Was at Whole Foods this past wknd with a few friends and our mood was Italian, after a quick search on yelp, we found Luna Rossa and here is the review for that:
Environment: 3.5/5
Clean, Good Decor, Good Lighting and Tables are spaced well. The only downside was the rickety tables.
Service: 5/5
We had an excellent server. Very Friendly and Knowledgeable on the food. Apparently a good portion of the staff is from Rome. Which definitely adds not only to the authenticity but to the enthusiasm they bring to the experience.
Food: 4.5/5
I ordered the one of the italian pizza dishes and it was quite tasty. My friends got two of their pasta dishes and they were also excellent. The servers boxed our dinners for us, but because it took awhile, they gave us free small desserts and a moscato. That pretty much sealed the deal. We are coming back.
my meal at luna rossa is definitely 2-star because in fact "meh. i've experienced better." came in on a sunday evening and it was nice that they had some live music on the patio but me and justin b. opted to sit inside in the air conditioning haha.
place wasnt crowded but we werent seated right away b/c they dont really have anyone standing at the entrance/hostess station. we had to walk inside the restaurant first and basically flagged down a server so we could get seated. in fact during our meal, i saw 2 parties walk in and walk right back out since there was no actual hostess to greet them or seat them. may want to think about having a permanent hostess there so you wont lose more business in an already empty restaurant haha. throughout the night, service was spotty at best. started out great with even the chef and manager coming up to greet us but got progressively worse as our meal went on. got our food in a timely manner, but getting a box for leftovers and paying the check was quite painful. lots of wait time when we just wanted to get out of there haha
the food itself was ok. i ordered the chicken parmigiana ($18) and it was a generous portion size. Â it was served with penne pasta and the marinara sauce was pretty good. probably better than I could have cooked at home but it wasnt spectacular either haha. the convenience factor is there for me since its close to home but i'd probably be tempted to drive out to newport and eat really good italian food at Mama D's haha
We celebrated daughter's 21st B-day here. Â Really enjoyed the "feel" of this place and the waiter was awesome! Â I had Chicken Marsala & it was A+... Fettucine Alfredo & Mushroom Risotta was also a great choice for other members of our group...they brought out a very "special" dessert designed by the Chef for our B-day girl. Â Wine list was good, too! Â We will be back!!!
Review Source:I came here one evening with my family, and it was pretty much empty (and near closing) so we got seated promptly. Incidentally we had three servers, don't ask me how that happened!
For appetizers, we got bread for the table and bruschetta. The bread was too hard for my taste, and was therefore hard to eat! Also, I don't think bruschetta is my thing because it really was nothing special and it was sitting too bread-y and sitting on a bed of arugula salad. For our entree, we got two dishes and just shared it among the three of us. We got a rigatoni pasta with mushrooms in vodka sauce, and meat lasagna. Now I don't mind italian food if it is made properly, but this places makes it with far too much oil and too much cheese. The pasta had some good flavor, but not much substance to it - I pretty much felt like I could easily make this at home. Now for the lasagna, I am usually a fan of it, but this one had a fat layer of cheese on it which made it unappetizing (we obviously ate it cause we were hungry).
One thing to comment on is the frequency our waitress came to us to ask if if we wanted to order. I understand that she was new, but it is not required that she lurk around with her eye on us to ask us if we want to order! Also, with our meal we had this really great light wine (I don't recall the name) - and it was half off all wines during the week, what a good idea! I wouldn't really recommend this place if it is out of the way, but maybe I'm just too anti-Italian, who knows.
AH-MAZING!! Great, intimate Italian gem in the heart of OC. Not your typical fancy, yet bland, and over-priced Italian fine dining. This place was DEE-LISH!! We had Caesar salad, Salmon Penne in red vodka sauce, and the Rigatoni w/ meatballs & wine. Absolutely amazingly delicious and very well reasonably priced for the portion sizes. The flavors are exactly what you would expect from an Italian restaurant with that home-cooked flavor!! We will definitely be going back for more!! Service was great-Jordano was straight from Rome and took great care of us, almost thought we were in Italy! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!
