La Luna Negra

(626) 844-4331

44 W Green St
Pasadena, CA 91105 34.1444 -118.1515

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Neighborhoods: South Arroyo, East LA

LALUNANEGRARESTAURANT.COM

Years in business

Established in 1999

Hours:

Tuesday To Thursday From 11:00 AM To 02:00 PM Tuesday To Thursday From 05:00 AM To 10:00 PM Friday To Saturday From 11:00 AM To 11:00 PM Sunday From 11:00 AM To 10:00 PM

Price:

$$

Last updated 8.16.11

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, Discover, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Family Style Dining, Group Dining, Happy Hour, Outdoor Dining

Cuisine:

Spanish

Editor's Tips

What People Are Saying About La Luna Negra

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

The Scene – Nearly bohemian--at least for Old Town Pasadena--La Luna Negra recognizes tapas for what they traditionally are: well turned-out bar food. The funky loft-like space splashed with color and furnished with thrift store findings creates a mood of casual good times, and on weekends the party atmosphere is further enhanced by flamenco dancers stamping their way around diners' toes. – – The Food – Simple pleasures tend to be most reliable, like the classics tortilla paisana served in super-sized wedges or the equally giant prawns, served upended like comic…

Editor's Tips

When to Go:
During the month of your birthday, come in any Tuesday or Wednesday to receive a free glass of sangria. Must show ID.
What to Drink:
From Tue-Thur you can pick any bottle from their extensive selection of Spanish wines for only $25.
The Extras:
Buy a bottle of wine, and write your name and phone number on the cork for a weekly drawing. Winners and their three guests receive a complimentary sangria and a selection of tapas by the chef, anytime Tuesday through Thursday. Only at the bar.
Happy Hour:
Stop by the bar Tue-Thur to filler' up on $2.50 beers and $3 sangrias from 5pm-7pm.
ambiance
80.0% positive
  1. “If you don't mind spending extra money for the ambiance then this restaurant is good for you.”
  2. “The live music and dancing is fun, and Willie the bartender is the best ever!”
  3. “delicious food & fun atmosphere”
  4. “La Luna Negra is a lot more fun these days.”
  5. “Great food, live entertainment, lively atmosphere, cute place!”
  6. “We highly recommend this restaurant, it offers diverse cuisine to satisfy any palate, fun and entertainment.”
  7. “bet she was glad she didn't trust Mom to hold her beer while she had a loud obnoxious cell phone conversation standing next to our "Al fresco" dining location.”
  8. “NO NO for me and my friends - to bad it really could have been a nice place with all the interior decoration and location.”
  9. “Great Tapas, nice location, and entertainment?”
  10. “While it was a lot of fun for groups (the dancing was great), I felt that the value for the food was poor.”
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. “We tried the tortilla paisana, which was excellent, and the desserts are great.”
  2. “The sangria is good, the food was pretty good, and the banana dessert was fantastic!”
drinks
66.66999816894531% positive
  1. “We have patronized this restaurant since its inception and it continuous to serve superb food, wines and the infamous sangria.”
  2. “bet she was glad she didn't trust Mom to hold her beer while she had a loud obnoxious cell phone conversation standing next to our "Al fresco" dining location.”
  3. “Willy at the bar is the best and will make your experience wonderful.”
food quality
68.27000141143799% positive
  1. “don't really understand how anyone can like this food, let alone love it.”
  2. “take it from me who has been to real authentic spanish restaurants in new york city, la luna negra is a big joke.”
  3. “Food was good but far from authentic spanish cuisine.”
  4. “delicious food & fun atmosphere”
  5. “Absolutely the most disgusting food in all of Pasadena, I can't believe the this place hasn't been shut down.”
  6. “After a long day of shopping in old town i began to feel the effects and my wife and I decided that we would need a good meal in a good restaurant to top off our day.”
  7. “the food delicious.”
  8. “So instead of wasting your money on overpriced food at this restaurant, I would suggest you go save your money and go dine elsewhere and eat in Spain.”
  9. “We highly recommend this restaurant, it offers diverse cuisine to satisfy any palate, fun and entertainment.”
  10. “Seemed like a nice variety, though heavy on meat dishes.”
  11. “The food, service and especially sangria are amazing.”
  12. “The food is the least tasty, least authentic Spanish food I have eaten anywhere.”
