A great little find in the Carmel Mountain area. It's a small quaint and unsuspecting location in a strip mall setting behind Krispy Kreme and next door to another donut shop and an Irish pub. Cafe Luna offers fine Italian dining at a reasonable cost. Food was delicious and service was great. Can get crowded so consider reservations. Keep on Yelp'n! read more

See all

Located in a hidden strip mall in the Carmel Mountain Ranch shopping area. Service was outstanding, very attentive and responsive. They also have a very large menu with lots of offerings! Inside of the restaurant was decorated with cute little artifacts and objects, creating a very cozy environment to dine in. Food: looked really good, but not as flavorful as I hoped. Everything was fresh and well cooked. I just think the seasoning on the flank steak and the brown sauce it was served with could use some better flavors. Dessert was absolutely perfect, though a few guest at the table commented that it was not the best cheese cake they have had. I quite enjoyed mine! I would recommend it for a casual night out. read more

See all

This place is lovely Italian restaurant Service is amazing Food is delicious The place is nice for meeting friends or dates ENJOY read more

Cafe Luna - Tricia - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

Sitting outside in evening so nice Our food was amazing And we asked waiter recommendation b They we're amazing yummy After we got to meet chef super nice read more

If you are looking for good ambiance and delicious italian food, check out Cafe Luna. It is tucked in a corner of a strip mall in Carmel Mountain. Reservations are recommended. We did not have reservations but they were able to accomodate us and was seated right away. The staff was friendly. They offer a good selection on their menu and also a daily special. Same with the wine, there was quite a number of selection on their wine list. I went with their Malbec wine and it was a good choice. For dinner, we had Salad, Cioppino and Bolognese w/ Gluten Free pasta that I requested to switch out the regular pasta. Their foods were flavorful and delicious. Quantity was enough to make us full so no there was room for dessert. This restaurant is a good place to go to celebrate a special occassion or a nice dinner. read more

See all

Great neighborhood restaurant and bar. This is a great spot for date night any night of the week. If you stick to what is offered on the menu you will have a pleasant experience as everything is delicious, but beware of the specials as they tend to be overpriced. When a waiter tells you of the specials not listed on a menu they should just tell you because it is a faux pas to ask. read more

Came here for a work dinner. The gin and tonics were delicious. The appetizers were decent. I wasn't a huge fan of the calamari but I loved the bruschetta. I got a stuffed chicken dish with pasta. The pasta carried the dish. The service was great. Overall it was a nice experience. They had a vast menu. I would come back. read more

Lovely restaurant inside a strip mall by Krispy Kreme Donuts...not exactly a place you would consider "fine dining" to be located but I digress. We wanted to go low key for our anniversary and when I perused the menu in advance, the offerings were quite enticing to say the least. It was quite crowded when we arrived but we had reservations so it was a non-issue. Our server was fine. The food though, was excellent. I originally wanted to try the Rosetta which is fresh pasta, ham, swiss, cream and parm all rolled up into little pinwheels and nestled into some kind of sauce. But instead, at my server's recommendation, I decide on the Tournadoes Gorgonzola. What in the world is a tournadoe, you ask? It is a small piece of beef tenderloin with a side of pasta. The fusilli pasta was standard but the tournadoes were a standout. Absolutely cooked to perfection in what I think was a demi glace sauce if memory serves me correctly. Heavenly. I honestly can't remember what the co-habby ordered...sorry, lol. Parking is horrifyingly bad so plan accordingly. Would I come back? Sure, why not? read more

Becky was more than kind throughout our stay, she was quite knowledgeable on the menu and gave solid recommendations. The restaurant itself was nice and had an upscale vibe to it, wine bistro feel if you will. We started with a salad of mixed greens with poached pear and a balsamic vinaigrette dressing, delicious! My entree was quite delicious. The veal was lightly breaded, tender and moist. The sauce and cheese ratio was perfectly balanced, a lovely dish! Hubs loved his veal with a Marsala sauce and mushrooms but said he preferred mine. All in all it was a hit, we can't wait to go back! Kudos to Becky for her recommendations and service! read more

