Luna Rotisserie and Empanadas

I wasn’t going to write a review– I’d been here twice and had the empanadas for takeout, which were a good deal, but as an infrequent Unilocaler, not enough to inspire a review.
But (!!) then I tried the Patacon Pisao (w/​jackfruit) per the server’s recommendation, and have been dreaming about it since. So delicious and a great deal– worth signing in to Unilocal to praise this one. The jicama kale slaw was great as a side, I highly recommend that and the pimento ‘mac’ and cheese.
Service was wonderful, and I love that they have local beer on draft. I’ll be back for sure.

I got the empanadas when I was here. The only complaint I’d have is that the empanadas were a little dry on the outside. Otherwise the décor is so pretty, service is good, and the food is very flavorful.
It’s a good place for vegetarians and vegans to go to!

Luna is the type of restaurant that would be great for a first date. It’s classy without being too fancy or laid back, it’s got a wide variety of foods for people with allergies and it has a range of prices. I really like the décor inside with the phases of the moons and astronomical drawings. At lunch you order from a hostess and they have switched over to table service for dinner.
As far as food I always go with the empanada special of two empanadas and a side for $ 9.50. Some of the veggie empanadas are more bland, but the standout for me is the pork empanada. All of the sides that I have tried have been delicious and I especially like the hominy mac n cheese. My husband gets the grain bowls which are made of kale, quinoa, beans and barley and a meat (he also raved about the pork). They also have a wide variety of gluten free options (I have no idea how you make a grain bowl gluten free but they said you could request it so I trust them).
As far as drinks, my mojito was fresh and tasted like it did not come from a mix. They also have a strong selection of local NC drafts. Overall this is a great urban casual spot in downtown Durham and I will definitely be back.

Luna is one of my favorite restaurants in Durham. The Vegan Chili Braised Jackfruit is one of my favorite vegan dishes that I’ve had. The veggie empanadas are great too. Be sure to get the house made hot sauce. All the ingredients were very fresh and I loved the atmosphere.

Fantastic place. Broadly speaking, the food is great — my favourites were the maduros, the fish and chips, and the pollo (white). Note that the portion sizes are very generous. The empanadas were tasty but a bit stodgy for my liking. The service is friendly, and the prices are reasonable. Has become one of my top restaurants in Durham.

I love this place! I find myself craving Luna’s unique blend of Southern and South American food on a regular basis. The perfectly seasoned and juicy rotisserie meats stand on their own, or you can enjoy them prepared in empandas, patacon pisaos, arepas, etc. Things I love:
–The patacon pisao (with brisket, especially), a sandwich where the bread is replaced with crispy plantain patties. I’ve never seen this on a menu anywhere else (and I eat out a lot). I dream about this sandwich.
–The fact that you can get two empanadas and a side for under $ 10.
–Pisco sours (dangerously good!)
–Aguacate (fried avocado appetizer), arepas (great way to try all the meats on one plate!), chorizo empanada, succotash, the list goes on!

One of my new favorite lunch spots downtown. I’ll consistently order the chicken grain bowl, which is $ 11 for great chicken, quinoa, barley, kale, beans. Healthy and satisfying, and gets me back to the office in under an hour.
My veg friend thought the jackfruit was okay. It was more a vehicle for the flavors and spices, but what veg substitute isn’t?
Part of that quickness is the very odd ordering system. It looks as though they should have table service, but instead, you order at the register, take a number, head to your table. What’s odd is that we were given the option of either ordering at the table, or ordering at the register. We said table, then looked around in confusion for a while before anyone came over to us. Just order at the register and enter into the mass confusion that I always face in terms of whether or not I should tip at places like this.

Went here for date night. I had the emapandas with chorizo and another with quinoa. They were both tasty. The portions are just right and the sides were all delish. The drinks were strong! More seating would bump this up to 5 stars as we had to wait. Will definitely return again.

