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Pasta Moon
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11:30 am - 2 pm
Mon-Thu 5:30 pm - 9 pm
Fri-Sat 5:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Sat-Sun 12 pm - 3 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Romantic
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Matt M. said: "Found this place through a dog friendly site and made it our destination for dinner after a road trip and hike in the redwoods. Yelp made me a little wary, but it turned out to be just fine. We arrived around 4pm on a Saturday and had…" read more »
354 reviews for Pasta Moon
Review Highlights
"The butternut squash ravioli is delicious."
(in 28 reviews)
"My favorite was the Porcini Mushroom Pappardelle."
(in 12 reviews)
"Meyer lemon parfait is always the must-have."
(in 13 reviews)
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354 reviews in English
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Review from Fred S.
Los Altos, CA
1/25/2012
Been here several times over the years. Always great food, and excellent service. But extra credit for being good listeners, great problem solvers; and equally important they're frank when they cannot accommodate a request.
Plus we're always in a great mood after walking the bluffs in the Moss Beach area. -
Review from Vicky L.
2/1/2012
Pasta Moon... This place definitely holds a special place in my heart. Hubs and I came across the name of this restaurant when we went to the Boss of Sauce competition years ago. When we sampled the 25+ different ones, we rated Pasta Moon's as our favorite. Grabbed their card and filed it away, thinking that when we made it out to HMB, we'd go there to eat. HMB has always been a fond place for us; Hubs planned a few dates for us when we were dating out there. The next time we drove out to relax, we stopped by Pasta Moon. The food definitely DID NOT disappoint. I ordered their homemade papperdelle with pancetta and Hubs, aka BF at the time had the lasagna. Repeated trips there....And I always stuck with the papperdelle.
Time passed... and one random summer day, Hubs and I were hiking along the cliffs when he proposed. We celebrated dinner at Pasta Moon that night; with a new sparkly accessory on my finger. It was my first meal as an engaged gal. And yes... I had the papperdelle. Months passed, the night before our wedding in HMB, my in laws hosted our rehearsal dinner here.... again, the papperdelle was the last meal I had as an engaged gal.
Service here for us has been good; and the food has been consistently solid and delicious.
Thank you for being a big part of our lives! There's just something magical in that papperdelle! -
Review from Yeka C.
San Jose, CA
1/25/2012
This restaurant is beautiful. I went with my boyfriend at night and the ambiance is perfect. It's dim, decorated in reds, wood, and black. There are cool glass lamps and light fixtures which I am thinking are local artists' work. There are 2 dining rooms, and a bar area at the very front. They have nice not-too-loud music playing in the background.
They give you 2 types of bread and olive oil for starters. I got the "Pasta Moon Lasagna" and my boyfriend got the Prawn appetizer. I loved my lasagna- it was a small-medium portion for $12, but the meat in it was really tender and juicy unlike a lot of other lasagnas I've tried. It was really really tasty. My boyfriend liked his prawns. They include a piece of bread soaked with complementary tastes/spices to eat with the prawns and that was a nice touch.
The service was good, if not a little rushed. But I go to restaurants to enjoy my friends' and family's company; so if the waiter is still polite it doesn't bother me. I will definitely come back here again. Cute, romantic, classy, and delicious. -
Review from Mona W.
I was very skeptical of Pasta Moon's 4 stars rating since a lot of the solid 4 stars restaurants in HMB were just overrated tourist traps. I am glad that was not the case here. Pasta moon is really a quality authentic Italian restaurant with a very reasonable price tag.
Their wine list is impressive. Even more impressive is their very knowledgeable staff. Our server was able to provide very helpful recommendation for both wine and food.
Pizza is decent but really not their strength. The toppings on my margherita pizza were too mellow. I do adore the paper thin and super crisp crust though. That sort of made up for the mediocre mozzarella cheese and lack of fragrant basil.
Pasta is what they are really good at and what you should order. Their housemade spaghetti has this amazing bounciness and chewiness that go beyond the normal al dente texture. The sauce and the other ingredients were fine but I really couldn't care less. I could eat the spaghetti by itself.
Appetizer stuffed quail and dessert tiramisu were all very likable. Food is overall humble but satisfying. I had a great dining experience here and I would recommend this restaurant for any Italian food lover. -
Review from Gary C.
Half Moon Bay, CA
1/28/2012
I'm a local resident of Half Moon Bay. I have to say that Pasta Moon gets 5 stars from me. The food was wonderful and the staff outstanding. Thank you to the Pasta Moon.
Gary -
Review from k.s. p.
Sacramento, CA
1/2/2012
Disclaimer: This review addresses questionable business practice and rude service. The food, sadly, does not make an appearance.
My wife and I had such high hopes for homemade pasta on New Year's Eve. We booked the reservation a month in advance.
The morning of New Year's Eve day, while taking a morning stroll, my wife and I stopped to peruse the menu. We noticed a set menu for NYE, but thought the regular menu looked far more enticing (because it contained PASTA!).
