Tapalaluna

One of my favorite places in Dekalb. The atmosphere is nice with a cool tone and live music. Food is delicious, I enjoy the pad Thai the most. Great date place!

Wonderful wine bar. Rob will mix you whatever cocktail you crave or create something original. The menu is versatile and the food is always delicious. It’s nice to have a more upscale but still casual place for dinner and drinks.

I spent a couple of hours at Tapa La Luna last Friday night as a group of six good friends on a casual girls’ night out. It couldn’t have been more perfect. Service was impeccable. As a first timer, I was impressed with the ambience-​cozy and inviting with warm but modern lighting, fresh artwork and vintage brick walls. The tapas we shared varied from a lovely fresh salad with bleu cheese crumbles and some kind of wonderful fried apples (?). (I ate it too quickly to identify its species), tuna sushi (I’m now a convert!), to bruschetta –one with a rich, flavorful olive tapenade and one with fresh mozzarella, tomato and pesto, crunchy spring rolls and melt-​in-​your-​mouth Kobe (!) beef sliders. Our second course was a cup of fresh and sassy ginger carrot soup with a drizzle of plum sauce that perfectly complimented the lovely heat of the soup. I’m going to try to make a home version of that soup; it was THAT good. We also tried two of the thin crust pizzas-​the spinach artichoke and the Thai chicken, both receiving thumbs up all around the table. For dessert, (don’t judge us!) we shared a delectable slice of lemon layer cake, turtle cheesecake and a thick maple-​y waffle with vanilla ice cream and bourbon sauce. We left happy, sated and anxious to return.

Food was ok but not great. Jurassic Park, playing on tv at full volume is a real ambiance killer…

Had reservations for a special occasion on an event night at the Egyptian theater. I had high hopes, but we all left pretty disappointed with the experience.
Good
–Staff was pleasant
–Presentation
Bad
–Staff seated people that walked in *after* we did *before* we were seated
–Reserved a month in advance, but was escorted to a table immediately in front of the front door, which would not have been appreciated even by walk-​ins.
–Our table of 4 was only provided 2 plates
–Scallops were overcooked
–One of our dishes was never brought to the table, but we were charged anyway
Overall
Seemed like they had not planned for the event properly and did not have the staff to serve the reservations they took. All of the food looked good but was not really worth eating.
I at least recommend steering clear on event nights!

The food, tapas sized, is pretty good. The daily San Gria is very nice. Wine menu is good. Great spot for a casual night out with good food and drink. Liquor menu is on an iPad but it is just that, a list of liquor. There should be a list of cocktails or signature drinks. Empanadas are our favorite!

Love the cocktails but not so much their sushi, rice was over cooked and tasted sugary… They should redo the menu to be more focused on a specific genré that way the chefs can prefect the dishes

Just went again and while the wine selection was decent, the food was less than impressive. They need to change the oil in their fryer. Very good service. I would add a ½ star extra to this to make it 3 ½. I will go back again and hope they redeem themselves. Hubby and I tasted 4 dishes between the two of us. We weren’t impressed. Good atmosphere.

Went to tapalaluna on a Saturday night and everything about it was great. There was live music that was wonderful. The atmosphere is great, wonderfully decorated. The server was knowledgeable and sweet. Food was great and the price was reasonable especially as far as tapas style dining goes. We ordered 4 beers (although it was just domestic) and 4 small plates to share and the total including tip came to $ 70. Definitely going back!!!

Went there only one time for the boyfriend’s birthday. Had been recommended to us by other friends.
Good things:
Atmosphere was nice. Beautiful décor. The drink menu is on an electronic device (never seen that before). Wine selection is pretty large and the sweet red was delicious. The service from what I recall was good and had no complaints.
Things I didn’t care for:
Good grief it was ridiculously overpriced for such little portions of food. Cant even remember what we had nor how good it was so that should tell you something right there. I just remember thinking that after spending $ 100 on an appetizer, 2 entres and 3 glasses of wine that we should have gone to Red Lobster in Geneva because at least we would have left full. I was disappointed and felt like I had wasted my money. I don’t mind spending at all when the experience is worth the money and for us it just wasn’t.
End of the day, I’d go back for evening cocktails, but never spending $$$ on dinner again. Sorry Tapa.

