Under new ownership. They're doing an amazing job at keeping the original high quality menu. We had a wonderful experience meeting new owners and staff. read more

Joe is a phenomenal server and goes above and beyond. Billy makes the best drinks! i would totally recommend eating here on your next outing. read more

My family had the most wonderful delicious meal to end our day trip to Yosemite. We left the Park around 5 and were famished by the time we got to Merced. We picked Bella Luna based on Yelp reviews (thank you Yelpers!) It is located in what seemed like Main Street with restaurants, ice cream, and movie cinemas around. Street and lot parking were full so ended up 3 blocks away but the walk was pleasant. Inside was large with half the tables taken. We started with fried calamari which was quickly devoured. It was light and crunchy with a side of cocktail sauce. For entrees we had the pappadelli bolognese, crab ravioli, fried chicken sandwich, chicken alfredo, creamy gnocchi. They were ALL delicious!! All the pasta is house-made and you can definitely tell the difference. The sauces were perfect for each pasta dish. The dinner rolls were piping hot and also house-made. My crab ravioli shaped in semi circle (not the traditional square) had the perfect balance of filling to pasta. The vodka sauce was creamy yet light and delicate. The fried chicken sandwich was perfectly breaded and seasoned with cole slaw in a house-made brioche bun. We ended with caramelized-Apple bread pudding. Totally worth stopping for a delicious meal read more

I'm so glad I decided to host my mom's birthday at Bella Luna! The food was absolutely delicious and working with Juli to plan this event was a terrific experience, she took care of everything and helped create the best birthday dinner! Thank you to Juli and the staff of Bella Luna! read more

Break time for lunch, Didn't know what I wanted to eat, told them that I'm on a diet. The chef decided to make me a custom dish. Grilled salmon with creamy Dijon sauce with brown rice/grill broccoli. It was delicious but broccoli was too salty. read more

Visited for lunch yesterday. We showed up early and the place was rather quiet, but as we sat there the place really filled up. we sat in the bar which was nice- I can imagine the back part of the restaurant being rather loud. I shared a meatloaf sandwich special and a Bella club. Both were very good. The Bella club came on delicious soft bread. I got a side salad which was a good sized portion and a side of the grilled jalapenos. They were the perfect addition to my sandwich. I didnt eat the bread on the meatloaf sandwich but did eat a few fries. they were perfectly crispy. The meatloaf was juicy and flavorful. We will definitely be back if we are driving through town again. read more

Bella Luna - Italian Near Me - Merced, California

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Jose was my waiter all I can say is Amazing food, atmosphere and service. Everything we ordered was freshly prepared. Keep it local! Will definitely be coming back. read more

Get Italian food the mushrooms truffle pizza is amazing everything is fresh price is reasonable and just over a great atmosphere. The staff is super friendly and the service is great!! I only wish I lived closer to visit more often read more

I was disappointed to see Vinnie DeAngelo sell his Bella Luna restaurant. However the couple who now own Bella Luna are clearly making an effort not to change everything. Some wait staff and some bartenders from previous staff are still there. Billy is still mixing drinks, which is a plus for those frequenting the bar! Menu is new, but contains some of the favorites from previous Bella Luna menu. New owners are clearly making an effort to continue several positive things from the original Bella Luna menu and they seem to be making an effort to maintain some of the good things the original Bella Luna had, as well as the positive atmosphere. I hear that Vinnie still has his food truck and rumor has it he will be teaching at Merced College in the near future. Give Bella Luna a try if you haven't been there during this Pandemic Influenced time! read more

There is not a lot of place to eat in Merced this was a decent outing. Wish there was more food option but it is what it is.

Horrible service Bday Party of 8 Felt unwelcome Waiter needs to learn basic manners And probably needs training Bday here the last 4 years... Never going back read more

I've been to this place several times,but this time for what ever reason, service was bad. I don't know if the wait staff was having a bad day but we were treated like we weren't wanted. We were seated and had to wait atleast 20 minutes to even get served and after that the night was a total loss. I'll leave it at that. read more

I had a great time at Bella Luna, the food was delicious, the staff was extremely friendly, and the drinks were strong and tasty. I started off with the Arancini and was not disappointed. The Arancini was rich and flavorful and the pasta sauce was amazing. I then had a delicious fig and arugula salad, it was light and refreshing. Lastly, I had the Rosetta, the prosciutto was delicious and the whole plate was full of flavor. After the delicious meals I was very content. Along with the delicious meals, I also had some delicious cocktails. I had a great evening with amazing food and drinks and would recommend to anyone who wants delicious Italian food with great portions read more

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I don't think they know what seasoning is. Definitely seems like they focus more on their appearance, than their food. Their food is very ordinary but I guess if you feel like overspending this place is just right. Nice environment, makes you forget you're in the middle of nowhere. read more

Very clean. Servers were great. Food was VERY good. Ordered lamb chops and they were cooked to perfection. The place was overall very cozy. 10/10 read more

Stopped by randomly after a crap day. Was pleasantly surprised at how nice the place was, the customer service was fantastic and the food was decently good. Pretty diverse menu, easily customizable and the server was able to help me fire out something with my dietary restrictions. Will definitely come here again. read more

