Luna Rossa

We stopped in last night, in the pouring rain, for our first visit. After a day at the Legion of Honor, we were hungry, wanted something simple, relaxed, and cozy. I had the carciofi and the melanzane pizza, both were surprisingly light, yet completely satisfying. My husband had the ceasar salad and the tagliarini and both disappeared quickly. The wine list is small, but reasonably priced, desserts are divine, and we even enjoyed a glass of port, compliments of the house. What a nice find – we’ll be back, even though we live across town!

Solid neighborhood Italian restaurant. Attentive, timely, and friendly service. They served complimentary sourdough bread — it was good, but could be better if served room temperature or warm rather than cold. Diverse menu with something for everyone including vegetarians. We ordered the bruschette, artichoke ravioli, pappardelle, and tiramisu. Portions were good sizes, but not overwhelming. Everything tasted great. Could definitely see this as a regular location for a casual dinner out.

Love the pasta here. Especially the carbonara and gnocchi. I wish the atmosphere was a little cozier, but I can’t complain because the food never disappoints.

We had the melanzane and the polenta appetizers which were both delicious and filling. We split the ravioli and the pesto pasta — pasta was fresh and delicious. They pour generous glasses of wine and are very fast and friendly.
This is a perfect neighborhood spot for really classic great, no– frills Italian. Highly recommend it!

Very solid experience. Service was phenomenal and friendly. Food is very good. Started with the grilled eggplant and it was of the right consistency with just a touch of pesto sauce. Yum.
Entrée was vongole pasta (menu reads in red sauce but you can ask and get white sauce). It was almost impeccable. Lost one star because it was a bit too salty.
Bottle of prosecco Zonin ($ 35).
Had the vanilla crème (crème caramel for you born and raised Italians)
Will come back often

I went back here with my kids and my ex-​husband last night for dinner, and it was just as good as always. We used to come here years ago, before the renovation, and when the original owners were here. The same waitress who’s been there for over 20 years helped our table.
Everything was fantastic. The salads, the pizza, the gnocci with meat sauce (my favorite), pesto pasta, and the very thin and perfectly breaded and cooked chicken breasts. There wasn’t one bad item. He also ordered the cheesecake, the flans, a strawberry dessert and a cake like thing — I was so stuffed I couldn’t even try it. I ordered the shrimp scampi dish for my friend who was coming over that night (I promised dinner and didn’t get a chance to cook, lol), and she raved about it too.
When Mescolanza’s closed and moved to their new location, I was sad because this was always one of my all time favorite restaurants in SF. I’m happy that Luna Rosa opened and the old crew is back, with the same amazing food.

I was about to sing the praises of the service here… when our server brought us some port on the house :)
And that wasn’t even the nicest thing they did! I tend to drink my coffee slowly, so when my cappuccino had been sitting there for a bit our server came over and was concerned that it wasn’t to my liking. How adorable is that?!?
Oh, and the pasta is SOLID, especially the pappardelle. Eat here. Great value.

Went here tonight for the first time for a pre-​birthday dinner for my mom, and we are so happy that we did!
The atmosphere is super nice and the service is awesome. They brought out bread and butter and waters immediately. We ordered the arugula salad which the server split for my mom and I without us having to ask. We also got the gnocchi in creamy tomato sauce, and it was INCREDIBLE. So light and fluffy, just everything you want gnocchi to be. My boyfriend got cheese pizza with salami and loved it. The crust was amazing! We got the cheesecake and almond marzipan pie thing for dessert and they were both absolutely insanely good.
This is real Italian food! And it’s reasonable in price. Definitely come here if you’re in the mood for yummy food served by friendly people in a nice place.

This place isn’t much different from Mescolanza. The menu seems the same, and the food was the same great Italian comfort food.
The chicken dishes are delicious, the meat is nice and tender. Their Pappardelle is pretty good too. The tomato sauce is delicious and the noodles soft and thin. However, towards the end of the meal the noodles had soaked up all the sauce and had thickened, which wasn’t good. The dessert options are nice, although some of the ones I’ve tried are a bit too sweet, for example the Hazelnut Flan.
Overall a nice Italian place for the neighborhood. I wouldn’t mind coming back again, and this time to try their pizzas.

As it sometimes happens, our eyes were bigger than our stomachs. For an impromptu date night, the two of us ordered a pizza as an app and our own separate entrees. How could you blame us, though, with a menu that enticing?
Our Margherita Pizzette was perfect — perfectly cooked, perfectly seasoned, perfectly crisp. We each had to ration ourselves from eating the entire pie because we had more food on the way. Our entrees were just as delightful. D’s pappardelle was cooked well, and if there was one disappointment, it was just that we couldn’t spot the prosciutto nor the mushrooms that were supposed to be ingredients in his dish (another teensy negative btw — complimentary bread was served, but not warm). My spinach gnocchi (served with creamy tomato sauce) was light and pillowy soft. I loved how the entrees were served piping hot, and that you could clearly taste the quality and freshness of the ingredients used in every dish.
The restaurant itself was quaint; its painted walls reminded me both of Vegas’ Venetian as well as the movie Ratatouille. Service was friendly and attentive.
Overall, pleasantly impressed, and I’m sure I’ll find myself back here in no time.

