Today we’d like to introduce you to Stefano Brunetto.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Stefano. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Mona Lisa Italian Foods is located in the Little Italy area of San Diego, California. The Little Italy restaurant and deli opened in 1973. In the early years it also operated as a wholesale import business, supplying Italian provisions to the local tuna fleet and other San Diego restaurants. Mona Lisa Italian Foods continues to serve Little Italy and the greater San Diego region.
Our Italian restaurant offers a full bar, extensive wine list, and great service in a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. The restaurant’s menus include pizza, antipasti, hot and cold sandwiches, pasta and ravioli, and house specialties including veal and chicken dishes, lasagna, manicotti, seafood, and more. Our Italian deli offers a very wide selection of foods, wine and drinks, including Italian cheeses, bread, crackers, desserts, meats and much more. Our delicious deli sandwiches are prepared fresh daily. We welcome you to visit Mona Lisa Italian Foods, our family owned San Diego Italian restaurant and deli at 2061 India Street.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
With the decline of the tuna industry in the Little Italy area and the destruction of 35% of Little Italy due to the construction of Interstate-5 freeway in the 1960’s; Little Italy suffered nearly thirty years of decline. The decline of Little Italy had a direct relationship to our business because of the mass exodus of Italians and fisherman from the Little Italy area. In the early 1990′s, established property owners and family-run business owners (including Mona Lisa owner, Domenico Brunetto) decided to take their fate into their own hands and create the Little Italy Association, naming the area officially Little Italy and designating the area a redevelopment zone in order to funnel the local property taxes into public projects. San Diego’s Little Italy owes its success to those founding members of the Little Italy Association.
Please tell us about Mona Lisa Italian Foods.
One of the unique features of our business is our history. In fact, you will find close to a thousand people a day come in and out of our doors on a daily basis. Some of those people are customers and others come to see the rich history of Little Italy. Our business consists of an East Coast style Italian American restaurant and authentic Italian deli that features wines, balsamic vinegar’s, deli meats, cheeses, variety of Italian pastas and much more. In a neighborhood that features many newer and more modern restaurants we treat our business as a historic landmark that features high quality Italian food for reasonable prices.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If we had to start over we probably would have purchased more properties adjacent to the restaurant to accommodate the rising demand of our business. Little Italy is a destination for San Diego and becomes more popular every day.
Pricing:
- Fresh made deli sandwiches in the 7.75 to 8.50 range
- Homemade pizzas in the 14.50 to 18.00 range
- Pasta entrees that come with soup or salad and garlic bread in the 11.50 to 16.00 range
Contact Info:
- Address: 2061 India Street
San Diego, Ca 92101 - Website: monalisalittleitaly.com
- Phone: 6192344893
- Email: monalisalittleitaly@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://instagurum.com/u/monalisalittleitalysd
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MonaLisaLittleItaly/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/monalisasand
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mona-lisa-italian-foods-san-diego-2
Image Credit:
Stefano Brunetto
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