Caffe Luna, Cafe Luna

The place is located in an “OK” space with decent lighting and layout but the ambiance suffers as most of the patrons are NOT smiling (I wonder why) the staff are grumpy and management idiotic.  In any business endeavor the way the employees behave always comes from the head.  We and the couple next to us felt like we were not wanted there, we were a burden, and they were (from the su-chef, to the manager, to the hostess, to the server) too important and too busy to see us. My wife and I have been to many excellent high end establishments, from the Capital City and Cardinal club to Ruth Chris, Sullivans, and second Empire where you expect outstanding service but you will have a much better time at Napper Tandys pub then wasting your time at Café Luna.  The food was simply poor the service terrible.  The server when asked about their Caesar salad had this to say, “It’s a mediocre Caesar, you know…, like we don’t make our own dressing.”

The BEST Tuscany Italian restaurant in Raleigh is Brio, hands down.  Excellent tasty food, attentive service, and great ambiance (happy smiling patrons too).  After our event (IMAX 3D Movie) we stopped at Sitti for a night cap around the corner from Café Luna and were greeted with a smile from everyone.  The hostess was cordial, the bartendress attentive and very pleasant.  We’ll be back for dinner.

There are many choices in Raleigh for a good to great dining experience.  Café Luna is NOT one of them.  You can discount reviews by delirious brides and anonymous overly bubbling individuals.  If they really had a meal there and are not the owners or employees they couldn’t be that happy.  The truth is in the other reviews which are predominantly 1’s (Poor) if the biased data are eliminated.  Usually a restaurant will not have that many 1’s ratings unless people are extremely dissatisfied.

Hope this saves someone from a poor dining experience.

By {screen_name} 05/12/11

Just does NOT live up to its reputation.  Mediocre food, uninterested service and weak beer/wine list.

By Ames 06/03/10

Caffe Luna is one of my favorite Raleigh restaurants. It is romantic enough for a Valentine’s Day dinner or anniversary and is one of the places I like to bring family from out of town. My fiancee loves the pasta stuffed with a little bit of pear and orders it every time we go. They have great good, good wine, and tasty desserts. I can not recommend this place enough.

By {screen_name} 05/22/09