See all

I don't know why it took me so long to finally eat here. It's amazing! This restaurant has been here for a really long time & I can see why. The indoor & outdoor seating was so cute. Our server was really nice & made sure to bring plates out in good timing. We tend to order a lot & our table gets crowded with plates, but she made sure that didn't happen. She recommended a champagne bottle (I forgot what it's called) but it was not too sweet which we liked. Luna Antipasta: This was a good size charcuterie board for 2 people. You can never go wrong with a charcuterie board! Caprese: The caprese was fresh & gave a good balance with the other items we ordered. Arugula is my favorite type of green & went so well with the cherry tomatoes & burrata Tournadoes Gorgonzola: I love how this was portioned out. Often times I want pasta & steak, but always get too full to finish or even enjoy the other plates. I enjoyed this dish a lot. Cioppino: My husband absolutely loves cioppino, & he really liked their's. It was flavorful & had a good portion of seafood in it. Organic Sweet Potato Gnocchi: This was probably my favorite dish. So simple, but packed with flavor! I could probably eat 4-5 plates of these alone. Next time I come, I'm definitely ordering this again. My husband & I had a total food coma after. Everything was good & I can't wait to return to try other dishes. read more

See all

This was my first experience sitting at the bar and oddly it was much better than being seated elsewhere in the restaurant. It was pretty quite low music playing and not many people which allowed my service to be quick and pretty amazing. Skip the mixologist was very attentive helpful welcoming and polite. The food was sooo deliciously prepared even the roasted chicken I ordered to go was exceptional. I'm learning when it is busy it is a very different experience with very slow service. But today was great !! Definitely my favorite local restaurant. Fresh food, great staff yummy drinks yes yes more please. read more

Definitely a gem .... Quaint and cozy family owned restaurant in the heart of Carmel Mountain with delicious food and desserts!! Great selection of wines and cocktails too Love the atmosphere here and the staff is always attentive but won't rush you ; you can sit and enjoy your time :) If you are looking for a great date night or hanging out with a group of friends...check out Cafe Luna! read more

Cafe Luna - Sour cream cheesecake! - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

Always good to come here. Excellent inside, great service and great food. What more to ask for? read more

Cafe Luna - Veal parm - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

We spent Christmas Eve at Cafe Lunar, and it was the highlight of our holiday season. From the moment we walked in, the festive decor and warm lighting set the perfect mood. The food was 10/10, the atmosphere was magical, and the staffs went above and beyond to make our night special. If you want a memorable holiday meal, this is the place to be. read more

See all

We came here for dinner on a Friday evening. It was our first time here and glad we made reservations because this place was busy. We were seated outside since the weather was nice. We enjoyed their patio seating - cozy and comfortable setting. I like that it was fenced in so you are not distracted by the outside. Good menu selection. We got the lasagna and Chicken Marsala with the Fusilli Umbriano. Both were good and the portion size was perfect for us. We came kinda hungry so this was enough. I got the gluten free version of the fusilli and thought the pasta was tasty but a bit much on the al dente side. I do like that this place is willing to make most of their dishes gluten free upon request. Anyway, overall the food was good. Slightly above average. Service was very good. Our server was friendly and very helpful in making suggestions. This place is located in a strip mall so parking was easy. Would like to return and try other d read more

Cafe Luna - Chicken Marsala with fusilli - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

came here for a birthday dinner. wife loves italian food and we've seen this place tucked i. the corner in the same shopping location as another italian food franchise. the parking was horrible. just crowded area in a friday night. the decor was okay. kind of confusing figuring out how to enter the place. and the chairs had this off shoulder design that threw things off. anyway, the food was decent. i had the ciopino that was good but not 45 dollars good. the sauces were very light, not overly done like the other italian place a few hundred feet away. so that was good. anyway, we wouldn't go out of our way to come here but wouldn't avoid it either. read more