Review Source:There were four of us who came in on a Friday afternoon around 1:30 and there was only one other table in the restaurant. Â We were really excited to try this place because of the reviews, the food, and the atmosphere. Â Â However, the service here was atrocious. Â It took him 10 minutes to come over with menus without getting us water or asking what we want to drink. Â When we asked him his recommendations for wine, he offered graciously to give us samples. 15 minutes later, he came back with samples but no water. Â Â At this point, we were ravenous and simply wanted bread with our drinks. Â This onslaught of terrible service continued until we got our entrees (after he came back with our waters, our bread, and took our orders...all on separate trips), when the other table left (party of 2 can be so demanding, I assume) and we were the only ones around. Â He would try to be funny and stand behind our table when we were talking and then interject his opinion where he saw fit. Â Â I understand he was probably trying to make up for his lack of attentiveness in the beginning, but the overcompensation really just became ingratiating. Â Sadly, we won't be back, even though the basil pesto shrimp, chicken a la vodka, and clams linguine was so tasty! I'm a stickler on good customer service, and this just didn't cut it.
Review Source:Great intimate Italian restaurant! I'm always looking for a place to eat a delicious Italian meal meal with a cozy ambiance. Unfortunately, aside from a few gems, Orange County seems to lack them. However, Luna Rossa saves the day! I'm so glad I stumbled upon this place, which is on par with cucina alessa in my opinion
Came here on a Friday night with the bf. I immediately loved the dimly lit outdoor seating with a live band! We started off with wine and our server brought us a bread basket. I secretly always judge a restaurant by their bread basket, and this place passed the test in flying colors. A variety of  warm breads, including a seasoned flight bread was included.
For dinner, I had the Ortolana salad (forget the name) with goat cheese, grilled eggplant and balsamic vinaigrette--so yummy! the dressing was delish! We also had a pizza and gnocchi. Both dishes were flavorful and definitely worth coming back for.
Lastly, we had the strawberry tiramisu--HEAVENLY! The icing on the cake (or should I say tiramisu?) was that the authentic Italian chef came out at the end of the night!
Can't wait to come back and try more dishes!! Good priced, excellent food.
The food took a long time come out and the service was not particularly professional. Though customer service being so-so I can live with, the deal breaker for me was the food being pretty mediocre and bland. I would not recommend this place and was quite surprised by the Yelp reviews. I'm guessing I went on the wrong day with the wrong kitchen staff.
Review Source:I just went here with my wife for a late Friday night dinner. The restaurant was to close in 40 minutes so we ordered our food to go. We ordered withe hostess pasta carbonara, pepperoni pizza & a caesar salad. It should be noted we saw the hostess write down our order albeit on the margins of a takeout men but she wrote order nonetheless correctly and clearly. The food took 40 minutes and the hostess checked on our food twice and apologized for the delay. The bill came to $36 we gave 40 and left. We live 5 minutes away and were surprised to find we were given angel hair pasta with shrimp and tomatoes. This is not pasta carbonara nor anything close. So we tried to eat it because the restaurant was already closed but were shocked that the pasta was so badly over cooked all of the noodles had become fused into one starchy mess and was so bland as to be inedible. The pizza was pepperoni but there were on 12 pieces of pepperoni on the pizza which worked out to 2 pieces per slice. The crust was not very good. The pizza was cold. The salad was fine but everything else was so bad it ruined the experience. What was supposed to be a nice little date night was thoroughly ruined due to poor service and bad food. Thanks Luna Rossa
Review Source:I came here with a big group of people on a Friday night  and we were seated instantly outside. The food wasn't that great and the service was awful.
I ordered the lasagna and when it came, I was extremely disappointed. Lasagna is supposed to be thick, hearty, and delicious but what came to me was almost as thin as ravioli and might as well have been spaghetti except that it was lasagna noodles instead of spaghetti. I also ordered the cheese bread and what came were 3 pieces of thin baguette slices with what was either provolone or swiss on top that tasted like nothing.
And service was pretty bad. When they brought out the food, there were so many empty glasses and not 1 person asked if anyone wanted a refill. During the meal, no one ever came by until they brought the check and boxes. I'll never come back here again.
My husband and I visited Luna Rossa based on previous Yelp reviews. Â We were not disappointed. Â He ordered his standard Lasagna and I tried something different - Shrimp risotto, both were delicious. We also ordered the strawberry tiramisu and regular one - heavenly. The restaurant was pretty quiet at 8:30pm but that was a-ok for us because it's a great change from noisy restaurants with kids. Â I would definitely come here again.
