Modesto Restaurant Guide

The Harvest Moon has very tastey food and we had a large group and had it not been for the uppity, rude waiter, we would have had a great experience. The waiter was totally rude and made a comment, "OOOOH, I would have cheated you out of $.49 cents. Totally inappropriate, it should have been, I'm so sorry, I made a mistake and it has now been corrected. He made some other comments that didn't set well with us. I personally will never go back there because of him.

Harvest Moon is one of my favorite restaurants for
lunch and breakfast, as it is many of my friends.
I'm pretty surprised at some of the reviews, so I think we need an update! There food is great! I
love the crab sandwich myself. Blue Cheese burger
is to die for. Breakfast - mmmm- the french toast
and thick bacon. I need to try dinner! The owners have always been very friendly, as has the
servers. I'm not held to an hour lunch, unless I stress about an hour parking space. :) It's best
to have reservations at lunch, as there's always a line of people wanting in. Imagine if you are late for your reservation, and those waiting in line for a table are just staring at that empty table...not good business to hold it forever. I say we're lucky they even take reservations! What can I say! It's a great fun place to eat and
enjoy your friends! Funky fun! CJ

I just went to the Harvest Moon for the first time ever. What a great place. The location is alright and parking is kinda tough but who cares, the food is amazing. I had the 1lb burger and it was great. I normally eat burgers at In-N-Out just like many Californians but this burger was way better. The fries were good even though they lacked a little in taste but nothing that a little salt cant fix. The best part of my experiance was eating all on my burger and fries and getting a hat and my name on the wall. I will have to go back many more times.

I have lived in the Modesto area for many years and have returned time and again for the Neil's Crab Toss Salad. (So good!!) The (serving) staff has always been kind and as attentive as possible, but be warned that this is not a good place to visit during the lunch rush if you only have an hour. There is not enough help for the servers at this time to allow for efficient service.

The only real problem I have had with this place is with the male owner. Once a few years ago, I asked him if I could wait at the bar for a friend who was meeting me for lunch, to which he agreed. Ten or so minutes later he came to the bar to give me a menu. I thanked him but said I would wait till my friend arrived and we would order at the table. This simple comment prompted him to lash out at me in a brash and unexpected manner as if it were news to him that I was not planning to eat at the bar. (I assumed this was indicated when I asked if I could "wait" there.) He continued to talk at me in a completely inappropriate, condescending, rude and contesting manner. He insisted that I said I wanted to eat at the bar and made me feel like a criminal for upholding my desire for a table once my friend arrived. I held out for the table though, knowing that I have never had any kind of mental lapse that has resulted in my inadvertantly requesting the opposite scenario of which I intended. Ultimately he stormed off in a fury, leaving me feeling attacked, unwelcome and awkward in my solitude, all for no reason whatsoever. I am a kind, non-confrontational person who has worked in food service for over a decade as a server. Good thing for them that the crab toss is so good, or there's no way I would ever go back. His behavior was completely unwarranted and unprofessional. Ever since "the incident", when I go to Harvest Moon I make sure to stay out of his path and try not to make eye contact. My aim is to avoid any communication with him. Watch out for this guy. Clearly, simple and common customer requests have the potential to unleash the beast within.

I am a former resident of Modesto, CA Yes, I admit, it's my hometown, are you happy now? My wife and I experience withdrawls for the Harvest Moon. Sure, we live in Hawaii now but there is nothing like H M here in Kona. We were hooked on the restaurant since it's inception and when Mike and Char took over it got even better, and no we are not their close friends with a bias, they might know us if they saw us but that's it. We've tried everything on the menu and of course we have our favorites but it's all good. Some items have a Southern or Louisiana slant to them although not overdone. There's something on the menu for everyone. The service fits the decorum of the room, a bit raucous, but not over the top. I also like the fact that they experiment with their beer and wine selections yet hang on to the tried and true. Our next trip to CA includes the Harvest Moon.
Chet & Karen Haberle
Kailua Kona, Hawaii

My husband and I have dined at Harvest Moon a number of times over the past 5 years we have lived in Modesto. In fact, it is my favorite place in Modesto! The food is excellent (the Neil's Toss is my fav!), the staff is friendly and quirky (which I like), and the atmosphere is fun. We have even been in with our 2 small children, and they have been very accommodating.

First off, this is a space for customers to give their interpretation of the restaurant, not a forum for the owners to grip about how unfair they feel a negative review was. We as paying guest of restaurants expect and deserve to be treated like we are welcome whether or not it works for the owners mood.
The food at this place is bland and uninspired. The management should spent some of their hard earned money on a personality and some more wait staff to handle the rushs, if we didn't have to wait so long to order and then for the food we wouldn't feel rushed out. As that one reviewer stated I won't be back and you can keep your sweet potato fries, they were not that great anyway.