My husband and I met with my son and fiancée to celebrate the new year. My son gave me a short notice that they wanted to eat at Cafe Luna so I was not able to make a reservation. Just arrived earlier and the restaurant was packed and had no available tables. The gentleman (maybe the owner) was called and he offered the high tables at the patio with heaters. We had an excellent server who took our order. We had calamari for appetizer and was surprised it was not fried and was really good. He then served us some bread with a dip and since this was my third time here I knew how good these were. The wine my son chose was very good too...We had salad, chicken with pasta for my son's fiancée, two types of pastas for my son, bolognese pasta for me and cioppino with linguini for my husband. My family seemed to enjoy everything they had. Unfortunately, I didn't quite enjoy my bolognese...it was so bland since there was not enough sauce even if I mixed it well. I only ate half of it. It would have been better if it had a little more sauce. I had cooked bolognese before and have ordered this dish in many other restaurants. I will still return to this place since I've had enjoyable meals here in the past and service/ambiance had always been good. Will just have to order a different pasta next time. read more

See all

Glad we reserved a table as the restaurant was quite busy. Very festive decor. Escorted to our table upon arrival and immediately offered water. Highly recommend the manicotti. White sangria was excellent. Excellent service. read more

So I write this review with a measure of sadness. There were four of us dining at Cafe Luna. The other three all raved about their meals. Me, not so much. The others had; spaghetti pomadoro, with a caesar salad, veal marsala, and the lasagna. And, as I mentioned, said their meals were quite enjoyable. I ordered the penne, with Italian sausage and cream sauce, beginning with a poached pear salad. First, the good parts. The penne was cooked perfectly. Not mushy, not too chewy. Better than the alternative, but it's an Italian resturant. Oh, and the cream sauce was good too! It should be cooked to proper standards.And the service was very nice. Attentive, without being over-bearing. The Italian sausage was nearly non-existent. Maybe a teaspoonful in the entire bowl of pasta, really sad looking. And the poached pear salad was drowning in its overly sweet dressing. The offered bread was very soft, and so hot it was nearly untouchable. And the parking is awful! We were only able to find a spot reasonably close the Cafe Luna, because one of our party members had a disability placard. Yeah, not their fault, but true just the same. read more

We enjoyed another delicious meal in our favorite local restaurant. Jamie and her team consistently provide a wonderful atmosphere for couples, friends and families to gather and share tasty food and drink. The friendly customer service is an added plus. read more

Food: I ordered from the panini sandwich section but it wasn't a panini sandwich, the Petto di pollo, it was on a warmed ciabatta roll and a super tasty chicken with panettone, highly recommend! They also give you a side of pasta with red sauce which I find odd, but it is good. I'd prefer fries but that's not an option. I would order this again. Service: excellent Ambiance: Warm and cozy feeling, like your going to a family members home. Noteworthy: This is my 3rd time here, I love it's not a chain restaurant and that the food is Always good and so is the service. read more

Cafe Luna - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

Overall we had a nice experience at Cafe Luna! It's a casual Italian restaurant nestled in the Carmel Mountain shopping complex off of the 15 freeway. It's right across from Krispy Kreme donuts. It has a warm and rustic vibe. The service was great. We were immediately seated upon arrival. Our server was very kind, professional, and patient. Our waters were always full. I appreciated they didn't rush us out and we got to enjoy our food and hang out. The food was tasty and fresh. I enjoyed the complimentary bread which was warm on the inside and crispy on the outside. With an entree, salad, and drink it came out to $50 per person. I would stop by again maybe for a special occasion! read more

Cafe Luna - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

Super cute little restaurant hidden in the corner of a plaza. In-laws have been going for years and we finally made it in. Kids loved the penne Alfredo w shrimp and cheese flatbread they had as a special. Our waitress was super nice and amazing with the kids. Thankful for her patience and great service! Everything was delicious and and seem to be made fresh. Pasta was al dente and sauces were very tasty. We would definitely come back to try more from their menu. read more

Cafe Luna - Fettuccini Bolognese and Penne con Salciccia - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

Been coming here for years, amazing little Italian spot run by a great family. The specials are always a hit, they have live music on some weekends and bar is great, as well as the patio. They make you feel like family while treating you to what feels like a home cooked meal. My go to's are the meatballs, osso buco, and pork chops while my wife always goes for the chicken specials. Also can't go wrong with any of their desserts... be warned of their old fashions and espresso martinis, they're addicting. read more