I came here mainly to see how it fared compared to Mescolanza, and I was in the mood for Italian food. My actual rating would be 3.5 stars, but I’m rounding up because service was great! My server was very friendly and attentive.
For my appetizer, I tried the carpaccio. It was ok, not the best. It was kind of bland and lacked beefy flavor. For my main entrée, I chose the pesto tagliarini. The pesto was very heavy, and my noodles were a little over cooked. But you do get big portions. For dessert, I tried the gianduia flan. It was very delicious! It was very light, but the chocolate hazelnut flavor really came through. I would definitely order that again!
While I do miss Mescolanza being in this location, Luna Rossa isn’t bad. I’ll have to come here again.

So good! On the hunt for italian food where we wouldn’t have to trek all the way to North Beach (where most of the food is good… but super overpriced – that’s how they get tourists… tricky tricky.), we came across this restaurant. First, we were served with some complimentary bread – simple, but served warm (a small, but nice detail always). We asked if we could have some olive oil & vinegar to serve with the bread and they generously brought us over some.
Our orders included: bruschetta, clam linguine in a red sauce, veal ravioli in a mushroom cream sauce, & tiramisu. Everything was super fresh – you could tell foreals… The atmosphere and service was very welcoming and warm as well. Definitely will be back!

My girlfriend and I have been to Luna Rossa twice, and both times it was a great experience.
I’d say the highpoint of the dining experience is the service, though the food is delicious. On a couple occasions we had the good fortune to try their house made pasta, which is a winner.
Overall, we’re hooked and will be coming back in future. Cheers.

Great Italian comfort food! I went in on a Sunday night with the family and we all left overly stuffed and happy.
I was sad to hear one of my favorite local restaurants, Mescolanza, closed and was moving to inner Richmond. The original owners of Mescolanza took over the space and opened Luna Rossa. I was happy Luna Rossa’s menu was similar and of the same cuisine. AND it still has that same great charm and ambiance.
Notable dishes:
— Pappardelle is made in-​house, I believe. It was tender and cooked perfectly. The pasta looked like it was going to be really heavy, but the noodles were thin (& wide) and lighter than you would think.
— Pesto was creamy and well balanced. It was more basil-​y than garlic-​y
— Valdostana: thinly sliced & pounded chicken breast with prosciutto, topped with fontina and accompanied by seasonal veggies — I really liked this dish (Luckily it was mine!). The chicken was so tender and the dish was very flavorful.
— Carbonara was very tasty, exactly what it should taste like
— Tiramisu was so light and fluffy. It wasn’t overly sweet or soggy. It’s my mom’s favorite tiramisu now!
**** My favorite dish was the grilled chicken & asparagus salad. Hands down. It was so light and delicious. The warmth of the grilled chicken & asparagus complemented the chilled lettuce.
Bonus: $ 33 for a carafe of house wine. Give me 2, done.
For dessert, if you ask nicely. They’ll make you an affogatto! Had one with the hazelnut gelato. So. Good.
Next time, I am definitely trying the pizzetta because the next-table-over’s looked delicious.

Four of us came here after a lackluster dinner previous night at 54 Mint.
Service was just wonderful. Everyone was super attentive (granted, it was not busy).
Food — we ordered antipasto, primavera salad, tortellini, carbonara, the half hen, and the pappardelle. All were delicious! Much unlike our dinner the night before at 54 Mint!
This is will be our new Italian place!

I would give Luna Rossa 10 stars if I could. My family and I loved going to Mescolanza when Jeff and his wife owned it, and we were thrilled to find out he’s back in the same space with a new restaurant. My only regret is that my brother didn’t tell me sooner, otherwise I would have been coming here from day 1 back in February.
We started out with the traditional antipasto plate (olives, salami, prosciutto, mortadella, copa, cheese) One plate was plenty for the 6 of us to share. Naturally we had nice, warm bread as well, since it’s an Italian restaurant, after all :-)
One of my brothers and my mom decided to share a salad, as did another one of my brothers and his wife, but they thoughtfully split it so that all 6 of us could have a taste.
Next came the pastas… AMAZING!!! We shared the gnocchi, papparadelle, and carbonara. I could write a book about each one. The sauces complimented each one perfectly and did not overpower them, because the pastas themselves were so delicious and fresh.
Several of us had the veal picatta. The veal was nice and tender, with a white wine, butter and lemon sauce dotted with capers. It was served with 2 different veggies and roasted potatoes. One of my brothers had the calamari, and another had the Valdostana, which is next on my list. It’s similar to a saltimbocca, but made with chicken, topped with fontina cheese and prosciutto.
We had no room for dessert, but like any good Italian family, we had to order it anyway. It was a tough decision as they all looked good. We got the tiramisu, hazelnut flan, cheesecake, and homemade gelato. All were delicious and somehow, we managed to finish them all :-)
They have an excellent selection of domestic and imported wines.
The restaurant is small, but is very comfortable, bright and airy. I’ve never been to Italy, but between the food and décor, I definitely get the feeling of being in Italy. It’s a perfect setting for a cozy, romantic dinner, yet at the same time, is a wonderful place for a family gathering, as we had last night. The service is impeccable.
The prices are very reasonable and the portions are generous The only downside is that parking can be difficult, but conveniently, there is a parking lot located directly across the street.
I’m originally from North Beach, (the «Little Italy» of San Francisco) and this reminds me of many of the restaurants I grew up with that are no longer there. I live in the Sunset now, so Luna Rossa is thankfully just a 10 minute ride from home.
This is my new favorite restaurant. I want to try everything on the menu. We will be back soon, and often!