Mona Lisa Restaurant — Restaurant in San Francisco

Craving an unforgettable dining experience? Look no further than Mona Lisa in the heart of San Francisco! Brace yourself for a journey of flavors that will transport you straight to Italy, leaving your taste buds singing with joy and your heart longing for more.

🌆 I ventured to Mona Lisa for a late lunch and was greeted with an atmosphere that whispered tales of old-world charm and culinary enchantment. The restaurant's cozy ambiance set the stage for an extraordinary feast that was about to unfold.

🍽️ Let's dive into the stars of the show—the dishes! Prepare your taste buds for an explosion of flavor as I reveal the mouthwatering creations that graced my table. I had the pleasure of savoring the Alston Smith Rigatoni—an irresistible blend of pink sauce, sausage, succulent chicken, and an avalanche of cheese. With each forkful, my taste buds did a happy dance, rejoicing in the symphony of indulgence.

🌱 But hey, sometimes a little greed is good, right? Indulging my inner fat kid, I couldn't resist the Risotto Porcini. Picture this: olive oil, garlic, and fresh Porcini mushrooms from the magical lands of Calabria coming together in a creamy risotto extravaganza. It was a culinary masterpiece that satisfied my cravings and left me longing for a second helping.

🍷 To elevate my gastronomic adventure, I paired these delightful dishes with the "Grotte Rosse Sangiovese" from the illustrious vintage of 2019. With every sip, my taste buds were treated to the velvety embrace of this exquisite red wine, enhancing the flavors and creating a symphony of pleasure in my mouth.

🍋 And when it came time to cleanse my palate, the Lemon Chello dessert swept me away with its refreshing and cool taste. As a devout lemon lover, I reveled in the zesty explosion that danced across my tongue, reminding me why anything lemon is simply irresistible.

🕺 Let me take a moment to commend our fantastic waiter, Giovanni Bader. With his infectious enthusiasm and profound knowledge, he guided me through the culinary maze, ensuring every dish and wine pairing was an experience to remember. Giovanni's exceptional customer service added an extra sparkle to the evening, making the entire dining affair truly remarkable.

🍝 In conclusion, if you're seeking a gastronomic escapade that will transport you to the heart of Italy, Mona Lisa is an absolute must-visit. From the delectable Alston Smith Rigatoni to the mouthwatering Risotto Porcini, accompanied by the divine Grotte Rosse Sangiovese and topped off with the heavenly Lemon Chello dessert, this hidden gem in San Francisco has it all.

👉 Don't miss out on the opportunity to embark on a culinary adventure that will tantalize your taste buds and leave you with unforgettable memories. Mona Lisa is waiting to welcome you into their world of Italian delights. Go ahead, indulge your senses, and let the magic unfold. Highly...

Edit: After leaving my review, I further researched the listing, and it looks like there are TWO variations of Mona Lisa restaurants close to each other? That's confusing. But more importantly, why didn't our clueless server mention this important detail after we mentioned wanting pizza and seeing it on the menu online? We would have been thankful and headed over to the other one immediately. Clearly, we walked into the wrong restaurant by mistake, and the entire thing could have been avoided if he had been friendlier, more caring, and better at communication. Such an unnecessarily disappointing experience that could have easily been turned around. I imagine that this confusion is quite common with customers. The staff should be trained to handle it better instead of being so curt and dismissive.

I hate leaving bad reviews, as I know that most business owners have sincere intentions, but our experience was pretty terrible in more ways than one. The biggest issue is that this establishment has outdated information on their Google listing. It's all misleading. Their menu has completely changed, and they seem to be operating as a whole new restaurant.

We went to Mona Lisa expecting to eat the delicious looking pizzas. To our surprise and disappointment, our server Giovanni told us that they don't have pizza and that "this is the new Mona Lisa now" without any further explanation. We were feeling pretty frustrated, but it was getting late, plus we figured that we would give the place a chance. We decided to keep it light with some appetizers and salads and go from there.

Unfortunately, the food was incredibly bland and lacked flavor. Maybe it was an off night, but nothing about our starter dishes inspired us to order more. Service was neglectful and indifferent. Giovanni was too checked out and unavailable to even ask how things were. The only time he came back to our table was when I waved him down 20 minutes after the food runner dropped our dishes off and when he brought us the check at the end.

The blarring pop music was also quite bizarre. Not exactly what you have in mind while dining at an upscale Italian restaurant with such a high price point. It's just...

I’ve been a regular customer at Mona Lisa. Their food is excellent and the vibe is so great.

I must have come here 20+ times and hosted startup founders + VC dinners as well. Last night, I came with 12 of my friends who were visiting from all across the world. I wanted to show them the vibrancy of SF.

However, my last night’s experience was horrible.

Our server, Guisippe, was super rude to us since the beginning. Everyone at the table felt he was shouting at us while taking orders.

We had to request breads 3 times. Earlier, they used to bring it themselves.

Everyone at table was offended by the end but I requested them to stay and try the desserts. I was hoping it’ll change their dinner experience. But they literally threw the desserts on table instead of serving us.

After that, we were like let’s just leave from here. My wife requested him if she could Apple Pay. He didn’t allow. She then put her card and after 5 mins, asked if they could give her card back as we were in a hurry. My dog was getting impatient and friends were just done with the place. He said - ‘not my problem bro’. And started shouting on my wife.

I talked to him calmly and asked him if he had a hectic day or something. Instead of being polite (or sorry), he told me angrily we were being hectic and bunch of other things. A friend heard him say expletives in Italian while leaving.

I can’t believe they treated us like that. They put a 20% tip and I generally add a tip on top of it. I didn’t do it yesterday. last night made me wary of going here again. If a place can’t respect my wife or friends, I would never give them any business.

That being said, their food is great. The service was terrible, outright rude, unpleasant and...