Bonnie Beer
Restaurateur
For more than 30 years, Caffe Luna Rosa has been a favorite of Delray Beach residents. When COVID-19 hit, many of the regulars kept the restaurant going with takeout, says managing partner Bonnie Beer, who was there every day along with a bartender and server.
Now that there has been a return to some normalcy, the famed Italian eatery once again is booming. “When we reopened, we were very popular because of the outdoor seating,” says Beer, who adds that there is seating for 75 outside and another 80 inside. Its location, across the street from A1A, offers beautiful ocean breezes, making it the perfect spot day or evening.
Beer, who handles the office and finances, works alongside four other managing partners, including the original owner Fran Marincola, as well as two chefs and a general manager. She started working at Caffe Luna Rosa in 1999 as a bartender and became one of the owners in 2010.
When Beer is not at the restaurant, the mother of two is an avid CrossFitter and runner and coaches part-time at HEW, a gym in Lake Worth. She also is one of the organizers of the Diego Superhero 5K4life to bring awareness to organ donations. It is in memory of her son’s friend who died in 2019 after drowning.
Beer says if she had a superpower, it would be cloning herself. She never seems to slow down. But when she does, she enjoys the varied menu at Caffe Luna Rosa.
“My favorite cheat meal is our Belgian waffle with extra whipped cream and bacon,” she says.
The restaurant is open seven days a week for brunch, beginning at 7 a.m., through dinner, beginning at 4:30 p.m. The brunch menu includes 12 different kinds of eggs Benedict, along with a variety of sandwiches and salads. The dinner menu includes a wide range of pastas, chicken, veal and fish
One favorite is the Scamponi Con Grancchio – colossal Mediterranean shrimp stuffed with lump crab meat and baked in a lemon and white wine sauce.
“Our menu has a lot of favorites, there are a lot of staples that are never going to change,” Beer says.
Caffe Luna Rosa, 34 S. Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach, 561-274-9404, caffelunarosa.com.
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