Review Source:Luna Rossa means Red Moon in Italian. There is another one in Huntington Beach. This small restaurant is tucked away in a corner of The District @ Tustin, near the AMC Theater. For a delicious Italian meal it's worth finding this gem. Much of the pasta is handmade and all the meals I've had were wonderful. The first time my friend and I couldn't resist the Lobster Ravioli. And we were delighted that it was as good as we had hoped. Soft pillows of pasta filled with lobster & covered with a light Vodka Sauce. Mama Mia! Delicioso!
Since our fist meal was so good we went again last Tuesday night. I had a Shrimp Risotto with the wonderful Vodka Sauce. My friend had the Lamb Chops which were delicious as well. We each had a glass of wine with dinner. My friend is a wine drinker and was delighted by the red wine she chose. The customer service is excellent. We had a visit by the manager and then by the chef as well! Our waiter was attentive, but not overbearing. It was a quiet night for the restaurant, but once the word gets out about how good it is there may be a crowd. They have a happy hour until 6 when drinks are reduced.
I highly recommend this restaurant.
When we first walked in the hostess seated us on the patio in the back where we asked to be seated and moved the heater for us. We sat for a while without service but I don't think the waiter knew we were there. After my husband got up and let Keith know we were ready for menus, things just improved from there. He was extremely nice, and gave us drinks on the house. He also brought out a glass of moscato for me on the house! Just really great service! Keith didn't have to be so accommodating but he was. Not to mention he was nice and brought u treats at the end of our meal. Â The food was also delicious. We will happily go back soon!
Review Source:I went here for a birthday lunch with some coworkers because the District is close by to work. Â Luna Rossa wasn't the first choice (or the second choice for that matter), but it was the only restaurant that could accompany our large party immediately. Â Now that I think about it, I'm not sure if that's a good sign.
First and foremost, the service was very slow, which was surprising because there weren't that many other parties eating at that time. Â Our waiter was nice and helpful, but we were already limited to our time because we were on our lunch break, so you can imagine how frustrating it still was.
We had the Calamari Fritti and Bruschetta Al Pomodoro for starters. Â Both were very good. Â The spicy marinara sauce for the calamari was delicious. Â We had some left over bread and I used that to polish off the rest of the sauce. Â The bruschetta, although a big soggy, retained enough crispiness to add texture to very flavorful bites.
For the entree, I went with the Petto Di Pollo Funshi E Marsala. Â I declined on the sides because I was already full from the bread earlier. Â The chicken was a little dry and hard to slice with my knife. Â The mushroom sauce was pretty good, but it couldn't hide the fact the butterflied chicken breast was not prepared well.
Great restaurant! I went there with my sister and a friend and we were all really happy with our meals.  We had a Cesear Salad which was great - croutons were to die for - that's from my sister.  My other friend had the small Ortolana salad and it was beautiful looking and had marinated vegies as well as the fresh greens.  I had the Spaghetti Carbonara, lots of pancetta and  wonderful flavor.  I couldn't eat the whole plate and my friends finished it - it was that good! My sis had the Spaghetti with Meatballs and loved it and the other friend had the Spaghetti Pescatora with mussels, clams, calamari and prawns.  She loved hers too! Â
Loved the bread - delicious - and they give you your own bottle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
The service was great, the owner was there and she made me a special drink as I wanted a fun drink that was non-alcoholic. Â She and the wait staff were very attentive to everyone and they truly try to make your dining experience a happy one. Â The price is very reasonable for what you get. Â We sat outside on the patio and they had a guy playing an acoustic guitar and singing. Â All in all a great dining experience.
Great food and fabulous service. As a new customer, we turned to Sean our sever, for suggestions. It was a toss-up between a regular menu item or a special. Everything from the side Caesar salad, to the yummy bread and after dinner drinks and pastries was authentic Italian. My chicken parmigiana was very lightly breaded with a tasty marinara - I added a side of angel hair with meat sauce. A hearty serving. My husband had a decent-sized bowl of rigatoni bolognese that he enjoyed so much, I had to stop him from licking the bowl!
We didn't get to try the pizza--that's our next trip. Thank you Valentina for a wonderful dinner in a great environment. We'll see you soon.
An interesting note about the environment: With the location inside the District across from the AMC theaters, it is a causal dining spot. However, there are cloth table clothes and napkins - contradicts the casualness. It can be a romantic place as well. I wonder if they are seeking an identity?
Either way - Worth your time! Check out Luna Rossa.
