+1 on the Bourbon Scallops. They were perfectly cooked. We went on a Friday night and it was jam packed in there. MAKE RESERVATIONS. If I hadn't, the wait would have been ridiculous. read more

Ate at Mona's last night. Had the best dinner ever. The pork ribeye was perfect. Wife had the swordfish and said the same thing. Best eatery in Eau Claire. read more

Acceptable Food. Nothing exceptional. Eau Claire really lacks a great Italian restaurant.

We left with our wallet empty and our bellies hungry. Not the restaurant this used to be. Went there yesterday (Tuesday) for an early Valentine dinner. There were no specials. There was no bread provided with the meal. The entrees we ordered did not come with a starter of salad or soup. And the portions are now NY Haute Cuisine tiny. I ordered "beef short ribs", but all I received was a very small portion of beef roast. It was a good beef roast, but I can make a VERY good beef roast at home. My spouse ordered the Amish chicken breast. It was a tiny breast smothered in mushrooms. Again, tasty, but more mushrooms than chicken. read more

We came back and had a pretty good meal. If you are looking for a good meal in a nice atmosphere, this is it. Still nothing to rave about but this is Eau Claire. Spendy though. read more

The food might be good but the "reservation" system is a huge mess. First you look at the website that says "reservations", you call and make a reservation, you get there and they tell you they don't take reservations. They have added you to some sort of "call ahead walk in list". Would have been helpful to know that when you call to make a reservation. Then you wait... you keep asking when your table will be ready and repeatedly say "oh about 20 mins, just waiting for that table who just got their check to get up". This then makes you turn your anger towards the people at the table, who probably also waited a long time to enjoy this food you may never get the chance to enjoy. Perhaps this is why the food is so good, you have to wait so long that you are starving. Don't eat here for dinner unless you can go at lunch time and wait. That's just terrible resturant management. read more

I was driving through Eau Claire with my family and we decided to come here on a Friday night. They were busy, but had 4 open tables scattered throughout the restaurant. We were told by the host that there would be a 15-20 minute wait. We patiently waited as a couple of the tables remained opened. When asked why we couldn't sit there we were told that those were reserved. After 45 minutes I asked the host stand how much longer we would have to wait. They said it would be another 15-20 minutes. I was baffled as we could have finished our meal in the time that we had been waiting, yet tables remained opened. We ended up leaving after waiting for an hour. I am sure the food is great, but the staff was awful. We ended up eating at the bar next door (same owner) and it was very good. Mona Lisa really needs to get a grip on their staff and set realistic expecations for their wait times. read more

I've spent about 14 days total in Eu Claire and I've been here 3 times for dinner. Ok, so part of the reason for the multiple visits might be the lack of other options in western wisconsin for a nice non chain dinner. The menu is definitely pasta heavy. Like most places you have your good and bad. I'd probably stay away from the tortellini rockefeller touted in some other reviews and stick to the simple chicken and sun dried tomato pasta which was surprisingly good. The ambiance is nice and cozy, good lighting, nice exposed brick interior with a wood burning fire place. Can't imagine there are many options when looking to impress a date in EC, this might be your best bet. Prices are semi reasonable at about 13-20 bucks for a pasta dish and north of 20 bucks for fish or meat centric options. Good selection of cocktails and a decent wine list for the area. I just hope in the future a few more similar restaurants will open in the area so I won't have to eat here multiple times on each of my work trips! read more

They hit it out of the park with butternut squash gnocchi and an appetizer of dates with bacon. Quite surprised by the quality and the server was friendly even though we showed up a little before they were actually open. read more

To be fair, I certainly appreciate the history and re-purposing of this building and that Mona Lisa's has been around for a long time and is the favorite of many locals (they must be meat eaters!) However, the food left too much to be desired for me to give it a good review and especially if you are a vegetarian, the prices are simply not justifiable. During a recent visit I was so disappointed by the lack luster bread and butter that came out before the meal (I guess I was hoping for warm artisan or at least home-cooked bread with a nice olive oil dipping sauce). The spinach pasta with sun-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, artichokes, etc. was just okay and the ratatouille was heavy handed, with vegetables that were way overcooked to complete mush and overall it tasted like a canned vegetable soup. The atmosphere was nothing special, not nearly as charming or romantic as I had expected from what I had heard (or what I remembered from a very early visit back in the late 90s). With just our two veggie entrees and two glasses of wine we ended up spending over $50! I think there are plenty of other fine dining establishments in Eau Claire that have less of a reputation for being amazing that actually ARE amazing and won't cost you as much. Even try their other restaurant, Stella Blues for a much better eating experience (but beware - the staff there can be less than friendly). read more

