Mona Lisa E Monti

I have dined here many times with my family over the past few years while we have been on vacation in San Fran . Each time the fod was consistantly good and we are comming back and look forward to stopping by again. They have an extensive menue and the food was very well prepared. I saw some negatives on the list and I really question who wrote them. The food on every visit has been consistantly great. Good size portions, well prepared and authentic, and the service was good as I recall. I have no reason to say anything one way or the other as I am from Fla. We plan on stopping by for dinner this year as well as my family enjoyed it so much the last few visits. If there is any change I wil post , but for now we look forward to a great meal. more

While I was walking with my best friend, the owner of the restaurant invited to try his food...fisrt we were scheptic but at the end we understood that it was a real authentic italian food. I've been living for more than 2 years with my italian friend and he couldn't stop eating:)))))This is very rare:) Pros: Best Vegetarian Lasagna!!! more

I've been in this restaurant and for my surprise I saw a lot of famous people framed on the wall that visited this place like: Valentino Rossi, Renga, Chewbacca, Cristian Castro and others...How they treat me...I felt famous too:))))) is a nice family restaurant that cares about their customers. I ordered risotto al salmone and believe or not...it was the besttttttttttttttt!!!!! Salmone cooked perfect to enjoy the taste and the cream souse was delicous....my friend tried piza Monte Bianco and he said that he felt like home...I strongly recommend this place ...Try it and u will like so much that will be ur favorite place...Definetly I will visit again this great restaurant!!!! Pros: Best risotto in town! more

Tonight I was invited from my brother to eat Italian food, we were walking on columbus ave. and we found this cool Italian restaurant Mona Lisa, attracted from the lights and the owner we stopped and tried the best food ever. Everything is perfect and tipical Italian, I am not living in San Francisco, but If I was for sure I was going every other night. I would love to come back, I hope that soon I will. Pros: Best Italian restaurant Cons: I am not sure more

By far our favorite place to eat Italian food in North Beach.\r The pasta's are honest and very good. Grilled salmon with spinach is by far my favorite non-pasta dish. more

Food was cold !! No heat lamps to keep the food hot !! When I told my server,he laughed and said "" I know"" We tell them all the time about the heat lamps!! Usually when in a rest. and the customer say's the foods cold,they take it off the bill NOT HERE !! They LAUGHED !! I never took the time to write a review before,but this time it was necessary !! We were on Spring break vacation,and this was very disapointing !! We can only afford to go out and eat once in a while and my family was very sad to see me upset like this !! They didn't appologize or nothing !! If we help some one with this review I will be happy !!! They ought to be ashamed of them selves !! All I wanted to do is sit and have a good meal on vacation with my family ,instead I felt like a tourest who just got ripped off real BAD !! Thanks for nothing MONA LISA BTW this restaurant is a 4 1/2 star rated restaurant, how can that be possible? Pros: Con Artist at the door !! Cons: The Worst Italian Food ever experienced more

I love the Mona Lisa, and go there on every trip I make to San Francisco. I love the little dining room and the service is good. Every time I go I get the Veal Parmigiana, so I have yet to try any of the other dishes on the extensive menu. Pros: Great Italian food more

This place was absolutely wonderful. My boyfriend and I were walking up and down Columbus looking for a place to eat for my birthday and this place was jam packed. Something about it drew us in. The wait was short and the atmosphere was wonderful. Our waiter suggested some great menu items that were absolutely delicious!!! I had the Funghi Porcini with Chicken and it was superb. My bf got veal with mozarella and prosciutto. Very good!!! Not to mention, the house wine was tasty and the bill was not outrageous. I would definitely come back here next time I am in San Francisco! Cons: very busy more

If eating is your passion you must try this restaurant!!! Incredible food, impeccable service, and wonderful wine. more

The Mona Lisa restaurant is the best Italian restaurant that I have had the pleasure to dine at in a long time. I visited San Francisco with my Parents in May of 2008. We live in New York and have had the opportunity to dine at many nice Italaiian restaurants. In our opinion the Mona Lisa by far is the best Italian restaurant that we have ever eaten in. The sauce is superb!!! We also had an anitpasto salad that was wonderful. We would recommend this restaurnat to anyone visisting the San Francisco -North Beach area. We were recommended by a friend who lives in the Bay area and we were very happy with both the food and service. The owners make you feel like your at home with the pleasant greeting that you receive when you walk through the door. We will certainly make a return visit on our next trip tp San Francisco. Pros: Pleasant atmosphere and customer service more

I come from a large Italian family and enjoy eating out when it feels like family; that's what I found at Mona Lisa. I took out of town family for a day in SF and we ate at Mona Lisa. This is the third time I've eaten here and I have never been disappointed. The Risotto selection is very large and sooo yummy that's it's hard to choose. Good size portions, very reasonable prices and friendly, attentive service. Get a seat near the window or outside for great people watching. more

