Pasta Moon — Restaurant in Half Moon Bay

This place was PHENOMENAL!!! And I mean phenomenal. From the service, to the food, absolutely wonderful experience. I highly recommend this place for a nice dinner with your husband or wife. The prices were surprisingly reasonable for the quality and quantity of food. We did not have reservations, and this place was packed! Upon entering, we were greeted by a nice older gentlemen that said unfortunately they did not have any seats available, but he said if we didn't mind, he could place the both of us in his bar. He also stated that his bartenders are very friendly and that they will provide you with great conversation. Boy was he right! BOTH of the bartenders were EXCELLANT. I couldn't have asked for better service. Very down to earth people. Great conversation. Consistently filled our drinks before they were empty. Didn't have to ask. Same with bread. Each time we were low, they would give more, and oil/ Vinegar. Not once did we have to ask. Lastly, I did want to mention one additional thing. I am unfortunately a very picky eater, as my husband is not. Being that this was a pasta place, I was certain they would have fettuccine Alfredo, ( The ONLY Thing I Like ), but unfortunately, they did not. The bartender asked me if I had a second choice other than the fettuccine Alfredo, and I told him no. He said I'll see what I can do for you." I'm thinking to myself, wow, really??? About 5 minutes or so later, he came up to me and said we can do that for you. I was completely speechless and thankful that they would go out of their way to quickly make something for me that they do not offer on there menu. I am truly grateful. This will forever be my husband and i's dinner spot when coming to Hallf-moon Bay from now on!!! I can't speak highly enough of this place! My fault for not taking any pictures. I was starving. LOL.. But the deserts here are also to die for. I highly recommend the Ghirardelli Butterscotch Pudding as that was AMAZING, and my husband had the Mascarpone Cheesecake and said it was...

Finally, some culinary redemption in a Half Moon Bay. Our meals the first 24 hours had been epic fails in service, food quality, and basic competence but Pasta Moon rose above all of that with ease.

We went in on a bustling Saturday night, the dining room(s) packed with an energetic crowd. Our friendly server Alejandro went over the specials, including an intriguing mint salad with fava beans, peas, feta, and Meyer lemon dressing. We started with that, along with the white prawns with balsamic garlic vinaigrette and both were delicious, though the salad outshined the prawns in terms of fresh flavor. We moved onto share one of their famous wood-fired oven pizzas; choosing half Margherita and half house made sausage with crimini mushrooms and prosciutto. It was fantastic, amazing crisp thin crust with all the flavors bursting on top. For our mains, we had the butternut squash Mascarpone ravioli with brown butter and the day boat scallops with a pea and fava bean pesto risotto. Both were exceptional: the scallops were seared perfectly and the risotto and ravioli both melted in your mouth with each bite.

Only area the dining fell short was with my cocktail, a pomegranate margarita which came out tasting more like a lollipop the first time. They remedied it the second round however when I asked for less sweet/more lime juice.

Service by our waiter was great, friendly and attentive. The hostess left something to be desired though, she didn't offer to take our name when we called and asked for an earlier table, in case someone canceled, she just said no. We got lucky by calling back, but based on the very large size of the restaurant it was clear they would have had routine openings for cancellations so not sure why we didn't get that courtesy offer to call us if something opened up since we already had a reservation.

Definitely recommend Pasta Moon, put it on your (short) must try list for...

We've been to Pasta Moon a few times over the years, and have appreciated the attempt at fine dining especially in HMB. The added bonus for us is the outdoor patio that has allowed us to have a nice meal with our puppies. Great memories.

Having that experience over the years, I made a reservation outdoors for my daughter and her boyfriend (early 20's), and our dogs, ( and said treat yourself!!) for appreciation that they helped by taking the dogs away from very hot weather in Los Gatos. I really hoped Pasta Moon would be a treat, but I was wrong!

I received a call from my daughter 1 hour after they arrived. No one had ever come to take their order and weather was pretty chilly for HMB. When I called the restaurant and asked what happened--- the first response I received was "and they never came to ask us?". Are you serious? We all know how polite and patient we all try to be at restaurants -- and definitely how I raised my daughter she would be extra patient. I can't imagine being a young person navigating this situation, and the clear bias from the employees --- there is no excuse for not being on top of your OpenTable reservations and treating everyone equally.

I called Pasta Moon immediately but my daughter and her boyfriend and our dogs were already leaving. Jenny, apparently a manager I had been speaking too) said she approached their car to try to rectify the situation, but it was too late, which I sadly agree with. After this experience, Pasta Moon is 100% off our list. Our party decided to grab Indian at Monsoon or Sushi instead, and it's most likely a better value with far better service. If you want Italian, coastal California, there are many better places to try if you are not a HMB resident. Pasta Moon definitely...