Really yummy pizza .... good bread w/good olive oil & balsamic.... pretty good prices.... so many positives, I'd actually go back, but, must say that their ambiance is a bit off.
So, they have this awesome rustic travertine floor that makes you think rustic Italian; but, Â then they have white linens & fancy pants table set-ups that feel more up-scaley steakhouse-restaurant-ish. Â So, I walked in thinking it was a rustic, casual dress friendly restaurant and then felt a bit underdressed once inside the restaurant seating area. Â Oh, well, it's California, so I'd go back in casual dress anyway if I was at the District and wanted some good pizza or pasta. Â
Also, their prices reflect a more casual atmosphere as well. Â I sat down and thought, yikes, what are the prices gonna look like, now that it's all fancy-schmancy in here?? And, actually, they weren't bad. Â Can get a glass of Chianti for $7-$12 and a pizza from $10-16 -- and it's totally shareable; really good size :)
Best thing they could do is go with the rustic and ditch the fancy-pants and I'd be totally sold on this place. Â Service was pretty good too.
Thank you very much for the fresh pasta. Sean provided great customer service to a family with a toddler. I would highly recommend this place at anytime. The salads are all delicious. I would recommend any pasta dish from the menu catorgorized under egg because the pasta is fresh made. Even the pizza my son ordered from the kids menu was a good portion and delicious because it was cooked in wood fire. The waiting time for our meals was worth the wait. I like how the restuarant is kept clean, neat, all the tables have linens, and ready to sit at. See you next time Sean.
Review Source:Went here on a early dinner craving. Â Had 2 pretty basic entre for an Italian restaurant. Â I have to say it was pretty average. Â The service was OK but nothing special. Â The pasta seemed a bit undercooked. Â My chicken parmigiana was somewhat bland. Â For the price I would recommend finding a different restaurant.
Review Source:I've taken my wife and kids two times here in the last month and we have been very pleased with the food and service both times. It has a very authentic Italian feel and even some of the employees are from Italy. Â The outside patio is roomy and nice with heaters for cool evenings. Â Service was very attentive and included some freebies which is always a bonus because the menu prices are not inexpensive.
For our kids who are quite picky it doesn't get better than the cheese pizza. Â It is true Italian style with a very thin crust and also quite a big portion for kids menu. Â They really enjoyed but next time will ask them to hold the fresh basil sprinkled on top which spooked my youngest.
I had the Spaghetti Carbonara which is a favorite of mine and it was done the right way. Â Very eggy with lots of chunks of pancetta. Â Too many other places make it Alfredo style which is not good. Â I've also had the chicken parm and sausage pizza which were both very good and too much to finish. Â My wife had the broccoli chicken pasta and it was very tasty too. Â Bruschetta was nice on toasted bread but tomatoes were a bit crunchy since it was out of season.
Overall it is a great place for dinner and we plan on returning again soon!
I came here because of the good reviews on Yelp, which probably made me have pretty high expectations. Also, Yelp offers 20% off your entire bill yay!!
Pros
-Warm bread w/ olive oil & vinegar
-Fresh pasta al dente
-Pretty quick/attentive service (around 9pm)
-Complementary sample of ham
-Complementary shot of moscato at the end
Cons
-There was a guy playing guitar who would stand in front of every table for a few minutes. It was soooo awkward cus he was so close that he can basically join in on our conversation...I felt like I was obligated to tip him to make him go away.
-Seems like they are tryna go for a fancy vibe, but it was too bright in there & the walls were very plain. Its ok I understand you're new.
-Not sure if the pasta was worth $18 each entree
-To go packaging was really really weird. Even Mcdonalds togo uses a paper bag! We got this cheap pink "Thank you" plastic bag with styrofoam containers. It kinda killed the vibe that this restaurant was trying to go for.
All my cons are very picky, which is why I still rated it 3 stars! My experience was good,but nothing was special enough to make me crave this place again.
Despite the fact that the hostess forgot about us waiting for a table, this place was really great.
The bad.... was being told it would be a 5 minute wait, which actually turned into 40 minutes, because the hostess forgot that we were waiting at the bar (which she brought us to) and seated other people that came in after us. Â The waiters and the bartender were so nice and very apologetic, it was hard to be mad at the situation. Â They made our first time experience here enjoyable. Â
The inside of the restaurant is on the small side, but the outdoor patio is more spacious. Â Will definitely sit out there next time when it warms up. Â Also, it's really loud inside the restaurant. Â At times it was hard to hear our waiter and my husband talk.
