Mona Lisa Fondue Restaurant — Restaurant in Manitou Springs

Overall Experience: 2/5 Stars My wife and I were excited to eat dinner at Mona Lisa. We had been wanting to go for a while, and the timing finally worked out last night. We met another couple there for a double date. None of us had previously dined there, but we had all read mostly good reviews.

The Service: 4/5 Stars It was good in the regard that our waitress was very nice and had a bubbly personality. She stopped by our table often (bordering on too often) to check on our progress with each fondue course.

When I asked her about what the cuts of meat were (tenderloin, ribeye, New York strip, top sirloin, etc), she had no idea what I was taking about. I asked her to query a chef which she did. However, her relayed answer from the chef was that the cuts of meat were “loins”. I didn’t feel like belaboring the issue, so I just thanked her and moved on to ordering.

The Food: 3/5 Stars I ordered a Caesar Salad. It was okay, but definitely not great.

The fondue cheeses tasted fine. They were not amazing, but they were not at all horrible. The chocolate fondues tasted good, but only after we asked for them to be heated up again in the kitchen. Both of our chocolate fondues were initially cool. We don’t know if they had been sitting out for a while, or if the kitchen just didn’t heat them up enough the first time around.

The entrees were the most disappointing part of the meal. The food quality was fine (I’m sure you are realizing a theme by now), they were not amazing, but they were not at all horrible. We don’t like that we had to grill all of the meat, instead of being able to use oil (in a fondue pot) to cook the meat. For four entrees, the grill area was not big enough, and the grill was not able to get as hot as it should have been to grill the meat in a timely manner.

The Value: 1/5 Stars The total for the four of us was @$460. Quite simply…the quality and portion sizes of the meal did not even come close to justifying the cost.

The Atmosphere: 5/5 Stars The best part about our dining experience with Mona Lisa was the atmosphere. It was quite appropriate and well done.

Overall Experience: 2/5 Stars We do not plan on returning...

The building is in a decent location and has a beautiful old time decor setup. That’s about where the positives end for me. I made the mistake of choosing this “fine” dining restaurant for our 6th anniversary dinner. We were seated in a dark, dirty corner of the restaurant. The wall we were placed next to had food splattered on the wall that looks like it had been there a while and become part of the fixture. The ceiling tiles about 8 feet above us had oil buildup and look like they as well haven’t been cleaned since originally placed (right above my wife was an orange raindrop buildup of grease I thought might fall on her) We chose the 4 course meal and went with the basics for everything and chose an upgrade for the cheese fondue. The salad was light on dressing and took 10 minutes to get to the table while the restaurant wasn’t close to busy, but what dressing there was in our garden salads did taste great. The cheese fondue was properly prepared and tasteful but rather skimpy on the amount in the bowl. The meats that we cooked at our table were not choice pieces and essentially flavorless. To combat this they give you a dip tray of sauces. The sauces were flavored well, but we were only given enough to dip each sauce maybe twice before being out. Finally, for the desert we chose dark chocolate for the dipping base. The dark chocolate was overly sweetened, but the dipping accompaniments were tasteful fruits (strawberry, pineapple, apple, banana) and some desert breads (decent, but the graham cookies they provided were like cardboard and tasted as such). Overall, this was overpriced, the service was suspect, the restaurant was dirty and we were made to feel like anywhere else “fine” dining would have made our anniversary experience better (stated during reservation and arrival it was anniversary and weren’t talked to about it or congratulated. This isn’t necessary but we chose there to make the night feel special and supposedly they are good at doing this). Would not recommend for anyone to spend your money here let alone celebrate an...

My husband and I have been coming to Mona Lisa Fondue for years. At least 2-3 times a year we visit for anniversaries, birthdays, graduations, just for funsies- any reason to fondue! And we make the drive from the Denver area because it’s worth it. From the service to the ambiance to the food- the have the Melting Pot beat in every possible way. Let’s talk about the service: it means something to have servers who not only know the menu and the food, but also enjoy their job. I don’t mean their life’s ambition is waking up to serve melted cheese and chocolate, but that they like working with people. And they like working with one another. That shines through. The ambiance: I’ve been to the other place and it’s loud. You can’t hear anyone at your table talk. That’s challenging when you are trying to have a romantic meal or intimate gathering. Or even just a conversation. The Mona Lisa feels comfortable and cozy. There’s enough space for any group but it doesn’t feel like all the groups are encroaching on one another. But the food. That’s the star of the show! The food at the Mona Lisa tastes fresh and clean. The salads are great. The fondue is wonderful and not only do they have the traditional flavors you expect, but also some rotating seasonal options for more adventurous eaters. For the main course, you don’t dip your meats/veggies in broth to cook them, you grill them. This is a HUGE upgrade in the flavor profile and it’s honestly a little more fun. You have several main course options, as well, some of which rotate for seasons. Then the chocolate dessert. Oh my. I’ve never been disappointed. From plain milk or dark chocolate to fancier options like flaming turtle or cookies and cream. Everything has always been incredible. We just left and I already can’t wait to go back.

Don’t sleep on this restaurant! Whether you’re visiting Manitou Springs for the day, the weekend, or just for lunch, put this...