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North Beach. Mmmm... conjures up mouthwatering memories of a little place called Mona Lisa. What a great restaurant. Intimate, eclectic, fabulous wait staff with fabulous Italian accents to die for, wonderfully warm ambiance, and delicious food. Try the gnocchi, it's fantastic. But then again, so is everything else, including their salads. Whenever my husband and I go to San Francisco, we take our first meal at Mona Lisa.
Amazing.
I moved to SF from NYC, so I'm a little picky when it comes to Italian food. The first time I came here was with a friend from the east coast (also picky) and we were both blown away. The pasta menu is two pages long! I didn't know you could put so many different things in ravioli (pumpkin, salmon, artichoke, cheese, lobster...there's more that I can't remember).
I bring everyone here when they come visit SF, and some people who live in SF and haven't gone. It's got some hokey, over-the-top uber Italian decorations. But you know it's got some genuine Italian street cred because I saw a group of Italians eating on the sidewalk and speaking Italian with the owners.
Everything on the menu is great. You'll be glad you tried it out. Make a reservation or be ready to wait in line on the sidewalk (which isn't so bad when it's nice outside, but in the winter...no way).
Parking: Street (if you're lucky...north beach sucks for parking)...there are some garages a couple blocks behind the restaurant. My favorite garage is the Chinatown one with fortunes written on the parking spaces. :)
continuing with my trend of trying every north beach italian restaurant, some friends and I opted for Mona Lisa after seeing their huge menu selection. With well over 100 options to choose from, we were bound to find something good, right? well, i kind of wish they had stuck to perfecting a few dishes, rather than offer a million, but I dont think that necessarily diminished the quality of the food.
we were offered free bruschetta by the man at the door, which was actually quite delicious. but i felt like the pastas were a litlte uninspired. i got the four cheese ravioli, and the taste of the gorgonzola was too overpowering. The sauces were good, but a lot of the pasta options just seemed a little plain.
I guess the food was enjoyable, but not memorable, so i likely will keep trying the other italian jaunts. also, it took a very long time to be served, but that wasn't so bad thanks to the good company.
I came here this past Monday only because Franchino's was closed. Plus, we were tired and didn't feel like walking around North Beach in search of food. I found the service was friendly, yet average. The decor was quaint. For dinner, we ordered the Chicken Parmigiana and the Rigatoni alla Borelli (baked pasta with sausage, eggplant, and meat sauce) along with two glasses of Chianti wine. Our total come out to be almost $60. The food was good but not the best Italian food I've ever had.
I honestly don't think I would come back here for a meal because I loved the food at Franchino's better.
Eating at Mona Lisa was possibly the worst dinning decision I've ever made. What's worse is that it happened on my 21st birthday. It all started when one of their arrogant waiters served me an completely underdone eggplant parmesan. Upon telling the waiter that it was underdone not only did I get the dirty look, but he told me how I was completely mistaken. What ensued was a long heated battle in which our server continued to insult my judgement and refused to take back the horrendous dish. Even worse, he kept the item on the bill and didn't budge when I told him to remove it.
In a nutshell, if you want to have an arrogant Italian cock rubbed in your face and substandard Italian food then by all means patronize Mona Lisa. Otherwise head to another restaurant. There plenty other deserving family owned eateries on North Beach.
We mistankely stumbled into this restaurant on the assumption that we were walking into their next door restaurant Franchino! Nonetheless, we were more than pleasantly surprised with Mona Lisa!!
The restaurant really looks very italian with pictures of famous people who have dined here and italian art on the ceilings. The server made me blush when he took my order calling me "bella. " I like how the kitchen is open and you can see the Chef's preparing their masterpieces.
Prices are reasonable and you have a lot of dishes to choose from. A few things that I tried that I wholly recommend is the garlic appetizer referred to as "Sicilian candy" and their meat cannelloni is phenomenal. Home made pasta with very flavorful sauce.
I was in San Francisco just for the weekend and will remember Mona Lisa for my next trip to North Beach!
