Casa Luna — Restaurant in Poulsbo

12/19/2021 We really wanted to try someplace new to eat; knowing that we would be out and about, we decided to head over to Poulsbo and check out restaurants there. Hubby was in the mood for Mexican food, and after doing a quick search on Google maps, I came across Casa Luna Mexican Restaurant, whose location was on front street. After first getting to Poulsbo, I feared we might not get a parking space; it was so busy, partially due to nice weather, and people were doing last-minute shopping for Christmas. To my amazement, we timed it perfectly; we didn't have to drive around for thirty minutes to find a spot, people were leaving, and the location was ours for the taking!

The first thing I noticed about Casa Luna's location, it was located down a little bit of an ally; I guess that's what it's called, I say that because it was a small ally between two buildings, but you couldn't go all the way through it. I'm certainly not trying to sound disrespectful, but great food, more times than not, comes from little "hole in the wall" cafes, diners, etc.; this happens to be no different. The little restaurant was reasonably small, somewhat dated looking, a little bit on the shabby side and with only one server, one person doing the cleaning, and one person cooking.

Our server brought us tortilla chips and salsa with our menu as we were seated. Although the salsa was good with a unique balance of smokiness, it was a little watery, but the taste made up for it. I love Mexican food, so choosing a meal was hard to make. I ended up ordering a taco salad, and hubby ordered tamales and a house margarita.

My taco salad came with a choice of meats; I chose chicken and held the sour cream, the taco salad also came with beans and rice. I love taco salads, and this was a good one, fresh, and a decent amount; the chicken was nicely seasoned and full of flavor. But I have to say, the beans and the rice were the shining stars, especially their refried beans which they add a little cinnamon to it, fabulous!

My hubby's tamales came with a choice of meat, he chose pork, and the dish also came with beans and rice. I had to have a bite of those tamales. Although not regretting my choice of a taco salad, you better believe I will be ordering tamales next time; I honestly can't explain how delicious those tamales were; it has been a very long time since I had tamales that good!

So with the good comes the bad, we'll say average; my hubby's house margarita was pretty on the weak side, although I'm not much of a drinker at all, I can attest to that, I had a little drink of it and thought it was very weak, this is coming from someone that barely drinks at all, also it was missing most of the liquid; there was so much ice in it there was barely any room for the drink itself. That was a little bit of a disappointment to him! Our server, Maritza, was friendly enough and did pretty well keeping up with everyone's orders; aside from not asking if we wanted more water, she did good!

Overall I would definitely go back again!!!

Casa Luna's location is 18830 Front Street NE, Poulsbo, Washington. Their location is not on the waterside, and if you come across "The Wooden Bin," Casa Luna is down the ally located next to "The Wooden Bin." Other neighboring businesses are Abigail's Artful Abode, Dancing Brush, and Youngs Block Building across the street.

Finding parking, especially during the summer and holidays, can be challenging; there is a decent size free parking lot on the waterside of Front Street and parking on the streets if you can find free spaces.

"Support a locally owned business that has been around for a very long time, and in return, you get some awesome...

I'm a native Texan. I came to visit my family for Christmas. I had a craving for Mexican food, i was recommended to this restaurant. The alley entrance was very authentic Mexico. Unfortunately, that's where it all stopped. The restaurant was dark and drab. The chairs and tables were mismatched, decorations were seemingly random and dusty. Our waitress tried to put on a happy face but she didn't seem happy. I spoke to her in Spanish (being from Texas, it's pretty common) she seemed offended. We ordered margaritas. They were standard, run of the mill, pre-mixed house margaritas. Not much effort in the presentation. We all ordered different dishes. I had the beef enchilada dinner and my mother had the chicken soup. My dad had tacos. Unfortunately, my enchilada plate was a resounding "NO". The beef was stewed and somewhat bland. That is NOT the recipe for beef enchiladas. It's always made with ground beef, nothing else. If it were called "birria" enchiladas, I could buy that however, it was very bland nonetheless. The refried beans were a bit of a shock. I thought that I had tasted clove and was flabbergasted. It turned out to be cinnamon which was just as shocking. The rice was slightly overcooked but the flavors were right on the money. My mother could only handle a few bites from her chicken soup and asked me to taste it. She said that she tasted black cardamom. I couldn't taste it. The broth was rich and delicious and the chicken had great texture. Yes, I know I sound like a bit of a snooty Texan, harshly judging a Mexican restaurant in the Pacific Northwest and you'd be right. I've worked under world renowned chefs, I managed the top restaurant in the city of Houston and I worked under a Frank Beard award winning chef at an award winning Tex Mex restaurant. I have an intimate knowledge of everything Tex Mex as well as fusion recipes. I can appreciate the creativity in trying unique spice blends to stand out in a "copy and paste" world but, sometimes, mastering a traditional recipe takes more effort. Cinnamon and clove in refried beans is nothing new but it seems like it would be a better fit at a vegan or holistic health themed restaurant rather than a restaurant that advertised itself as "Mexican". So the search continues. I'm starting to think that finding good Mexican food and good barbecue is just not possible in the...

The food here is not the best Mexican food around... but it is decent. What I love most about this place; is the ambiance and the environment. You go from a small Scandinavian town setting (Poulsbo)... into a back ally way that transports you to the heart of Mexico.

Staff is extremely friendly. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars for the staff!

The food:

The drinks: are not bad and well priced - but there's nothing amazing to order that will blow your socks off (3.0 out of 5 stars).

Chips and salsa - a more fresh version of pace picante (2.8 out of 5 stars). Heat level: Below a Jalapanio Texture: Diced Salsa with watery sauce - Taste: fresh cilantro & oniony.

What's good - Traditional Mexican dishes. Enchiladas / Chicken - Chiles Rellenos. (A solid 3.6 out of 5 stars).

What to avoid - Steak/fajita - been here three times and each time I've seen the steak come out looking more white than normal... each time overcooked. Edible with enough salt, beans, and rice in a tortilla (1.1 out of 5).

Beans - Pinto or Refried. Pinto is default on the menu but refried can be substituted.

For the ambiance and experience of walking into another world/culture and eating your food there... this place is not a bad place to go eat. The food is nothing to write home about, but it's not bad and the ambiance is very rememberable and favorable.

It's Mexican food, you'll get something you'll enjoy... and a bunch of rice.

And don't worry - This Mexican restaurant will still leave you with the classic feeling of being on the verge of spontaneous combustion from eating...