High expectations were met with disappointment. Chicken in the pasta was dry and had bones in it. Dishes in general were light on sauce and low on flair. Although we are not from the area, we won't be going back on our next time through. read more

A real treat to find in the middle of college party central. Delicious pastas and fish, a great beer list. Cute back patio with a wood fire, great service. We sent our plates back to the kitchen practically licked clean. And the panna cotta with red wine/raspberry reduction was outstanding. read more

Food is average at best. I had ravioli with chicken in an alfredo sauce. Pedestrian. Salty, no real technique or uniqueness. Service was fine. Atmosphere average to below average. Not good for a one off. read more

In Eau Claire for business and heard this place was one of the good restaurants in town. Got there early for dinner. God beer and wine selection. Food was very good and the atmosphere was good also. I had the salmon, which was good but small. Prices were moderate. Dessert was very good also. I would recommended this place. read more

Visiting Eau Claire on business and checked out yelp & surprised to see such high ratings on an Italian restaurant in such a small city so had to check it out. Where the ratings a result of lack of competition or reviewers with more limited experience? I am happy to report neither. I was very impressed by this place. Being a lover of Italian wine and food I appreciated both the high quality of both the food and wine. Starting with the wine, they have wine tastings in season (roughly June thru September) whereby you can sample wines from one of the area's dominant distributors and purchase one of those wines at a below normal restaurant markup. So given Barolo is my favorite wine and they had its near cousin Barbaresco available I went for a glass of that. Very good but my only complaint was that it was too warm for me who thinks low 60's is best for reds. Getting to the food, I had the anchovies which were marinated in vinegar, olive oil and red peppers. Wonderful flavor & combination and if your only thought of anchovies is of the canned variety then please try these. For the entrée I had fettuccine Rockefeller with scallops, smoked bacon, mushrooms & kale in a light cream sauce. I think it's a real challenge to pull off a light cream sauce yet one that is tasty and they have succeeded. The smoked bacon is the key to me as it imparts a wonderful taste and flavor to the dish and I am a person who thinks all the pig additions to menus, which is the current trend, is overdone. I had the pleasure to meet Lisa the owner (she owns 2 other restaurants, more casual type places apparently, in EC) which just reinforced my view that this is someone who is very serious about both her food and her wine and pulls it off with great success! Very impressive, enjoyable restaurant! read more

I've always had a good experience here. Great, knowledgeable staff and wonderful food.

I took my wife here for our anniversary and it was a great experience; good food, service and atmosphere. Has a nice little outdoor seating area too for summertime dinning. We plan on going back many more times for dinner. read more

Very nice place for dinner. Restaurant has a very good atmosphere for upscale dining in the Eau Claire area. The menu can vary from what is in season in the area to what the chef's inspiration was for the day. One of the only places in Eau Claire where you can find a cheese tray. There is bar which is not very big so on a Friday or Saturday expect to wait, however they have very comfortable couches in front of a very nice wood burning fireplace to enjoy a cocktail. I would say Mona Lisa's is a very nice restaurant to take your wife to for a special occasion or if your a foodie. If your looking for casual dining and are expecting hamburgers and french fries you will be dissapointed. read more

We ate at Mona Lisa's last night for the first time. We are pescatarian foodies struggling to find excellent cuisine in this area. We were not disappointed!! The vegetarian paella was superb! The vegetables are still crisp, still have all of their individual flavors and textures. The rice was cooked and flavored to perfection!! My fiancé had the spinach fettuccini with artichokes, kalamata olives and sundries tomatoes which was also excellent! We had the baked feta which could have used more plum tomatoes to balance the saltiness of the cheese but it was still enjoyable with the delicious bread. The wine was excellent as was the port. Desserts were wonderful! They were a little heavy handed with the caramel sauce and ice cream instead of whipped cream would have balanced the richness of the spiced cake dessert. We will return and bring friends and family who visit. It's so refreshing to have an inspiring meal in this area. The waitstaff was absolutely superb as well. Thank you for a wonderful evening. read more

Great dinner, great service. Our server was awesome. We ordered a bunch of different things and everything was good. The pork chop was slightly over cooked, still moist though. The chef sent out dessert to make up for over cooking the chop. It was a nice touch. Wine list and service were good. We had a great time. read more

Wonderful cocktails and wine-list. The food, including appetizers, salads and the yummy pizzas, is reliably delicious, especially if you avoid things that seem to feature cream from the description. Not a great place for conversation amongst a group because of the decibel level in the rooms. read more