As we walked on excitedly, our phone rang not a block from the restaurant. It was Pasta Moon. My wife was told the restaurant needed a credit card number in order to hold our reservation--and oh, by the way, there is a fixed menu for the evening and is that alright. When we found we would not be able to order from the regular menu, we told the caller we needed a few minutes to reconsider the special menu. Being just a block from an accessible menu and, finding the caller had no inclination to tell us about the menu over the phone, we thought this would be quite easy. She hesitated at this suggestion and responded, rather rudely, that we needed to decide within 5 minutes or we'd lose the reservation.
During the block-long walk back to examine the menu, my wife and I decided to forgo the plans we'd made so long in advance. Using a smartphone, we made reservations at a competitor's restaurant, using Yelp! and Open Table, menu-unseen. At that point, we would have been happy with almost any alternative. Without fail, the second choice offered better food options (by our standards), choices more aligned with the location (near the ocean), the evening (live music), and common sense (a glass of champagne included in the fixed menu and no subtext of false advertising: Pasta Moon [sans pasta]). -
Review from Cathy S.
Milpitas, CA
2/2/2012
What a FABULOUS find.
Walking in, you see a large open area, a bar to the right, main dining to the left. The decor is beautifully done, simple, and comfortable. And we were immediately smiling when the terrific smells came thru the air.
It was hard to decide what to order because so many items sounded delicious. They make their own pasta and bread = absolutely PERFECT. With the challenge of ordering decisions for my friends and I, we shared the possible interests with our waiter. He very carefully listened and then suggested a combo of pasta dishes since, for me, that was my dilemma. BTW, they have full and half orders of pasta! How many times has a restaurant encouraged a special combo for you? Usually, a small difference to a restaurant's set menu is not met with a smile, or even suggested. This impressed us tremendously.
The Italian [cab] wine-by-the glass [didn't write done the name, but it is the 4th one down on the red wine list] was full bodied and held up magnificently with the food. The lunch was not hurried at all, very relaxed. a pure pleasure
The waiter also shared that they have live music on weekend evenings. They also have some rooms for group dinning, if you'd like.
What a find! We are already planning our next visit there. Our only frustration was that we had wasted years eating at other places in HMB when we could have been enjoying Pasta Moon! -
Review from David H.
Seattle, WA
Updated - 12/24/2011
I've been here a number of times now and wall, it's really just a 3 star place, but it gets a 2..
I've had great meals in the bar area and very friendly bartenders. I had a fairly crappy experience in the main dining area though the other night.
Granted, the food was alright, so it still gets 3 stars, however, we felt like we were inconveniencing the wait staff any time we ordered something else. Granted, we only ordered steaks and nice food selections. When my business associate asked for more oil and vinegar, I'd have to say that's the first time I've seen the most amazing pouring trick ever.
This pouring trick was magical. First, you hold the bottle from over the top of the wall, 3 feet up from the table, and then, you pour it directly to the plate and let it splatter all over the table, all over us and while you smile at the look of horror as the oil splatters all over our suits and clothing. Granted, who would care about vintage Versace clothing from when Gianni Versace was still alive is beyond me. There's no reason to cling to possessions or care about material things. Food is about the joyful experience, oh wait..........
I apologize for the inconvenience I caused to you from visiting your restaurant the other night and asking for more oil and vinegar for the bread. We definitely have learned from our mistakes. It's a shame that I live 1/2 block away every other week. I could have continued bringing my business guests and friends here on a regular basis and we could have really become friends.
I did have an amazing experience at Shiki though the other night, and Sato is a very nice person. He respected me and didn't attempt to destroy a 5 figure wardrobe. I'm definitely going other places in the future.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/1/2011
I've been here many times now, and because I have such interesting dietary tastes, they are… Read more »
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Review from Lauren Z.
Santa Clara, CA
12/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
Ambiance: 3/5
The restaurant has a strange layout. You walk in to this big room in front of you (I guess they use this for events/parties? You walk a little farther straight and turn left into the main dining room (which I think is quite small and cramped for the amount of people they get here). The place is cute and modern though.
Service: 3.5/5
The service here is always slow, takes a while to get the bread takes a while to order and then to finally get your meal. While I'm all for relaxing, sometimes you just want to eat!! That aside, the staff has always been nice, pleasant and helpful.
Food/Drink: 4/5
The food is very good. I've tasted the:
Beet salad: delicious! Share it with someone along with the artichoke pizza which is also fabulous, light but flavorful.
Seared Scallop salad: very fresh and simple salad of mangos, avacado and perfectly cooked plump scallops
Porcini mushroom risotto special with scallops: so creamy and delicious! Highly recommend if available.
Lasagna: very delicious, made with sausage which is yummy, a little on the sweet side.
Have no tried desserts here yet but they always look good.
This place makes one of the best arnold palmers around but when I looked at the bill I could not believe they charge $5 for them (they charge this for their strawberry lemonade as well). I think they are both made fresh, but still $5 is a little crazy for iced tea lemonade, plus no refills were offered so I'm guessing those weren't included. Too bad!
