Caffe Luna — Restaurant in Raleigh

Before I say anything else, I just have to say that food was absolutely outstanding. If I were giving my rating on the food alone they'd get 5 stars. However, I'm not only reviewing the food, I'm reviewing the service as well. Our waitress was the worst. She was serving our table and the table next to us and to see such a stark contrast in service between our two tables was unbelievable. From the moment we sat down, our server was nothing but rude. Never having been before, I asked for sweet tea when she took our drink orders. She looked at me annoyed and disgusted and responded with "We don't have sweet tea. We have unsweetened tea and this," as she motioned down to the sugar packets sitting on the table. So I was already displeased with her attitude right from the start. She took our drink orders and came back shortly after to get our appetizer order. I don't speak Italian, I butchered the name of the dish we wanted to order. The waitress rolled her eyes and laughed and went over to the other table. She did a complete 180 and was the most bubbly, personable waitress ever to them. She happily explained things and told them the specials of the evening. She didn't mention anything to my wife and I about the night's specials. At this point, I'm just annoyed. But I decide I won't let her ruin our evening and just kind of grin through it. She came back, we ordered our entree's, but we had to keep repeating ourselves three and four times because she wasn't paying attention and kept looking over at the other table she was serving. Rude and unprofessional. The entree's came out and every interaction with the guys who would bring out your food was lovely. They were really nice. But then about half way through my meal, I needed a drink refill. I saw that she was carrying around a pitcher of tea. She went to the other table she was serving and happily gave them refills from it. So the waitress came over to the table, saw that my cup was empty and didn't offer a refill. She only took away our empty breadbasket. I had to call her back over to ask for a refill. And even though she has the pictcher of tea in her hand at this point, she walks away with my cup instead of filling it back up right then and there. Not sure why, but that struck me as incredibly odd seeing as she had the pitcher of tea in her hand the whole time and it had enough in it to top me off. But basically the whole night, we watched our waitress give the table next to us five star service while she simply treated us not like customers, but someone she was forced to deal with. This was a special night, we don't eat at places like this very often. But it was my wife and I's anniversary and we were celebrating a few other major milestones in our lives so I wanted to take her somewhere nice. And this waitress who didn't even give us her name, did whatever she could to make us feel like we didn't belong and made us feel less than. Whoever she is, she was absolutely awful and so unprofessional. I don't know if there was some kind of prejudice going on because she thinks that since I'm black that I wouldn't tip well. If I were a lesser man, I wouldn't have tipped her at all. Because she didn't deserve one. The funniest part about everything was that she only started being nice to us once she brought us the check. She suddenly became super nice. She got the absolute minimum because I wanted the tip to reflect the service she gave us. If I were her, I would be doing my absolute best with all customers during the holiday season. People get overly generous and tip big because it's the "season of giving". The waitress had no idea what kind of money I was planning to spend, but she obviously made her mind up before we even sat down. I NEVER write online reviews EVER but this experience absolutely pissed me off. Would definitely recommend the food but I can't speak for the service. I've never spent that much money to be treated that badly anywhere in my life. It's really disappointing. And to top it all off, a kid at the table next to us very loudly spoiled...

I have to be honest—I had been hesitant to visit Caffe Luna because Italian cuisine isn’t my top choice. However, when my friend, an avid fan of Italian food, suggested a girls' night out, I knew Caffe Luna was the place to be.

First off, let’s talk about parking. If you’re driving downtown, I highly recommend leaving a little earlier to secure a spot. There’s both street and garage parking available nearby. If, like me, you prefer not to pay for parking, it’s wise to give yourself enough time to circle the block a few times.

Upon arrival, I realized I had forgotten to adjust our reservation from three to four people. Thankfully, the host was incredibly accommodating, rearranging things effortlessly without a hint of annoyance. This made me feel much better about my oversight, and we were seated right away.

Our server for the evening was Liam, who impressed us with his extensive knowledge of the menu and provided some fantastic recommendations. Here’s what we ended up ordering:

Fiocchi - Fresh Pasta Stuffed with Four Italian Cheeses and Pear, Sauté in Cream with a Touch of Tomato V17.95

Parmigiana di Pollo - Chicken Parmigiana Served with Penne Pasta 18.95

Mahi Mahi alla Griglia - Grilled Mahi Mahi with a Sauté of Roasted Potatoes and Haricot Verts 18.95

Traditional Kids Alfredo Pasta

We paired our meal with a lovely wine that complimented our dishes perfectly. The restaurant was clean and well-maintained, and the bathrooms were tidy as well. The ambiance features moody lighting, which adds to the overall vibe—just something to keep in mind.

I must mention that my rating would have been slightly higher if the food had been served hot or at least warm. Everyone at the table noticed that while the flavors were fantastic, the dishes were a bit cold. Despite this, we had a wonderful experience overall. We truly enjoyed the wine and dish selections, but it would have been even better if the food had...

This was my second visit to Caffe Luna and I can say it will be my last. I was appalled by the service provided by the owner as well as the lack of quality of the food. I was greeted at the door by Parker Kennedy in which he asked if I had a reservation. I confirmed I did indeed. He looked up my name and advised someone would be with me momentarily. He came back to stand next to me and asked "Are you waiting on Big Daddy?" I was taken back and asked him to repeat what he said. He repeated the same question. I was offended by such a question as I did not understand where that came from nor what was his logic in asking such a question. I responded with "No" and advised that I didn't understand what he meant. I advised I am quite capable of having an meal without a "Big Daddy" being involved. He told me I look like a "smart girl" and asked where I worked. When I was taken to my table, it appeared odd that I was seated at the very back of the restaurant directly at the fire exit door when there were several open tables passed while in route. We asked about moving the table in with Parker Kennedy attempted to tell us this was a great table and there was no need to move. We asked the waitress when he left in which she returned with him. We walked through the restaurant and noticed several empty and better options for seating yet they would not move our seat. I did observe that in this one area, all minorities were placed in the rear near the fire exit area. (Perhaps for safety purposes!) We ordered the shrimp and linguine which was extremely lackluster. There were 4 frozen medium tali on shrimp in a bowl full of dry linguine. The dessert was cheesecake but one could tell that was frozen as well. I write this to say I do not recommend this restaurant do to poor quality in food and service. There a better options to choose where the restaurant respects their patrons and delivers in both service...