This is my second visit. We love all the gluten free options! Everything is super fresh. The menu is well rounded and the price point is reasonable for what they offer. Super busy this time and it’s 9 pm on a Thursday! We split the brisket patacon with a side of succotash and a side of black beans on coconut rice. Oh so yummy, and honestly we could have done without the extra side. We were full. The staff has been terrific both times. My only ding would be the noise level. It’s loud. That’s not enough for me to take off a star, though. This place is on our short list now, which is a very short list due to our gluten allergies.

Very hip and fun atmosphere. Perfect fit for Durham. The food was great. I wanted a taste of all the meats so I opted for the Arepa appetizer. This was more than enough for lunch and dinner. The app came with four mini Arepas and were topped with chicken, beef, and pork. In addition, there was a nice little portion of guac and cheese on each arepa. Other than the meat tasting spectacularly juicy, the arepas were to die for. So moist and delicious. My husband ordered the salad. I am not sure how it was, but it looked super fresh and was a decent portion (the price was a little steap though– $ 14 for a salad with meat :/​). As I think the prices are just a bit high for lunch, I will probably opt to come back at dinner time when I feel more comfortable spending more than $ 12 per entrée.

This place is wonderful, one of the better restaurants I’ve tried in Durham. They don’t take reservations, so you’ll have to wait, but they’ve got a full bar on site for people waiting.
Here are my recommendations:
The arepas appetizer– it’s a very big portion, and awesome flavor. We split amongst 2 people and it was almost too much.
The beef brisket– just amazing
The freebird chicken Patagon Pisao– so good. These are sandwiches that have plantains instead of bread, and roasted chicken. It’s just heaven, and they’re huge sandwiches, so come hungry.
The cocktails– my pisco sour was a disappointment. Way too sweet for my taste, definitely not the best one I’ve had. My boyfriend liked his Manhattan though.
The prices– so affordable! The wine list doesn’t have a bottle over $ 35 or $ 40, I think?
Overall, I’d be back!

I stopped in for a late lunch on my first day in Durham and was thoroughly impressed. I ordered an empanadas meal and was able to choose 2 different empanadas and a side– completely customizable meal!
I ordered the black bean and quinoa empanadas and the beef and black bean empanadas; I honestly couldn’t tell you which one I liked better because they were each very delicious!
I also ordered their Ecuadorian style horchata and liked it a lot as well. Whereas Mexican horchata is with rice and cinnamon, Ecuadorian horchata is more like a spiced fruit tea.

The atmosphere (dim) and space (narrow and long with hanging lights and exposed brick walls) are the first things I noticed when walking into Luna for the first time. This restaurant is popular, and with no reservations available, expect to wait in line for a table. Private booths, bar seating and long community tables are all available to patrons. Service is over-​the-​top-​friendly, our server was witty, outgoing and took care of all our needs. The bar wasn’t serving draft beer during our visit (due to refrigeration problems) but they have a small list of bottled bevies for the same price as drafts ($ 5.50), however, if you’re willing to spend another $ 5, cocktails are the way to go here. Lisa W., my fellow table guest, nailed it with her Southstar cocktail selection. At $ 10, this gem combines sour and spicy flavors with strong bourbon notes. Out of the three cocktails I tried, this was by far the best (I also tried the Mojito, I make an excellent mojito at home, there’s is good but replicable, and the Sour *M…something can’t remember* Spicy with peach nectar, ginger, egg white and topped with red pepper, pretty lackluster in flavor compared to the Southstar).
Appetizers: Ceviche, made with flounder on our visit, parsley and corn. Overall, lacked citrus flavor and plantain chips added to the blandness of this dish. Much more corn than fish. Arepas, four in a serving and a PERFECT way to decide what meat you want as a main course, loved the brisket and chicken, black beans were well seasoned, although chorizo was least impressive. Served on a thick corn tortilla (the arepa) with guacamole and cheese on top.
Entrée: I ordered the beef brisket patacon pisao, in simple terms, a plantain sandwich. I think the idea behind the dish is inventive, although the plantain was very think and lacked flavor, I would have loved all the ingredients combined minus the plantain, which also made the meal rather greasy. I also had the succotash as a side, which is basically lima beans and bacon, wouldn’t get it again. Overall, I loved the atmosphere and the drinks [specifically the Southstar] and I’d stop in again for those, but I wouldn’t order my entrée again. You could probably convince me to order the arepas again, but they weren’t pallet inspiring enough to crave. I think a brisket grain bowl or rotisserie chicken might be the way to go in the future. TIP: make sure to ask for the house made hot sauce, it was amazing!