  13. “Great food, live entertainment, lively atmosphere, cute place!”
  14. “Thankfully the food when it finally arrived was tasty but did not make up for the other negatives.”
  15. “In sum: bad food, bad service.”
  16. “am no food expert but in my opinion what we were presented with has no Spanish "even hint in it" - just plane boring nasty horrible food.”
  17. “My family and I stumbled across this restaurant because Buca Di Beppos wasn't open for lunch for another 45 minutes, so we decided to check it out and see how good the supposedly authentic spanish cuisine was.”
  18. “We shared 4 tapas - the fried calamari was good but not great, the bbq ribs were excellent, and the stuffed calamari and stuffed eggplant were both worth trying and definitely different.”
  19. “Where else can one enjoy great food and exciting flamenco shows for a very reasonable price ?”
  20. “suppose the staff was in a rush to serve us to make up for the unprofessional treatment they had given us and the seafood paella was absolutely appalling.”
  21. “haven't sampled everything but I have found the Veggie Paella w/ Cilantro sauce to be one of my favorites.”
  22. “However, the food was very bad.”
  23. “the service was horrible and the food mediocre.”
  24. “Every member of our 4 person party went home with severe food poisening from this place, the food and service was awful.”
  25. “The hostess is unpleasant, the waiters take forever, sangria thoughtless, and the food is just bad and overpriced.”
  26. “Perhaps it's a good place to hang out with friends/good company if you don't care so much about the food.”
  27. “Our food was absolutely terrible and we couldn't eat it (except for the salmon filling).”
  28. “foods really good and i recommend it to any one how love mexican food”
  29. “We had both come in with a craving for a nice authentic Tortilla Espanola(how hard is that to make?”
  30. “Next time, we may order the entrees - they certainly looked delicious.”
  31. “what arrived was a plate full of rice with a tomato based sauce of zucchini, squash, onions etc poured over the rice.”
  32. “One plate was so spicy that my friend (who is latin american and likes spicy food) couldn't eat it.”
  33. “Horrible place with nasty food.”
  34. “wedge melted on an interesting fried thin tortilla like bread, with a corn chutney.”
  35. “The food is great.”
  36. “We had a medium group of people sharing almost everything from the menu - not a single decent dish or tapas !”
  37. “The sangria is good, the food was pretty good, and the banana dessert was fantastic!”
  38. “While it was a lot of fun for groups (the dancing was great), I felt that the value for the food was poor.”
  39. “The service was quick and friendly, the tapas were tasty, and the sangria was great.”
  40. “I'm upset that I spent $80 at this place for mediocre food, slow service, and entertainment that kept making the microphone squeal so bad it hurt your ears (no apologies either).”
  41. “If you're looking for good food and authentic flamenco dancing, this place is not it.”
  42. “this will probably pass for glorified baja fresh menu, but it ain't anything close of being catalonia or valencia.”
  43. “Authentic paella do not have spicy.”
  44. “We have patronized this restaurant since its inception and it continuous to serve superb food, wines and the infamous sangria.”
  45. “We ordered the seafood paella, the clams were not fresh, you could taste that they were old.”
  46. “Great food with entertainenet.”
  47. “If you like Spanish (Not Latin) food, like meat, and are in Pasadena, give it a try, you will not be disappointed.”
  48. “The trout and ceviche were boring (though relatively inoffensive), the mussels were sub par, the stuffed pepper was terrible, the bacon wrapped shrimp was bland, the salad was ridiculous.”
  49. “can't remember the names of the dishes, but the two dishes I had were excellent - one was lamb and couscous, the other was a pork spare rib plate.”
  50. “My favorite dish is the Paella de Pollo with the spicy cilantro sauce.”
  51. “the food is great, and this is a great spot for a loud big group or party.”
  52. “love tapas and paella, but I don't think that I've ever had so much salt in my food.”
menu variety
85.71000099182129% positive
  1. “We highly recommend this restaurant, it offers diverse cuisine to satisfy any palate, fun and entertainment.”
  2. “this will probably pass for glorified baja fresh menu, but it ain't anything close of being catalonia or valencia.”
  3. “They have the full tapas menu available, both hot and cold, plus entrees.”
