Loca Luna

Family and I came to Arkansas for a weekend of celebration… grandson son turned 1 on Friday the 13^th, our granddaughter had her 1^st dance recital Saturday and our daughter is celebrating her birthday today. I knew I needed to take her somewhere that not only had good food but had a super cool and funky vibe to it and while exploring all our options in the Little Rock area we decided to try Loca Luna and we were very pleased. We all enjoyed our celebration brunch, especially the birthday girl! Next time up, we will come back! And I have to add that our waitress was great, along with everyone one who brought out our food and our mimosas… it was a great brunch/​dining experience.

We loved the atmosphere on the patio and the service was very professional.
We shared a pizza– the Toscana and I would not recommend it or order again. The cheese on top was overpowering and so salty and I was glad to be sharing it so I didn’t have to eat it all. The cheese dip we ordered was good and I’m not a cheese dip fan. So kudos for that part!
The best food part was what our family ordered and shared– the tomahawk steak 36 oz for 38 dollars and quite an entertaining meal. We shared little bites and there were left overs to take home. The texture was unique– a little like pot roast– but the flavor rubbed with garlic was awesome.

Loca Luna is boiling crawfish on Thursdays. I have had crawfish anywhere they are available in little rock. These are by far the best I have found. If you want crawfish head to Loca Luna on Thursday. You will not be disappointed. Props to you Chef Abernathy!

My wife and I tried this place on a half-​hearted recommendation from a friend, and after our experience I can see why he wasn’t more enthusiastic.
It stared out great. When you walk into this place, you’re immediately impressed. The setting and décor is totally cool, urban, and modern. If only you could eat atmosphere. The host greeted us in an enthusiastic and professional manner, and between that and the look of the place, my hopes were up.
I was elated when I saw the drink menu; they have a great selection of single malt scotch and other high-​end spirits – and they’re reasonably priced! That right there is the reason this review is three stars, not two.
But it was downhill from there.
Our server was… a little too nice. I like having a conversation with a server, but I still want the food-​for-​money transaction to be top priority. I’m there to eat with my wife, not make new friends. The server was just too comfortable with us. We spent a lot of time just shooting the breeze, and we got TMI more than once. That would have been fine if everything else was in order, but there was a stretch of about 25 minutes after we finished our appetizers where we didn’t see our server at all. Our drinks were empty, and so were our waters. Eventually, one of the other servers saw us and refilled our waters, but we still didn’t see our server until our entrees came out. For such a nice place, the professionalism was lacking.
The menu was full of great-​sounding selections, and the specials all sounded great too, but when we got our food it was just… sad. There’s no other way to describe it.
We had pork rinds and cheese dip for appetizers. The cheese dip was meh, but the pork rinds were on point. Homemade pork rinds are hard to mess up.
My wife ordered the duck special. The duck was overcooked to a hilarious degree, and there was no fat or crispy skin on it, and the wine reduction it was topped with was cold, so it just tasted like sour rubber, when all was said and done.
I ordered a seafood platter, and everything was overcooked AND cold. To me, that means it was put in the service window and neglected for a long time. I don’t know if the chefs overcooked it, or of the heat lamps did, but it was just bad. To be fair, the salmon was excellent. Definitely much more cooked than I think is reasonable, but it was well-​seasoned.
Both of us got roasted veggies, and they were lackluster. Just bland and boring.
We toyed with the idea of getting dessert, but when our server brought out the dessert tray, we weren’t impressed, and opted out. We went to Starbucks instead. That should tell you something.
From what I’ve heard, this place used to be the toast of the town, but the owner refuses to change the menu, or anything else for that matter, and the place has gone downhill as a result. Maybe that’s a rumor, but I have to say it would explain a lot of what we experienced. The menu looked great conceptually, but suffered from poor execution, and that itself is a symptom of stagnation. Whether it’s the menu, or the management, or both, I can’t say. But Loca Luna feels like it needs a breath of fresh air. If it got one, it could be one of the best places in town. I would love to go back to this place in about a year to see if anything has changed.

