There’s no name on the sign in front of the restaurant, but when the image is arguably one of the most recognized in the world, who needs one?
Welcome to the Mona Lisa restaurant, located at 1212 Royal Street in the French Quarter.
Opened in 1987, the restaurant is truly a neighborhood institution. Current owner Farrow Stephenson purchased the establishment in 2005 — interesting timing to say the least.
“We were supposed to close on the day of Katrina,” he recalled; the deal ultimately concluded on December 23. Despite some understandable misgivings, “it ended up being a good opportunity.”
Stephenson has observed changes in his clientele over the years.
“When we first bought it, it was 75% local,” he recounted. “Of course, after Katrina, there weren’t many tourists. About 10 years in, it went to about 75% tourists. Now, after COVID, it’s about 65% local and 35% tourists.”
Stephenson has his own way of defining “local.”
“If I recognize you and know what you’re probably going to eat, I consider you a local,” he said.
The restaurant bills itself as “a taste of Italy in the French Quarter,” and the menu supports this motto. Among the specialties are calzones and pizzas that customers can design to their tastes. Stephenson’s personal favorite items are the eggplant Parmesan and the shrimp scampi, but he notes that the two lasagnas — beef and spinach — are the biggest sellers.
Patrons can count on the same quality each time they dine.
“We’ve been told by chefs we know, some of them from the high-end restaurants, that what they’re amazed by is our consistency.”
The décor of the cozy interior is almost entirely Mona Lisa. DaVinci’s mysterious maiden appears in multiple settings, sometimes with company — anything from a cat to a dinosaur to a glass of wine and a pizza — and even wearing a New York Mets jersey.
Stephenson oversees a staff of eight, and notes that he has seen labor issues abate. The bigger challenges, he said, arise from the city’s infrastructure problems, including boil water advisories and a water leak in front of the restaurant that, after several repair attempts, escalated into a small geyser, a street closure and a large “revenge hole,” in his words, that remained for many weeks.
Another challenge is the location.
“The French Quarter is not made for 21st century living,” he pointed out. There’s no parking for delivery trucks, repair people or any other types of business services.
All of these challenges paled, however, to what happened last August, when the building housing the restaurant was purchased by an out-of-town investor. The investor gave Stephenson 60 days to vacate the premises. Word quickly spread, and a few weeks later, hundreds of supporters participated in the “Night of a Thousand Mona Lisas” protest. They got a permit to close the block, and everyone wore Mona Lisa masks. As a result, the new landlord backed down, and Stephenson ended up with a new five-year lease with an additional five-year option.
“I had no idea that people thought as highly of us as they do,” he recalled gratefully. “I try to live up to that every day.”
Mona Lisa restaurant
1212 Royal Street // New Orleans
504-522-6746 // MonaLisaNewOrleans.com
FB: Mona Lisa Restaurant //  IG: @MonaLisaNewOrleans