Only go to this place if you're a pasta lover. They have a very large menu of pasta dishes to choose from. It'll take forever just figure out what you want to order. I ordered the Ravioli Crema di noci. It was so delicious, but also very rich... too rich to eat the whole thing.
The interior is pretty cheesy and gaudy. They really went over the top, but at least it feels comfy inside.
I'll go here again only because I love pasta.
I'm European and have been living in SF for over 12 years. This restaurant is one of my absolute favourites, and I will tell you why... The owner of this restaurant runs a family-type atmosphere and the food does not disappoint. This restaurant has so many return local clientele that the other restaurants are jealous and write negative reviews here on Yelp (yes they do that, so be careful lol) to deter tourists.
Anyway, if you're looking for fancy & snooty dining, you won't find it here. This place is a nice little cute spot where you can hang out with friends or alone at a table on the sidewalk, enjoy a few laughs with the owner or staff, and fill your belly with some good Italian cuisine before hitting a live show or beginning the rest of your evening. It's a great atmosphere, and the food and wine do not disappoint. The owner is also quite knowledgeable about wines, so it's recommended you ask for his input if you want a good wine to compliment your meal.
As a local in SF, this place is one of my favourites. As a female I can come alone or with friends and take in the sites without much hassle and with smiles all around. Granted, there are a few other great spots in the area (off of Columbus), but that doesn't take away from the charm and great food at Mona Lisa, so if you want a good sidewalk restaurant on Columbus, this one's the best and the least pretentious. I was just there last night and the food and wine was as good as ever!
A friend from New York comes to me saying he couldn't find any good italian in SF. I took him here on my b-day. Now he's taken his family there several times. Have to say, the grin on his face said it all.
Given the choice, this is the italian place I dine at.
This place put a smile in my tummy. The food was fresh and delicious. I went there for Lunch and was full until breakfast. I hope to eat at this place again. I think the price is reasonable for the immense quality that is delivered by the friendly staff.
I promised myself that I would go here by the end of the summer and I did. I saw it on my way to another restaurant and made it my business to drag my mom, her friend, my friend, and my mom's friend's daughter to this place... I think it was worth it.
The bruschetta and the other appetizer came very quickly, but the actual food didn't. My friend got some sort of soup, my friend's mom got gnocci (which I tried), her daughter got some salad (looked boring), and I got pasta with peas and alfredo sauce (waited like 3 weeks to get this). Mine was very good. It took a while for it to come because I remember being sorry that I filled up on the appetizers but it was a lovely evening. The gnocchi was really good too! My friend and I split a cannoli for dessert. It was good too.
However, the menu was too long. Ramsay is right, it's better to have fewer items on a menu and have those items be perfect than to have too much. Mona Lisa had way too many things on their menu. It was annoying and confusing and I didn't know what to get for quite a while. Then, their dessert menu (though I am not usually a huge fan of dessert at restaurants to begin with) was tiny! Unbalanced!
The lighting was dim. Being my pet peeve, this bothered me.
Even though it was busy, we got seated right away. I wouldn't have wanted to sit outside though because it was so cold that night. But it was a really nice end to the summer. I am really glad I went I think.
There are over 80 things on the menu.
It's ridiculous. It's as ridiculous as the cheesetastic decor. I can deal with the over the top atmosphere but the menu gives me a headache.
So I had the gnocchi.
It was ok.
With soooo many restaurants in the city, I really don't need to come back here for just ok.
One of the few restaurants in SF where I couldn't finish my meal because of how bad it was. Well, to be fair, it was someone else's meal, but I can always be counted on to finish other's leftovers, especially when it's calamari! But no! This was the second worst calamari I've ever had (there was one time calamari made me throw up, and this didn't).
But yeah. Bread was stale, olive oil was old. Pizza was edible, but very soggy and sloppily put together. Even the service was slow, after luring people in with their charming Italian accents.
