Colorado Springs Vintage Homes Blog
719.287.1049
Mona Lisa Restaurant… a perfect romantic dinner
Mona List Restaurant in Colorado Springs
In the mood for a truly romantic getaway? Come to The Mona Lisa in Manitou Springs and you won’t be disappointed.
Mona Lisa is a fixture of West-Side Colorado Springs cuisine. The restaurant is in an old building with small rooms, creaky, crooked floors and steep stairs (check out the bathrooms where you’ll feel like you’ve gone back in time about 100 years). It was originally built as a hotel in the late 1800’s. Old, signed wine bottles from previous guests line the walls and cubbies where a few of mine are there somewhere.
The food is magnificent. The four course meal includes salad; your choice of a regular salad, Caesar or their salad of the day (which when we went was a spinach with goat cheese, yummy), cheese fondue (we had the New World and a Greek with blue cheese), and chocolate fondue (choose milk, dark or white chocolate and add flavors). The thing that makes this place different from a traditional Melting Pot is that Mona Lisa replaces an oil main course with a raquette ( similar to a hot plate). For the main course you can choose traditional (which has a variety of beef, chicken, seafood and a sausage), seafood only or wild game (which is really wonderful and fun to try if you’re in the mood for something different). It’s a departure from the fondue formula, but to me a welcome one.
The wine list is truly impressive and we polished off two bottles by the time our meal was done. They also have a quaint wine cellar where you don’t need reservations and can enjoy some wine along with a cheese or chocolate fondue.
Mona Lisa is expensive, but it’s atmosphere is utterly charismatic and romantic to the core. They are closed on Monday and its a one price for complete dinner starting at $40 per person. The service was exceptional as our waitress was there when needed but didn’t hover. She made great suggestions for the wines and explained to our guests who have never been there how the evening would work. We walked our contented and happy after spending a leisurely 3 hours over a wonderful meal.
Reservations are required, so call 719-685-0277 to schedule. Let me know what you think.
Some other restaurants that you might like reading about:
- Adam’s Mountain Cafe in Manitou Springs, a MUST for any visit to Manitou
- Jose Muldoons…best margaritas in town
- Marigolds Cafe and Bakery
If you enjoyed reading this article, why not Kathy (719-287-1049) KTorline@msn.com
