[[HIGHLIGHT]]Outstanding food & excellent service in a relaxing, quaint atmosphere![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Indoor and outdoor seating.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We will definitely go back often! read more

Mona Lisa Italian Restaurant - Veal piccata & chicken & shrimp paradise - Italian Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Delightful hidden gem of a restaurant. We enjoyed our entrees and the service was welcoming.

this is the first time we discovered this restaurant which happens to be practically across the street from our home [[HIGHLIGHT]]what a pleasant surprise, cute quiet ambience[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] we were greeted at the door by the owner and his son. His son was the waiter and did a fantastic job explaining the menu and specials. They had a very nice wine list we ordered a bottle of wine very enjoyable and the dinners were fantastic. The sauce was very tasty. We had a Veal dish, a chicken dish and a pasta dish. The Veal and chicken were very tender and [[HIGHLIGHT]]the place were clean when we were done.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We will be back. We recommend this place to anyone, especially if they like Italian food. Good job guys. read more

Excellent service. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Great ambience.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Food is the best Italian we've had in Florida. Seafood risotto is happy food (very good). Italian wines are superb. Enjoy! read more

Mona Lisa Italian Restaurant - Tira misu dessert. A knockout. - Italian Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Cozy family run, real Italian.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Tasty food, excellent service, good wine selection, great Tira Miso

A hidden gem in the Meadows well worth discovering! Delicious food, kind and welcoming staff provide great service, and [[HIGHLIGHT]]charming ambiance[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]]! Try it once and you will surely go back often! read more

We celebrate Christmas every year at Mona Lisa. Food is delicious and the owner Marisa makes it an awesome experience. I highly recommend this restaurant. Please try it and bring your friends read more

Small and Intimate and you feel like family. Popped in without a reservation and were lucky to get a table. (Reservations recommended) Try the montepulchiano wine... so good. My salmon with risotto was so good (note to chef-a little less salt please), as was my husband's cavatelli with sausage! The service was impeccable. We finished with coffee( very good) and the ricotta cheesecake (we've had better but was still good). read more

Mona Lisa Italian Restaurant - Salmon with risotto - Italian Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Missy is a great server and the place is super cute inside. The baby artichoke francasie is great and the bread is very good. The chicken and shrimp al pana is fine but I'd try something different next time. Same for the maushroom ravioli. read more

Food and service outstanding. Good wine list. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Quaint Italian family restaurant.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] You will not be disappointed.

Best kept secret in the quite meadows neighborhood. Best Caesar dressing I've ever had. Also the chicken Piccata and chicken Veneto was amazing! read more

Mona Lisa Italian Restaurant - Chicken Veneto - Italian Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

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Absolutely love this place. Anything veal is exceptional. The ravioli also delicious! Host and owner are full of charisma and hospitality. I love this place. I have been six times since I can't get enough of it. read more

Food fantastic Ambiance: it's a tight little room, but it was surprisingly quiet and at first we felt claustrophobic, but again surprisingly it was great. Yes the tables are close and it could be a tight squeeze for some. Overall it was very nice. Service: it seemed they had one person taking orders for the entire room and one bus person. Needless to say that can be slow, but! If you like to relax and your not in a hurry, it is great! The staff is wonderful. The 4 star is because I'm spoiled and love more attention. read more

Definition of perfection. Mom and pop restaurant where you taste the love. It's perfect in every way. read more

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Best Pasta Dish in Years !!! Friends referred us to Mona Lisa's in Sarasota. Very small Italian place a little tough to get a reservation since they only take like four tables at a time. Got a great vibe pulling in since restaurant sits in a very relaxing scenic area on a pond and golf course. Staff greeted us warmly, sat us quickly and waited on us almost immediately. It seems the entrees are mostly hand made pasta dishes with a good variety. I love the florida seafood so ordered the saturday night special which was fazzoletti pasta with sambuca cream sauce, shrimp and scallops. Turned out to be thin triangles of spinach pasta with a light tomato cream sauce. The meal was sublime!! The best pasta dish I have had in years!! Mother-in-law is particular about NY style lasagna, and raved that hers was "done the right way". The bill for three of us was around $96 including drinks which I thought was very affordable for hand made pasta of this quality. All the staff was very friendly and helpful. I hope to return soon and would definitely recommend to others. read more

The fish entree that I had last night was close to being inedible. Part of it was white and flaky while part was grey and slimy. It was served without a starch and the vegetable was 6 or 7 tiny tiny spears of asparagus. Although the bread and dipping sauce was very good, two baskets with 8 tiny bread slices served to a table of 7 was definitely insufficient. When asked for more bread it was not warm. This was my first meal at Mona Lisa and last. Pamela S read more

Food is excellent, service impeccable, prices reasonable. A must for authentic Italian cuisine. Definitely recommend.