This is the definition of a tourist trap. The annoying person outside speaking Italian to tourists, the ugly neon sign, the tacky paintings on the inside....I've been to Italy and while there are restaurants there that look like Mona Lisa, they're still tourist traps with bad food. The best Italian restaurants in North Beach are not on Columbus, but there are a few good ones on Columbus, and if you must satisfy your people-watching urge, go to Calzone's or Pellegrini. I've heard Franchino right next door is quite good too.
I guess the only reason to go here is that it is fairly reasonably priced, and with 200 different menu options (I got bored waiting for friends and counted), you're sure to satisfy the pickiest of eaters. But anytime you have more than twice as many types of food items as wine items, not a good sign.
And if you want a truly authentic Italian experience that reflects Italy's commitment to using the freshest, most seasonal ingredients, go to Delfina in the Mission. where there's never more than 25 items on the menu and it changes every day to reflect what's in season.
Having an Italian accent or speaking Italian often has no correlation to the quality of the food, and is often even negatively correlated.
The Delfina folks don't have an Italian accent, nor do they only hire servers who speak Italian; and Thomas Keller speaks perfect English and seems to do French food pretty well.
Does anyone else notice how many 5-star reviews this place has from people who have never written another Yelp review....
this place has the best cioppino (sp?) i have ever had. it's an art form. anytime i had visitors come in, i'd take them here. the owner is italian through and through and dresses and looks the part... totally hip... like he's from milan or something. now that i don't live here anymore. i completely miss it!
My pizza capitale, was covered with too much cheese, the tomatoes were unripe, and the crust was super soggy. I was expecting a much thinner crust, fresh mozarella, and vine ripened tomatoes.
Ceasar salad was average, tomato salad caprese was pretty good. The cheese was very fresh, but the tomatoes weren't very ripe.
Calzone was super duper salty, and the dough was also salty. The prosciutto inside wasn't even prosciutto, instead they used slices of Oscar Mayer Ham!
Spaghetti Marinara was the high point of the meal, but then again, you can't really mess up red sauce and boiled spaghetti.
The waiter gave more attentino to the potraits hanging on the wall. Most of the time he was talking with the busboy, and hostess, or checking out the females walking in the street.
I used to be a huge fan of the Mona Lisa way back in the day, but I guess somewhere in between then and now, everything went downhill. Never again!
There are way better places in North Beach.
I was really trying to think off at least one reason for not leaving a review of a place as good as this... And I didn't manage to do that as you all can see! The food that I had couple nights ago was absolutely fabulous(Lasagna de Casa), and the friend that I'd went with thinks no less of his dish(Viel pinnio, I think). I would have to say, that having a opportunity to grow up with Italy in the neighbourhood has given me a chance to taste some of authentic Italian food, and trying this place definitely remind me of the food back in the days.
Not only the ambient is nice and cozy(great spot to dine with your girl), the staff was very nice and courteous, they also had a good choice of genuine Italian wines. The one that waiter picked out for us was delicious with a lot of taste(Machiavelli). Everything was arranged nice and the price was not too much for the service that we've got...
Would definitely recommend and coming back for sure!;)
Sorry Mona Lisa - you were a disappointment.
Though I have my N. Beach fav - Pinocchios - I am always down to try something new, hoping to discover a new favorite to add to the list. Unfortunately, this will not be one of them.
Came last Mon. about 8pm and were sat right away at a cute corner table outside under heatlamps (+). We asked the waiter's advice for a bottle, he gave us some info to mull over. I didn't think that meant he wouldn't be back for 20 mins. just to take the bottle order (-). Good thing the bread came during our wait so we had something to snack on, the bad thing is it wasn't very good - no flavor, dry, and a little stale (-).
We ordered the crostini app which includes three crostinis, each topped individually with prosciutto, smoked salmon, and traditional bruschetta. All were very good (+), however portions are pretty small for the price $12.95 (-).
To start we shared a house salad - decent size, lightly dressed (+). Then ordered a seafood pasta that is usually in a tomato based sauce but we were feeling indulgent and asked if it could be in a cream sauce. No problem with our request (+). I ordered the vegetarian lasagna.
I have to admit, the food was very good. The seafood was very fresh and the lasagna was decadently baked and served with plenty of rich cheese. Very, very rich, I could barely get through half (++).
