Moonstone Bistro

My sister told me about this restaurant and raved about it, after having brunch. So — when I was in Redding on business, I had to try it out.
I wasn’t super hungry — I would’ve liked to order the Coq au Vin or even the fish tacos but I wanted the Chocolate soufflé more than anything on the menu. I was tempted to just have dessert!
The menu reads like a book, and if you take the time to read how everything is prepared it will blow your mind.
I ordered the Calamari, which is crisped with rice flour tossed with roasted peanuts, served with jalapeño-​lemon gastrique & sour cream chipotle aioli. I’m not a calamari lover — but based on the description, I knew i had to have it. It was so delicious — just amazingly perfect.
Then — the Chocolate Soufflé. I’ve never had soufflé before, so it was the biggest treat. So light and delicious, not over chocolatey.
I will be back again and recommend Moonstone highly. I will probably drive four hours one way just to eat here again.

Amazing food. Great service. Every bite of my eggs Benedict with pork belly and tortillas was delicious and satisfying. Good place for gluten free.

The food is always fresh and beautifully presented, drinks are great and we love how small it is.

When we travel we look for a variety of experiences that include fine dining and local favorites. We wanted to eat at the nicest restaurant in Redding one evening and came across this restaurant. They had a great cocktail Menu, but the drinks were just average. We orders lamb, burger, coq au vain and the pork special. I thought the food was good– it was just a little overworked. My lamb was done very well, but there were SO many things on the plate– a fritter, lamb meatballs, a chickepea, cucumber and tomato salad, a couple sauces and goat cheese. All the flavors were really good, just a bit over worked for my taste.

First time here (I’m from out of town). Had the Moonstone salad to start. Loved the champagne Dijon vinaigrette dressing. You could taste the freshness of the salad. For the main course I had Coq a vin. Really, really good. The flavor of the chicken was great an the vegetables were cooked perfectly — squash, potatoes, carrots, and a few other root vegetables. Like the sald, you could taste the freshness. Service was a bit slow considering I was dining solo on a business trip and they weren’t packed — but I wasn’t in a hurry so it was fine. I had a glass of Cab with dinner but I would suggest trying Pinot noir instead. I’ll be bringing some coworkers back here next week so I can try the lamb.

I went to Moonstone for a business meeting recently, and I was really thrilled to have found this gem. First, my colleague was late. The Moonstone staff didn’t have any problem steering me to an appetizer soup and keeping my sparkling water topped up. They were patient, didn’t hover or make a nuisance of themselves, and answered all of my questions cheerfully.
According to their staff, the menu changes seasonally. I think this is great. When it changes seasonally because they use local ingredients, it’s even better. And this is apparently what Moonstone Bistro does.
On my visit, I had a black-​eyed pea soup with Andouille sausage for a nice Southern-​style heat kick. Just a nice bit of mild heat to round out the flavor. It was good, and I’d definitely recommend it.
For my main course, I had salmon on a cedar plank with carrots and red potatoes. I don’t really eat potatoes much, but they were cooked perfectly. The carrots were also perfectly cooked. And the salmon? Perfect. Just the right amount of seasoning to let the flavor dominate. Unlike some places, the fish was cooked slightly rare so that it was juicy and delicious instead of dry and ruined.
My colleague had a salad of some sort. I wasn’t paying attention to his order, and when it arrived, he practically inhaled it. I have no idea what it was, but my guess is that it was good.
I looked at the wine list, but didn’t see anything that knocked my socks off. But I didn’t see any plonk either. For everyday dining, the wines on their list were appropriate and there was nothing awful to be found. For a bistro, this is perfect.
There are only four stars here because I haven’t had more than one experience to judge the consistency. (I’ll update this when I’ve got a better sense of the consistency.) But I’ll say this: I am moving here and my wife and I were really afraid that a town this size wouldn’t have anything but awful chain restaurants. We worried that we would have to drive for hours to find something good. Moonstone Bistro proved me wrong. If the food is consistent, I’m going to be a regular.

The food here was delicious! Each member of our table ordered something different and everyone was super happy with their meal. Fresh, real food. Might go back tomorrow night for dinner again.

Just visiting my daughter and wanted good food and a place we could talk.perfect. Everything. I will come back next time in Redding

The food is overpriced. I could understand if it was all organic. But it was not. Ordered medium rare moonstone burger. It came Rare.
My sister ordered the mushroom burger
Which arrived, very rare, red meat.
Which was bummer she could not enjoy
Because she is pregnant.

We drove three hours to have lunch with a friend from Oregon, and while I wouldn’t drive that far just to go there, if we’re anywhere in the vicinity again it will be a definite stop.
Excellent food, presentation and service, a place like this is sorely needed in El Dorado Hills.

Came back twice after the disastrous visit that prompted my initial one star review, and both times the burgers were excellent: home made buns, juicy burger cooked to order, fresh and beautifully dressed salad.
Service was terrific on the most recent visits, as they had two servers on the floor plus the manager.
Calling ahead for a reservation (esp on weekends) is recommended – they are professional and warm on the phone as well.
This is a great place to go for a special meal – you probably don’t want to pay $ 16 (pre-​tax and tip) for a burger and salad meal every day, but for a special treat this is the place to go.
I haven’t tried meals aside from the burgers, but the attention to detail with such a simple meal has me curious to try their other offerings. Cute little patio for al fresco dining.
Note that they automatically charge you a 3% service charge, so I usually add the difference up to 20%.
Really glad to see that the understaffing problem was a fluke.
Docked one star because I feel that despite the high quality, the food is still pretty pricy. You could get the same quality burger in other cities for less than half the price.

