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Even Mona Lisa Loves Karaoke
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In Paris the Mona Lisa is a masterpiece of paint and vision, but in Fort Myers it’s definitely more fun, and for that matter, a bit more energetic.
Mona Lisa Italian Restaurant, Pizza & Lounge is a mouthful of a venue looking to break the boring bar and grill mould. In the field of candidates trying to become the top night hang out, Mona Lisa is the dark horse, but she just may take the lead and run with it.
Sure, it's between an Encore Bank Branch and an Office Depot in a shopping center on College Parkway, but in Southwest Florida, haven't we all become accustomed to the strip-mall style of living? Step inside and let the atmosphere make up for the meager outside appearance.
Nick Krueger
Karaoke and pizza and booze form a nightlife trifecta at Mona Lisa Restaurant and Lounge.
Upon entering, Mona Lisa is divided into two parts. To the left is the restaurant and dining room and to the right is the bar and lounge.
"This is a really fun place for me and my friends," said Trish Langham, who has been coming to Mona Lisa's for two years. "This is just a great place to hang out with people after work or during a night out."
The lounge is a little on the narrow side, but it's not uncomfortable. The bar looks straight out of an old tavern, with liquor and wine on display along with a myriad of sports memorabilia, autographs and antiques completing the atmosphere. Tables line the walls where the bar ends, and the rectangular room culminates with a stage and sound equipment built for what makes Mona Lisa genuinely special: karaoke.
Mona Lisa is the only nightspot in Fort Myers that features karaoke every night of the week. Every night! That’s more Diana Ross, Backstreet Boys and Madonna every single night. And when you’ve picked your jaw-dropping, belt-it-out-‘til-the-bartender-covers-his-ears number just tell the DJ – they have it all; you'll never have to go hunting through books for 15 minutes to find out the song you want to sing isn't available.
After that, the singing is up to you. Plenty of classics have been turned into ear-bleeders, at Mona Lisa, but that’s half the point.
"I never get up there and sing," Langham said. "Well maybe if the song was 'Summer Lovin' from Grease."
Nick Krueger
The karaoke action heats up at Mona Lisa in Fort Myers.
Monday at Mona Lisa is red ticket night, where patrons are given red tickets with each drink they buy for the chance to win free ones in raffles drawn periodically throughout the night.
Tuesday is ladies night, and Thursdays and Sundays are hospitality nights, where all the drinks are half off. Who says Southern hospitality is dead? Friday and Saturday, in addition to the karaoke, dance songs are played in intermissions to get everyone in the large crowd involved.
In addition to the drink specials and the general bedlam that ensues on a nightly basis, Mona Lisa provides a service that other places are hard-pressed to offer.
The kitchen stays open late, serving a full menu of some of the tastiest pizza and Italian you'll find – particularly late at night when the drunk munchies kick in with a vengeance.
"We have something going on here every night," Mona Lisa owner Joe Pirrone said. "And our kitchen stays open ‘til about 1:30, so people can eat while they're here."
Late night pizza, ear ringing karaoke and cheap, flowing booze – no wonder the Mona Lisa is smiling.
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