03/17/09

Great place to eat in Palo Alto

by Lex

Great food and great service! The location is ideal, right on University Ave. They have good pasta can chicken dishes. The portions are large.

• Pros: Really great bread
• Cons: The restruant is a bit small

03/09/07

Mediocre food, mediocre service, nice atmoshpere

by jledd

My hustband and I went here for dinner and were fairly disappointed with the quality of the food. I rarely send food back, but the mussels that I ordered were bad. They tasted spoiled and fishy. The pasta dish (fettucini with sausage) that my husband got tasted cheap and as if it was made with low quality ingredients. The prices are decent, but not considering the quality of food (also, the online menu prices are lower than actual). I would not recommend this restaurant.

• Pros: Nice atmosphere
• Cons: Poor food

11/03/06

Decent restaurant, but very overpriced

by battlemaiden

The money spend on a Bella Luna dinner could buy a much better dinner (or dinners even) elsewhere.

I've been here twice, and both times the food was good, but not as good as we've found at some other Italian restaurants in Palo Alto. I didn't think the taste was worth the high bill.

The decore is nice, the service average.

I think its very telling the the second time I ended up here, we had decided at the last minute we wanted to go to an Italian restaurant in Palo Alto on a Friday night, and this was the first one on our list that had availability. Next time we'll plan further ahead and get reservations elsewhere.

• Pros: Decore
• Cons: Prices

08/18/06

Horrendous service. Absolutely horrendous

by andreadb

After waiting ONE HOURS & FORTY-FIVE MINUTES for a simple pasta dish, we left. There was only one waitress and about 20 customers. She said it was a "rush." The place holds about 100+. Anyway, our food never arrived. A few other customers left without their food as well. Do not go to this place!

07/02/06

Best food anywhere

by kyoxchan

Best food anywhereBest food anywhereBest food anywhereBest food anywhereBest food anywhereBest food anywhereBest food anywhereBest food anywhereBest food anywhereBest food anywhere

06/09/06

Worst Restaurant in Bay area

by steveco1966

Worst Italian Food in Palo Alto, Lousy service,lousy food, terrible desert and very expensive. Don't waste your money.

05/26/06

good food and service

by pookeyhontas

Our entrees were really good. The service was good. The dessert was a little disappointing though. (tiramisu- much better at Cheesecake Factory or Buca di Beppo)

08/18/03

Serving Cal-Ital favorites in Palo Alto.

by Contributor

Serving Cal-Ital favorites in Palo Alto.

The Food
Prices are fair (maybe a bit high at lunch given all the competition), portions are generous, and presentations are appealing. Top honors go to the simple insalata Bella Luna of baby arugula and other pungent greens dressed with a balanced balsamic vinaigrette, the pansotti filled with spinach and ricotta in a buttery sage and tomato sauce, and a rustic fusilli dotted with tomato, capers and black olives.

The Scene
Opened in March, 1999, Matt Demirkol's new outpost of Northern Italian greatest hits has made steady progress. Service was fumbling and tentative at the start and pastas were uneven. The only thing unimpeachable was the decor--lush blues and mustards, the intimate dining room was luminous with delicate stained-glass crescent moons and sparkling front windows thrown open to University Avenue. Since then, the waitstaff has come up to speed and the menu of Cal-Ital favorites is more in hand.

--Laura Reiley



Restaurants and Bars | Home )

08/17/03

No detail was missed

by karekano

We had a delightful experience at Bella Luna. We were seated quickly and served promptly throughout the evening, never waiting to order, for a refill, for the next dish, or for the check. The waiter was helpful in selecting a wine and entree. The pansotti with spinach and ricotta in a buttery sage and tomato sauce was one of the best pasta dishes I have enjoyed in a long time, and the vanilla mousse was a perfect, light way to end the meal. I thought the prices were reasonable for the amount, quality, and presentation of food, as well as the service and ambiance. If our experience was any indication, they have overcome the problems indicated in past reviews. I would be happy to go back to this gem.

• Pros: Great service, Charming ambiance, Tasty food
• Cons: Parking may be tough, Outside traffic

09/12/02

A pretty abd experience

by chochay

This pretty restuarant in Palo Alto serves good food, if you can wait around for it. the waiters are slow, well beyond slow almost, you have to wave your arms around to get service...oh, I tried that didn't get any, correction, you have to stand up and tap the waiter on the back before you get any service. I was trying to order and the waiter convieniently did not speak english and knew nothing of "appetizers". I honestly did not wait any longer to torture myself so we walked out of the restaurant

• Pros: Nice Ambience, Good Location
• Cons: No Parking, Bad Service