Café Luna

Recently closed for a remodel. Not sure if it’s a new owner or the same one. The name of the restaurant is different though… So it may be a new concept altogether.

Yeah, they’re amazing… and also closed. They have officially left Garden City but here’s hoping they find a new home. They were truly a beautiful gem in RI’s culinary crown.

If you’re in the mood for something light, quick and tasty in a quaint and cozy environment, I can safely say that Café Luna is the best option for you if you’re chillin’ at Garden City. As for me, I’ve been to GC dozens of times and never even noticed this cute little café tucked away between the seemingly endless options of chains.
Café Luna works as such: you order your lunch item at the counter, pick your beverage of choice from the nearby refrigerator, pay, find a table and wait for them to bring it to you. While the space is cozy, it’s a bit rundown and could use some sprucing up and a deep clean, too. It’s a bit dark so if you find yourself there on a sunny day, opt for one of the outdoor tables (but don’t expect to find much shade).
The food is good — tasty, fresh and simple. I had the portobello mushroom wrap that was nothing fancy but really hit the spot. Not too heavy, just the right amount of seasoning and a good balance of ingredients.
Café Luna is A-​OK in my book, and a great option for those days when you’re meandering GC for hours and need a little pick-​me-​up. Love that the drinks are easy to pick up and take with you, too.

I never would’ve even noticed this place had my friend not suggested we stop in for lunch today. I was famished, I had a headache brewin’, and I preferred to have something in my stomach and within a fairly decent time frame.
So to Café Luna we went.
It’s a quaint and cozy atmosphere with a handful of tables on their outside patio and many tables indoors. The wait-​staff were pleasant and friendly.
They offer a small selection of food and beverages; a two door cooler is next to the register with some juices, water and a few beer choices. They also have coffee and lattes, but that menu is extremely limited… just the basics; if you want a flavoring like caramel or chocolate, etc., you won’t get it here.
The menu has your basic light lunch options; a few soup choices, some salads with add on options of chicken, shrimp, portobello mushroom, etc. They also offer a few pizzas and some sandwiches like a BLT, grilled cheese, tuna melt and an Angus burger.
I ordered an iced latte and opted for the chicken caesar salad with grilled chicken and my friend ordered the roasted pear salad. Our food came out fairly quickly, within 10 minutes or so, however; the salads were served on paper plates which was a bit off putting, but with that having been said… they did a good job of filling those paper plates up. My friend devoured her salad and I only ate half of mine. It lacked any character or flavor. The grilled chicken was served in 3 huge chunks, it was dry and the croutons were hard and stale.
Would I go back to Café Luna?
Probably not.
I spent $ 19 on a salad, a small latte and a bottle of water. I could’ve ordered a great lunch for that price somewhere else.
P. S. I went to the ladies room and noticed a framed cover of RI Monthly and a small gold engraved plaque underneath «Café Luna, Best Café.» I chuckled to myself when I noticed the date on the magazine was from 1991. I guess things have changed.

This place is a little gem in Garden City. For lunch, you order at the counter and they bring your food out. i love that they have many different and tasty salads. It is hard to find a casual place that has great salads. They serve dinner too and the restaurant transforms from the paper plates and basket lunches to a nice, quaint eatery. I really wish they would up their lunch game a little though. I think the paper plates are a little tacky.

I went this afternoon with a friend on a Groupon that expires tomorrow. I had the curried chicken salad wrap (Curry Chicken, w/​chutney and toasted almonds… to me it sounded chunky… it was pureed), he had a hamburger. I only ate half of the wrap, left remainder there… it went «right through» me before I even left and my friends burger which was medium well done, had his stomach gurgling within about 10 minutes after we left. As far as the $ 7 for the mango tangerine Tiramisu, the flavor was weak and the presentation was not what I would expect to pay more than $ 4.50−5.00 MAX for (basically slapped on a plate falling apart no garnish)…I know it’s a limited service café but the kitchen IS separate and in the back. I won’t be back… the menu sounded delicious but I was extremely dissapointed, service friendly but slow.

We went for dinner recently from the Groupon, and while there was a big service issue at first, once they realized we were sitting there (8 minutes after we were seated) things went very well. It would definitely be 4.5 stars but for that mix-​up.
We split the rabbi and sausage pizza and the gnocchi. Both were amazing and nothing was left on our plates. The drinks were not cheap, but the wine and beer were decent.
I’ve been a number of times for lunch (not recently), and been happy with the catering style lunch. But this dinner was a different kind of scene. It was a little fancy, and the prices reflected that. I thought overall it was a nice evening. Even with the Groupon, it wasn’t cheap. But the food was of a higher quality than I’ve come to expect from this kind of neighborhood bistro.
Now that I know what it is, I’ll go back, but not more than every couple of months because of the prices.