Durham can officially add another feather to its cap. Watching the town come alive these last few years with new places has been exciting as a foodie and Luna is no exception. Dining on a Thursday night with some fellow Durhamite Unilocalers I was pleased with my experience. Most dinners range from $ 9.50-$ 12.25 and they don’t skimp on the portions. Service was provided by Ariel and she was fantastic. Its nice to have a professional who doesn’t rush you and you’re able to enjoy the food and company. She recommended some great drinks and I took her advice and enjoyed the South Star ($ 9). If you like a spicy drink you will enjoy it. Whenever I see Ceviche on a menu it’s a given I’m going to order it but sadly this rendition was not to my liking. More corn than anything and at $ 12.25 I wasn’t impressed. Our dates ordered the 4 Colombian Arepas to share with the table and I highly recommend this as either an appetizer or a meal. You are able to try all of their meat offerings as well as their black beans all atop a flatbread made of ground maize dough. Delicious! For dinner I chose a grain bowl with the beef brisket ($ 12.25) and was granted the request of subbing out the Kale for the Jicama kale slaw. Again, Delicious and I would highly recommend the brisket, very flavorful and moist. My husband went with Empanadas, beef and chorizo ($ 9.50) and stated both were delightful but cooked a tic to long. They were served with a spicy mustard that I loved. With three drinks, an appetizer, and two entrees it was a steal for downtown Durham at $ 65, sad but true. I will be dining here again and take note that this place is on the smallish side and they don’t take reservations. Even though our food came out quickly I wouldn’t recommend them if you are trying to make a DPAC show unless you allot an extra 30 mins for table wait time.

«Empanadas, blending South American & American South, in downtown Durham»
Came by here early (~5:45pm) on a Saturday night since we heard it was hard to get tables, and glad we did, as there were many people waiting for tables as we left at 6:30pm. Very happy with our visit overall– we focused on the empanadas & sides and didn’t try the other dishes in this visit.
Positives:
+ Price/​Value. We each got a dinner plate of two empanadas and one side item, which cost $ 9.50. I was VERY nervous this would not be enough food, but it was a good size (empanadas were reasonably large/​filling), so this is a great value for downtown Durham.
+ Quality. Food was very elegantly prepared. I had the beef empanada and the eggplant/​tomato empanadas. The eggplant/​tomato one was rather runny– this was a bit of a problem because the inside was REALLY hot, so with each bite, you’d get a mouthful of burning liquid. That said, I really liked the taste of the eggplant/​tomato one. The beef one was solid but nothing to write home about. My daughter had the chicken one and said it was quite good & liked it better than the beef. For sides, I had the Jicama kale slaw– really really good, even though I’m not a big kale fan. My kids had the maduros– absolutely excellent– as good as the best I’ve had in town.
+ Kids meals! Wow, they actually had a really great one– an empanada and TWO sides and an agua fresca, all for $ 5! My 16-​year-​old daughter wanted to get it too since it was such a good deal, but she was told that she’s too old. My son loved it, and I appreciated the value.
+ Service. Friendly, responsive, and helpful.
+ Setting. Despite having a big bar, was reasonably quiet, and comfortably dark. Bathroom was very clean, bright, and obviously newly renovated.
Synopsis:
Happy to go back here sometime and sample further. 4.5 stars. Note– half-​price empanadas between 9pm and 10pm!