I love this restaurant. It has a great decor, and yummy food. I would eat there every day if I could afford it. there are a million choices to choose from. make a resa if you can! more

The food was horrible, but worse, their service was a nightmare. It's a shame that I still have to give them one-star because there is no non-star rating in the system. They don't deserve any star!!! When we asked for a check after our meal, the server had us wait for 30 minutes and the restaurant wasn't all that busy!!! When we asked them to split the check because we needed split checks, the server and the manager exchanged Italian profanity. I smiled as if I didn't understand the Italian, but f$#@ them! Please don't go there, or at least if you go there, don't tip'em. Cons: A lot. Countless. more

I absolutely adored this restaurant! The atmosphere is so unique and with the Italian servers and singing it is so romantic. I had a delicious risotto that was so yummy. My favorite was a mango sorbet that was served in frozen mango skin and sprinkled with sugar. They serve all their fruit sorbets in its actual fruit. It was very reasonably priced and perfect for a romantic dinner. I can't wait to go back. more

QUICK!! Think of ANY type of pasta off the top of your head...any type!\r \r I can almost guarantee you that Mona Lisa has it. I have been here many times and I've yet to find something that I don't like. Maybe I'm an old fashioned Italian girl, but I like my dishes to be simple. Mona Lisa gives me that. Their menu consists of every type of noodle and then at least 10 different sauces that you can put on it. Seriously, at least 10! (I recommend any of the Gnocchi's! Delicious!) They also have a great wine list (go for the Reisling, affordable and very yummy!) \r \r The decor in the place makes me think that I am back in Italy on the one week that I actually spent there! It's clustered to perfection! \r \r SOMETHING TO CHECK OUT! Just outside the restaurant is a huge map of Italy painted on the building with a bunch of signatures of tourists/locals and where their family is from. It's amazing to just look at! more

Although I like to stay out of the touristy parts of SF, Mona Lisa restaurant in North Beach is worth the hassle. I have been to countless Italian restaurants in the City and Mona Lisa is my favorite. It is exactly what you would dream of when thinking about Italian trattorias. The food is excellent. The service is better than most in the City. And the decor provides just the right ambiance. You won't find any nouveau dishes at Mona Lisa -- just straightforward Italian cooking. The sauce is to die for. So the next time you are looking for great Italian in North Beach -- look for Mona Lisa on Columbus Ave. more

We found this place while walking down Columbus. We loved the atmosphere and the food was very good. The Italian cuisine was authentic and plentiful. A nice selection and friendly staff make this a must try in SF. more

We saw this restaurant while driving by in a tour bus and just had to find it again. We walked for many blocks and it was worth it. The atmosphere is cozy and great. Food was excellent. more

As out-of-town tourists, we seemed to be the perfect target for this joint. Their menu looked impressive and we made an impulsive decision to stop by. While the restaurant was not full at all, our service was very s_l_o_w. We even thought of walking out a couple of times. The wine we ordered was not in stock, finding a replacement took the server another 30 minutes. The salad that I ordered was just perfectly fine, not horrible, but not memorable either. The gnocchi that I ordered were bland and the sauce too rich. They completely overcooked my husband's pasta. We were ready to go and have dessert somewhere else but the server must have sensed our frustration and brought chocolate dessert on the house which was delicious. That nice gesture on his part brought our tip back to the normal level but we're definetely not coming back. If I am paying $100 for a dinner for 2, I expect both more than mediocre food and responsive service, especially not on a busy night. more

I've been to San Francisco 4 times, and I've been to Mona Lisa 6 times. It is now a regular stop for me everytime I'm in town. I've tried branching out to other Italian restaurants nearby, but it's never quite as good. My favorite dishes are the pumpkin ravioli with sage brown butter sauce and the gorgonzola gnocchi. If you're going for quantity, you'll be more full from the gnocchi as the 5 ravioli servings aren't as big. The only dish I've ever been disappointed with was the pesto chicken rigatoni because the chicken was overcooked. I dare you to compare menus with another restaurant and find something as extensive. They had about 10 creations of each type of pasta - 10 gnocchi dishes, 15 spaghettis, 10 fettuccinis, 10 pennes,... I've been to Italy once, and in my opinion, Mona Lisa is as authentic as it gets in California. The atmosphere is unique in North Beach - not a typical restaurant with a slick bar and neon lights. You feel like you found a truly authentic place a few blocks away from the Roman Colosseum. The interior decor stirs feelings of ""old Italy"" with paintings of famous Italian oil paintings on the ceiling and Italian busts along the walls. more