My BF and I went because of a Groupon.
We started our meal with the Mango strawberry salad and it was delicious !! Nice sweet mango chunks, sweet strawberries, nice fresh greens…
We then asked for a Pasta dish and it was also good, a bit salty… we ordered the sauce on the side and that helped… otherwise it would had been too much.
My BF asked for a Cabernet and that was the only downside of the meal… it tasted bad… I told him to return the glass but he said… no…

An absolutely perfect meal was enjoyed by four of us in the outside dining area of Café Luna in Garden City. Fantastic service from our waiter Bob — wonderful host/​manager who visited our table — water glasses always filled, and phenomenal salads (pear and gorgonzola as well as the mango and strawberry salad) and delicious entrees cooked to perfection. Everything was well-​paced. One could not ask for more.

After a tough week, we decided to try a spot we haven’t been to in years. We walked in to Café Luna and were greeted immediately by a host who we later found out was the owner. It was a pleasant evening so we sat outside on the patio and shared a delicious pitcher of sangria. Our server TJ was delightful. He offered suggestions, was perfectly attentive, and made us feel at home and welcomed. My husband ordered their burger, which came on a gorgeous Portuguese sweet roll and a potato’s worth of perfectly cooked wedges. I had a special of the evening, eggplant ravioli with chicken. Everything was delicious and perfectly prepared. We were too full for dessert, but enjoyed the rest of our sangria and took in some much needed peace for a bit. I would highly recommend Café Luna for a wonderful meal and service.

Lack of service, high price and an attitude!
Went there today to get some food to go. A young girl behind the counter attended to me. There was another (senior-​looking) waitress next to her. I was asked by the young girl if I wanted the dinner or lunch menu, and I said dinner. She then handed me the dinner menu. I asked about the specials of the day. She then grabbed the piece of paper that was laying right in front of the other waitress and started reading things off that paper to me. The whole time she was doing that, that other older waitress was standing next to her in very close proximity that she would have been deaf if she did not hear the other girl reading off the specials.
I found something interesting on the dinner menu as well as one other item on today’s specials. So I proceeded to tell the young girl which ones I wanted to order. Only then did the other waitress say that it would not be another 20 mins that I would be able to order any of the specials. I am very sure that this other waitress would have heard the younger one reading off the special items to me. Why did she choose to tell me only then, I don’t know. This other waitress really had an attitude. It was less than 20 mins away from 5pm and she did not offer me anything. 20 minutes is really not a long time. She did not offer me any alternatives, or try to convince me that I should stick around and wait for 20 mins, or do anything that made it look like they wanted my business.
I would not have minded paying for their food, although it was pretty good the last two times I ordered, their price range was definately more like that of a restaurant, not a café. But with that kind of attitude I don’t really have the desire to go back there again.
Good job at driving a customer away.

I can’t even begin to overstate how disappointed I was in this place. For starters, the prices were ridiculous. I expected that a bit, given the location in the Garden City mall-​thing, and was willing to cut them some slack since their rent is probably very high.
Then the food came out.
Utterly pathetic. One sandwich had one (1!) small sliver of red pepper, *A* basil leaf, and two slices of mozzarella on a large-​ish semistale bun. The other featured chicken gone slimy. For the price, they also offered bagged Wise’s potato chips.
We were pretty much the only diners at lunch on a chill, rainy day, and the service was slow and lacklustre. Frankly, I got the impression that the staff would rather have been doing anything other than working.
Despite the good reviews I see here, even if it was just an off day, I’m never going back. We could have gotten better food and service ordering from the deli at Shaw’s — and at half the price.

This little Café is located in the corner of Garden City. You could miss it if you blinked. We actually drove around a few times to find it. Sandwiches and burgers are really good and fresh. The chicken soup was really good. The place itself is nothing fancy and it has a really small menu for lunch. The girl at the counter was really sweet and offered my flirting 3 year old a sugar cookie. A better alterative for a quick lunch rather than Applebees.

We’ve visited Café Luna probably a half dozen times over the years, and have never been disappointed. It’s got very good New American bistro food, well executed and delicious, but not at the «to-​die-​for» level.
Our Thai dumplings with peanut sauce was very good, with a very nice mix of flavors and textures, though both my wife and I thought the sauce was too thick, too sweet, and far too much of it. The roasted pear salad was fantastic, terrific champagne vinegrette, sweet pears, crunchy toasted walnuts, and just the right zing of Gorgonzola. The focaccia was nicely herbed and had a little heat to it too.
I had the pan seared scallops with a seasonal vegetable hash, which was delightful. It had a nice blend of tastes and flavors, with just the right amount of butter for richness and taste, but not heavy or greasy. My wife got the braised short rib which was also nice. Perfectly tender and moist, without any trace of grease or gristle which one some times finds with this dish.
Our kids got a Margherita pizza which was fine. They like carbonara, so we ordered an adult size portion for them, which the kitchen kindly split into even portions for the kids. My wife and I both tried it and were suitably impressed. It was creamy and rich, yet not heavy, with just the right touches of butter and a delicious parmesan. The linguine was a perfect al dente too.
Kim our server was fantastic.
Is it a little over priced for its genre and the quality of the food? Perhaps just a tad. But I can also say that we’ve always been satisfied with and never disappointed by the food, and that’s got to be worth something.