The two star rating is that the service was PAINFUL. We always had to flag down our waiter (including to take out credit card to pay our bill). From the moment we sat down to the moment we finished it was a constant game of "where is our waiter ?" I wish I could say it was because he looked busy with other tables but actually it was because there was a lil' situation with a homeless girl close to the restaurant, cops showed up and he decided he would chit chat with the cops, take their to go order and completely forget that he had actual tables to attend to.
I mean, if you go for the food, I can't hate on them here but for me, service is a CRUCIAL element of the dining experience and bc of this it's a no on the 2nd go.
This was my second visit and although I was still pleased by the overall quality of the food to have a 20% tip added to the bill I still found a bit cheeky as we were only a table of 4...
The menu is large and robust with something for everyone, while the wine list is reasonable in both scope and price.
The staff are courteous and helpful however I am still unipressed with the 20% add on. :/
God what wasn't wrong with this place. My roommate and I were looking for a place to eat around our neighborhood and saw that this place had okay ratings on yelp.
Boy were they wrong, after we sat down we waited at least 15 minutes just to get MENUS. It took them another 30 minutes just to take our order and we were starving.
The food wasn't that great either and the service was bad, our waiter didn't even check on us once. He was too busy entertaining the 2 italian gentlemen sitting next to us. I looked around at the other tables in our area and they were waiting as long as we were to get menus, take their order, etc.
After we finished eating, they took another 20 minutes just to give us the check.
(Not to mention the bad service but the stupid tourists as well. A family of about 7 was sitting on the other side of the window of us as their children caused a ruckus, staring at diners inside and making faces, one literally fell asleep in his food who looked about 13 and woke up afterwards with alfredo sauce all over his arms. We were amazed how the parents just totally ignored them the whole time while they chatted with their friends and drank. Some people just should NOT have kids)
Bad service and bad food, I'd probably never come here again.
Ok, this is a must-update review of Mona Lisa.
Based on my great previous experience, I decided to take friends there on a Saturday night in July. Big mistake.
First, I made reservations mid-afternoon, stopping by in person, and they were glad to take them for 9 pm.
We arrived just before 9 to huge crowds on the sidewalk--lots of people trying to get in. Reservations? The host didn't check the book and didn't seem to care; he'd get us in when he could get us in. We waited about 20 minutes--first big mistake.
The room was packed when we were finally seated, but that was ok. If I'd had epilepsy, all of the flashing from tourists cameras might have sent me to the hospital, though... NOTE TO TOURISTS: PEOPLE WANT TO ENJOY AN EVENING OUT WITHOUT YOUR INCESSANT CAMERA FLASHES IN THEIR FACES! TAKE YOUR FACEBOOK PROFILE PICS OUTSIDE! And servers, shut down the camera-takers.
Can you tell I was irritated? Second mistake--we didn't leave then.
Third mistake: the server, while nice, was clearly in a hurry, and he rushed us through our orders. One of my friends ended up ordering by mistake, under pressure, and got a salmon dish...and he hates salmon. I wanted to enjoy Mona Lisa again for its excellent risotto, so I knew what to choose. Unfortunately, it arrived dry, overcooked, lacking any creaminess of the brandy sauce, but with plenty of shrimp the consistency of pencil erasers. Yum! Tried my wife's risotto, but it was so salty and heavy on the garlic that it was almost inedible.
Bad, bad Mona Lisa! I won't be back, and I hope people read this update to my previous review. Don't waste your time, especially on a busy night.
My wife and I discovered Mona Lisa in December 06, after browsing City Lights bookstore down the… Read more »
Avoid at all cost!!
My friends and I dined here on 4th of July. We were seated right in front where the kitchen is located. When we ordered our food, my hubby and I decided to share a spinach salad and risotto. The waiter asked if I wanted my salad to come out with my meal, and I said sure. I didn't want to eat before my friends any way.
