Address: | 733 Manitou Ave, Manitou Springs, CO 80829, USA |
Phone: | +1 719-685-0277 |
Site: | monalisafondue.com |
Rating: | 3.8 |
Working: | 5–8:30PM 5–8:30PM 5–8:30PM 5–8:30PM 5–8:30PM 5–8:30PM 5–8:30PM |
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A Private User
A friend gave me a $25 gift certificate for this place, so my wife and I checked it out on the web and thought it looked interesting. The place is very nice on the inside and the staff was friendly. We chose the Fondue for two at $40 a person, boy was that a mistake. We got to choose which salad we wanted; for an additional $2.50 we could choose the chefs special salad. Then we had to decide on what fondue pot we would share, wasnt very big but that was ok since my wife hated the taste and smell of it. Then we got to choose a main to share; the Traditional, the Seafood for an additional $9 and the wild Game for an additional $9. We went with the Traditional since we are already paying $40 a person. Heres what was included in our main dish. Two pieces of flatiron steak, two pieces of steak, two shrimp, two pieces of chicken, two pieces of Cajun brats(tasted like normal brats), veggies and mozzarella. The size of the portions were extremely small, seemed only to be about 1 or 2 ounces. Not enough food for 2 people by any means! After that we got our chocolate fondue, my wife had high expectations! She loves chocolate and was starving since the cheese fondue did not appeal to her and the main course was extremely small. Again she was disappointed, they give you a really small fruit plate to dip in the chocolate; all seemed to be store bought canned fruit. The chocolate tasted like they bought a few Hersey’s bars and melted them for you. So all total we figure you get about $10-$15 worth of food and they charge you $80. We were thankful that we had the $25 gift certificate, but we still ended up paying almost $80 with the tip. My wife left hungry and had to eat something when we got home. I would not recommend this place to anyone, overrated and not a good value. They nickel and dime you after you choose a $40 per person meal; crazy!
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Leslie Hope Butenschoen
I actually discovered this restaurant through a Twitter conversation with the owner. Social media is crazy these days. My husband and I have gone to Melting Pot often in our relationship, and he was looking for something different. I was still craving fondue, so we decided try out Mona Lisa for his birthday. We did the three courses (salad, cheese, and entree for two) and a bottle of wine for $60 special. We went ahead and opted for the additional chocolate course, which did run us lousy under $30. We both had the house salads with a vinaigrette as the dressing. It was pretty good. We had the New World cheese fondue and the waiter happily obliged only requested more apples. Apples covered in cheese is surprisingly delicious. We have the traditional third course ( that was the one that did not cost extra on top of the $60) It had steak, shrimp, chicken, salmon and even mushrooms and red bell pepper. A flat heated grill plate was brought to us to cook everything on. Our dining plates had potatoes bread cheese and a few other things. One of the neatest things was the little cheesy skillet that you put your mozzarella in and stick it under the flame to melt. I put it on top of my bread, it was delicious! We then opted for the regular chocolate fondue, it came with the usual things you would expect: strawberries, bananas, cheesecake bites, marshmallows, poundcake, etc. We were definitely satisfied at the end of the meal and not uncomfortably stuffed. We will definitely be returning! Especially when I found out that they do in fact have a happy hour (Thursday-Sunday 4:30pm-6:30pm) that takes 40% off of food. Very rarely do happy hours include food especially at fondue restaurants! Experience began and ended with a high level of hospitality. We look forward to going again!
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Megan Tilger
I have been to the Mona Lisa 3 times before this evening. All of which were fantastic. Tonight was absolutely horrible. When I arrived my friend was a few minutes away. I went to the host stand to let them know I was there. He proceeded to ask if I wanted to wait for the rest of my party and I said yes she should be here in a few minutes. He kept correcting me saying is "he" parking (5 different times). Apparently the concept that I was meeting my female friend wasnt fathomable. We were sat at our table and our server Cori K was nice, UNTIL we mentioned that we had a Groupon. Her attitude did a compleat 360 and she was very rude from there on out. She not only was very slow but also left us waiting often. My first glass had multiple chips in the glass to which she showed no concern. She did everything she could to avoid our table. She even removed my friends salad plate while she was still eating it and had over half her salad left! It took her over 10 minutes to fill my water glass the first time, so I just started filling it myself after that. She even watched me do it and said nothing. She was a horrible server and I will not be back. The food was not worth $144 (before Groupon, I dont know how it was more expensive than the normal price) or the 15% tip that she did NOT deserve. Im beyond disappointed in my experience. Dont offer Groupons if your staff will be rude when people use them.
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Rick Tanski
What a refreshing escape from chain restaurants!! The Mona is in an old hotel from the 1800s and the moment you walk in, you feel like youve stepped into a romantic movie scene with sidewalk cafes, romantic lights, and cozy tables tucked here and there throughout the restaurant. The decor is eclectic and fun. Its not a snooty fine dining restaurant...its really more of a boutique fine dining restaurant. Prices for the 4-Course Dinner are around $40/person and its a complete experience well worth it. First course is salad, then cheese, then the entree which is fondue on a Raclette grill (not hot oil or broth like other places) which makes for a really fun, entertaining dinner. Then, of course its time for chocolate. ALL. SO. GOOD. Weve always had the 4-Course dinner, but there are a la carte options, too. And, Ive noticed there is usually a special offer being advertised. Also, we went to one of their wine tastings downstairs in Monas Cellar. What a hidden treasure. The sommelier was personable, knowledgable, and their wine list is extensive. We got 3 pours AND cheese fondue. Great experience. Finally, the servers are just amazing - they know how to balance good service without being too much in the way. If you are looking for a unique place to celebrate, this is your place! Date night, anniversaries, birthdays ...Im pretty sure the Mona will make you smile.
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Niki Covalt
Review changed from Not great to Liked it. I was there recently (November 30, 2013 at 5:00 pm) with my reading club (there were 7 of us) for our annual dinner. When we paid our bill, our server mentioned there was a promotion of $10 worth of gift card for every $100 spent on dinner. Our bill was for over $400, so our server stated the card was set for $40. It had $50 written on the back. I was planning to go to the wine cellar later this week and was going to use the card but decided to check on the balance. Its been in my billfold since 30 November and it had a $0 balance. Pretty lame. My friends and I have enjoyed relaxing at the wine cellar in the past, but I wont be back to Mona Lisa again. One of the other reviewers had it right. They dont understand the gift card concept... I recant my initial statement. After sending an email of my experience with the gift card, the manager contacted me directly and ratified the issue. Apparently, their gift cards are gift/reward cards. The promotion is a rewards promotion and my card does have the reward points valued at the amount awarded. There is still an issue that the recipient has no ware to know whether the card is gift or reward. When confirming a balance with the card management company you have to specify checking for rewards vs gift card balance.