Overall, one of my favorite restaurants in Half Moon Bay! -
Review from Adrienne g.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 12/9/2011
Introducing the bf to HMB has its advantages - like Pasta Moon for example
Even 2 yrs later, we still enjoyed the pumpkinny goodness we so fondly remembered & this time there was a Pumpkin Gnocchi in which to indulge as well!
Pumpkin Gnocchi (hold the chicken please!) had tender little pillows of flavorful dumplings w/ the strong-yet-light pumpkin flavor.
BF got the Pumpkin Ravioli & it was intensely flavored w/ pumpkinny goodness that was just the right amount of savory w/out any pumpkin-pie sweetness sneaking in
Starters of course HAD to be the Tempura Pumpkin & it was as good as we remembered.....slices of tender pumpkin, lightly coated in tempura batter & paired w/ this applesauce dipping sauce....scrumptious!
Pasta Moon has set the standard of the eiptome of pumpkin goodness by which all other pumpkin dishes should be judged!Listed in: Ode to Pumpkin - the Savory…, Just say Yes to Gnocchi
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/17/2009
Enjoyed a wonderful fall day in Half Moon Bay this weekend..... walking around Main Street, enjoying… Read more »
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Review from Mikaela s.
San Francisco, CA
1/6/2012 1 Check-in Here
I came in on whim after work; had a serious craving for a glass of wine and pizza. Yelper's directed me to Pasta Moon and I was not disappointed. Great wines by the glass and the menu looked AMAZING. Unfortunately I only had time for a quick Pizza and glass of wine but I will be back...
This place is a must go for Half Moon Bay. -
Review from Kristina D.
Oakland, CA
12/12/2011
Was in Half Moon Bay for the weekend and got a facebook reccommendation on this place from a friend mid weekend. First time there and growing up in California I have to say I take Dungeness Crab for granted and usually listen with one ear for specials. Holy cow (or crab) I am glad I was paying attention this time. Special Appitizer: Smoked Halibut on a Bruscheta with Marscapone Cheese and Cucumber. May sound odd... but melted in your mouth, danced around and made you close your eyes with yummy goodness.
The second special was Dungeness Crab in a lemon cream sauce with sofritto (sp) or onions, carrots and celery. First, all the crab was shelled and picked. Some man with large hands must have measured out a giant fist full of crab. It was so generous that there was crab in every bite of the linguinie. Somehow the cream sauce was so light that I did not even feel puffy after eating it and I normally stay away from cream sauce at all costs.
Based on these two selections, I can not reccommend the food highly enough. I would have loved to give the experience 5 stars, but the service was very slow. There were 5 of us and we sat for about 20 minutes before they got their act together. The owner even came to the table as we were sitting in the middle of the room with menus in front of us for a long time. After she stopped by, the Host also came back after about 5 minutes to see what the deal was. The service could have plummeted this to 2 stars easily, but based on the strength of the food and chef's creativity, it got 4 stars and would absolutely go back to give it a try. -
Review from Elaine T.
11/13/2011
A girl at the front desk of the Ritz had mentioned that she knew of a fantastic Italian place, having grown up and lived in Half Moon Bay her whole life. We forgot to ask the name of the restaurant, nor did we remember hers. Upon recommendation from another person at the front desk, we made reservations for Pasta Moon.
The restaurant looked pretty empty once we walked in. A wedding party had just ended apparently. Pasta Moon has a separate dining area for other guests.
First and foremost, Pasta Moon does NOT have many vegetarian options. That wasn't so much a problem for me as it was for M who recently decided to become vegetarian. Muhahah. Sucka. Otherwise, the usual menu wasn't endless but filled with some delicious sounding options. M ordered the eggplant lasagna and I ordered the Ahi Tuna Linguine. M SAID it was pretty good eggplant lasagna but I'm not totally confident. (It was after he took a look at my plate and dreaded being vegetarian...hahah). Anyway, the linguine was light, not heavily drenched in sauce and the tuna was seasoned nicely.
The service was excellent. The servers were genuinely friendly and happy to get you anything.
I was afraid that I'd be underdressed for a restaurant downtown, especially since we were staying at the fancy Ritz AND M had on a nice dress shirt. Although most patrons at PM were decently dressed and in no way was there a snobbish atmosphere. Thank goodness! -
Review from Shannon F.
Brentwood, CA
11/1/2011
Finally, I get around to checking this place out!
This place has been on my bookmarked list of places to go for quite some time and what not a better time to check them out then in the Halloween season!
Located right in the heart of downtown half moon bay, along with its name, this place is quite charming and unique. The interior of this place is extremely modern chic, eloquently designed, providing a nice spacious atmosphere, with incredibly cool bathrooms to match.
My babe and I were in starvation mode after being stuck in pumpkin patch traffic so, we were in major need for some good savory food.
For appetizers we ordered Tempura Battered Sugar Pumpkin served with apple butter and for our main entrées we both ordered the chicken panino primavera which is grilled chicken breast, fire-roasted vegetables, pesto aioli, parmesan, local lettuces. It's served as a sandwich however, I opted my self out for bread and instead just more vegetables.