See all

I've been here a few times. Some of their food is delicious, other not so much. This time it was a miss. I ordered penne con salciccia. It was just blah...really on the bland side. I wasn't looking for lots of flavor, there really wasn't much...seemed like just a cream sauce, no garlic, no salt. And they were really stingy with the sausage! Service was great, drinks are delicious. Disappointing that I wasn't able to use the Costco restaurant gift card because we had a party of more than 8, although we had separate checks. My fault that I didn't read the back of the card. read more

Reflecting on our visit it was mostly good but we found the food dissapointing... The salmon dish was ok - for $38 it was not worth it and then we had a dish with added chicken- spaghetti seemed lumpy and honestly the chicken and salmon did not seem fresh - like it was pulled from a freezer- and heated up...I stand to be corrected...? The service and the vibe was cool. Anyway not sure we gonna run back- we had 3 dishes and a glass of wine and it was over $115 without the tip- so budget accordingly.... read more

**** Value ***** Vibe/Ambiance ***** Staff/Service **** Wow-factor Why have I not been here? ! Cafe Luna is a hidden gem tucked away amongst the commercial hustle and bustle of Carmel Mountain. Come to celebrate or just to have an awesome meal. The portions even for the small plates are generous and the specials were outstanding. The wine list has something for everyone; there is a happy hour too! Becky our server was super friendly, and attentive, even on a busy Saturday night. The break out dishes were the Osso Bucco with whipped potatoes and Halibut atop creamy risotto. The menu has traditional options which you can customize by adding adding salmon, shrimp, meatballs, sausage, chicken or burrata cheese. Bread comes with a savory olive dipping sauce that can almost stand on its own as a meal - sooo yummy. What a find for sure! read more

Cafe Luna - Halibut and Risotto - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

The ambiance was great. It felt upscale and distinguished but not overdone; I felt comfortable and excited to be there at the same time. The servers and staff were great, really friendly and just perfect. The food was great. My wife had an issue with one item but it's fine. I'd still go back. read more

Food was excellent! Service was excellent as well. Ambiance was great. Wine list was a little pricey! I get it, though!

We have to compliment on how good the bread was! It was amazing, especially with the home made tomato sauce. Came in a little late after my charity event around SD, the waiter was so nice and seated us immediately even though we might extend their closing time. Ordered the lasagna, Bolognese, and tiramisu. The lasagna was highly highly recommended by the waiter. So we ordered that and it was very authentic. The way how they prepped the meatball with the lasagna and how they did their sauces was very authentically Italian. This is extremely rare to come across in the area. 5/5 Bolognese is a little bit undercooked. However, the sauce is so amazing which compensated for the texture of the pasta. 4/5 As the self proclaimed tiramisu connoisseur, I had to order one when I heard the tiramisu was made in house. The cream is very well blended. It's a bit cream heavy. I wish they put more solids into the tiramisu. The amount of lady fingers in the tiramisu need to be at least 1.5X to get more of the coffee and cake-y consistency. A little bit of a let down but good enough, especially with the blue berry on top which created the tartness that it really needs. 3.8/5 Easy parking. The spot was very well decorated. Suitable for dates and business dinners. Give this local business some love. The owner was also super nice. Came and said goodbye when I left after I complimented on their sauce. read more

See all

Food is fantastic, always great served plus a very cozy atmosphere. The best Veal scallopini and Lamb shanks

Food was good. The restaurant is cute, it feels very much like a home. They mistakenly put a different pasta in the sampler, we asked for ravioli but received fettuccine instead. There is also a free bread basket and that was great! read more

See all

We were going out for dinner and music. The food was not very good and we were told we could not stay at our table over 1:30 minutes. The owner was not very nice. So don't go there if you want to eat and stay for the music. read more

An excellent meal only downside is the parking very congested and dark. Maybe they can have a specific area for parking read more

Walked in at 6pm to a wide open bar, one guy sitting there. They turned us away because every single chair at the bar was reserved for 6:15. Every one. Not a great policy. read more

