Our Story

On August 1, 1983, Mona Lisa Ristorante Italiano opened its doors with a small two seater table, a Pacman game, one pizza oven and the smallest kitchen you ever saw. With just pick-up and delivery of pizza and fried chicken the newest member to the neighbourhood struggled to make a place for itself in the heart of River Heights. Staying true to the old ways of cooking, it was not long before this very traditional southern Italian jewel began to carve its own history as Winnipeg's finest Italian Restaurant.

Within a year of opening its doors, the staff grew, the menu was groomed to reflect home style cooking with southern roots and a small dining room of 36 seats was introduced. The neighbour hood embraced its newest treasure, and a year later, the "Smile Lounge" was added. This busy little family-run restaurant was beginning to explode and once again ideas of expansion became reality. One fine summer day Mona Lisa introduced Corydon Avenue to one of its first outdoor patios. Today, outdoor patios are flourishing and we are proud to have been part of bringing that concept to Winnipeg.

A few years later, while reminiscing about small town life in Italy, the conversation turned to the little market stores and the products you could find that are so hard to get here. The delis are not just stores, but a way of life in small Italian towns. So, soon after the Mercato di Mona Lisa Specialty Foods store was born. With our food becoming ever so popular, more expansion was needed, renovations began and the Corporate Lounge was born featuring our 30 foot Corporate Suspension Table catering to many family and corporate events. As our business grows, so does the need to reassess and reconfigure our layout…a hole in the wall was made, ovens were moved, the dining room was expanded and even the kitchen found just a little more room.

The newest chapter of our history is the addition of the exciting and innovative La Cantina di Mona Lisa that replaced the Mercato. La Cantina opened its doors in February of 2006. This state of the art wine bar with its rustic and contemporary décor features an exclusive Tuscan "Enomatic Wine System". It is the first of its kind in Winnipeg. This system allows customers to come and use their pre-paid wine cards and sample a variety of wines by the ounce. Customers have been intrigued with the ability to come in after a long day and serve themselves premium wine by the ounce and savour the tastes of unique appetizers. This wine bar has filled the need for Winnipeggers to come and explore the age-old art of wine tasting.

Our menu has always reflected the best interests of our patrons, so not only do we use the purest of ingredients to make our products but we have just recently added gluten free products and whole wheat pastas to meet the needs of our customers with special dietary concerrns.

We hope that this quick tour of our history has helped you see the exciting and ever-changing face of our restaurant. We base ourselves strongly on high quality products, friendly service and an authentic Italian family ambiance. We invite you to join us.

Buon Appetito...

Giuseppe and Alfina Grande
Proprietors
Mona Lisa Ristorante Italiano