Bread is served upon waiting with dipping oil. (Did not try) but my guy liked. Tempura Pumpkin was nice and tasty however, the apple butter tasted more like applesauce though, the combination was still nice.
Our dishes arrived quite generous in size, presented beautifully appealing.
Our meals were satisfying in every way. Chicken was cooked to a nice, juicy consistency bursting with flavor. The vegetables were grilled perfectly and seasoned just right. The pesto sauce was fresh and flavorful and the salad along with the meal was fresh, light, tasty and an overall great addition to the meal.
Overall, service was extremely friendly and on par- Food was generous in size, though, not lacking in quality or flavor in the least and the atmosphere is just lovely. I definitely look forward to coming back and indulging in one of there pasta dishes next time for sure! -
Review from Jessica J.
Redwood City, CA
Updated - 11/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
It was last Saturday night... Zak and I had spent the day enjoying the SCMWA Fare that day and now... after an incredible dinner somewhere new and a walk together through the quaint little town of Half Moon Bay...
The warm glow of the lights inside Pasta Moon were calling to us... Not just the glow of the lights as we walked closer.. the glow of all the patrons inside enjoying Live Music now had our full attention. "Dessert?" Zak said to me. "and a nice Port?" I replied.
Within a few steps we were in! They've got a great set up there in the center by the bar for live music and pleasure!
We ordered the mascarpone cheesecake: chocolate cookie crust, candied hazelnuts, chocolate sauce. It was to DIE FOR - no joke. 2 other tables ordered it after they saw Zak and I devouring ours together. It made us laugh out loud at one point because the couple across from us who ordered it - noticed we caught them copying and had to own up to it by saying "you guys make it look necessary... like Harry met Sally" hahahha
The cheesecake, a couple glasses of Port... Zak had the 10 year and I had the reserve. This jazzy couple was playing beautiful music and the mood was just right. Great night. Thanks, Pasta Moon! We can always count on you!Listed in: A Sure Thing ~ Dining
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/22/2011
A delightfully surprising experience on a rainy day in Half Moon Bay!
It was pouring rain and this… Read more »
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Review from Ward R.
Menlo Park, CA
1/19/2012 Seated via OpenTable
very good food, service, and atmosphere. Special calamarie, outstanding pasts.
excellent wine selection by-the-glass -
Review from Tisha M.
Castro Valley, CA
1/15/2012
Was in town for a golfing trip and though I would give this place a try from the yelp reviews I read. It was lunchtime and I was alone so I walked in and asked for a table. The guy with an Italian accent greeted me and proceeded to greet the couple behind me and seat them. ?! Hello, I am standing here! Rude! So, I think, its time to go. Just then a waitress greets me and asks if I would like a table. OK, let's give it a try. I started with the Pear Martini, nice tart flavor. 3stars. Next the clam chowder, no think white gravy stuff. Full of flavor with a lovely broth,nice. 4 stars.
For the Entree, Butternut ravioli, lacked flavor and was swimming in butter. 2.5 stars
The dessert was the highlight of the meal. The cheesecake was DELICIOUS! Chocolate crumb crust drizzled with chocolate and roasted hazelnuts. 5 stars and two snaps up!
The pasta is made fresh here and has good taste and texture. Its all about the sauce you chose to cover the pasta with. Ordered the sausage pasta dish to go for the hubby and the pasta was good but the sauce was just OK. 3 stars -
Review from Stephanie S.
Pacifica, CA
11/28/2011
My boyfriend took me here for our one year anniversary dinner, and I must say it was very nice, however Pasta Moon misses on a couple of aspects.
When you walk in its a little confusing the way the restaurant is laid out. There are two large rooms, one is more modern looking and is the "lounge" I suppose, and it kind of leads to the bar which is TINY. I seriously have seen larger home bars than the one in this restaurant. The other room is a much more romantic intimate setting. The hostess was pretty absent, so although we had a reservation we had to wait for her to help us because she was dashing around trying to seat everyone, so I felt bad for her and thought that hiring a second hostess would definitely be appropriate especially for a busy Friday night.
We were seated in the more "romantic/intimate room", which was nice. There were candles on the table, and flowers (although our flowers I'm sure had seen better days), but this was a nice touch.
Boyfriend got clam chowder as an appetizer and loved it, noting that many places only give you a couple clams in a typical clam chowder, but he said that in Pasta Moon's clam chowder there were tons! So he was happy about that.
For dinner I got the Tagliatelle Bolognese, which was super delicious. The way it was arranged on the plate made it look like a smaller portion, but it was more than enough, and I took the rest home as leftovers. My boyfriend got the scallops in a mushroom risotto and while I am not a scallops fan, I did try the risotto and it was outstanding.
We lingered over the dessert menu (the Meyer lemon parfait caught out eye) but we were both so full that we decided against it.
