine,” Donnelly says. “Comedy’s tricky, but the audience is forgiving.”
While the talent on stage is the main dish, the audience brings the spice. “It’s supportive,” he says. “People come to take risks. They know they’re in good hands.”
Over the years, those hands have welcomed some impressive names: Kate Clinton, Norman Mailer, Marie Howe, Jacqueline Woodson, Zoe Lewis, even a young Sebastian Junger. “Mailer came and read his poetry for a fundraiser,” Donnelly recalls. “That helped us buy sound equipment.”
At a time when many local mainstays are changing hands or outright vanishing along with the good weather, forty-plus years is a remarkable run. The Mews remains a place where food and art meet, where a Monday in February can feel like a joyous respite from the cold, and guitars mingle with the sounds of the wind and sea outside.
Coffeehouse at the Mews runs every Monday night through mid-May at 7 p.m. with open mic signup at 6:30 p.m., at the Mews Restaurant & Cafe, 429 Commercial St., Provincetown. Call 508.487.1500 or visit mewsptown.com for restaurant hours and reservations.