South American and American South indeed.
We came around 7 PM on a Thursday night, and Luna’s was hopping with activity! The noise level was very high, and given that every table was full when we arrived, we had some time to peruse the giant chalkboard menu taking up the majority of the wall near the entrace. After around 20 minutes, we were seated and greeted by our extremely friendly waitress. My friend and I decided to order the eponymous items of the restaurant, namely the rotisserie chicken (pollo a la brasa, dark) and the empanadas (pork, chicken, and chorizo), with sides of jimica kale slaw, coconut rice + beans, and maduros. The food came out insanely quickly, after only 10 minutes of wait time.
Empanadas: I was a fan of the chicken empanada; it was juicy, hot, and varied in flavors. The peppers lent some great taste to the meat. The pork empanada was just filled with meat and starch without any lighter flavors to offset the heaviness of those ingredients. The chorizo was decent in terms of flavors; still mostly meat, but with a bit of spice.
The jimica slaw helped balance out the flavors of the meat quite well, and is an excellent side dish to order with the empanadas.
The chicken: Oh my gosh, this was so delicious! The meat was tender, flavorful and cooked to perfection. Absolutely no complaints, and applause to Luna for cooking such stellar chicken, my favorite dish of the meal.
The maduros were also wonderful, the perfect balance of sweet without being too starchy. However, the coconut rice and beans were a bit too sweet for my taste.
Since we had some room left, we decided to try dessert, namely, the seasonal fruit empanada
with pears, rum raisin, and the Parlor’s vanilla ice cream. Again, the flavors worked together so perfectly; the fruit combined so well with the crispy crust and the sweetness of the ice cream. It was like having a tiny delicious pie, but even better!
Finally, one of the major highlights of the meal was how inexpensive our meal was, given the food was of such high quality. The total cost of everything we ordered was about $ 25. Total bargain!
In short, if you find yourself in downtown Durham for dinner, this restaurant won’t disappoint.

Update: lied to about the refund.
Wifey, 30 year vegetarian bit into carnita empanada. The whole order for 2 people was vegetarian and dude reiterated vegetarian on the order back to me on the phone.
The order was to go and something may have been lost in the transport as it was warm when I got home. Jackfruit was spicy & BBQ (2 Sides) again it was warm and not hot (not their fault.) I have to give it another chance and sit in. (Wifey was kinda angry so I’m not sure if there will be a round 2.) Kale was over cooked. The actual Vegetarian empanada was really good. Yucca fries are probably good hot.
Friendly staff. Parking sucks. Nice décor. I’d say confirm your empanada before eating it and take out was probably not the best idea. The bar seems great nice looking cocktails.
We called in to let them know about the error. They were super cool about it.

Peruvian? Empanadas? yes please! Durham is saturated with «american» cuisine so it was refreshing to see some ethnic food come to the downtown area. With that said, this place has great potential and at this time, it truly is a 3.5 rather than a 4 star place but definitely room for improvement!
The establishment itself is beautifully planned and decorated. A large wall has the menu written on it upon entry. You are greeted by a host at the front but the caveat is that you order at the front desk as well. I find this a little off putting. It works to a certain extent if you’re the only one who stepped through the door and you can take your time looking over the extensive menu. But if there were more people at the door, I’d feel pressured to order quickly. In fact, i felt pressured to order right away even without people standing behind us.
The idea is that you order at the desk, they give you a number, you can leave your tab open or not then they seat you. I’m sure this might help their process move a long faster, but I found it confusing and bothersome as a customer.
Moving past the welcome at the door, we ordered and were shown our seats. we both ordered empanadas combo (two empanadas + a side). Together we shared:
— Blackened pulled chicken: good amount of chicken on the inside
— Pork carnitas: a bit underwhelming for what it sounded like on the menu. the meat was lacking in quantity and flavor
— Chorizo, yukon gold: again, the chorizo wasn’t as bold as I would expect chorizo to be but overall still good
— crimini mushrooms (veggie): i didn’t try this, but my friend thought it was very good
Overall, the empanada breaded parts were done well. The crust wasn’t too thick and definitely highlighted the insides. With that said, I felt the meat on the inside were a bit scarce or underflavored. ALL the empanadas definitely needed the sauce that came with it or else they would have been dry to eat. In fact, I probably could have used a lot more sauce.
The meal itself was tasty enough for me to go back and try the rotisserie menu. Again, with all new places there’s room for improvement but overall I am glad Luna’s is in Durham and can’t wait to see what else they can come up with!

