Bella Luna — Restaurant in Merced

Wanted to enjoy a great Friday night dinner with my husband! Ordered a pizza with mushrooms, Onions, pepperoni, tomatoes. My husband's pizza came to the table with hardly any toppings..there was pepperoni on the outside by the crust, then all of the topping were put in the middle of the pizza. It looked like a cheese pizza!!... 3 sliced mushrooms and 5 sausages with 5 onions and a few tomatoes.. RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE!!! When we asked about the lack of toppings on the pizza we were givin Excuse after excuse "The oven shrunk the meat to the middle", maybe the meat and mushrooms are under the cheese"!! This is what the older waitress told us!! My food came out 45 minutes after I ordered! After we expressed our concerns to our waitress she never came back to check on us!!! She kept walking by like we had the plague!!! Our waitress named Katie ( I think that's what her name was! They weren't wearing name badges) handled the situation HORRIBLELY!! Mr. Blanie I should have listened to you! I shouldn't have come here for dinner!!! I know next time!!! I finally flagged down our waitress informing her about her poor service and food delay, she blows me off and then says " I hope you all come back and this doesn't stop you all from coming back!" I told her, we will NOT be returning and her answer was "ok!! "Have a great night!!" The manager never offered to fixed our situation she kept saying "WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO BOX THAT UP FOR YOU, SO YOU COULD TAKE IT HOME!!!" She only gave us a 25% discount after I told her to!! REALLY!!! 25%! SO BELLA LUNA STAFF THIS IS HOW YOU HANDLED THIS SITUATION!! AFTER THE CUSTOMER DIDN'T LIKE THE PIZZA THAT WAS PREPARED, IMMEDIATELY TAKE IT BACK AND PREPARE IT TO THE CUSTOMERS LIKING!!!! WHEN A CUSTOMERS PLATE IS 40 MINUTES LATE YOU APOLOGIZE AND REMOVE THAT PLATE FROM THE BILL. DO NOT MAKE EXCUSES STATING THERE WAS A BIG PARTY ON THE OTHER SIDE!!" ALSO OFFER A DESSERT, OR SOME KIND OF ACCOMMODATION!! WHILE APOLOGIZING AND TRYING TO MAKE IT RIGHT FOR THE CUSTOMER! THAT'S HOW YOU HANDLED IT! SO SAD BELLA LUNA STAFF COULDN'T FIGURE IT OUT!!! WOW!! I LEFT FEELING LIKE WE WERE BOTHING THEM AND WE WERE THE RUDE ONES FOR LETTING THEM KNOW HOW UNPLEASED WE WERE. WE FELT LIKE WE DIDN'T BELONG THERE! BELLA LUNA EPIC FAIL! YOU...

I hadn’t eaten pizza Bella Luna’s since it opened years ago. I remember enjoying the fire cooked crust so I thought I’d order a pizza through door dash instead of the usual Pizza Hut. I don’t know if it’s all they serve or is only available on DD menu but there weren’t many options and no way to personalize. Not even extra cheese! I ordered a pepperoni (I guess only 1 size is available) and it arrived as expected on time. I was very disappointed that the cheese was sparse and the pizza altogether lacked anything that would set it apart from a slice of Sbarro’s Pizza. Remember that place that used to be in the mall? $3.25 a slice w a drink. Yup, same exact type pizza. Nothing spectacular. Overpriced for such a small pizza w only pepperoni. ($20.00 plus tip). Once it cooled, it wasn’t any more appetizing. The areas where there was an even more serious lack of cheese was evident. Why are pizza places so stingy w the cheese? A good amount of cheese can sometimes make up for crummy pizza. Or at least keep you from the bottom of the list. I will say that the amount of pepperoni was average to generous. They definitely didn’t skimp in that department. This pizza reminded me of 7-11 pizza after it’s been sitting under the light too long which I know it hadn’t as it was freshly made. I think if the pizza had a sufficient amount of cheese & perhaps a variation of cheeses it would set it apart from a regular old piece of pepperoni you could buy anywhere. It needs something special. Some Parmesan on the crust, or spread the pepperoni & parm on the crust so it gets a little crispy and golden. If whomever made it took a little more time to make sure they put enough cheese, it might’ve been 3 stars. I just can’t get down w a lack of cheese. Maybe you’ll have a better chef than I if you try it but I’m going back to PH until I can get some real good brick oven...

Bella Luna is a gem! Run, don't walk, to this restaurant. Merced has had a dearth of good eateries; they come and they go. My whole family is praying this one stays. Please try it! While I was born and raised in Merced, I now live near Palo Alto where there are lots of good options. But 10 family members live in Merced so every opportunity to dine out, as the whole group or in smaller subsets, has led to angst over where to go. Now everyone agrees on and loves Bella Luna. The food is delicious; bay area quality with depth of flavor. Their pizza is the best. I grew up on Pizza Villa which was the best in town (back in the day) and not one pizzeria has been able to replace it - until Bella Luna; we frequently order to go as it's more than worth the drive downtown for pick up. The bar, which is at the entrance, is spacious and well lit. Great bar seating as well as bartops and couch seating; the younger folks like to go there to have a drink. The drink menu is fun and interesting - and delicous - and the bartenders we've met have been welcoming, accessible, and helpful. We've sat in various places within the restaurant and they are all good. There's even a private space for groups. Every server we've had has been professional, upbeat, friendly, and conscientious. They work together well to take care of what's needed at a table; we are thrilled with the high level of service. For a casual restaurant with reasonable prices, it offers an elevated dining experience because the food and drinks are so darn good. When we leave the restaurant, we feel as if our money was well spent. That may be the best endorsement! I...