So the reason I can't grant Pasta Moon 5 stars is because the next day I went to heat up my food, and I happened to notice a hair, thinking it was perhaps just my own I pulled it out and examined it and saw right away that there was no way it could be mine. It was about 3.5 or 4 inches in length and GREY. Neither myself or my boyfriend have grey hair. Well, OK my bf has maybe one or two on his head, but not at that length. Needless to say I was turned off from my leftovers, but this unfortunate event has in no way turned me off from making a return trip to Pasta Moon someday! -
Review from Betsy A.
Berkeley, CA
1/26/2012
I used to love pasta moon, but then was diagnosed with celiac and stopped going. I then read that they were serving gluten free pasta. I've been in twice to check with them over the last year and both times was told they cook their gluten free pasta in the same water they cook wheat pasta, making their gluten free pasta unsafe for patrons with celiac or wheat allergy. I very much hope they will take that extra step to allow people with celiac to eat there in the future!
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Review from Frank C.
Succasunna, NJ
10/27/2011
Located on main street in the center of Half Moon Bay.
Don't let the name fool you, this is not a sauce house.
I started with the tomato stack, good. The tomatoes can't compare to NJ's best - but fresh heirloom tomatoes. The mozzarella served with it was fresh homemade and really good.
My wife had the Bolognese and it was one of the best she said she ever had. I had the Lasagna and it was a interesting variation and also very good. -
Review from Kiesha R.
10/14/2011
Excellent food, excellent service, fun and classy ambiance. The only thing knocking a star off is that perfection is nearly impossible to achieve, and the Ceasar salad fell a tad short. Not a big deal. The bolognese is fresh and delicious, with just the right combination of meat and flavors. And the cocktail and wine list do not disappoint.
Extra thumbs up to the hostess for referring to our group as "GNO" (Girls' Night Out). We felt special from start to finish! -
Review from Jason H.
Orange, CA
11/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
Good food and good service.
My wife LOVED the Lasagna. -
Review from alan r.
Cupertino, CA
12/5/2011
ha d agreat meal with some rough weather and a great stroll downtown perfect HMB place with seasonal ingridents. Fresh pasta and swafood great veg and fun tastyt oproduction with a chef who loves to please. I have a special place as a diner for a long time at this place. I know we all love the new hot thing but tradition and seasonal food wow winner
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Review from jen d.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 7/24/2011
Had to update my review after a very disappointing experience here. We have been quite a few times, and generally enjoyed it, especially for lunch. Sure the prix-fixe Valentines dinner we had there a couple years ago was very sub-par for the price (everything prepared way in advance - you could see it in their back rooms through a window! Luke warm, obviously sitting-around for awhile), but some great lunches (and perhaps the best burger of anywhere- the lamburger) and a dog table made up for it.
Yesterday, big disappointment (enough for me to come back from a Yelp-vacation to share). First of all, we were that semi-abandoned table in the corner with very slow and spotty service surrounded by well-attended large tables getting much better service. You know, the get your ice tea, ask for Splenda, wait 10 minutes for the Splenda kind of thing. Oh well, I'll give them a break on that.
What was very disappointing was they brought me the wrong lunch and made no effort to make it right. I brought it up right away, as it was quite obvious - politely noted " I ordered the peach coppa pizza... I think this might be the pear pizza" "It's just about the same as what you ordered" "yes... but I ordered the other one" The server mumbled something and wandered away.
We were then left on our own for at least 10 minutes. I tried one slice, definitely the wrong thing. It wasn't even warm. I wasn't sure if they were going to return with what I actually ordered. I ate my husbands fries in the mean time.
We tried flagging someone down repeatedly - and finally after that 10 minutes, we managed to. It was the original guy who took the order, I pointed it out "I'm not sure if someone is returning with the new pizza, but this isn't what I ordered" "It's almost the same" "Well... I'd really like what I ordered...." "I'll check with the kitchen". Um... OK. He came back and said it would be 4 minutes to cook what I ordered in the first place. No apology. Nothing!
I finally received the correct lunch (which has completely different toppings I might add) after my husband had finished his. We shared mine, and it was good. Bill came, no comped anything, no apology - no one made it right. It was a shame, because our food was good (other than my luke-warm original incorrect pizza). But we both left with a sour taste in our mouth. I couldn't get over the fact that no one apologized even for the completely horrible experience - I was made to feel by not one but two servers that I was putting them out that I actually wanted to receive what I originally ordered.
As such, we won't be back - even though the food is decent and they allow you to have a dog at the outside table. It's two strikes, and I don't think I'm willing to offer a third given so many excellent alternatives in the area. Sorry, Pasta Moon.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/2/2010
Dog friendly!! We had heard great things about this restaurant from friends, and then saw it on … Read more »
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Review from Henry C.
Menlo Park, CA
8/28/2011
The Background:
When I asked my co-workers for something to do in Half Moon Bay, it was no surprise they all suggested the same 2 places, Pasta Moon and a brewery. The place is a cute little restaurant with a surprisingly large lounge and back area. A little bit on the expensive price, but the portions are large and the food is definitely worth the price.