Loved everything! The atmosphere, though a bit loud, was cute and intimate.
The drink menu is actually on an iPad which, though interesting, caused us to have to wait each time we wanted to see it for one to be available. And you didn’t order through it, just viewed it on the iPad. It didn’t seem very practical.
The tapas are what really stole my heart! We had the stuffed chicken skewers, the spicy beef empanadas, and the mango bourbon scallops. Don’t you dare leave Tapalaluna without trying those scallops! You can thank me later!

It’s nice for date night or ladies night. The food is good and not your typical fare. More grown up then family food.

Food is fantastic, wine and beer list is perfect, mixed drinks are inventive! I love this place, the atmosphere is perfect for date night even if the only open seating is at the bar. Rob, Chad and the rest of the staff treat you like a regular even if you haven’t made it in for a while. Definitely my favorite place in Dekalb.

I was told this is the only place in DeKalb that has good food. The menu is a little all over the board… pizza, sushi, small plates… But the food I had was good and the service (slow at first) was even better.

I went to Tapa for lunch today, and I really liked it! The atmosphere is really amazing! The décor is very modern and comfortable. Very inviting. I went during my hour lunch break, and I was served quickly so I didn’t have to speed eat. There was also live music, so that definitely added to the atmosphere.
I ordered the turkey smokehouse panini with waffle fries. I personally do not like fries, but actually loves these! They didn’t seem frozen and were seasoned well. Crispy too! The plate was around nine bucks, so it was decently priced for the amount of food received.
One suggestion I would make is to have a pick two or three plate. I came by myself and would’ve loved to try the tapas, however I didn’t want to have to pay for a plate of one item meant to share among two or three people.

Tapalaluna is a diamond in the rough in the Dekalb/​Sycamore area. The standard fare in the area is large portions of slop, usually in buffet format to maximize gorgeability.
Which is why this tapas restaurant (loose definition of «tapas») is so unique and wonderful! It is located in the downtown area of Dekalb which is a very warm and pleasant street. Easy to get to from the highway.
We were on the way to see Brad Paisley at the Convocation Center and this restaurant is four minutes down the main drag from the Convo. We arrived at 7 PM and it was PACKED! Wall to wall people, mostly going to the same concert.
We were luckily sat quickly and the service was pretty solid for how busy it was.
I am writing this about three weeks after our dining experience so I won’t go into a ton of detail on individual entrees, but we were very pleased with the meal and tapalaluna overall.
If you are in Dekalb from out of town and you go anywhere else I wish you luck. You wont see me, I will be at Tapalaluna every time!
Thanks!

Came here for new years eve… Loved the mussles amazing. I’d reccomend this to anyone that visits or looking for fine dining … Keep up the great work… Gorgeous staff and very very good atompshere.

Best restaurant in Dekalb! Last Saturday night I had a great time seating at the kitchen bar with my daughter. We asked the chef to make a tasting dinner with some of the best restaurant dishes and it was awesome. Sushi, mussels, bacon wrapped shrimp, scallops, tamales, and tequila dessert were all amazing. The atmosphere is very relaxing, beautiful and the live music adds to the charm. This restaurant could be in New York City!

Outstanding service! Rob the bartender is always exceptional and makes the best cocktails. Full bar with lots of wine choices.
The chef, Chad, is phenomenal. We watched him carve our ribeye right in front of us — which was seasoned and cooked perfectly. He was willing to make an off-​menu item for a member of our group with dietary restrictions as well. Everything was absolutely delicious.
The ambiance is wonderful. Being able to watch the kitchen staff prepare your food is such a fun part of your evening. Live music, which is never too loud just adds to the experience.

Your food is great but your service needs to get better. I order coffee with cream last night. I was given the usual single serve containers. After a couple of sips, I noticed chunks of creamer floating in my coffee. The cream they gave me had actually curdled. When I alerted the waitress she said she was sorry. Rather than leave it at that, she gave me the excuse that they do not get many coffee orders there.
How about just say you are sorry and not provide an excuse? Unhappy. It was disgusting.