Went with a group of friends on a Friday night recently. Was seating quickly and our server was constantly checking to see if we needed anything. I ordered the flat iron steak and it was delicious. I love going to local restaurant where the food is original and authentic. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone. It is a little pricy, but worth it for the quality. A large variety of food options (pizza, seafood, steaks). Looking forward to going back again soon!

Well I guess I was really wanting to love the brunch and it may have been a fluke morning. Today we went and the service was wonderful and why I didn’t give it more dings. We even like the eclectic mix of décor and that they offered outdoor seating. It got busy when we were there so we ended up waiting a little longer for our food and our server was very apologetic. We didn’t mind that at all though.
It was the disappointment of our food selections. I was really excited to try their traditional eggs Benedict which is one of my favorite breakfast meals but the potatoes that came with it were old tasting, like they had been sitting out for some time and had an odd chewy texture, the hollandaise sauce was bland and the English muffin tastes a bit stale.
My husband loved his calzone and the portion was huge! We also shared the French toast croissant for something sweet. It had a nice flavor of cinnamon in it and the idea is creative but the execution falls short. When you tried to break through it with a fork you really had to dig at it because the croissant was flattened so much and then burned that the texture was just weird.
We will give them another shot, but to be completely honest for the money we spent, we felt we really didn’t get what we paid for. Their brunch prices range much higher than the other places we had contemplated going to instead but our thinking was that if it was that good that we would pay for it. Unfortunately this time didn’t hit the mark.

One of my favorite go-​to places while in town. Good martinis, nice bar, relaxing atmosphere, great brunch. Service is always good. I love the cheese dip, salads, shrimp & brie quesadilla. One time there was a special of sea bass cooked to perfection. Love the pizzas too. Just a good neighborhood bistro

Lovely wine list and exceptional entrées! I really enjoy this place. I’ve been three times now and every time was a hit! The desserts are great, also.

The pork belly buttermilk biscuit with onion jam kinda thing was unlike anything I’ve had even though I had the eggs Benedict crab cakes. The entire experience was stellar. Every bite was better than the last.
The service was attentive very efficient and our server made the experience even better thank you Emalee!
I can’t wait to visit for lunch and dinner.
This restaurant is a must visit!

The food here never disappoints. Tried brunch for the first time today is was AMAZING. Holy hell try the crab benedict. Warning — it is very very rich. But I love rich foods. Yumm. Comes with 2 I could only eat 1. Soo good. My friend got the country breakfast she loved it and the sausage balls that came with hers were AMAZING. They did have a good drink selection for brunch also. I got a cosmo then ended up getting a bottle of champagne for mimosas, if you like mimosas do it that way. it’s cheaper and all around just the more intelligent thing to do. Anyhow I think I’m martini, mimosa happy which is why this review is coming to an end. Love this place. Love the option to sit outside and their food is great. If you like soups OMG love love. Try one. I use to be in love with the tortilla soup. Then I tried the lobster bisque. It’s just as good. Okay I’m done.

Loca Luna has great food, large portions, friendly service, but is expensive. Their seafood dishes (salmon, tilapia, crab cakes) have lots of flavor and are even splittable if you’re not super hungry (which helps lower the costs).
I think their steak is the best item on the menu though. Their ribeye is excellent (when it’s a daily special)– and usually large enough for two people to split.
They have some local Arkansas beer on tap, but otherwise their alcohol selection is limited to wines and mixed drinks, which clock in at an outrageous $ 7 – 12 in my opinion.
Haven’t been yet for brunch, but they seem to be all the rage: I’ll have to go one day!

Probably the best restaurant in little rock.
They have a LOT of options. If you want a great steak, they’ve got you covered.
I usually ask for Charlie. He gives great, fast and friendly service and and knows a lot about the food menu and drink list.
If you want the most bad ass bartender in little rock, have a seat at their bar. Heather knows how to make every drink known to man. Plus she’s really nice and super funny.
This is a good place to have a family dinner or birthday party, because their menu gives you so many options. EVERYONE can find something they’ll love.