The Positives:
The food is fantastic! The bread may be the most amazing bread I've eaten at a restaurant, so amazingly soft. The pasta was also quite obviously fresh and home made. I would definitely recommend the lasagna, but everything looked amazing. I'm also a fan of the local sourcing and organic ingredients.
The Negatives:
None. -
Review from rosquete b.
Belmont, CA
9/25/2011 1 Check-in Here
Italian Restaurant
Hint: order the sage butter ravioli as an appetizer for the table
Great appetizers e.g., bruschetta w/burrata & tomatoes
Nice salads & healthy soup
The sage butter ravioli is the best
Wine list contains mostly red Italian wines
$20 corkage fee
Must also order the Meyer lemon parfait; desserts here are great
Efficient food service
Banquet room -
Review from Liana R.
San Carlos, CA
12/30/2011
This restaurant has incredible menu selections and a brilliant chef. We passed through large dining areas, which were almost empty, noticed a spacious attractive bar area on our way to a tiny, cramped overpopulated room where we were seated at a tiny table for two in what proved to be a very popular thoroughfare. I asked to move to a corner after my chair was bumped by passers-by the third time in about seven minutes. They were understanding of my request. Within minutes, our server was sharing the day's specials. He began in a casual friendly manner, but soon became a bit TOO casual... I heard more glowing, personal opinions from him than necessary... However, no big deal. We were appreciative of his knowledge about where the food was procured (local growers / pasta made in-house.) The bread was a bit disappointing, but the entrees were astonishing! I've tried to re-create the brussel sprout/ butternut squash recipe at home. A few more tries and I'll have an acceptable facsimile! My guy and I preferred my awesome, savory mushroom risotto to the yummy seafood plate he chose. It was a bit pricey, so it goes on our Special Occasion Restaurant list! You really must try Pasta Moon! Very nice wine list.
Listed in: My Neighborhood
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Review from Blake W.
Santa Cruz, CA
7/18/2011 Seated via OpenTable
My boyfriend and I stayed at the bed and breakfast across the street for an anniversary get away. I researched a nice place for us to have dinner, and after reading the reviews and gawking at the photos, (the photos really sell you here) I decided on this place.
I almost went for one of their prix fixe menus for two as I wanted to really go all out. It wasn't necessary and actually more cost effective for two not to. I really loved the front of the house, charming white table cloth establishment.
We started with the P.E.I mussels with fennel and pernod cream sauce. Wow! Perfection- enough said.
I went for the lasagne. Lasagne is not something I typically order at a fine Italian restaurant, but wow what a treat! Again-perfection! My boyfriend had the Tagliatelle Bolognese and he enjoyed his dish as well.
For dessert we had a brownie made with good olive oil and flaky sea salt. This was the best brownie I have ever eaten, and believe me if this changes, I will update this post! Espressos and a glass of wine each, and we left for about $100 after 20% tip.
For you neurotic types that get all worked up about customer service, our waiter was extremely polite, attentive and courteous (and it was busy). -
Review from L I.
Ann Arbor, MI
9/19/2011
More like 4.5, so I decided to round up this time.
I was a little skeptical at first, but the food was great! We started with the Harley Farms plum salad which has now become one of my all-time favorite salads. We also had the fritto misto which was surprisingly light with the lemon flavor resonating throughout the dish. For our mains, my husband had the tagliatelle day boat sea scallops and I had the pappardelle with mushrooms (half portion). Both were great and I'm actually going to try to remake the mushroom sauce at home.
The only disappointing part of our meal was my glass of Prosecco--I think it came from a bottle that had been open for a while...not good.
Overall, this is a great little restaurant and hope it stays around for a long time. -
Review from Jenny K.
San Francisco, CA
6/23/2011
Wonderful neighborhood restaurant with delicious food that is clearly made with love.
We had Father's Day lunch here and enjoyed quite a spread: fritto misto (the weakest point of the meal - the calamari pieces were really small), charcuterie platter with cured Italian meats, cheese, and marinated olives, Caesar salad (very very good), and the sausage pizza (to die for). For entrees, I had the white truffle oil, prosciutto and porcini mushroom pappardelle which was mind-blowing. I also had some of my husband's tagliatelle bolognese, which was delicious, but, in my opinion, not as good as the pappardelle. My mother-in-law's linguine with clams was yummy but also not as good as the papperdelle.
The pasta is really beautiful here because it is clearly very fresh and homemade and cooked perfectly al dente.
The atmosphere was very pleasant and I found the restaurant to be family oriented and charming. -
Review from n m.
San Francisco, CA
11/7/2011
My boyfriend and I went for dinner because we saw this on Check Please. I have mixed reviews.
The room is lovely.
The service was ok but a couple of complaints. The food came out a minute after we ordered (no exaggeration) which told me it was sitting around and since we ate at 5:30 that doesn't say much for the place. Our wine hadn't even come yet! The stupid waitress told us she was busy helping the owner get ready for her trip to Italy. Like I CARE - customer here!! The other weird thing is when we got there the place was empty and they say us right next to the only other couple there which was awkward!!! It ended up being the best part of the night because we spoke to them for a while and they were lovely. But they weren't really happy with their meal and had planned for 2 months to come. Bummer.