I loved all the variety of dishes to choose from and they have an extensive wine list! Â The bread they brought out was warm & very good...I liked it a lot. Â I got the fettuccine Alfredo, which was made with fresh pasta and my husband got the scampi risotto. Â They both were good size portions and tasty as well. Â We also shared a Caesar salad. Â I didn't like the salad as much, it hardly had any dressing on it and we were charged $2.00 to share it! Â But again, they both were big salad portions. Â We shared the tiramisu and it was some of the best, if not the best tiramisu!! Â Our waiter gave us 2 complimentary shots of moscato, a complimentary sweet treat and a 20% VIP discount card that we keep using through June. Â We also got serenaded, TWICE, by a guitarist. Â Pretty cool! Â
I want to return and try a few other pasta dishes that looked good or try their pizzas next time, but it won't be too often....it's just a bit more on the pricey side for our weekend dinners out.
Decided to eat here on a whim after watching a movie, and was really amazed at the food. This is authentic Italian cooking. I had the seafood spaghetti and it was really fresh seafood, which makes a big difference. They also gave us a small appetizer and sweet treat at no charge, and there was a guitarist serenading us! Great way to end the week, really pleasantly surprised. Will definitely be returning!!
Review Source:Luna Rossa, where to start? I'll just get to the point. Go eat there now! I had an amazing experience at Luna Rossa. I'm talking one of those 'wow' service experiences that are so on point that I wanted to stay there all night. My girlfriend and I went to dinner there last week and we went kinda late, after 9pm, so we weren't even expecting them to be open. They were and they welcomed us right in. We sat on the patio but it was a little cold so one of the employees rolled a heater from one side of the patio to the other and set it right next to our table just so we could be warm. They have a big patio; this guy probably rolled it 40 feet from one side to the next just to accommodate us. Â
Then our server, Michael, walked up. He was fun, witty, professional, had a sense of urgency - if I owned a restaurant I would want an entire staff of him. He was able to suggest good wines, walk us through the appetizers without being pushy or trying to sell us on anything and just made the dining experience better than most. His timing was on point, his table presence was warm and fun, and he since it was our first time eating there he made quite the positive first impression. We will be back for sure, and we would recommend Luna Rose to anyone who likes Italian food and great service.
The food was great. We had Carpaccio, soup, gnocchi, raviolis, and spumoni for dessert. Â All of the food tasted like they have an Italian grandma in the kitchen making dinner for the family. It was all delicious and tasted exactly how it should. At the end of the meal Michael surprised us with a complimentary shot of Limoncello as a night cap. It was the perfect end to a perfect meal.
If I could give them six stars I would!
I've been to this restaurant twice now for a holiday dinner and pre-NYE dinner and was pleased with my experiences.
I used the Yelp check-in 20% off deal both times and had no issues with it. I like that an Italian restaurant opened up since the area is lacking in this cuisine. I usually prefer hole in the wall Italian joints, but this is a fancier place, with fancier prices of course.
Dishes I love are the vegerterian lasagna (special of the night), regular lasagna with pink sauce added on top, and meat pizza. The complimentery bread is pretty tasty too. Everything was fresh and piping hot while not dripping with melty cheese - a sign the rest of the ingredients can shine on their own.
I'm not sure I would visit often without a coupon, but this place is worth checking out on a date night before a movie.
My daughter was craving Italian food for her birthday, so we decided to try this place for dinner since we had a 30% off mailer coupon. Â It was Monday and I called earlier in the day to make reservations at 6:45p for 6 people, but maybe because people were still on vacation (it was right after New Year's), the place was pretty empty when we arrived that evening.
Well, of course I forgot to bring the mailer coupon (KMN), but a Yelp check-in yielded a 20% off coupon so I didn't have to have a total anxiety attack.
I ordered the Penne al Pollo e Broccoli ($15) - penne pasta in a light cream sauce with chicken, broccoli, shallots, and sun dried tomatoes, and shared a Caesar salad ($9?) with my sister. Â My dish, as well as everyone else's dish (yes, I tried them) was on the rich side, but tasty. Â Although we were all so stuffed (ate one too many pieces of bread), we really wanted to try some of their desserts and took home a Strawberry Tiramisu and Panna Cotta (our server advised us that they won't look as neat in a take out container, LOL).
