Luna Redefining Casual Fine Dining

Words by Paul Hankel | Photography by Angela Breckel, AB Images

Formerly Luna Coffee, the Luna of today is one part tribute to a well-established coffee shop and one part nod to the exciting world of casual dining. What was once a small coffee shop, located on South University Drive in Fargo, has now grown into an affordable neighborhood eatery that provides delicious food and drink options for its growing number of customers.

The Owner

Luna owner and business entrepreneur Nikki Berglund is no stranger to the food and drink industry. Following high school and college, Berglund did stints in Minnesota, Oregon and Colorado. While in Denver, Colorado, Berglund worked on the wholesale side of the wine sales industry, which she loved. She then returned to Fargo in 2008 to be closer to family, and to run her family’s chain of liquor stores, Bernie’s Wines & Liquors, which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Berglund and her father purchased Luna Coffee in 2014. The shop was located, and still is, next door to Bernie’s largest store. She soon began to transform the well-established coffee shop into what it is today: an eclectic space that offers some of the best food and drink available.

History

When Berglund acquired the business in 2014, she had a vision of what she wanted Luna to become. She dropped the coffee moniker and decided to enhance and expand upon what was already in place. “We originally thought Luna might become a wine and tapas bar,” says Berglund. “We wanted to model the food aspect af- ter a beloved local eatery, Green Market, which is, sadly, now closed.” Berglund goes on to credit Green Market and its former owners as being the primary influences throughout the rebranding and expansion process. Berglund went on to add a cheese case, wine machines and eventually a full menu to go along with a kitchen renovation and large expansion, making Luna more diverse than it had ever been. The result is a casual fine dining experience, with comfortable seating, that she and her staff hope the customers enjoy.

The Food

Luna continues to offer delicious coffee to go along with its wine and beer offerings, while recently expanding into full-menu dinners and a cheese market. To accomplish this, Berglund brought on board one of Fargo’s premier chefs, Ryan Nitschke, formerly the chef at the Hodo, whom she now considers more of a partner than an employee. “Ryan is amazing. His food is delicious. Luna really is half him and half me, and I’m very ok with that!”

The cheese bar at Luna is impressive and encompassing, offering affordable quality cheeses, sourced locally and regionally when possible. It is one of only a few full cheese bars in town and always boasts a fresh selection of over sixty cheeses and meats that, she hopes, cheese lovers will appreciate.

Nitschke and Berglund work closely together to offer ever-changing wine and food menus that are progressive, diverse and meant to complement each other. Nitshke sources his ingredients from local and regional providers whenever possible and offers the freshest, most innovative food offerings around.

While Luna offers staple food selections that other casual dining spaces offer, such as freshbaked bagels, bread and pastries, she takes great pride in being able to offer patrons a one of a kind local dining experience. “I feel that Fargo, as a growing city, is lacking in a lot of concepts,” says Berglund. “However what I love about Fargo is that it’s nice to come up with an idea and know that there’s a lot of opportunity and support to try new concepts.”

The Drink Options

Luna is unique in that patrons have a choice between fair trade organic coffees, teas, craft beer and one of the better wine selections in town. Luna features several beers from local craft beer breweries along with a curated selection of tap, bottled and canned beers, with a few mainstream beers thrown in. Customers can also purchase growlers of beer to bring home with them.

Berglund, a self-defined wine enthusiast, prides herself on having a wide variety of wines for her customers to enjoy. She says, “We offer our customers a unique selection of wines that often times no one else has in town. Wine doesn’t have to be really expensive to be good and I think that our diverse selection of wines really reflects that.” She credits her time spent in the industry as increasing an already present passion for fine wines that she hopes reflects in her customers’ experience at Luna.

Events And Ambiance

In an effort to highlight wine, beer and food pairing, Luna hosts monthly wine and beer dinners, which, Berglund says, have been a great success. Patrons can expect to see local artists’ work on display throughout the space as they enjoy their meals, as well as an educated, attentive staff.

When asked what she thought of the expansion process, Berglund was enthusiastic about the future of Luna. “The remodel felt like it took forever,” she says, “but we feel it was worth the wait!”

Make sure to stop in and try some of Luna’s many offerings. We are sure you’ll agree.

VISIT LUNA AT 1545 University Dr., Fargo, or online at lunafargo.com.