After a day on the road, we used yelp to choose our dinner stop in Eau Claire, WI. It was going to be late, but no worries, Mona Lisa is open until 11:00 pm. We arrived at the hostess station at 10:02 pm feeling good that we'd have an hour before closing. The greeter refused to seat us and informed us that the kitchen closed at 10:00 pm. I questioned why yelp says open until 11:00, and nowhere is there any mention, on yelp or on Mona Lisa's website, that the kitchen closes at 10:00. The greeter had no response other than making us feel stupid for trying to have dinner there, the bar is open till 11:00, no food though. Even more frustrating is the fact that it was 10:02, seriously you turn away a group of 4 customers for 2 minutes? Lisa, you have one opportunity to disappoint your customers. I don't care how good the food is, we won't be back. We found an excellent alternative just down the road, open till 11 and happy to serve us. read more

I LOVE Mona Lisas. I had hazelnut salmon with apple cider risotto a couple months ago and still crave it. It is my go-to place when I visit Eau Claire. It is beautiful, comfortable, and I have loved every dish I have had there. read more

Great service and very good food. The beef tenderloin is excellent, and my wife really enjoyed the tortellini. Probably the best restaurants I've been to in Eau Claire. Almost a 5 star review. read more

This was my first visit to Mona Lisa but it won't be my last. I tried the house made gnocchi and it was excellent, the watermelon on feta salad was an unexpected delight but the highlight of the meal was the perfectly prepared paella. I have never tasted paella this good and I have had it many times. The service was good and friendly. I will definitely be back. read more

We have been here several times without a reservation and always able to get a table. The service has always been consistently good and they have a cozy environment. The food is delicious and the staff are friendly. The prices are very reasonable. I would highly recommend the panna cotta for desert! AMAZING!! read more

Amazing food and service! Did I mention amazing food lol. Would highly recommend for a nice night out.

My fiancé, our 1 year old, and I had a great experience here this past weekend. We had made a reservation for 5 pm on Saturday night, but for a number of reasons, were running about 30 minutes late. The restaurant accommodated us with no issues. We were casually dressed, and probably would have been a little better suited in business casual. Also, there weren't many children there, mostly couples and adult families, but they were very hospitable and accommodating for our son. Once we arrived, we were promptly greeted and seated. Due to our young child, we then requested to be moved to the patio where he would have more to observe, and they were happy to relocate the table. Our waitress, although her name is fleeting at the moment, was amazing. (Younger 20's, slim build, average height, shoulder length brown/blonde highlighted hair). She was knowledgeable about the ingredients in each dish, recommended different options for us and our child, and was prompt with her service. We were in Eau Claire for a get-away birthday trip with our family, and this was definitely the highlight of the weekend. We tried many things on the menu including The Board Game, and Calamari for appetizers, both of which I would highly recommend. For entrees, we got cheese tortellini with Alfredo sauce and chicken for our son, which he loved. Being that we were from out of town, my fiancé and I got a few dishes to sample, including: Traditional Bolognese - authentic, but lacking a little depth in my opinion. Cavatappi with Shrimp - very flavorful, and visually appealing. Sea Scallops with Bourbon Glaze on Risotto - this was amazingly delectable. Cooked perfectly, juicy, and had a full array of flavors. Definitely our favorite that we tried, and what we would order again when we return. For desert we also sampled a variety of dishes: Pistachio Ice Cream - creamy and nutty, this was my fiancé's favorite. Raspberry Sorbet - tart and refreshing, a perfect way to cleanse the palate. Triple Berry Tarte with Ice Cream - light, flakey, fresh and floral. Overall, our experience at Mona Lisa's lasted about 2 hours during the "peak" dining hours, but we were very pleased with our service and food. The one down fall was that our server did not bring back our left over Cavatappi or Risotto, both of which we had about half left. Since we had so many dishes, we did not notice this until we got home. read more

very good food, fabulous wine. good date/special occasion location. nice atmosphere. decent prices for the nicer food quality. changing menu. some of the employees were rude, others nice. read more

I used to live in EC and have been to ML many times, i moved away 3 years ago. Came back for NYE celebration with friends. We had reservations for 7:45pm. When we arrived I was shocked by the lack of business, the tables were probly 85-90% full. But when we were told our table wasn't ready there was plenty of room at the bar. We were finally seated about 20 minutes later. It took forever for our server to take our order, it took forever for our appetizers and it took forever for dinner. We had been there for 2 hours, when finally we asked for our check. Our serve was beyond being in the weeds. The food was excellent as always but to have dinner take 2.5 hours before we finally got out. Never offered dessert, and i was really looking forward to some of their amazing desserts, but i was too fed up to spend another hour waiting on dessert. The owner was running all over prepping tables and paying attention to the few, while blind to the big picture. VERY disappointing, this used to be a fine restaurant in the Chippewa Valley. read more