Although service was slow considering how empty it was, our server was nice, and the food was pretty good, including the bread (I loved the Strawberry Tiramisu). Â I'd probably come back here again during the week if I get another coupon (otherwise, it can get expensive).
The better half and I were looking for a place to grab a quick bite on New Year's Eve before catching a movie. Â After looking around at some of the options, we decided to try Luna Rossa.
We looked at the menu outside of the restaurant before entering (failing to realize it was the lunch menu) and decided to go inside. Â We were greeted by the manager who asked if we had reservations (we did not), but he fortunately had a few tables in the bar area and quickly sat at us at one of the tables. Â
Rohlinism: Â If you are planning on going out to dinner (or think you might be going out) on New Year's Eve ... make reservations!
Our server Michael came over, took our drink orders immediately and made some suggestions regarding the menu. Â He also brought bread to our table when he returned with our drinks. Â The bread was fresh and was served with a very good olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette. Â
Laina wasn't feeling particularly hungry and I was just looking for something to hold me over so I ordered the Crostini della Tradizione (Toasted Crispy Bread topped with Melted Mozzarella, Italian Prosciutto, Butter and Sage) and Polpette Marinara (Meatballs in Marinara) of the Antipasti menu.
We disagreed on both items. Â My wife didn't really enjoy either of them and if she was writing a review it would have been a lower score. Â She would have preferred the Prosciutto on the Crostini della Tradizione to be crispy, it wasn't cooked. Â The Meatballs in the Polpette Marinara had sausage in them, which made them harder than most Meatballs. Â Laina is not a fan of most types of sausage ... well there is this Swedish, German and Irish hybrid she enjoys ... Â She did like the Marinara and she wishes other restaurants made theirs the same way.
I enjoyed the flavor of the Meatballs and didn't mind they were a little harder than normal because sausage had been added to the recipe. Â I also wasn't bothered by the consistency of the Prosciutto and ate up the Crostini della Tradizione. Â
Michael brought us a free dessert to top off our meal. Â It was called Panatotae and it is a light after dinner Italy pastry. Â It was very simple dessert, just powdered sugar on a flaky pastry, but very good and the one thing the wife and I agreed one.
The service was outstanding from beginning to end.  Michael and the rest of the staff was very friendly, attentive and knowledgeable when it came to the menu.  The other than we agreed is we would definitely come back and actually try some of their entrees at some point.  There was a 20% Yelp check-in discount when we ate, but it  is no longer available.
2.5 stars for lunch.
spaghetti and meatballs - fluorescent color sauce was scary looking but tasted, well okay. Â It was better than it looked. Â Meatballs look and taste frozen, like Ikea meatballs or something like that. Â Place had no music, vibe at lunch was drab, lifeless and down right depressing. Â The white linen table clothes at lunch are too stuffy and doe snot feel casual or comfortable. Â
Bread was bland cold and hard.
The house salad was wilted and not fresh but the tomatoes were a standout and dressing was good.
Service was rusty and fragile like everyone trained themselves. Â Manager or owner kept walking to front desk to use cordless phone to call home to Europe or somewhere while counting his money or something, very odd. Â Shouldn't he be walking around asking for feedback? Â
Not impressed, wont return and placed a bet this location will close in under 9 months. Â Some people should not be in the restaurant business.
Yelp 20 % off coupon is not honored so don't try using it.
Corporate kindly sent my husband and I an apology letter about our experience and asked us to try this place again. Â At first, I told my husband, no way, you couldn't pay me $100 to walk back in that place, but my heart changed, and we decided to go back there last night. Â
I'm happy to say that our experience was much more pleasant. Â We talked with the manager (different than the one we initally spoke with on our first visit), who mentioned that he had hired a whole new staff (waiters & chef). Â The food was really good. Â We ordered the Caprese Salad and the Chicken Parmesean. And for dessert we had the Tiramisu.
This place may come back around if they continue to improve on their staff and service.
[+1] I had a very enjoyable experience at Luna Rossa! I think our waiter made our experience. He was extremely funny and 'picked' on me all through dinner. Well, I normally get picked on during these things but it's all in good fun (: he had asked me if I wanted cheese and I said a liiiittle bit. He lightly sprinkled half a spoonful in the center...very funny..."I want more cheese!" He chuckled and gave me more (:
[+1] He was very knowledgable about the food and gave us some recommendations and we agreed to some. I enjoyed the prosciutto and mozzarella appetizer... It was warm, soft, and lightly salted. Good sized too! Mm...perfect for the meal!