As we were sitting there, we saw a spinach salad on top of the kitchen counter that came out right away. But as we waited at least half an hour for our food to come out, I noticed that he gave me the salad that had been sitting there for the entire time! By that time, the leaves were all limp. I asked if I could get a new salad because it had been sitting there for a long time, and the snide waiter said well you wanted it with your meal! I was astonished. Yes, I wanted it with my meal but I didn't know you were just going to make it super early and leave it sitting there until the rest of our meals were cooked! It wasn't out only for a few minutes!
As he was off to replace it, my friends were like, you know what he's going to do with that right?... So I changed my mind and canceled the salad altogether. I think that really ticked him off.
And when we got our bill, it was scribbled on a ticket. This place doesn't even have computerized billing! It was also written the European way, with the number ones that looked like sevens, and without any decimals.
Our party had a hard time figuring out our portion, and so we got the menu to check what each owed... During this time, that rude waiter kept coming back, rushing us, and asking what was wrong. I was wondering why he acted like that... It was so annoying. And I found out later that 3 of my friends were each over charged by $1-2!! I wondered if that's why he was so strange. We had to leave, so my friends didn't want to deal with it anymore and chose not to fight this battle...
This place is just shady. The waiter was rude. The food was also way too salty. So since there are a lot of Italian places around this area, I'd suggest you dine elsewhere and just stay clear of here.
Mona Lisa is by far my favorite restaurant in the bay area. I love Italian food and like to think that I have an educated opinion on it, since I've had the best (Gnocchi in Sorrento, Italy...mmmmm) and the worst (let's see....Chef Boy Ardee Ravioli that my friend's mom used to force down our throats when I was young! lol). Mona Lisa is not quite up to par with the best dishes I had while trekking around Italy, but it holds its own.
This place is usually packed, so expect a bit of a wait to get in (usually only about 15-20 mins). The wait staff is fairly attentive, though some are more friendly than others. It's dimly lit inside and tightly packed...a perfect place to bring a date, or a small group of friends, but if you have a large group eating together, you would probably be more comfortable elsewhere.
North Beach is full of Italian Restaurants and I have tried quite a few of them. But, do yourself a favor and pass up the stench of the Stinking Rose and treat yourself to the Pollo San Marino at Mona Lisa instead. Pair that tomato cream sauce with the dryness of a Chianti and you will be in your happy place for the rest of the night.
WOWSERS!! They have 137+ pastas on their menu!! I could go back every day for 6 months and still not have tried everything. They have a whole section of vegetarian pastas that is like a whole page long. We had a vegetable risotto, a truffle & cheese ravioli with tomato cream sauce (EXCELLENT), and a vegetarian pizza. Their dessert menu was fantastic (same stuff that Steps of Rome has) .. the profiteroles are the best.
Negative:
I hoped that things will turn out awesome that night, as this is the first time that "my husband meets the in-law" kinda thing. We rushed to restaurant after picking up my mom from the international airport and brought her here, as we thought this is the best place to take a special guest. At first, my mom was amazed, because of the huge selection of food on their menu. Thirty minutes after, a roach ran across our table that freaked us all out. OMG. My husband tried to talk to the manager about it and warned them that this incident will ruin their reputation, so they should make sure cleanliness is their priority above all. As a compliment, they gave us one tiramisu cake for dessert. I took a bite and there was a curly hair in our tiramisu. OMG. What a nightmare.
We thought that they will take care of everything, because of these terrible incidents. Guess what??? We had to pay for all those craps, and we were surprised to pay such an expensive amount for a pasta, risotto, and one appetizer.
Bathroom was clean, but when my mom tried to get a glimpse of their kitchen, she thought it was pretty dirty for a restaurant.
Comment on food:
Their spaghetti was bland, but their risotto is pretty good.
Positive:
This restaurant looks so classic and elegant with its gorgeous interior design. It reminded me so much of my stay in Rome --the ambience, the waiters speaking in Italian, the seemingly authentic Italian menu. I also love that they have the probably most extensive menu in North Beach.