Cute local place! I was told by a few people how great this place is and we got the chance to try it! Apps and entrees were great I had the veal Saltimbocca with a of fresh made pasta and hubby had the special homemade fresh ravioli stuffed with short ribs with a delicious skirt steak and mushrooms! Definitely a must try! read more

This is a small restaurant with a traditional menu like you used to see when your parents took you out to eat back in the day. Prices are fair and portions are big. Good wine list but no cocktails. Pasta was overcooked. Missy our server was great. The problem came from another server who seemed to have a supervisory role. While waiting (about an hour) for our order, the air conditioning vent overhead began dripping condensation on us. We mentioned this to our server and got no response. When the food came out, it started dripping more vigorously so we asked to move tables. While we moved, the supervisor lectured me about how this was inconvenient and we should have mentioned the problem earlier. Okay.... but we did. Later, when the checks came, there was no ink in the pen. I made an innocent joke about how I can't tip without a pen. That brought another lecture from the boss about how we should never joke about tips with a server. 3/4 of our table had once been servers. Ordinary food with a side order of bad attitude? No, thanks! read more

Unfortunately, this restaurant has taken a turn for the worse. The food for everyone in our party there were four of us was extremely salty. The server was rude and nasty. The service left much to be desired. I will not be going back there again. read more

Me and my family went here for our grandmothers birthday and the atmosphere was amazing however, the service was genuinely terrible. She was condescending and rude. We will never be going back or recommending this restaurant to anyone. Unfortunately, we were also forced to pay for an unwanted appetizer (that we asked several times to cancel before it came out) and a 20% gratuity. An utterly disappointing way to spend my grandmas 90th birthday. read more

The food was outstanding!! The service was AMAZING!! I recommend this restaurant for all to try!! Inside is small and quaint like your in your Italian grandma's house....outside beautiful views of the lake. Must make a reservation!! read more

Small restaurant with wonderful food and great service! Nice outdoor seating. Hidden gem in the Meadows. Cannot wait to go back! read more

This is a little gem and owner was so caring an accommodating. The food was great and atmosphere wonderful. It was a better than expected very special evening! Thanks Marissa! read more

This lovely restaurant is run by a husband and wife team. The environment is charming and welcoming. The menu offers a variety of options. The food is excellent! read more

We dined at Mona Lisa last night. It's a small, charming restaurant with an appealing view of a lake. Outside seating is available. The menu is brief which is a good sign for a restaurant. Better to serve outstanding fare than to offer dozens of mediocre dishes. The food, atmosphere and service were top notch. Our waitress was friendly and informative. Our busser and assistant server - Maine- was very pleasant and took the time to chat with us at the end of our meal. He made a point of explaining that he was in training and remarked that he wanted to offer great service without hovering over us. He was very complimentary of the owners and encouraged us to dine with them again. Five stars for a five star restaurant. read more

Excellent !!!! Had dinner with my parents last night . What a gem of a restaurant. Fabulous homemade pastas and not one of us did not enjoy our meal . And will be back very soon. The owners are also delightful!!! read more

I've dined here multiple times with my family and the food and service was absolutely amazing the people there are the nicest people you will ever meet and the food taste outstanding!!!!!!! read more

Had a wonderful dinner at Mona Lisa. Sat outdoors in lovely garden setting with lights and soft Italian music playing in background: Delicious and innovative menu. Chef owner very personable and takes great pride in his restaurant Highly recommend read more

This is probably the best romantic Italian restaurant in Sarasota! Outdoor lakeside dining or elegant indoor dining. Wonderful menu and great Italian food! Wouldn't hesitate to recommend this place to anyone! Put it on your bucket list read more

I debated on 3 or 4 stars. It's definitely 4 stars for quaintness and friendliness, and so convenient if you live or are staying in the Meadows area. Nice outdoor patio overlooking a small pond. Portions are large. I had Seafood Fra Diavolo and was very pleased with the quantity of seafood in it and the spicy taste. It has clams, mussels, scallops, shrimp, and a large portion of haddock in the middle of it. No fishy tastes. It all tasted fresh. I was disappointed that I had ordered Lobster Ravioli and then found out they were out of it, but was happy with what I did get. Sitting inside during Covid was a little unnerving because of how small the dining area is, but it wasn't that busy the evening we were there. Prices a little high for what some might call a 'hole in the wall' Italian place. The three stars would have been for the sort of cramped dining area, pushing Lobster Ravioli and then finding out there is none, and the prices. The appearance and the taste of the food was not a strong 4 stars, since I knew there were other places within 10 minutes where the selection and dishes would have been better. I guess in short, if it is not convenient for you to travel here to eat, you will probably pass several places that are a little better along your way, and there isn't much around this restaurant except residential if you were looking to do some walking and window shopping (definitely don't walk around window shopping, because that would be illegal in a neighborhood, haha). read more