10/10!!!! Being a local who grew up in Poway, I'm no stranger to what the area has to offer especially around Carmel Mountain. I've passed by Cafe Luna probably hundreds of times either driving by, getting my truck washed or grabbing a drink at the pub next door, but I'd actually never eaten at Cafe Luna before. This past Wednesday was a taxing day at work, so we decided to grab a couple drinks at the pub before deciding on dinner. For whatever reason, I told my fiancée that we should try Cafe Luna because we'd never been there before and I had been craving Italian food. We finished up our drinks and headed around to Cafe Luna. I have to say, this place is quite a hidden gem. I didn't know what to expect at first, but it's a very intimate setting. They made good use of the space and there's amble seating inside as well as outside in the front and in the back. We were promptly welcomed by the woman at the hostess desk and were asked if we wanted to sit inside or out. It was a nice evening so we opted for outside. No more than a few moments later we were greeted by Sean who brought us some waters as well as offered to get us a drink and went through the available specials of the day. My fiancée ended up ordering a mezcal old fashioned while I had a glass of Cabernet Savginon. Sean gave us a time to consider our meal while getting our drinks from the bar and was very patient while my fiancée was describing the cherry in her old fashioned to him and why she would have recommended a luxardo cherry over the bing cherry. ... sorry Sean, she takes her cocktail critiquing very seriously. We started off with a couple of the Rosetta appetizers which had been recommended to me by a patron next door and for our main course opted for the swordfish as well as the baseball cut steak with potatoes. Both dishes were beautifully plated and were both exquisite in every way. Portion sizes, flavor, presentation, it was a perfect meal. I've definitely paid more and gotten less at other places. After finishing our meal, we shared a dessert and I had a cappuccino which was also quite delicious. I'm so happy that we decided to stop in for dinner and that I finally got to dine at Cafe Luna. Sean as well as the food made for a very welcoming and warm environment and this is definitely a place I'd like to come back to sooner than later. Cafe Luna is doing everything right and I wouldn't hesitate for a moment in coming back. read more

See all

We came for dinner around 6:30pm on a Tuesday. It was our first time trying out this little place in the same parking lot as Krispy Kreme. From the outside it just looks like another small casual restaurant but when you enter through the somewhat hidden entrance (left end of the parking lot behind the fence), the inside is more set up like a nice bar/restaurant. With the little space I think they did well with the decoration inside. We were seated immediately and the place was full of people enjoying their food. Service was ok. Our server didn't really come by only to give us our menu, take our order, give us boxes for left overs and to take the bill. No nice service like the other comments; it seems they are selective to their service based on the customer (Majority of the other customers were much older). We were celebrating a birthday but our server didn't seem to care nor ask. But it seems like they do offer a dessert and a candle for your celebration (they did for the other table) so if you come here to celebrate, even if they don't ask, just let them know. The food was ok. The fish was the chef's special today but it was dry and bland. I did like that it was not salty but it also tasted bland. I also liked the texture as it was crispy (deep fried) but since the fish was bland and the veggies had no seasoning, I was scraping it off of the little dark sauce they had on the dish for some flavor. We also got the chef's special steak but that was overcooked (asked for medium rare) and the steak sauce tasted like it came from an off-the-shelf bottle and the scallop potato also tasted like the microwaveable ones from Costco. It wasn't bad but nothing special. Overall, it wasn't a bad experience but also not an experience I would like to revisit. read more

Cafe Luna - Chef special Halibut - Italian Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

My fav neighborhood Italian spot! Fresh great pasta, drinks are made well, live music.

Pear salad was wonderful, crunchy, salty and sweet. Chicken piccata was sadly very dry. And I don't understand why it wasn't on a bed of pasta instead of having corkscrew pasta and red sauce alongside it. read more

cute little italian place tucked away on the side of the plaza! i love the decor inside, almost feels like a new world! everything i've ordered here has been delicious but i do love their salads (def on the sweeter side)! and their pasta is always cooked well and in the most delicious sauces. if you're looking for a cute italian spot with quality food i would come here read more