Note from Karen, June, 2025: Mona Lisa is permanently closed.
When my New York friend and I left Mona Lisa Miami we were already planning a return dinner there with our partners. How’s that for an endorsement? Was it the “million potato tartare”, earmarked for one of my best dishes of the year? The four course menu with every dish a winner for $89 a person? Or the glam décor and intimate setting and our waiter Gregory, who couldn’t do enough for us. No surprise, all of the above.
Just opened two months ago, Mona Lisa Miami features Asian-Med fusion cuisine which seems to be the popular culinary niche these days. But the food here is not formulaic. It’s different, very flavorful, creative and attractively presented at the hands of Executive Chef Benjamin Goldman, formerly of Seaspice and Komodo.
The décor is intriguing. They describe it as an ode to Leonardo da Vinci‘s famed masterpiece and indeed, in some ways it is, with its Renaissance color combination of earthy browns, malachite green, and blues. But to me, it’s also like a contemporary art installation with a sparkling ceiling created with a 3D printer, and a panel of digital art as a focal point.
The menu at Mona Lisa Miami is divided into caviar, from the sea, starters, salads, entrees and sides.
Before I went as I always do, I had a good look at the menu to think about what to order. Lo and behold, the fixed price menu had several of the dishes I had planned to order. The menu has a choice of two or three dishes in each course. We tried everyone but one.
Our first course dishes were the Hamachi, a different take on the crudo with pistachios and a refreshing mandarin flavor, an lyonnaise potato squares resting on Miyazaki snow with crème fraiche and topped with Wagyu tartare, chives and caviar. The combination of textures and flavors popped.I wanted more.
The second course at Mona Lisa Miami was a baked razor clam, pieces of clam served in the shell and seasoned with garlic butter, mixed with shimeji mushrooms and topped with panko.I’m not usually a razor clam lover, but my friend and I both enjoyed it as a change of pace. The other dish was the plump porcini dumplings filled with truffle tsukuri, chili oil crunch and goji berry. They too, were different from the usual, and so delicious I had to keep myself from eating them all.
Third course was a swimmingly fresh miso cod with a tasty, delicate seasoning of Saikyo miso and garnished with ninja radish and myoga. The other selection was an Australian Wagyu New York strip steak with wild mushroom and fleur de sel.
There’s an option to team up the special menu with a wine pairing at $45 a person.
Desserts were the yuzu Sicilian pistachio tort, delicious, but we preferred the matcha tiramisu, again not one of my usual favorites, but this one with its complex flavors and beautiful presentation hooked me.
Next time, besides repeating some of the dishes, I’d like to try the crispy lobster and the caviar bomba, a presentation that offers an interactive table side caviar and tequila ritual. Speaking of liquor, Mona Lisa offers an exclusive collection of rare Clase Azul bottles with some retailing close to $30,000 (US, not pesos!).
As you’d guess, they offer a selection of Wow signature cocktails priced from $21to $35 and wine available by the glass starting at $15 or bottles starting at $75.
Mona Lisa is also a nightlife hotspot with live entertainment until the wee hours. We arrived early, and the music and buzz from the diners was low and conversation easy. When we left, the noise level was energetic, which is the case these days at many restaurants as you’ve read here.
Thursday – Saturday, reservations for the restaurant are taken from 8 PM to 10:30 PM and the kitchen closes at 11 PM. The nightlife experience / after dark menu is from 12AM to 4AM. Valet parking is offered for $25 or there’s a municipal garage nearby.
Mona Lisa Miami, 739 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach.