[+1] I had the capellini con calamari entree which was lightly spiced with LOTS of calamari...it wasn't the bestest dish ever (I think I would prefer a bit more spicy) but it was still yummy and I definitely appreciated the amount of calamari they give you...very generous... I will be trying their clam dishes the next time I come here!
[+1] Ok...onto the bestest bestest part of the night...the SPUMONI BOMBA...omg... I couldn't get enough of saying it and eating it...waiter recommended it and it's the best dessert if you love ice cream and pistachio flavored ice cream! It's enveloped in a delectable chocolate shell. It's amazing! I really want to go back to eat more of it... I wanna know where they get it!
[-1] Onto bad... I actually do have to dock off a point because the waiter made one mistake during our dinner...we had the yelp check in discount and wanted to use it. I showed the coupon to him on my phone and he took the receipt back to change it...AND my phone... And to me that's a little unforgivable even though he did give me my phone back. It's just that I get paranoid that he's going to forget he has it and forget to return it or he'll drop it or or someone will steal it off the counter or something...@_@;; I was worried the entire time he had my phone even though I tried not to show it.. If it weren't for that I think I would have given them a 5 star. No hard feelings but it was something that stood out a bit much...
[+1] Anyways it is located right next to AMC in a shopping plaza! Muahaha! I can't wait to come back here to try more new things! I'm actually craving it now!
Tip: If you avoid busy lunch hours, it's so much more relaxing!
I came here for my birthday dinner last week, having only read the yelp reviews and never having actually seen the place. It's a little bit hard to locate coming from the parking lot, but it is right next to the movie theater and Native Foods Cafe at the District.
Since the reviews said it wasn't outrageously expensive I thought it was just going to be a generic Italian restaurant similar to Mama D's. The prices were similar to Mama D's ($15-$20s) per dish but the setting blew me away. I did not expect the plush seating and crisp white table cloths. It felt like a nice, quiet 5-star restaurant and I was, admittedly, a bit intimidated/embarrassed when I walked in wearing jeans.
Our server was very friendly, helpful and funny. We ordered a bottle of moscato from the extensive wine menu, and when our server found out that they had run out of that particular bottle, brought us a similar, more expensive bottle for the same price! That's customer service. He even brought out a free order of creme brulee for my birthday!
The food was yummy but did not blow me away. I guess Italian food can only be so good. I ordered gnocchi ($15) and although the plate made the portion look small, it was quite a lot of food. I tried some of my friend's smoked salmon penne with pink vodka sauce and it was quite delicious so I think I will order that if I ever have occasion to come here again.
Overall, Luna Rossa is a pretty upscale/classy restaurant that has a nice price point; perfect for special occasions!
They have a nice little location opposite the movie theatre at the District. We sat outdoors which has some nice modern heat lamps and a pleasant fire place. It wasn't very busy but I could see this place really humming on a cool summer night when they manage to pack the place.
Our server was enthusiastic and personable and gave us some great recommendations. We started with the caser salad - which was great, and the calamari. The calamari was a little bit underdone for my taste. I like it with a bit more crunch. Â My wife and I initially planned to share the penne with smoked salmon in a pink vodka sauce. Â It was so delicious we ended up ordering a second one. Â This is one of the best pasta dishes I've ordered in a restaurant. Â I highly recommend it!
We went on 10-28-12 and it was great. We ordered the caprese salad to share and I was hesitant thinking it wasn't going to be substantial. I was wrong, the tomato slices and cuts of mozzarella were huge.
I had the lasagna and it was great.
Something cool was that the lady wanted to order some special gnocci that the Huntington Beach Luna Rossa has that she saw on the website. They don't have it on the menu at this new Tustin location yet but when she brought it up to our waiter THEY MADE IT FOR HER ANYWAYS. Very cool.
At the end the waiter brought us free shots of Limoncello and surprised us with a smaller sample of a dessert I was asking about that I saw on someone else's table, free of charge. Now that's service.
This is the first review I've written after being registered on Yelp for over a year. I just had to since I want this place to stick around for awhile and after reading these other whiny loser's reviews. Yeah I said it.
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