I had the tagliette with bolognese which was good. My boyfriend had the lasagna that everyone hyped up and boy what a let down. The thin noodles our server raved about made it mushy. We prefer the regular noodles that give it that bite. The sauce was tastless and the sausage was ok, nothing special. And it was room temp -again - sitting around waiting to be slightly heated up. We also shared the tirimasu which was good.
Maybe the owner can get a new lasagna recipe when in Italy. I don't think we'd go back. -
Review from Three N.
Cheshire, CT
9/11/2011
So we are traveling up the Central Coast using Fodor's as a guide for places visit and recommendations for places to eat.
We are exited about visiting Half Moon Bay and frankly disappointed. We did drive over to the bluffs and the Ritz Carlton for WOW views,
So we had some time and we decided on an early lunch and chose the Pasta Moon. It was everything Fodors guide said: eclectic, very good service and great food!
We shared a pizza, tasty with fresh basil and each had a salad. My wife could not make up her mind on which to choose off the menu so the server suggested a variation based on the ingredients my wife liked - bingo!
A nice selection of, wines by the glass and a great meal was had! -
Review from Alice C.
7/7/2011 2 Check-ins Here
3.5 stars rounded up.
Came here for lunch on one of the hottest days this year. The weather in HMB is amazing and a relaxing lunch is just what we needed.
There are quite a few dining rooms in this restaurant -- on the way to the restrooms I kept discovering more rooms -- and it's quite interesting but it felt a bit unplanned and unfurnished in certain areas.
They first served us with some bread and oil, which was very very good.
We started with the clam chowder and the beet greens bruschetta. The clam chowder was thin but creamy, complete with fresh clam meat and pancetta. It is easily one of the best I've had that's not from Boston, although if you crave thick and creamy clam chowders this is not for you. The beet greens were amazing, but the bruschetta's bread was quite burnt and it kept dripping grease...so it was a fail in my mind. It could've been so great too!
Having heard that the homemade pastas here are great, we ordered the Tagliatelle Bolognese and the Pappardelle with mushrooms and truffle oil. I must say, the Bolognese was not exactly what I expected, but the meat sauce was nice. I wasn't a big fan of the tagliatelle though :( On the other hand, the papperdelle was amazing and the truffles really added to the dish. Maybe I really just ordered the wrong dish?
They have half orders here for those who, like us, would stuff themselves with appetizers and breads such that they couldn't finish a whole meal properly. It's only limited to some dishes though.
The service was pleasant overall, but our server failed to mention the daily specials. We only found out half way through our meal when we overheard it from another table.
So all-in-all, it was a pleasant meal, but I'm a bit reserved about the food and the service. Maybe my expectations are too high? -
Review from alexis d.
CA
7/26/2011 2 photos
After a day in SF my husband and I decided to drive highway 1 home and stop at Pasta Moon for dinner.
The restaurant is spacious and cozy and the menu has lots to choose from. Starters, salads, 2-3 soups, brick oven pizzas, pastas and entrees. The pizza's looked great! Thin crust and brick oven. I think I may have to get one next time!
To start we ordered mussels sauteed with leeks, white wine and topped with shoe string french fries with an aioli. The mussels were cooked perfectly and the broth was full of flavor. I personally would have skipped the shoe strings and aioli on top and liked more broth to dip my mussels and bread in.
I ordered the Spaghetti Putanesca. Fresh, homemade pasta tossed with shrimp, clams, mussels, calamari and scallops with a olive and caper spicy tomato sauce. The pasta and seafood were cooked perfectly. The sauce was a bit salty due to it having capers and olives in it. I added some hot pepper for some more spice.
My husband had the Duck Confit. Wow! The meat melted in your mouth. It was served with fresh cherries, creamy polenta and sauteed swiss chard and fennel. Amazing!
Feeling full we debated on dessert and were talked into it by our server. We debated on few and went with his suggestion, Marscapone Cheesecake with a chocolate cookie crust, ghiradelli sauce and toasted hazelnuts. Heaven!
Service was great! Food was great! Experience was great! Can't wait to go back! -
Review from Wing Y.
San Carlos, CA
We found ourselves in Half Moon Bay last week without a craving for fried seafood (a bit of a rarity), so we decided to try Pasta Moon. I was immediately taken in by the menu, which was full of fun combinations of seasonal produce.
We ordered a ton of food - tagliatelle with prawns, lasagna, fritto misto (ok, we had a bit of a craving), and smoked trout salad. Everything was delicious but the most memorable dish was actually the salad - it was a gorgeous mix of greens, sugar snap peas, red onion, potato, and smoked trout. The lasagna was massive (and tasty). We polished the meal off with the Meyer lemon parfait, a refreshing combination of lemon curd, meringue, lemon sorbet, and some other delightful stuff.