First of all, to the adorable blue-eyed waiter who said I looked like Shakira tonight, message me so we can have a drink. :)
Now, on to business. In an effort to please my dear mommy after a hectic day of crowds at the festival, tons of walking and really nothing she particularly liked, we headed back to North Beach for an Italian meal. They seated us right away, I was kinda surprised since NB was extra shitshow. Anyhoo, my eggplant was really good, the sauce was great. The spinach that came along was awesome. Mama had spaghetti & meatballs, she was into it. We shared a house salad and it was pretty big, defs enough to
share. Yummy mixed greens too, not useless iceberg or romaine. Portions were large, we had to leave a lot behind. (mom's got a hotel room so I'm staying with her) Um, the menu is huge. Like small type and four pages. It's all there. Basically, Mom was happy, I was happy...everybody wins.
Mmmmmmmmona Lisa, I miss thee.
Walked around all the Italian places nearby before finally deciding on this one. It was a Thursday night and this place was super busy. Asked the dude in the front how long the wait was and he said he had some tables for two. We decided to sit outside although I kinda wish we would have sat inside to check out the decor.
The waiter was prompt with our order and we decided to get the Spaghetti Aglio e olio and the Penne Salsa Rosa. They served us some bread and butter while we waited for our food, and we got to people watch until our food arrived. My Penne Salsa Rosa was amazing, it tasted just how I had imagined it. My friend liked his as well but he said it was a little too oily for him. I could only finish 3/4 of it because I had eaten a few hours prior. I wish I had more room so I could have tried some dessert or at least finish my pasta :( .
The italian guy in the front kept talking to us in italian and according to my friend he kept saying to eat up, since we were both pretty stuffed with food still on our plates. The owners are really nice and warm with customers and the waiters are pretty attentive, or water was being filled up every 5 minutes. It took a while to get our check, but it was pretty busy and I didn't mind.
Loved this place, want me some Sala Rosa.
Of the restaurants that i've been to in North Beach, I always like coming to the Mona Lisa. It's a fun atmosphere, which the tacky, antique like vases and paintings on the walls. It's definitely decorated, but not in an organized fashion... that's what makes it so fun. I also love their picture of the Mona Lisa... look for it because I'm not going to ruin it here. =P
I think it's always a plus when you have real Italian waiters. The accent is just sexy! ;)
Anyway... onto the food... They have good, tasty, fresh bread; a large variety of pastas, and regular dishes ranging from $14-25, depending on what you get. I like their lasagna here... and I'm a picky lasagna person--i hate having too much ricotta cheese...here, they make it with LOTS of cheeeeessseeee.... YUUUUMMM. I can't remember exactly what I've gotten here, but I know their portions are pretty big, and their pastas are pretty good, which have lots of flavor. I believe that I've had the lasagna, chicken parmiagiana, and tortelloni. All were delicious!
Definitely want to come back here soon!
Mona Lisa makes me wish I lived closer to San Francisco.
Back in the day, when I was an undergrad at SF State, my bf and I would head over to North Beach to check out the restaurant deals. If you went early enough (around 5pm exactly) you could get the early bird specials. Well Mona Lisa lured us in one of our first trips and since then, whenever we're in the city, we try to make a stop there.
Unfortunately I don't think they do that early bird special anymore but it doesn't look like they need to. The place always seems to have a crowd and we usually have to make reservations nowadays if we can't get there early enough to walk in.
What caught our attention, you ask? Well the friendly staff for one. We were going so regularly that they would hook us up with free appetizers. Unfortunately for us, we were picky back in the day and wouldn't eat bruschetta. It became like an episode of Mr. Bean with us hiding our food around the table so it would look like we ate it. Over time, we now of course love it and wish we could take back those free orders. In addition, they have the most AMAZING FOUR CHEESE sauce. Yum! I could live off of cheese and this sauce proves it. You can basically order any pasta with it though we usually alternate between the tortellini or ravioli. I prefer the latter but it is extremely rich as it is a cheese ravioli. Their cheese sauce has driven us to try and recreate our own at home... we've found a good substitute, but we'd rather just go to Mona Lisa.