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Not such a good experience ... ceaser salad dressing was very heavy on mustard taste ... pasta was overcooked, and water in the bowl , veal size very small and overcooked ... would not go bak read more

Hidden gem in The Meadows. Give them a try and you won't be disappointed! We enjoyed delicious Cannoli and Veal Batalucci then dessert was ricotta cream cake! Amazing Food, Staff and atmosphere! read more

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Very charming!! Good food and service ! It was 12 of us and everyone had a delicious meal and food came at the same time. Definitely we all will be back ! read more

Would totally agree, this is a hidden gem. And when they don't have 'location, location, location', then there is a darn good reason they're still in business - - the food! Service was amazing also. This was our first time here, friends asked us to join them, as it is one of their favorite spots. The dining room is small, yet quaint. It was not crowded at 5:30 (Thursday), so we felt fine. Staff was covered. Wish they had a little more wine choices by the glass. Ample free parking, clean establishment. Did not use restrooms. There is a lovely pond/open area to enjoy from indoor dining, as well as patio dining. Be aware, the entrance is on the back of the building. We felt the prices were fair for the portions. We enjoyed Carbonara, and Chix Parm. I didn't care for the sun-dried tomatoes, but that's just me. Might ask for fresh next time. And indeed, there will be a next time. Highly recommend. Forgot to take pics. read more

We arrived as a party of 3, each ordering an appetizer (clams, shrimp in red sauce and garlic bread with cheese), meal (lamb, manicotti and spaghetti w/ meatballs) and desserts! The food was great, the garlic bread with cheese I would not order again (a bit too much garlic- something I've never said before!) and it was oily? However, the meatballs were huge & tasty and my husband said the lamb was the best he's ever had (and his previous "best" was pretty "up there"). The waiter was really nice, the owner checked on us a few times and seemed genuinely thankful for our coming there and interested in our feedback. The chef came out and asked how the meal was which is rare to occur anymore so that was neat! The Italian cheesecake dessert was good, it wasn't like a normal cheesecake (hubby loved it. I ordered the coconut dream cake, wasn't a fan.. didn't seem fresh. The main dishes were fabulous (easy 5 stars), 5 stars for service, 2 stars for desserts so ended with 4. Not from the area but would come back next time we're in town! read more

Heard this was a hidden gem in the Meadows. However the server was not accommodating. Refused to take an appetizer order prior to our taking our entree order as they cannot handle the timing. Refused a duplicate entrée order stating "that's been taken you need to choose something else". When asked to questions about drink choices she stayed "what you want me to repeat that". And failed to return to the table in a timely manner to take our check. Additionally refused to split the check for our table of eights stating that they were a small business and this was too difficult saying it was rude for us to ask. . Large tip was added 20% without notification . Certainly steep and is greater than we would have offered considering the poor service. read more

This is a hidden gem in the neighborhood. My wife and I went there for a date night and were pleasantly surprised. The owner lady greeted us at the entrance and was very friendly to us all the way. Food was amazing especially the "MELANZANE INVOLTINI". But more than anything, the ambiance inside paired with Italian music (sounded like) made us feel very welcomed and at home. Good wine, great-tasting homely Italian dishes, the ambiance, and decent price makes this a must-try restaurant if you're at Sarasota. We'd definitely go there again. read more

My opinion is a bit biased. I have been eating Donnie's food for over 25 years, mostly in New York. I have always thought his food was good enough to be in the best restaurants. Now that he is an owner, my opinion hasn't changed. Every dish was excellent, the staff attentive and knowledgeable. The home made bread, the appetizers, the entrees, the sides, the home made desserts -- all made with care and craft. The Mona Lisa is a definite destination whenever I travel to the Florida West Coast. read more

Don't miss this. Wonderful quaint Italian restaurant. The mussels were delicious as well as the clam linguini. Zucchini appetizer was divine! Lasagna was a plentiful portion and the caprese salad was large enough to share. Outstanding evening. read more

Mona Lisa Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Sarasota, Florida