Mona Lisa — Restaurant in New Orleans

A New Orleans staple for Italian-American cuisine located in the beautiful and quiet Lower French Quarter. Being only a block from historic Bourbon Street, Mona Lisa has served as a neighborhood staple for more than 35 years.

Like many others in the french quarter, this building has had many uses in the past. It has once served as a cigar shop and machine-works building, the current incarnation still retains many of the features of its colorful past.

This restaurant screams Italy the second you walk in! From the red and white checkered tablecloths to the red cafe curtains in the front windows, the decor definitely brings me back to past dining experiences throughout Italy. An impressive food menu paired with an extensive wine menu, equals a perfect dinner.

Starting with the unique appetizer menu, the traditional garlic cheesy bread served with the their rich house marinara was a great start. After all who, besides a vampire, doesn't LOVE a combination of garlic and cheese?? So many entrees and so little time!

Naturally I had to experience their freshly prepared lasagna, which comes smothered in just the right amount of that wonderful house marinara sauce. Naturally they add a few slices of fresh bread to ensure none of that house marinara goes to waste. Clearly an excellent choice! The rich saucy red goodness, combined with the fresh cheeses and seasoned meat really satisfies the palate.

This is a place where you take advantage of those staples of Italian cuisine when you spot them, if only I had more time for one of their cannoli's.... Oh well, maybe next...

What could have been a lovely dining experience was unfortunately overshadowed by the behavior of the host or manager on duty. We stopped in for dinner after the Pride parade, excited to enjoy what we had heard was a welcoming and LGBTQ+ friendly establishment. The food was genuinely excellent, kudos to the kitchen staff, though the host made it clear he had nothing to do with that. The ambiance was cozy and charming, and we were initially seated quickly.

That said, the food took quite a long time to arrive, and we did have a couple of friends join us near the end of our meal. They ordered only sodas, as the kitchen had already closed.

After settling up and stepping outside, we lingered near the entrance for a moment to say our goodbyes. That’s when the older gentleman came out, closed the second set of doors, and abruptly asked, “What are you guys still doing here?” What we assumed would be light banter quickly escalated. He ended the exchange by saying, “You guys will never eat here again. I’ve got every one of your faces burned into my retina.” The entire situation felt unnecessary, hostile, and frankly, unwelcoming. Instead of being treated as individuals, we felt we were unfairly generalized as a group of “young gays” and made to feel like we didn’t belong.

It’s incredibly disappointing when a place with great food and a lovely atmosphere is tarnished by poor hospitality—especially during Pride, when inclusivity should be at the forefront. I hope this feedback is taken seriously so no other guests are made to feel...

My wife were in New Orleans for the weekend and wanted to have some good Italian food (I know, it doesn't really make sense). We looked around for a few options and found a number of restaurants that probably had good (or even) GREAT food but they weren't the "vibe" we were looking for! We found Mona Lisa's doing a Google Maps search and we are SO GLAD we did!!! It looked to be a very small restaurant, honestly, so I don't know if seatiis always as easy as it was for us? We got a table right away!!! Pleasant service (Lindsey was really friendly) and very good suggestions on the menu items. My wife had the stuffed mushrooms appetizer, we both had Caesar's salads (the dressing, which seemed homemade was AMAZING) and for her entree, my wife had the Seafood Pasta. She loved the clams, shrimp and tilapia and said the Creole sauce had just enough kick to it to make it exciting but not a regrettable decision she'd wish she hadn't made later tonight or tomorrow. I had the Fettucini Alfredo myself. The noodles were cooked perfectly and the cream sauce was PHENOMENAL. We didn't expect to find GREAT food at Mona Lisa's ... but ... that is exactly what we found! GREAT food, a cool neighborhood vibe and really good service, too. Mona Lisa's is also right down the street from the LaLaurie Mansion and my wife and I got to see that while we were there. It is a cool house, it's history notwithstanding. If you want GREAT food and a cool vibe, visit Mona Lisa's. I don't think you'll regret it. I know my wife and I certainly...