We've brought friends here who have tried other things off of the menu. We have too, but every time, we always go back to the four cheese. Even our friends have been amazed by how delicious it is. So if you like cheese/alfredo sauce's, give this a whirl first, then try their other stuff.
North Beach is so full of italian restaurants that I have yet to find a complete favorite. Went to Mona Lisa with some friends and the food was good/okay. Never really had an urge to go back there right away, but if I end up there for another dinner, I'm sure it'll be decent food.
By the way, theres a lot of nude art around. Now I'm all for the beauty of art, but that much nakedness can tend to be distracting during dinner. LOL.
I went to Mona Lisa for my birthday with my family. An excellent choice for this type of celebration! The staff was very welcoming and made me feel special throughout every moment! This would also be a great date spot- the atmosphere is cozy, elegant, but fun at the same time!
I've been to this delightful restaurant a couple of times.
The first time was good. All I really remember was the garlic bread I got. Well, it was more like garlic with a little bread. It was extremely strong, yet good. The next couple of days, I reeked of garlic, but it just kept the vampires away.
The 2nd time I went, I got the spaghetti and meatballs, I know...very adventurous, and it was pretty good. Good portion size and not too expensive.
The food didn't blow me away, but the service and atmosphere made up for it from one of the hosts playing the trombone to another host asking if we wanted milk for my daughter.
I randomly went to Mona Lisa with a friend the other night as we were walking through North Beach. The atmosphere looked good and it had a nice Italian decor inside. I ordered the risotto and calamari and thought both were OK. The calamari appeared to be of the processed/frozen variety as it only came in the circle shapes and was missing the calamari heads which are my favorite part. The salmon risotto was very tasty and I would recommend having it again. This place actually has a huge list of risotto items.
On the downside I thought the service was a little slow and our table was very wobbly. Overall I would not be against eating here again but I would recommend trying somewhere different in the area next time.
It was my mom's last night on her visit to SF. We decided to head to North Beach for dinner. There are so many restaurants there...how do you choose. Do we go somewhere I've eaten before or go somewhere that friends have suggested. Decisions, decisions, decisions.
Upon our walk on the search of where to dine, every place was offering either a free appetizer or glass of wine with our meal. we ended up at Mona Lisa where I had dined before maybe five years ago and couldn't remember how great it was.
What we ordered:
Penne al Forno alla Calabrese
baked penne with meat sauce, ham and mozzarella
Fettuccine Mona Lisa
cream sauce, ham, olives and mushrooms
Portions were huge! Mom and I should have ordered just one entree. My leftover was enough to fill me for lunch today. I'd return, but will opt out of getting anything that included ham because the dishes were on the salty side. If you're big on ham, these dishes will not disappoint.
My wife and I stopped in for a bite after having a few cocktails at our favorite bar last night. We shared the spaghetti puttanesca and a meatball appetizer. The pasta was excellent, as was the bread. The meatballs, however, were incredible. There were three very large meatballs served in an incredible tomato sauce. I don't know what they put in them, but they were to die for. We will absolutely return here.
Our waiter was terrible.... 20 mins before he took our order.
Another 15 mins before we got our drinks and that was only after I went an found another waiter and asked for our drinks.
I ordered veal parmigiana...oh my god was it tough I had to hack through it with a steak knife!!!! The table bread was also stale. The coffee was burnt.
I couldn't find the waiter anywhere so that I could send my plate back...
We waited 20 more minutes before getting up and walking to the front to find the manager; however they still made us pay for one meal... they seriously should have comped up the entire meal!!!
This was to be a celebration dinner(as my fiance had just gotten a job offer) but our night was ruined!!!
Also I left my scarf at the table andwent back but couldn't find it. At this point someone else was sitting at our table... looked all over... came back and lifted up the jacket of the lady sitting there.... she had stuffed it under her to hide it (it's a very high-end designer scar)...and I yanked it out from under her butt....she gave me a nasty look. Ugh scarf had to be dry cleaned.
ugh... I will never go here again.... it's a tourist trap and the food is terrible....