After years of going here regularly my husband and I have called it a day. We now return rarely.
We love the liveliness of the place and the atmosphere. We can no longer abide the same old fattening foods, many of which are too greasy, dry, or just not very good. Truly there are no health-​minded dishes save for a spinach and salmon salad with cold shredded salmon from the ice box sprinkled over it — what a disappointment. The standard veggies that aren’t starches are the same old greasy sautéed peppers and onions.
Nothing ever changes here, even if you beg the owner to do so. He is such a nice person. He’ll listen to your requests, but changes will not happen. Even the specials on their chalk board stay the same for years. We finally became bored and underwhelmed, and started cooking at home instead.

The setting is quirky, the lighting subdued, the biscuits & gravy are huge, excellent (particularly the meatballs!) and the potatoes are thick, steaming, crisped-​outside/​steaming-​inside home fries perfection.
Crab Cake Benedict was «a little dry,» and did not impress my dear wife at all, and my first cup of coffee must have been the bottom of an old pot — but the second was quite good.
On our quest to explore all places brunch related in Little Rock, this one gets the nod most for the the space itself. It’s fun and spacious, with a large comfortable indoor dining area and an outdoor patio. The décor is cool and endlessly interesting, the coffee flows thick and fast, and the classic breakfast dishes are all present on the menu, and quite good (excepting the Crab Cake Benedict).
A caveat on the space itself, the indoor seating feels a little bit like a romantic dinner (low lights on the tables, reasonably quiet, and semi-​formal) even during a bright sunny morning. I didn’t feel underdressed in my t-​shirt and shorts, but it would have been perfect for a true brunch date as well!
The service was good and prompt, and the greeter at the front did a marvelous job. I’ll be checking out places all over town, but there’s every chance I’ll be back to Loca Luna :)

Came here for breakfast after a night out downtown. After waiting a hour to be seated, I ordered the Arkansas breakfast and everything was really good, except my «over-​easy» eggs were more seared on the outside with clear uncooked egg whites in the middle. Overall a good experience. Will just ask for the eggs over medium next time.

Was taken here for an interview lunch. I think the place is going for Italian, but their menu has some decidedly un-​italian items such as fried catfish. Not bad, mind you, but I wasn’t sure what to expect as far as food goes when I got here.
The place was pretty crowded around lunch and it was a little rough stomping over other people getting seated. Getting food to the table was similarly rough with the poor server having to lean and perform acrobatics to get the plates to where they’re going.
Overall this was a OK place, pricey beyond what I got I think but the food was still pretty good. Thankfully it was on the interviewer’s tab; I don’t think I’d have been as happy with the food as I was otherwise.

I don’t get why people keep recommending this place to me. As a recent transplant, my best guess is that it represented haute cuisine in Little Rock a decade ago but has been surpassed by other restaurants in the meantime. On that note, the décor and atmosphere reeked of 90’s chic. Like, I could picture Jerry Seinfeld taking a date there.
The website refers to LL as a «Bold Arkansas Bistro.» While it is in Arkansas, it is neither bold nor a bistro. The menu is a boring/​conventional blend of American, Italian, and the occasional «Mexican» or Southern-​inspired dish. While they it describe as ‘nouveau schizophrenic’, with something for everyone, I find it to be the classic example of taking too broad an approach and doing everything OK but nothing spectacularly.
My biggest problem with LL is the price point. Nothing about this restaurant is terrible and I might pop in for some soup except that everything is really overpriced for what it is. If you want a $ 15-​$ 25 entrée, go to Maddie’s (right around the corner!) or South on Main for much better food and, in my opinion, a better atmosphere. I might come back and try it for lunch or brunch, when I can get a bowl of tortilla soup for $ 10 instead of $ 14), but only because it’s conveniently located for me.
My second biggest issue is the cocktails — I had a Go Lightly, which was fine, but my dining partner ordered a Hemingway Daiquiri, a classic drink we have had many times. I’m not sure what they used in this, but besides not being a traditional HD (which is fine — innovation is great but I don’t think ‘twists’ should be marketed as the classic version), it tasted like grapefruit juice from concentrate with a splash of mouthwash.
My best compliment is the staff — everyone was very friendly.