  4. “The variety of tapas and main entrees is certainly impressive.”
  5. “We had a medium group of people sharing almost everything from the menu - not a single decent dish or tapas !”
  6. “Seemed like a nice variety, though heavy on meat dishes.”
  7. “Food portions are good, the selection is great, Sangria is done just right.”
overall
87.5% positive
  1. “If you're looking for good food and authentic flamenco dancing, this place is not it.”
  2. “Perhaps it's a good place to hang out with friends/good company if you don't care so much about the food.”
  3. “This might be a good place to get drunk and maybe even find a one night stand.”
  4. “NO NO for me and my friends - to bad it really could have been a nice place with all the interior decoration and location.”
return potential
100.0% positive
  1. “The flamenco dancing and music were very good too - we plan to come back.”
service
47.220001220703125% positive
  1. “We had a medium group of people sharing almost everything from the menu - not a single decent dish or tapas !”
  2. “In sum: bad food, bad service.”
  3. “was hoping the performance would be good enough to make up for the noisy drunks and miserable service.”
  4. “bad service”
  5. “The hostess is unpleasant, the waiters take forever, sangria thoughtless, and the food is just bad and overpriced.”
  6. “The food, service and especially sangria are amazing.”
  7. “suppose the staff was in a rush to serve us to make up for the unprofessional treatment they had given us and the seafood paella was absolutely appalling.”
  8. “The calamari was mediocre, the sangria was served without fruit, the hostess made a fuss about our reservation, and service was slow and unattentive.”
  9. “I'm upset that I spent $80 at this place for mediocre food, slow service, and entertainment that kept making the microphone squeal so bad it hurt your ears (no apologies either).”
  10. “Every member of our 4 person party went home with severe food poisening from this place, the food and service was awful.”
  11. “The Hostess was a bit rude, but the waiter was great!”
  12. “The service was quick and friendly, the tapas were tasty, and the sangria was great.”
  13. “The hostess was very charming and humorous as well and our server was wonderful.”
  14. “was with about 20 and the service was fast and helpful.”
  15. “The live music and dancing is fun, and Willie the bartender is the best ever!”
  16. “The service, Sangria, and Tapas are impeccable and the dancers make for great entertainment on a weekend night.”
  17. “The waiter was so slow and the busboys kept dropping silverware.”
  18. “the service was horrible and the food mediocre.”
value
66.66999816894531% positive
  1. “Food portions are good, the selection is great, Sangria is done just right.”
  2. “So instead of wasting your money on overpriced food at this restaurant, I would suggest you go save your money and go dine elsewhere and eat in Spain.”
  3. “The hostess is unpleasant, the waiters take forever, sangria thoughtless, and the food is just bad and overpriced.”
  4. “While it was a lot of fun for groups (the dancing was great), I felt that the value for the food was poor.”
  5. “To top it all off, the prices are what you should pay for great tapas (in LA!)”
  6. “We shared 4 tapas - the fried calamari was good but not great, the bbq ribs were excellent, and the stuffed calamari and stuffed eggplant were both worth trying and definitely different.”
  7. “If you don't mind spending extra money for the ambiance then this restaurant is good for you.”
  8. “Where else can one enjoy great food and exciting flamenco shows for a very reasonable price ?”
  9. “The sangria was pretty good, but expensive.”
wait time
50.0% positive
  1. “I'm upset that I spent $80 at this place for mediocre food, slow service, and entertainment that kept making the microphone squeal so bad it hurt your ears (no apologies either).”
  2. “After a long day of shopping in old town i began to feel the effects and my wife and I decided that we would need a good meal in a good restaurant to top off our day.”
  3. “The waiter was so slow and the busboys kept dropping silverware.”
  4. “The calamari was mediocre, the sangria was served without fruit, the hostess made a fuss about our reservation, and service was slow and unattentive.”
  5. “My family and I stumbled across this restaurant because Buca Di Beppos wasn't open for lunch for another 45 minutes, so we decided to check it out and see how good the supposedly authentic spanish cuisine was.”
  6. “The service was quick and friendly, the tapas were tasty, and the sangria was great.”
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