Hi,
I would like to address the previous reviewers personal attack on Harvest Moon and its employees which feels as perhaps someone with a personal issue rather than a true review. I am Charlyne, the owners wife, or I believe since this is 2006 and America I would be the owner also. I have worked in Modesto restaurants for 30 years and have a reputation of being a very competent server. I do have a glass of wine at the end of the evening, usually at my regular loyal and happy customers request and trust me I do plenty of work for myself and my employees also. Most of our employees have been with us for well over a year and in fact several over 5 years. The sweet girl behind the bar that was being harassed has been with us over a year. There are plenty of nights that I am back helping her because we have been so busy. She is very happy with her job.
Our prices are the result of cost and industry analyses aided by Syco food service, a national giant and are consistent with the industry. We have earned a reputation of being a very professional and organized establishment in the past 11 years we have been serving Modesto.
Was it necessary to attack the weight of a server? She has been voted Modestos favorite server in the Modesto Bee two years in a row and has several customers request her. I am confused, our restaurant is very small so was she just in the middle of the room ridiculing customers , and was she ridiculing every table as she walked away from them, and where was this reviewer that they could hear this ? I do not understand how this reviewer could observe so many things going on at once, the bar customers, the serving station or the middle of the restaurant and the bathroom which is a one toilet facility with the hand washing sink enclosed. It would be impossible to know if the kitchen employee washed his hands unless the reviewer was in the restroom at the same time which doesnt happen.
I also would like to address the review about the group that was late for their reservation. As I stated our restaurant is very small and juggling everyone at lunch is a very difficult task. My husband could have better controlled the situation if he had received a phone call letting him know they were running late by rearranging the seating chart. The reviewer left out the part where my husband told them he could seat them but they only had 45 minutes as he had another reservation coming behind them and they assured him that was fine. Would they have been happy to have these people wait for their table?
People do not understand that in holding a table for over 15 minutes (which is what is was) we are turning away and disappointing other people without the guarantee that the reservation will even show up. We apologize that some times trying to please everyone doesnt work. .I urge the readers to come check Harvest Moon out for yourself. Tell me you in as a result of this review and I will buy you some sweet potato fries.. Thank You .Charlyne < the owner of Harvest Moon.

This is probably the most unprofessional, ridiculously overpriced restauraunt I've ever been too. The wait staff is horrible, especially an overwight blond that I could overhear ridiculing customers as she walked away from their tables. The manager (probably the owners wife, by her attitude and inability to do any work on her own), was completely wasted on wine and treating her staff horribly, especially this sweet little girl behind the bar that seemed to be getting the worst of attitudes from everyone in the restauraunt, yet she kept a smile on her face and I heard mre than one other customer ask her how she can stand it. Personally, I will NEVER dine there again. I don't see how a restauraunt like this has stayed open with the obvious harrasment the employees get, besides the fact I personally observed a kitchen employee use the restroom, then leave without washing his hands. Terrible. I will never eat there again, and I suggest you do the same.

My husband and I eat there often and especially like the crab toss and etoufee. We also came in for lunch with our daughter who was two years old at the time and they not only had a children's menu, but she enjoyed looking at the lights on the ceiling and the overall decor. We've always been more than satisfied with the service and food and hope more people try this place out.

I enjoyed the food at Harvest Moon however, the service from Management was disappointing. We arrived less than 15 min late for our reservation. We are healthcare workers and sometimes we are detained due to circumstances beyond our control. We were told when we got there that our reservations were not held. I understood and thought that may happen. The Manager did tell us that he could seat us. We thought everything was fine. What happened next was inexcusable in my opinion. In 45 minutes after arriving the manager came to our table and told us to leave. He said that other people were waiting for our table. It was very upsetting. We will not be going back.

Excellent atmosphere. Great for dates, family and friends to eat. Neal's toss is flawless, as is the corn chowder and garlic fries.Great bar area with excellent drink selection. Friendly and fast.

I went there during Jury duty. most people are not in good moods when they are in jury duty either. they lifted my spirits. the fodd is excellent, and the people were friendly! i wish there was one more close to town.

They have really good food. I have eaten there on several occasions. The service is fast and friendly. I love their corn chowder soup it is the best I have ever eaten.

My husband and I are frequent visitors to Harvest Moon Restaurant. The food is excellent. Chef Shannon Gonzales has helped develop some great recipes and we've tried many of them. He makes some really great Garlic Fries if you like garlic. The restaurant is always busy during the day and later in the evening, so you want to try to make reservations. Otherwise, they do all they can to try to get you a table as quickly as possible. They also have a good selection of drinks. Service is also excellent, no matter how busy they are. You get a very generous amount of food for a serving and it's very well presented. If you save room, they have some very good desserts, too. The atmosphere is always fun and friendly. This is one of our favorite places to go for lunch or dinner.