Luna is the newest eatery in downtown Durham and I am quite happy it is here. It describes itself as a fusion of South American and Southern food and it’s menu definitely reflects that.
I was happy when I first walked in, it is a cool space with a nice ambiance. The set up is similar to Bull City/​Pompieri. You order your food at a counter and then a server will bring it to your table. I love peruvian chicken so I ordered the chicken with two sides which is priced at 10.25, happy to see a 10 dollar dinner in downtown. Btw in true Durham fashion all the meat they use is free-​range/​grass-​fed here. There were a variety of interesting sides to chose from, but once I saw bacon collard greens I knew I would be ordering them. On the servers recommendation, I got the pimento hominy «mac» and cheese as the second side.
The food comes out very fast. The collards were great and and the hominy (which are dried corn kernels) with the pimento cheese sauce was a delicious take on a mac and cheese. Absolutely loved it as a fusion between two cultures. The chicken was good and I was pleased, but truthfully Mami Noras up the road has the better peruvian chicken in the area. My companion also got the chicken with yucca fries and hominy «mac» and cheese and loved it as well.
Glad to see there is another downtown eatery that can become a part of my regular rotation. Yes, Mami Nora’s is cheaper and has tastier chicken, but Luna has a cool ambiance, better sides and serves alcohol and sometimes those qualities are important when you are going out. I will visit both of them for different reasons.
UPDATE: I’ve now had their arepas and their Patacon Pisao sandwhich. Both are fantastic and I need to recommend them. Though stick with the beef and the chicken, the pork isn’t as good.
Happy to see downtown Durham continue to grow.

Empanadas that are tasty and trendy, without being overhyped a la Dashi? Yes, please!
The food is yummm. We tried a variety of empanadas, and I’m a fan of the chorizo, ground beef, and mushroom versions. The chicken empanada was a bit dry. Empanadas come out super quickly too. One friend ordered the rotisserie chicken, which was hearty and moist, but nothing to write home about. The absolute best is the beef brisket patacon pisao — super moist beef, melty cheese, and jicama kale slaw sandwiched between fried plantain. SO GOOD!!! I ordered it with extra slaw as my side, clutch decision. Good amount of food for value too. They also have super tasty yucca fries.
We’ve been here twice, once on Luna’s first busy weekend night, and again on a slow Monday night. Luna’s setup is order and pay at the cashier first (with the option of leaving your tab open for more food/​drink later), then self seating as you wait for food. It works for NanaTaco, but not quite as well for Luna on super busy nights, for now. We encountered an issue where we had ordered our food, but had nowhere to sit… The staff were exceedingly polite and apologetic, but the nice ambiance does lend itself to people wanting to savor their food and drink and just linger. Our food came out before a table opened, so the empanadas were lukewarm by the time we were seated. I definitely chalk this up to being a new restaurant, and I’m sure they will figure out a more efficient system during busy times. (Or maybe add more seating?) However, on a slower weekday, seating was wide open and service was fast and warm and attentive! It was also nice to just sit without feeling like we needed to clear out for the next group.
Overall, a great local addition to downtown Durham. The staff seem super nice, and I’m really rooting for this place to succeed, so go eat up!