My man was tired - he deserved to be taken out to dinner for damn sure..
so we grabbed our little dog and walked over to North Beach, looking for a restaurant with sidewalk seating. " Steps of Rome" just looked a little too touristy so we went over to the Mona Lisa.
First of all we were hustled by a guy selling roses, who told us he'd told the host we were looking for dinner - he definitely looked like he poked his head in there and said something anyhow.
10 minutes later, and $5 poorer, finally someone came out and changed the dirty tablecloths. That, i was willing to chalk up to the buds hustler, but then it took ANOTHER 7 minutes to bring out bread and water.
And there we sat. With bread, olive oil, vinegar and water, for another 15 minutes... and my man was HUNGRY. Meanwhile, the waiter had brought the cheque for the table next to us, then cleared it - not even bringing us menus or acknowledging us .
Finally Iran ( my man) went IN to the restaurant and brought out menus himself.
3 pieces of bread later, and nobody had taken our order.
We gathered up our $5 roses, and went across the street for dinner.
At least that rude, rude restaurant is out a loaf of bread.
I should have stolen their vinegar.
I was a bit hesitant to eat tere because there was only one person in the entire place. I do have to admit the food was the best and service was great. Only thing I have to say is the lighting needs some work because it's really dark, but the food is great
This is not a good restaurant to go to if you are in a rush or need to be somewhere... it is more of a leisure and relaxed type of Italian place. The wait staff is friendly and authentic, but sometimes a little less attentive than one would expect. We waited almost a half hour just to get the check...
The menu has a huge variety, almost making it impossible to choose something, but the Sicilian candy app was delicious. The food is cooked in a nook at the front of the restaurant, and you can actually watch the chefs prepare the dishes.
All in all, great ambiance, but a little small and cramped with inattentive wait staff.
First I must warn you, if you aren't prepared for some serious cheese, then don't go here! (No, not cow cheese!!) By cheese I mean terrible Roman art, funny little busts, and cute Italian waiters that call you "Bella." With a name like Mona Lisa, how could it not be incredibly corny? Although I tend to run in horror at anything too touristy in this city (I think this has something to do with the fact that I am forced to take the cable car with many slightly inebriated, overly enthusiastic and often overweight tourists to get up the hill to my apt.), this restaurant always leaves me with the warm and fuzzy feeling of being treated to some true Italian hospitality.
No one can argue that the food itself isn't authentically Italian. Being a vegan and having been to Italy, I have tried many MANY different restaurants' versions of penne arrabiata, and this place makes a lovely one. The sauce is spicy and rich and flavorful. I like to add mushrooms to give myself a little protein, and they are very nice about this and add big juicy sautéed brown mushrooms. They also have a nice bruschetta. I should mention that the menu is ginormous, as in it has every classic Italian dish and its dog, so creative vegans could probably find many choices. I remember one time they made me a very pleasant Italian bean soup as an appetizer, and I've also had a pasta with eggplant that was yummy.
Mona Lisa has been my go-to North Beach place for several years, because it's cute and comfy, and there's usually not a long wait. If you temporary let go of your fears of touristy places and enjoy the waiters' adorable Italian accents, you'll surely have a nice time.
Open late like so many little places in North Beach, this place was still packed at 11pm! The service was quick and attentive and the decor was interesting but not distracting. We asked for a table near the windows in the front since our favorite pastime is watching the characters in North Beach; we were not disappointed on this Saturday night, always the siren screeching down Columbus or the drunk bachelorette partygoers staggering in and out of traffic or the sweet-looking old couple strolling after a late dinner. What a great neighborhood! And Mona Lisa has been one of the best meals in the neighborhood!
No appetizers, buy the bread and olive oil were yummy. We had the mozzarella risotto and spaghetti carbonera, both filling and satisfying. Ice tea was great, too.
It was a quick experience, but another one we hope to have again soon.
Neighborhood: North Beach/Telegraph Hill
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: North Beach/Telegraph Hill
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: North Beach/Telegraph Hill
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: North Beach/Telegraph Hill
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: North Beach/Telegraph Hill
Category: Italian
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