Would definitely come back. The service is great too, though I'm beginning to suspect that part of that is due to our baby attempting to make friends with waiters and waitresses. -
Review from Kevin L.
5/9/2011
With a recommendation from a friend, we decided to try Pasta Moon, located in the heart of downtown Half Moon Bay. We had no reservations (and a party of 6), but luckily we didn't wait long and were seating in another room (near the back of the building) right next to the window, which was open and had a great view of the garden and small creek below. Impressed!
Started off with bread (pretty good), tried the pizza (thought it was alright, but could be better), but enjoyed the linguine and clams. Will definitely try the lasagna next time! -
Review from Jessica L.
San Mateo, CA
Updated - 5/9/2011
STILL FABULOUS. My fav place in ALL of Peninsula area.
Must make reservations here people. Otherwise the wait will be 1.5 - 2 hours. Services is very good. Everyone is kind. Good wine selection.
Pastas are superb. Yes the butternut squash is tasty but I prefer the Tagliatelle prawns, also we recently tried the spaghetti seafood dish - with light putanesca. YUM.
Apps: great salads- the current shaved asparagus one is awesome. They have special soup right now too "green garlic" its light and very tasty.
Their table side olive oil for bread dipping is high quality - with a great taste as well.
Skip the brownies dessert - just ok.
We are waiting for the fig appetizer to come back - soon the hostess said... we will be back.Listed in: Places that make my mouth…, Top Restaurants
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/3/2008
What a lovely place! And the perfect ending to a great day in Half Moon Bay!
I made a reservation… Read more »
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Review from Randy F.
Situated right in downtown Half Moon Bay on Main Street, Pasta Moon proved to be a destination worth visiting. Although the downtown area of small shops and handful of restaurants can be very quiet, the popular restaurants such as Pasta Moon always seem to be busy and much livelier than the outside ambiance would suggest.
We stopped by for an early dinner and were seated promptly in the main dining area. The restaurant is surprisingly large. As you walk past the hallway to the bathrooms in the back, you notice several seating areas that house more patrons as well as the bar and piano area. I'm not sure if they bought the area next door and expanded years back, but it's clear Pasta Moon is doing well and filling their place with guests.
We perused the menu and it's clear the emphasis is on house made, fresh local ingredients. Pastas are a clear winner, but the thin crust pizzas were also very popular among guests. We decided to sample a little of both.
House made sausage pizza - a nicely sized pizza with plentiful meat including the aforementioned sausage, prosciutto, and mushrooms. The crust is crispy and thin and the ingredients were hearty. I enjoyed this ($16)
Papardelle - I'm a pasta noob, but enjoyed this flat pasta immensely. The crimini mushrooms were fantastic and I loved the pieces of prosciutto as well. The key though was how well the pasta was prepared and how fresh it tasted. Amazing sauce sealed the deal. The full entree, which we split, was the perfect size with a slice of pizza. ($18)
Service was solid and I'm still impressed this morning how fast the food came out. It seemed like we ordered and it was all ready in 5-10 minutes. We finished the meal with a dessert (a meyer lemon parfait that I found too tart and sweet), but I'm still thinking about the pasta.
We have leftovers of the pizza for today, but next time, I'm ordering two pasta orders. Afterall, the restaurant is called Pasta Moon, not Pizza Moon, and I'm sticking with their specialty. Next time, I wanna try their lasagna, which looked amazing.
Pasta Moon accepts credit cards, including American Express.Listed in: My ROTD
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Review from Sindy W.
Berkeley, CA
5/22/2011
The boyfriend and I went to Pasta Moon after seeing all the good reviews both here and on OpenTable. It was a rainy, miserable Tuesday night, and we had no trouble getting the reservation.
The ambiance was beautiful--felt like a very upscale Italian restaurant, with a well established bar area, and a well outfitted dining area.
We showed up about 10 minutes early for our 8 o'clock reservation, and were shown to our seats promptly. There were only about 3 other tables there, so not a problem. We were given our menus, and then left alone for about 10 minutes before the waiter came back to take our drink orders. Another 10 minutes before he came back with the food specials and to take our food orders. I asked if I should have the Tuna or the Putenesca, and was told the tuna is better. Great. I order that rare.
We were presented with the bread (pretty delicious) and our drinks. The calamari was pretty average. Although I've never had calamari where the lemons were also fried. Hmm.
Here is where it goes a little downhill...instead of the tuna, I was served the Putenesca. I let the waiter know, but since I was deciding between the two anyways, I kept the food. Only, it had about a handful too much salt in it. The boyfriend had the lasagna, and wasn't overly impressed.
Overall, it was a decent experience. I'd say overpriced for the quality of food, and I won't suggest making the drive down from east bay to try it out. -
Review from Michele B.
Pacifica, CA
10/21/2011
Finally, excellent Italian on the west coast, coming from NJ 2 years ago we have not found comparable food until now. I think the quality is worth the price. The butternut ravioli, go for it, you won't be disappointed.