This place is a bit pricey but delicious. I have never had bad service here and I love their Sunday brunch! Sometimes it can be a bit hectic getting seating but he food is great!

Body Massage.
This is a big city kitchen in a teeny lil berg. NOTHING else in this town compares to the thought, energy, and flavor of the menu.
The kid is a go getter. A baller. He is all about his craft. Just the right amount of cocky-​jerky assertive bully that excellent food demands of a REAL Chef.
Everything in this place is planned, AND SUPERVISED. Lots of communication between the man and his minions. Help tastes the food before service. This a bona-​fide top shelf fine dining bistro. I have nothing bad to say.
Except.
Can I get a cute waitresses?

This is hands down my favorite restaurant in Redding. I have been eating there since they opened and like to bring out of town guests, especially if they are foodies. Even though they are in a strip mall next to Starbucks, the inside is very elegant in a modern way. The service is impeccable, the servers are attentive without being cloying. The food is the star, featuring revolving seasonal menus, though you can never go wrong with the fish tacos and burger. Recently, I had the ahi tuna casserole which was absolutely delicious. The sourdough french toast is decadent and addicting. My husband loves whatever steak or filet they are featuring and we know the sides are going to be creative and delectable.
I generally do not have room for dessert, but when I do, I adore the chocolate soufflé. If they have a fresh seasonal fruit dessert, like peach crisp or strawberries with biscuits and cream, I will not pass that up. I would describe their wine list as eclectic with boutique wines that are unusual yet delightful. I have had some of their specialty cocktails but generally find them heavy on the ice, which is pretty common at most restaurants. The place is usually crowded any day/​evening of the week but bar space is great if you can’t get a table. I love watching the chef and kitchen staff prepare the food so effortlessly and in such synergy. Their specialty wine pairing dinners are superb, spendy yet sell out because it is on par with a big city or wine country restaurant. I have yet to have a bad experience the dozens of times I have been fortunate to experience the sumptuous cuisine. I always look forward to the emails previewing the seasonal menu and fun quotes.

Honestly, hands down the best fish taco’s I’ve had in my life!!!
The ambiance in the place is wonderful.
They have a good selection of beer, and wine.
The service is great, and the food is fantastic!!!
Its well worth the trek off the beaten path of Highway 5 if you are just passing through, but want an amazing meal. I highly recommend working this stop into your trip! Next time we pass through I will be stopping here for sure!
We missed trying the soufflé, because we were very full. But I believe next time we agreed to share the fish tacos so we would have room to try the soufflé!
The staff was so amazingly polite, as we were leaving, both the Chefs stopped what they were doing, and said thank you for stopping in! Now that’s some Nor Cal hospitality!!!

Even a hamburger is to die for here! Menu changes and is seasonal so ask you server for specials. Do not miss ordering a dessert!!! WOW!
Easy safe parking. Near Mercy Hospital.

This is the best restaurant I’ve been to in Redding. You can also buy any bottle of wine to go for 20% off. I had the chicken breast burger. The chicken was cooked to perfection, juicy and not pink. The butter pickles on the sandwich were great. I chose the side salad with blue cheese dressing also great. I had a glass of «if you see kay», a red blend from Italy. It was so smooth I bought a bottle to go. My sister had the eggs benedict and said it was delicious. She also had «the best she’s ever had» whisky cocktail.
The staff was friendly and attentive. I will definitely go back.

My friend and did a pit stop in Redding for some comfort food (Grilled cheese and tomato bisque) after our adventures at Mcarthur-​Burney Falls. Carnegie was not opened, so we ended up here. Everything happens for a reason! We fell in love with this quaint little spot! The place did look a little fancy for two girls in hiking gears, with beanies and hiking boots!
The food was amazing, we shared the tuna casserole and the brown rice veggie. It was the perfect amount of food with amazing flavors. We both loved the tuna casserole — the pasta was perfect texture and the sauce, MMMM! The brown right veggie was light and airy, not overwhelmed with rice.
Whilst everything was amazing, the service was a little… eh? I think it’s because she was the only waitress and the house was getting filled. She seems a little unfriendly towards us and short. At least that’s the vibe we’re getting, not sure. Only thing I remember was when I asked for the soup of the day… she said the name real quick and took off. It took me a second to register what she said and I wanted to ask another question, but she was gone. Owell… we were tired from a long and beautiful morning and we just took our time enjoying some downtime and instagramming.hehe.
I would come here again, but I don’t live here. Hope the rest of the menu was just as great as the tuna casserole!
Oh, we ordered the bread pudding… OOOH EM GEE! Now that was a great way to end our time at Moonstone. GET IT! yum!

Love coming here for date nights, because the food is excellent and you can trust that the ingredients are quality. Not the fastest service, so come to enjoy your time here. We’ve only been for dinner (LOVE the burgers!) But I have heard the breakfast menu is great, especially Sunday brunch.
Definitely a must try in Redding. Expect to pay a little more for the quality. I would recommend looking at the online menu first so no surprises.

I am generally quite a critic. My friends took me out for my birthday on Tuesday the 20^th October. Service was fast, not flustered, professional and relatable. The food was perfect (quality ingredients & great options) and the price just right; even the lighting was just right. Because I am critical I would suggest a slight change in the music selection. I would have preferred something more classical and less contemporary. I enjoyed being able to see the kitchen in action. The menu was delivered with the hand of a poet; I really enjoyed the names of those cocktails. (Those damn Canadiens) :)
Thank you