Mona Lisa Italian Foods

Reviews 7

MI

Mike W

My 1st restaurant visit, at "Mona Lisa" -- as I entered from Deli side. The short, bald-headed, black-moustached, black-haired male whom faced me from the Deli --- HAD A REAL ATTITUDE PROBLEM AGAINST ME, as I only asked what be the "pizza size." (as I searched the "Mona Lisa" website, before I came over, but "Mona Lisa" conceal such info -as of that date- from wanna-be-customers). If he had the authority, he had told me as a customer to Go somewhere else. I am a local-born San Diegan, but with people from all over in San Diego. And San Diego wanting to maintain its tourist location/status. It be no wonder why there be competing businesses to go to. Mona Lisa with the attitude of "We have toooo much money; we dont need you around." "Sauce" (aka "Mona Lisa Special Sauce ") being the WEAKEST taste/strength of all Italian restaurants that I have eaten at. I had request pizza with "extra, extra sauce." (order was verified so to enough sauce that the crust not sog, but of the max sauce.) Demanding just enuff cheese to hold on the toppings as sauce was the top priority. OVERALL RESULT: The Toppings Were The Only Taste Of THe Pizza. I Had TO Bite A Bare Piece Of Dough/Sauce & Keep Flickering My Tongue Within My Mouth. So to finally sensitize the taste of the sauce. (no sic) After only a 5-hour refrigeration, I looked at the remaining 2nd half: overall -- the crust & sauce more dried out than during my meal. As I had the opportunity, I chose to eat the 2 best slices. But the sauce that I see going up to the crust be deceiving, when I take a slow bite. As the sauce be just a blanket. ?How can I blame myself for this critique? As when another slice lacks even more sauce. It be NO COINCIDENCE, after my comments during my visit at "Mona Lisa": that the pizza dimension info be added to the "Mona Lisa" webdesign.

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SU

Suzie Hong

my 5-star love for Mona Lisas is limited to their deli section only - i rarely ever eat in the restaurant only because the deli sandwiches, cold cuts, and other deli offerings are far superior than any other italian sandwich place in SD. i love that when i walk in, the deli/grocery store is always full of people, and full of store goods. While there is always at least a 15-20 min wait to place my order, I never mind because there is so much to look at in the store. a huge variety of pasta, sweets, dried foods, olive oils and vinegars keep me entertained while I wait. what i love most about Mona Lisa is that everything tastes fresh - the deli meats never taste old or dried, the mozzarella cheese is made in house and fresh, and whichever sandwich bread you go with is a winner. this place is best enjoyed with a smaller group, hopefully with some out of town visitors as it would be difficult to accommodate larger groups. theres a small lot, but street parking can usually be found within 10 min. its a great place to go on a nice day where you have the time to enjoy lunch and walking around little italy - i would not recommend it if you were in a rush to go somewhere!

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MA

Mari Lanes

Went to this restaurant tonight and it was one of the worst eating experiences i have ever had. I thought that a place touting its history of being around as a good thing, but I was sadly mistaken. The salad I got was bland and mostly white parts of iceberg lettuce. The cheesy garlic bread had so much cheese on it that it wasnt even melted, there was cold unmelted cheese under the top of it. It also was extremely greasy from all the cheese. The marinara sauce tasted on par with anything you can get from a jar. The worst of all was the chicken parmigiana. It was awful, smothered in tasteless cheese, it was clearly microwaved, not a single crispy area on it, the chicken didnt even taste like chicken which seems difficult since chicken doesnt really have a taste. When Olive Garden makes better Italian food then your restaurant, you are obviously doing something wrong with your food. And the price was ridiculous for what you got. I will never go back to this establishment and I suggest you do not either.

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A

A Private User

This restaurant was recommended by several friends from Coronado. Instead of a sub sandwich we decided to try the Pizzas. The all cheese pizza arrived burned in spots, but still very tasty. As to the pepperoni/mushroom pizza, I am not sure why, but they must be trying to be different by putting the pepperoni and mushrooms and oil under the cheese which makes for a sliding topping that falls off the dough when you pick up a piece or try to take a bite. It makes a mess! We complained to our waitress but no one saw fit to address our problem. We were charged for the pizza which we could not eat. The owner will not be happy with this comment but he deserves to know that he cannot rely on his staff to bring a patrons dissatisfaction to his attention. He will hopefully read this to learn of our disatifaction.

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KA

Katherine Levkoff

Decided to check out this place because I wanted some fresh pasta to go with my homemade meat sauce. I bought a half pound each of their cheese ravioli and linguini. Total $ for the 2 pastas was around $5, a bit pricier than I expected. On a whim, I also ordered the deluxe Italian sub because I was browsing through yelp photos of the place. Probably the best impulse buy Ive had all year. The mortadella, ham and salami is sliced right in front of you and for $7.50 a pop, itll be difficult to find a better Italian sub for what you get! Service was quick and parking was easy. Albeit, I was there early, around 9:30am on Saturday. The short line moved very quickly and I had a pleasant experience all around. Cooked the pasta tonight, ate it with my meat sauce and I know Ill definitely be back!

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AL

Allison Fraser

Think 1950s Italian-American family restaurant with red everywhere and old black and white family pictures and youll get the atmosphere of the restaurant. Also linked to a packed-to-the-brim alimentary style grocer and purveyor of all things Italian. My elder relatives LOVED this place. The food was quite good, though youll not find any surprises here. Huge portions, so split an entree if youre not big eaters. Loved the cheesy garlic bread appetizer with a side of tomato sauce. Hubby was a big fan of the Lasagna with meat sauce and took the leftovers back to the hotel for later. Also the traditional Linguine Vongole (clams) in garlic butter sauce was great. Parking can be problematic on the street. The main lot was full, but we managed to snag a spot at the overflow parking next door.

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JT

JT Nora

Poor quality food, inexperienced wait staff. Garlic bread was laced with cayenne pepper. Staff knew about this and still served it, stating "our cook messed up and put too much cayenne pepper in the sause, weve been hearing about it all day", Why didnt they think to throw the messed up food away and start over?The cook also messed up the rest of the food. Chicken parmigiana was really chicken mozzarella. Shrimp had to be sent back. Im not sure how some people gave this place 5 stars. Perhaps staff and family members are leaving feedback, or they are paying for good feedback to be left on top. Save the trouble and go a little further into little italy. Perhaps someplace that cares about quality. 12/19/15

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