Met a friend for dinner recently. We met up for shopping so when I went online to find a place for dinner, I was pleased we wouldn’t have to eat at a chain restaurant (Applebee’s is next door).
We both had the pear Gorgonzola salad. It was really good — warm pear sliced very pretty with just enough walnuts and Gorgonzola. The homemade focaccia is delicious too. Bill was $ 30 for 2 salads and 1 glass of wine.

I got a $ 25 Groupon to use up, so ate lunch here on a Saturday. It’s right next to Applebee’s, so use that as your landmark. Order at the counter and food brought to your table (standard menu same as posted on line, with specials on the board and in the refrig. case). The service was friendly and courteous.
As for the food, it didn’t wow me but it’s decent if you’re sick of chains and want a quiet place to rest your legs. The sandwiches /​wraps at just under 10 bucks is pretty pricey and I can’t say it’s that much better than Panera’s. With it is a bag of Wise chips (ugh!) and I wasn’t even given a choice to substitute. The salad is fresh and well made but also pricey… by the time you add a protein topping, it gets up to $ 13 – 17. I chose the salmon ($ 9) and the portion size of the fish was generous. It was also cooked pretty well (not over-​done or over-​salted) but it can only taste as good as farm raised salmon can ever taste. After $ 17, I was still hungry as it didn’t come with a roll or bread.
Verdict: Glad I paid $ 10 for the Groupon, and I’d probably not come back without it. Not that the food is bad, just not good enough for the upscale price IMO.

Service was great, but food was not, especially considering the prices. We had the charcuterie-​like plate as a starter, and everything tasted way too pickled. Not so good. They were out of all grilled pizzas, which was understandable because we were there quite late. I had a pasta dish that was fine, but nothing to write home about. The outside seating is nice, but that’s about it. I had lunch here a long time ago, and I suspect that lunch is the way to go with this place, if you happen to be shopping in Garden City. For dinner, I would go the extra few miles to the Big Cheese and get better food for much less — the menu at the Big Cheese is less ‘fancy’ in terms of culinary arts, but what good is ‘fancy’ if it isn’t good?

I’m writing this review after my third time eating lunch at Café Luna. I can honestly say this is a gem of a place neatly tucked away; almost out of sight in Garden City, which is unfortunate. Situated between Banana Republic and Applebee’s, Luna is low key and no fuss. You pay at the counter and the display case usually has some appetizing special they have to offer for the day.
Yesterday from case I chose an eggplant napolitano, which was delicious. A deviled egg (best i ever had, sorry mom!), and cream of mushroom soup which was the best soup I have had in weeks.
If you’re visiting Garden City and not in the mood for a full on restaurant experience but would like to experience an above average café style luncheon… Café Luna is the place.

I went here for dinner once and I had a portobello mushroom cap on the spinach salad. I loved it. Cooked perfectly and all wonderful flavors.
I went here for lunch another time and had a great curry chicken salad.
Only problem with this place is service is slow. But it is a great place to go on a date, its small and intimate, and the menu has a lot of flavors that I love. I’ll be back!

I have eaten here a number of times and had a great meal almost every time. During the warmer months the outside seating can’t be beat. The interior seating is bistro style with small tables arranged in a large warmly painted room. The atmosphere is nice. It’s a top pick for a dinner with girlfriends and a night out with my husband. I have seen a lot of «date nights». Seems ideal since it’s romantic without being over-​the-​top. You could make a quick escape if things go South, or linger over dessert and cappuccino if things are going well.
My favorites are the little necks in garlic and olive oil for an app, the roasted pear salad and the grilled salmon. The roasted pear is enough to share, but I can easily handle one on my own as a meal with the salmon. I have tried other entrees, apps and salads but these are the ones that I keep ordering when I want a guaranteed great meal.
I did not give four stars because the service can sometimes be leisurely. There are usually only two servers even on the busiest of nights. They are attentive, but the food still takes time. The up side is that all the food comes out hot and fresh as it is cooked to order. Just don’t go here if you’re looking to squeeze in a quick bite.
They don’t have a full bar — just beer and wine. Sometimes a deal-​breaker when ladies night requires a martini. Overall, a good spot.

I had a wonderful experience at Café Luna. The servers were friendly but slow. Our group only had an hour lunch and wasted a good amount waiting.
Nevertheless the food was YUMMY! I had the Angus Burger ($ 9) half pound black angus burger on a portuguese sweet roll.
I don’t have much to say about this place… this is the reason why I’m giving this a 3 star location. I will recommend this wonderful café to anyone with extra time for lunch.