Ordered the Big Tony Pasta, Gongoloza Fig Pizza, Antipasto salad, and Beets Salad. Salads: Both salads were good, I recommend them. The Big Tony Pasta, however, was an incredibly small portion for the price. The pasta was bland, flavorless, it just tasted like cold noodles with a lot of olive oil. The noodles were also stuck together. Nothing like the pictures, very disappointing. The Fig Pizza, we were told by the person who took our order that it was vegetarian but it actually comes with ham. I actually called them on the phone and the person who answered just said "I'm so sorry about that...I hope you have a good rest of your night." Aside from the miscommunication, the pizza was very stiff, the crust was even more stiff. The taste is very cheesey and also sweet. It's more like a dessert. Not a fan, not recommended. read more

The two stars are for the chicken Alfredo. The sauce was delicious and the chicken was tender. The pizza was okay, the crust was not the best and the sauce was mid. The hostess and server's are very monotone and it makes the experience weird. read more

The best food and dessert i highly recommend eating here. Everything was fresh and delicious. Took my Mom here for her birthday she loved it, the staff are very friendly too. read more

Went to Bella Luna Bistro again !! Still fantastic food AND SERVICE !! We got there late and ran out of Lasagna, but Billy hooked us up. Made a great recommendation to our dinner. JJ still funny as ever, fantastic server. Billy, what can I say, THANK YOU. Oh and he makes a mean coconut mango Mojito !! read more

Bella Luna after new ownership is amazing! We went in with a group of five people. The staff was super friendly and knowledgeable on the menu items. I ordered the Spicy Angel Hair Primavera and the flavor was on point! The owners are always there and were super friendly with out table. I highly recommend swinging by for a late lunch or dinner if you're in the area! read more

It's a great place for casual Italian dining ... Or a celebration. Love the wervice, live the food. Will go there again.

Hands down the best Italian Restaurant along the 99! This place is fantastic! The owners and their service team are wonderful, very attentive and they know how to make very authentic Italian food! I love their pizza and their Carbonara is superior! The meat gravy on this dish is delicious! I highly recommend this great establishment! read more

The food was really good but our waiter was a snot. A person asked in our party about spaghetti. The waiter said that that's not served here. There were no alternatives suggested just a stupid glare. It took forever to get a sprite and a glass of wine. We had to ask someone at the bar to help us. We would have ordered more wine but it was too much of a hassle. Sorry. we won't be back for a while. read more

My wife and I were here the very first night the new couple took over. We had been there many times with the previous owner and knew the place had the potential. The new owners took that potential and really did a great job. Every single person you meet from the host, busser, server, and owners have the exact same goal and that is for you to have an enjoyable experience. They are not just doing their job they are doing more then that. They really work so well together that you can't help but feel they care. The food is always good, and they do add new menu items from time to time as well as changing up the specials. I get the steak special every single time we go and last night the steak was next level great. Its always good but for some reason last night was the best one I have had. I'm not sure why it was so great last night but if the steak is always like that then you have no reason to go anywhere else since you won't find a better steak anywhere in Merced for sure and even if you drive outside the area, you will have a tough time finding a better steak. You can tell when an owner and their team take pride in their business, and this is a prime example of exactly that. You are guaranteed a handshake from the owner Giancarlo and a big smile from his wife Anaid. Thank you for bringing a special place to Merced and we look forward to dining again.... Mike and Michele read more

Very disappointed food was very average. I could have done better At home ! Chicken piccata was way to salty. Husbands halibut he said was awful. This was his birthday dinner.Never coming again read more

I finally got a chance to come here. I wish I would of a long time ago because this place have the best pizza in Merced. My friend got the meat lovers pizza. I got the spinach and artichoke with strawberry margaritas it was so good the service was excellent read more

Bella Luna - Spinach and artichoke pizza - Italian Near Me - Merced, California

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It is not often that we find a restaurant with great food AND great service! Joe, our server, was amazing, he was attentive and made great recommendations. The other staff was great too. We had a group of six and they made sure our water was always full, our drinks full, our food was cooked to our liking and made us feel like we were the only ones in the restaurant. Oh, and I highly recommend the Espresso Martini. read more

Food is good, but the best part is for sure the bar and the drinks. Billy is always friendly and his drinks are the BEST! Glad he stayed after the owners changed. Only gave 4 stars because the front of the hosts have been a little short and not that pleasant multiple times that we've tried to go in there. read more

The atmosphere of the place is great. The brick walls & cozy interior make a great place to dine. Sandie enjoyed her spaghetti with extremely wide noodles & and a tasty meat sauce. I first had a cup of minestrone soup which I rated a D. Also I enjoyed a refreshing mini dinner salad. My main course was calamari. This was a gigantic disappointment. A tasty flavor was absent even after salting & pepperoni it. I was looking forward to this dish as it was advertised as having tentacles included, It did. However, I might as well have been served a plate of panko as that's all I could taste. Perhaps I have been spoiled by having this dish on our Ca coast. A bright spot was the excellent service & attentiveness of our gracious server. read more

Bella Luna - Calamari - Italian Near Me - Merced, California

I have never had a had meal at Bella luna. It has opened my eyes to a world of quality food. I will try new things because I can trust that it was made by talented staff and attentive ownership. If you want a truly great meal eat at Bella luna. read more

Food is always really good. The bar makes a fantastic side car. The service is inconsistent. It's a very loud restaurant.

