Luna Bakery & Cafe — Restaurant in Cleveland Heights

UPDATE: I stayed away from Luna for about a month after the incident described below. Recently, I've given it another shot. The manager who snapped at me has been nothing but nice and the food is excellent.

I hate to be writing this because - honestly - their baked goods are delicious.

There have been two instances when Luna Bakery has let me down. The first time was soon after they opened. The Nest Egg breakfast sandwich gave me food poisoning. The second time is described below, and is much more bizarre.

The backstory: For whatever reason, Luna Bakery opens at 7 AM every day of the week except for Saturdays and Sundays. I didn't know this, and arrived at their door at 7:15 AM on a Saturday. There was an employee setting up in the main room. I knocked on the door and she answered it. It was a cold March morning, and I asked if it would be possible to quietly sit inside while they finished setting up. The employee went to ask her manager and told me that I needed to wait, and that they would let me in at quarter till. I sat in my car for half-an-hour doing work and came back to the door at 7:50. This time, it was the manager who answered the door. Despite what the previous employee had said, I was told me that they didn't open for another 10 minutes and that I would have to wait. Considering there were only about 9 minutes until open, I zipped up my coat and sat outside. When they opened the door at 8, I ordered my coffee and my crepe, and grabbed a table in my usual spot.

The problem: This is going to sound unbelievable, but I swear it's true. Apparently, the manager interpreted me sitting outside in the cold, waiting for them to open, as some sort of act of defiance. When she brought me my coffee she proceeded to go into a tirade about how what I did (sitting) could be interpreted as harassment and that if I did it again she would call the police and "have me removed". All this without me saying a word. I honestly have no idea what caused her to snap at me. Maybe she was just having a bad morning? Regardless, it was totally unacceptable, and - unfortunately - killed any remaining love I had...

I feel their baked goods leave much to be desired. The cookies -- though pretty and whimsical -- taste like cardboard, IMHO.

That said, I decided to give Luna a chance with a birthday cake for a special occasion. I thought I must be missing something since they seem to do a good business.

The woman I dealt with, Annalisa, resisted talking to me on the phone and insisted that most of their cake orders are done via e-mail. She grudgingly called me, but the call went nowhere. When I explained that I was looking for a creative partnership, money was not a concern, and that I just wanted to explore unique concepts with her, my words fell on deaf ears and she went back to wanting to email me photos of other cakes they had done for other people. She also explained that due to an upcoming holiday, they could only do "basic" cakes, nothing extravagant.

That's fine. That is their business. But for anyone who's ever ordered a cake from a baker invested in creativity and serving your individual needs, Luna's process just won't do. You want to talk to someone who recognizes the importance of the occasion and is willing to co-create something special and memorable with you. That is not Annalisa's m.o. The conversation with her was transactional, all about the cost, and sorely lacking in creative exploration.

I was able to find another local bakery who spent a good half hour on the phone with me exploring options. They understood the importance of the occasion and were interested in customizing my order. If, like me, you value that sort of interaction and don't want your special occasion to be treated like business-as-usual, I suggest you steer away from Luna and especially Annalisa. She just...

Luna is THE place to dine, pastry, and coffee in Cleveland Heights.

I rarely speak in superlatives. And, besides having the best croissants in the Midwest, Luna is everything from products to staff to aesthetics to energy. Let me reiterate how spectacular the staff is. Every single person.

I am so dedicated to the coffee, breakfasts, and team - front of house and behind the scenes - that I am going to ask the person who runs this location (because there is another on Cleveland's west side) to tack on a buck (or more) to the orders for people who coffee and dine in the table space.

Three reasons:

1. people bogart the tables like it's a Starbucks or Gregory's. I'm watching that right now. Because people will chat and hang and take a four top because they are unintentionally thoughtless.
2. the coffee and the food are worth it.
3. those who do tip tend to do so on credit cards, which taxes the tips. There's a tip jar at the registers, folks. If you don't have a dollar cash on you, you're better to coffee and dine and pastry at home.

When you're in NE Ohio, you'd be remiss to not drop by Luna. And if you don't take out or get delivery, please tip in cash.

Shouts to Millie, Reese, Christopher, Russell, Tracy, Emily, and...