Luna Mexican Seafood Bar and Grill

Located at 2606 North Elm Street in Greenboro, Luna Mexican Seafood Bar and Grill serves Mexican fare for lunch and dinner seven days a week. There is a full bar and an outdoor seating area. Lunch specials and vegetarian options are available.

Luna is a former Mexico Mexican Restaurant location, something that should come as no surprise given the brightly colored tables and chairs. Those, reasonable prices, and mediocre food were Mexico’s calling card. Luna retains the first two while improving the third, but it has a ways to go before it can be considered one of Greensboro’s best.

First, the good: the menu is expansive. In addition to tacos, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, chicken dishes, steak dishes, and other staples, Luna offers oysters, several shrimp cocktail variations, and other seafood-oriented dishes that won’t pop up everywhere else. Pricing is, as mentioned, reasonable (seafood entrees at around $14, chicken, pork, or steak house specialties $10-$13, most burritos under $10), and portions are large.

Food is inconsistent, but there is more good than bad. I ordered an ACP seafood, described on the menu as containing “shrimp, calamari, scallops, mixed bell peppers, mushrooms, squash, and onions…served over a bed of rice and smothered with cheese.” The dish contained neither squash nor mushrooms nor cheese, and there was little rice. There was, however, plenty of lettuce and a delicious, perfectly crisp piece of fried fish, which ended up being the best thing on the plate (not that the rest was bad – the onions were nicely caramelized, for instance). My wife’s order of chile verde featured tender pork in a rich, spicy sauce, but the accompanying rice and beans were strictly average.

Service is another area where Luna could use some improvement. Given that the restaurant was about half full at the time of our meal, the kitchen seemed decidedly slow. Our server was very personable and cared about what he was doing, but he was also quite new to his job, and it showed.

The colorful décor, deep menu, friendly staff, and flourishes of tasty food make Luna too promising to write off entirely, but more consistency, better management, and, most likely, more personnel are needed. You can eat here without regretting it, but you won’t be over the moon for this place.

7.25/10