LUNA Cafe Will Celebrate Seven Years in Ashlan
January 2023
LUNA Café + Mercantile, located at 2525 Ashland Street inside the Ashland Hills Hotel & Suites, which is part of the Neuman Hotel Group, is celebrating its seventh year in business this year. Doug and Becky Neuman are happy with how the restaurant has turned out.
“In the last six years, LUNA Café has become a favorite of travelers and locals alike,” said Becky Neuman. “When Doug and I opened Ashland Hills and then LUNA Café, our hope was for it to become a favorite stop-over, a family resort on I-5. By staying at the hotel and eating at LUNA, guests would get a feel for the essence of Southern Oregon. We enjoy welcoming small and large gatherings of locals and visitors alike inside the café, as well as on the deck overlooking the beautiful hills of Ashland, or under the umbrellas on the animal friendly patio up front.”
Located inside the hotel, Luna Café offers mid-century, retro modern design, creatively resurrected to make the dining space comfortable and inviting.
“The 1970’s was about space exploration, putting a man on the moon, interest in the stars,” Becky said. “So the name LUNA, meaning moon, seemed just right and works well with Ashland Hills Hotel’s event spaces: Cosmos, Galaxy, Stardust Lounge, Andromeda, Orion and our Constellation Hall. Think Sputnik chandeliers, globe lighting, tie dye and turquoise, camel and cream. Add bamboo and rattan elements, a craft cocktail bar, a charming fireplace, plus a vintage classic photo booth, and voila—a 70’s blast from the past eatery.”
LUNA’s culinary team makes most of the food from scratch including all the sauces, dressings, pizza dough, buns, ketchup, and ice cream … and all of the baked desserts and cookies. They offer gourmet burgers, pizzas, sandwiches, bowls, soups and salads, house-made pastries, as well as creative craft cocktails, gourmet coffee drinks, local beer and wine. LUNA Café has a large Gin Library featuring a wide selection of gins from all over the world. If you’re not into gin, check out their impressive craft cocktail menu.
Born and raised in the Rogue Valley, Chef David Georgeson is well versed in all things Southern Oregon cuisine. After graduating from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Portland in 2001, David spent the next 12 years honing his skills at the award-winning Larks Restaurant in Ashland, working his way to Executive Chef in 2009 and securing the title of Ashland Top Chef at the 2011 Food & Wine Classic (now Ashland Culinary Festival).
After a brief break from the kitchen as a professional Southern Oregon fishing guide, David returned to the culinary scene in 2016 to open and run Common Block Brewing Company in downtown Medford. He brought his expertise, relationships with local farms, unique flavors and local perspective back to Neuman Hotel Group as Executive Chef of LUNA Café & Ashland Hills Hotel & Suites. When not in the kitchen, David enjoys fishing, hunting and enjoying the great outdoors with his wife and son.
In the Mercantile, there are fun gifts for everyone, including Oregon craft chocolates, snacks, vintage toys, photography and postcards, as well as a wide selection of Oregon beer and wine.
Update: live music is coming back to LUNA in 2023. “We also have an interactive family gnome trail that takes families all over the property,” Becky said. “Come and explore the 14-acre property in search of 14 gnome families that have settled all over this side of Ashland.”
For more info: 541-482-3372. You can also see them at LUNACafeAshland.com and on Facebook and Instagram.