La Luna
Connell Gets New Restaraunt
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH:
October 8, 2026
By: Miurlin Escalante & Clayton Trowbridge
Lilliana Rivera, owner and manager of La Luna Kitchen & Bar in Connell (710 S. Columbia Ave) welcomed the Graphic to introduce herself and the restaurant to the community.
Rivera and her four employees are happy to be serving the Connell community as well as passers by who stop in on their way through town. Rivera is currently commuting from Hermiston, OR along with a couple of her employees, but plans to move to Connell in the near future.
Rivera is a single mom to a five year old son, Adriel Rivera, who she states is the reason she is focusing on making La Luna a success. She studied business and her mom has a restaurant in Mexico which Rivera helped with, giving her the necessary experience to run her own business one day. “Even if at times we hit a couple of snags, what isn’t a little difficult sometimes, I felt like this was something I could manage and am getting the hang of little by little.” Rivera shared. “I always had in the back of my mind that I wanted to start a business, I just hadn’t decided on what type of food business it was going to be.” She continued, “And my son, Adriel. As a single mom, you have no choice but to succeed. That, and my faith, have kept me going.”
Rivera shared that it was by chance that she came upon the building in Connell. She was out having a meal with a distant relative who mentioned that there was a building available in Connell. That distant relative mentioned that the previous owners were also related to them and that they could connect the two of them and that piqued Rivera’s interest. “I started making trips up here to look at the place and we got the process started for me to get the restaurant open,” Rivera stated.
She shared that she worked with the City of Connell to get all the necessary paperwork in place. Licenses and permits were obtained without too much of a wait or too hard of a process. She also stated that everyone she interacted with was very helpful and courteous throughout the process of establishing ownership.
La Luna focuses on serving authentic Mexican food but also accommodates customers who prefer non-Mexican cuisine. Rivera stated that they have been adjusting the menu and are working on finalizing it soon. Right now, customers scan a QR code that leads them to the menu but will have a hard-copy menu within the next couple of weeks. She shared that they had some customers request American breakfasts so they will be adding some to the menu, along with a coffee bar, so that everyone feels welcome. She’s hoping to pretty soon be able to open up earlier in the mornings for those who just want to come in and grab a cup of coffee while they watch the morning news or read the morning paper.
La Luna is starting to get recognition across social media, especially for their specialty dishes. They have their own creation, the Hamburgesa Mar y Tierra, a land and sea hamburger, which is a hamburger with a beef patty topped with shrimp. They additionally have Carne Arrachera, chicharron de pescado (crispy fried fish fritters), menudo on the weekends with homemade tortillas, and a variety of seafood dishes. They furthermore have all the classics like tacos and enchiladas. Rivera shared that they also pride themselves on satisfying their customers and will try to make any dish requested, within reason. So if you don’t see it on the menu, don’t be afraid to ask. La Luna is offering different daily promotions every week, Monday through Friday.
La Luna extends meeting spaces available to hold your next gathering or group meeting. There, you can set up for Power Point presentations or just have coffee or tea served while you chit chat away. There is, as well, space available to hold bigger events such as baptisms, quinceaneras, sweet 16, or any event you have planned. La Luna will take care of everything. They also have limited catering services. They cannot, at the moment due to limited staff, come out and serve at your event. But they can do the cooking for your event. Just call ahead, let them know what you want at your event, for how many people and when, and they will have it ready for you to pick up and serve nice and hot at your event. La Luna can be reached at 509-308-7819 or place an order via ToastTab online. Mon-Thurs 8-8, Fri-Sat 8-12am (closing time varies if there’s an event), Sun 8-3pm.
Rivera shared that La Luna is slowly seeing progress. The first and second months they were having a bit of a tough time hitting their goals. But they located their problem areas, attacked said areas, set new goals and saw that there is a potential for growth. One of those goals is to eventually open a second location in Hermiston, OR.
When asked what she would like the community to know, Rivera shared the following, “I want them to know that I care about them. I pay attention to the customers and their concerns. I was getting requests for crunchy tacos and ground beef, so I added those to the menu. Oh, the taco salad, that’s also making an appearance. I want everyone to feel welcome here and that they can enjoy a meal and bring their loved ones here.” She continued, “I remind my employees to pay attention to the quality of the products we are using. I try to get all my ingredients from the same supplier so that quality is maintained. My employees are mindful of expiration dates and their health department documentation is up-to-date.”
With many places people can choose to spend their money, Rivera understands the importance of maintaining a place that gives people peace of mind. She wanted to be transparent and shared that during their first health inspection, they did have a couple of infractions. They were minor and were fixed immediately. During their last inspection, they had zero infractions, they passed with flying colors and plans on keeping it that way.
When asked what the future holds for La Luna and the Riveras, she stated that she hopes the community will receive them well and enjoy their food. As well as open that second location in Hermiston. “I’ve overcome a lot of personal struggles and am doing this for my five year old son. He is what drives me to make sure I don’t fail,” Rivera stated almost teary eyed but with a smile on her face.
With a great team behind Rivera, La Luna is on their path to success. Now, it’s up to the community to show up and show support. Stop by and try one of their many delicious traditional dishes or request one of their simpler dishes, let your palate decide. They have great cooks, one who specializes in the meat department and one who specializes in seafood. Either way, you won’t be disappointed. Rivera and her crew strive to make their customers happy.
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