I made the mistake of ordering the Pompeii salad. It was awful. It seemed like good ingredients but it looked like it was put through a food processor. The side of bread was delicious so if I go back I would order a sandwich. It also took an hour and a half (and they weren't crowded) so people on an hour lunch are out of luck. read more

Mouth watering!!!! Passed through the town found this place on Yelp so I had to stop. What can I say the food is amazing. Had the cheeseburger with fries but this is NO ORDINARY cheeseburger this was Beef/Sausage patty . Also tried the lobster vodka ravioli with FRESH veggies another great dish! As the appetizer Bacon wrapped meatballs which I've never had and those too were great and flavorful. Anyone is this town you MUST stop and GOBBLE down.... read more

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I wish I could give this place 0 stars!!!! Worst food I've ever had in my life. The vodka sauce was cheese with a splash of cold marinara sauce. Avoid this place. I wish I did read more

I came here on a date (which didn't go well), but the food was amazing. We got seated right next to the bar and the staff was very attentive. Our waiter even remembered what I liked to drink. It's service like this that some places are missing. read more

Bella Luna - Italian Near Me - Merced, California

Walked in to a cheerful and welcoming environment. Staff is kind and very attentive. Food is fresh and delicious. The owner came by the table and took the time to visit. Very nice dining experience! read more

I really enjoyed this place. I went on the third day it was open. The atmosphere and decor is very pleasant. It feels like an actual Italian cafe. I tried the lemon cream puffs...they were divine. Also i tried some kind of fruit and nut pastry, im not sure what it was called but it too was amazing. I also had a breakfast sandwich (yes, i had all of this stuff at the same time. Im fatty i can't help it). It was the stuffed croissant breakfast sandwich thing...it had gruyere cheese (lovely) bacon,egg, and some type of delicious spread. It was tasty. My friend got some blue cheese breakfast sandwhich and it too was surprisingly good. Then an employee asked if we wanted to try the house espresso. I did. It tasted like dirt. However, as far as dirt tasting coffee goes, it was on par with other dirt tasting espressos that I've tried (note to self; stop trying to like dirt). I will say though that I can totally see that stuff mixed in with a Mocha there and being totally amazing. All in all I was pretty happy with this place. 4 stars for now, but, if upon returning after several visits they have consistently delighted me like they did today, I would totally give them 5. Time will tell. read more

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Split a California sandwich and a grilled fig appetizer special for lunch today. The appetizer should go on the regular menu because it was incredibly good. It had goat cheese, grilled figs, several types of heirloom tomatoes, basil leaves and olive oil and balsamic. Wow. If that's on the menu lucky you. The sandwich was pretty good. I took out the cheese because it was kind of meh longhorn mild cheddar or something not great. It came with really good kettle chips and a chocolate chip cookie. That was nice. The only drawback was that altho the waitress was super and running around like crazy, the kitchen was kind of slow. And maybe sanitation was not the best. We sat there watching them slowly and carefully make sandwiches with fingers all up inside and everything and no gloves on..... Ive worked in a bunch of kitchens so have no problem with that as long as they wash their hands often. I just figured they did. Our sandwich came as my sis commented on the no gloves. I was all rationalizing it to her when some guy came to relieve the sandwich makers and was wiping his nose with his hand all the way to the sandwich station. So glad our sandwich was already made. If I get a cold I'll amend this review....In the meantime I was pretty happy to eat here. read more

Bella Luna - Grilled fig appetizer - Italian Near Me - Merced, California

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While I'm traveling for work, I try to order take out. It allows me to get my food faster, and stretch my travel allowance a bit more. Last week I ordered the fungi pizza from Bella Luna, I was extremely impressed with the flavors but unpleasantly unsatisfied with the service/interaction when picking up my food. So, I promised to come back and try an actual food service. Not only did I affirm my prior thought about there service, but my idea of them got worse. This visit was on a Wednesday night at 8 pm. I figured after the dinner rush I should be able to promptly get my food without any troubles. I was wrong. I'll get straight to the bad details about the service and then talk bout the food. My order took FOREVER and it's not like there was a packed house either. The restaurant was probably 10% full. The time it took to get my check also felt like an eternity. And yes, the girl behind the counter just kept looking at me while prepping utensils. We made eye contact at least a couple of times, but did not bother to inform the other servers to close me out. Tf?! I came back for the buttermilk chicken sandwich. My overall opinion is that the sandwich is all hype. The chicken was over fried. I wouldn't go as far as to say that it was dry, but it was far from juicy. You could tell by dark edges and the constant crumbling of the battered pieces that something went wrong in the kitchen. Oh well. The house-made pickled jalapeños add some much needed acidity and flavor. The sauce they used also helped save the dish. Do not, I repeat DO NOT, order the sand which "plain" or you will regret dropping 14 bucks on a bland ass piece of chicken on bread. read more