While traveling through the Little Rock area we got a recommendation to try this with our family.
We were highly disappointed. Service was slow slow slow and more slow.
After waiting an incredible amount of time (30 minutes or more) we got our food some of the items were WRONG and COLD.
I ordered a burger and fries. They were cold, but I didn’t want to send them back and wait another 30 minutes. The burger was average at best. The fries were obviously homemade and were pretty decent.
My suggestion is if you plan on going to this restaurant, set aside a big chunk of time.
The place wasn’t very crowded and yet the food came slow. I don’t know whether it’s the fault of the waitstaff or the cooks but we weren’t very happy.
On top of everything else, the prices were quite high for what you get.

Our friends who are natives of Little Rock chose this restaurant for its character and broad menu. Loca Luna did not let us down on those counts.
We were a group of ten, so I was prepared for some service glitches but they really did very well. Drinks arrived quickly and our server was very attentive – not at all rattled by the size of our group.
My only issues with this visit was my pasta (my wife reported that her salmon was excellent) and the 18% gratuity that was added to our bill. My penne was a bit overcooked and was not very hot when served. As for the tip, our server probably would have done better without this policy – I tend to be pretty generous when I receive good service.

We don’t eat here very often. Part of the reason is we tend to go for more ethnic food on our date nights. The other part of the reason is this is one of the few local restaurants in Little Rock that ALWAYS has a wait. I swear, I’m really not that much of a snob when it comes to chain places. I know it sounds that way lately. But it’s ridiculous. As a test I called Texas Roadhouse and Outback as we drove by there Saturday night (at 6:00) and each place had a wait of 45 minutes — 1 hour. No thank you.
We arrived fairly early on a Saturday night (probably about 6:00). We were told it would be about 20 minutes. It ended up being about 30. While we waited we hung out at the bar, had a drink and perused the menu. We were ready to order by the time we finally had a table.
The service was EXCELLENT. Our waitress had a party of 10 that was sat just a few minutes before we were. They didn’t want to make us wait any longer, so they sat us and a manager helped take our drink orders and appetizer order while we waited on her.
Loca Luna has amazing cheese dip. Other than Dizzy’s, it’s the best I’ve ever had. But we started with the black bean hummus. Loca Luna wasn’t our first choice for dinner that night, Union Bistro was. But when we got to Union Bistro, they were closed. One of the dishes that Graham was looking forward to the most was their black bean hummus, so when we saw that as an appetizer option we went for it.
The hummus tasted like my spicy black bean soup. It didn’t have as much of a garlicky taste as the Union Bistro version has. You could taste the spices and the jalapeño over anything else. It was delicious, and the parmesan flat bread it was served with was really delicious. The only thing I hate about ordering hummus is that they never give you enough dippers. Ever.
Ordering our entrees was a more difficult choice. Everything I’ve had from here is good. I wanted to go with the salmon SO bad, but I stepped out of my box and ordered the Lobster-​Crab Stuffed Rainbow Trout.
This was absolutely amazing. I typically don’t like lobster. It’s too sweet and difficult to eat. But these lobster-​crab cakes were absolutely perfect. So good, I’d consider getting an order of those as an appetizer next time. The fish was huge and perfectly cooked, and the sauce was tasty, and not at all overwhelming. Not only was the fish amazing, but the side dishes were too. The vegetables were perfect. They were tender, but not steamed to a pile of mush. They still had a nice bite to them. And it’s really hard to mess up mashed potatoes.
Graham passed over the seafood and decided to get their pot roast. This was absolutely amazing. I hate to say it, but it was better than what I ordered. And that never happens. The pot roast was so tender. It completely fell apart when I went to grab a bite. I don’t understand why he chose roasted potatoes instead of mashed, but they were delicious. Perfect texture and great flavor.
Loca Luna is a fabulous little spot in Little Rock. I’d definitely check it out if you’re in the mood for an amazing dinner. I never have very high expectations when I order seafood in a landlocked state, but I’ve loved every dish I’ve ever had from here.