02/16/11

Great Sangria and Tapas!

by iloveredwine

We happened into this place by accident on a Tuesday night... sat and the bar and fell in LOVE! The waiter suggested we try the white Sangria and it was truly excellent. We have had several of the tapas over the past few months and never been dissapointed. We use Resturant dot com coupons there at least once a month which makes it a bargin! Sit at the bar! It's the best seat in the house!

1 Star Rating: Poor

08/13/09

Service

Contributor

The food is okay but the service is very idiotic disrespectful and unpleasant!!! I had paid double tax for tip! And manager came over wanting me to give like fifty dollars tip !! Telling me what I should give for tip!! That is the most ungreatful bulshit I have ever heard I left that place with 1 penny for insulting me!! People please do not go there!!

1 Star Rating: Poor

02/16/09

wish I can rate this "no star"

by uncleaka

for all you dumb dumbs out there, this is NOT food from valencia. this will probably pass for glorified baja fresh menu, but it ain't anything close of being catalonia or valencia. take it from me who has been to real authentic spanish restaurants in new york city, la luna negra is a big joke. we found none of the tapas to be special. and it seems the valentine's menu was limited compared to the menu we found on their website. we ordered paella de oceano, and was asked by the waiter if we wanted "spicy or mild". THAT'S A JOKE!! Authentic paella do not have spicy. this must be a tex-mex flavor. my wife and i were so hoping to have good paella. the worst was when the paella came, it was all green and the rice was mushy and creamy cheesy wet. supposed to be no cheese in any paella from spain. it resembled some spiceless green curry from the worst thai restaurant. we questioned our waiter and he said the red color from paellas is because they were spicy. so at this point, i was already disappointed there was something lost. finally the waiter brings us a red sauce that was supposedly "spicy". it was not. it was your typical marinara sauce you would find at buca di peppo three doors down. we left all disappointed with somewhat expensive meal. on top of that, the unfriendly hostess didn't even acknowledge we struggled to open the door while we were leaving, especially when my wife is 9 months pregnant. we got so ripped!!!! (thanks EQ ...jk)

  • Pros: none
  • Cons: i wish we got there later to see the flamenco show.
1 Star Rating: Poor

02/15/09

Horrible place with nasty food.

by bperelsh

Horrible place. I agree with ALL negative reviews ! We had a medium group of people sharing almost everything from the menu - not a single decent dish or tapas ! I am just surprised what skill does it take/requires to spoil EVERY dish. I am no food expert but in my opinion what we were presented with has no Spanish "even hint in it" - just plane boring nasty horrible food. NO NO for me and my friends - to bad it really could have been a nice place with all the interior decoration and location.

  • Pros: Great Setting
  • Cons: Horrible food
1 Star Rating: Poor

08/22/08

This place is awful!

by melovechocolate

Like another reviewer said, I was also astounded to see this place receive so many great reviews. If you're looking for good food and authentic flamenco dancing, this place is not it. Perhaps it's a good place to hang out with friends/good company if you don't care so much about the food. We on the other hand were hoping for some decent tapas and sangria.I've never had sangria with white wine (I've had my own white wine cooler, but I think sangria was meant to be made with red wine)--it burned down my throat ..! Maybe the red wine sangria might have been better. We ordered several tapas, including the stuffed mushrooms--greasy mushrooms filled with the overpowering taste of low quality, industrial-style chorizo--nauseating! We couldn't finish ONE .Then we ordered the Camarones al Jerez--same thing! Greasy shrimp over some string potatoes served in a POOL of GREASE..We were hungry, so we had TWO..We had both come in with a craving for a nice authentic Tortilla Espanola(how hard is that to make??Honestly! It's like a french bakery with no croissants!!!) and the best they could do was their "Tortilla Paisana". WHEN have you heard of tortillas espanolas with BLUE CHEESE??? It had SO much cheese--it was dripping with cheese--if you're a passionate cheese lover, this one's for you.Another tapa that kind of saved the day for our appetite was the Salmon con espinaca--which actually sounded quite good! We thought this would be the redeemer..To our great disappointment, the pastry was droopy, undercooked--and yes, GREASY. We decided to pick out the salmon and leave that droopy coating on the side. THIS was our dinner..This place would offend a true spaniard, honestly. Our food was absolutely terrible and we couldn't eat it (except for the salmon filling). As for the show, I think we went on novice night. The two dancers were incredibly stiff with dramatic faces as they turned. First time we've ever seen an asian flamenco dancer.We will NEVER come here EVER again!

  • Pros: Nice place to meet friends
  • Cons: Bad place to eat

The Details on La Luna Negra

Place Categories:

  • great spicy food
  • overpriced bad food
  • slow service
  • superb infamous sangria
  • decent tapas
  • good cute place
  • authentic flamenco dancing
  • good restaurant
  • terrific experience
  • authentic paella
  • bad nice place
  • favorite dish
  • enjoy exciting flamenco shows
  • slow waiter
  • supposedly authentic spanish cuisine
  • nice variety
  • great live entertainment
  • fabulous flamenco show
  • authentic spanish food
  • nice spot
  • fun live music
  • big party
  • enjoy great food
  • rude hostess
  • obnoxious cell phone conversation
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