Mona Lisa Catering

Awsome service !!! Food was great very professional ! I would call them again if I ever have another event

HEARTBROKEN.
1. The thing I liked about Wagdy was that he seemed to be upfront about every little detail. Some people may be taken aback by his assertiveness, but I appreciate it when I am not lied to. Therefore, I was beyond STUNNED when I arrived to my reception to find HIS BUSINESS CARDS SPRAWLED ACROSS EACH TABLE. Can you believe that?! My bridesmaids and I hurried and took them off each table while people were having drinks in the foyer so we caught them in time. No, they were not placed in a classy fashion. IT WAS SUPER TACKY! Why did he try to SNEAK them in there without previous discussion!!! We would have been more than happy to refer him business and/​or allow him to pass out the cards afterwards! This was never even brought up.
2. As if that wasnt bad enough, we were getting lined up for our grand entrance and I guess he was mad that we took the business cards off the table. WAGDY ACTUALLY STOPPED ME TO YELL AT ME FOR TAKING HIS BUSINESS CARDS OFF THE TABLES! YES! HE SERIOUSLY DID THIS! ON MY WEDDING DAY! HE YELLED AT THE BRIDE!
3. We spent almost the entire first dance talking about how and in what world a caterer would yell at a bride on her wedding day for something HE TRIED TO DO BEHIND MY BACK! As if that wasnt enough, he promised to leave the buffet table out past the 1 hour, not refill it, but just leave it out. Promptly at 1 hour, they came and cleaned everything up. I didnt say anything because I had just gotten yelled at, but HOW UNPROFESSIONAL.
4. See the scotch tape in my photo? I paid extra for black linens and gave him the dimensions. In his tacky-​ass world, I guess it’s okay to have SCOTCH TAPE ALL VISIBLE! So now, forever more, my cake cutting photos will have scotch tape in them. In the photos with the crooked ass cake too.
So here’s my summary: Unprofessional, sneaky, tacky, and apparently has anger management issues. BTW, NOT ONE PERSON HAS SAID THE FOOD WAS GOOD. NOT ONE COMMENT, WHATSOEVER. So what does that tell you about the food???

I have nothing but great things to say about them, I am not going to lie I had my doubts once I went with them and heard somethings and read some of the reviews but honestly come day of they did an excellent job! Not one thing I could complain about and the waiters did great! No one complained about the food I loved it. I had the pleasure of having Willy’s daughter Maryann on my wedding and she was just a doll! She went above and beyond!
I know Willy can be pushy and want things his way but he will work with you! Be very specific with what you want from the start and you can’t go wrong with the price!
Thank you Mona Lisa for the great job well done at my wedding!
Kristy

Mona Lisa Catering was absolutely amazing! They catered our wedding which consisted our 250 guests. They were totally professional and an absolute pleasure to work with. Willie knows exactly what he’s talking about and is so helpful with recommendations that he felt would best suit our event. He is very thorough in explaining all cost and details which was very important to us. Mary Ann was also a pleasure to work with. She’s extremely patient and super helpful. I felt so comfortable and calm and relaxed knowing that she was there. I had absolutely no doubt that she would take great care of us. This company is so passionate about what they do and through their service you can tell that they do it with their heart. The food was absolutely delicious and so many of our guest kept telling us how great the food was. Which made us really happy! We were beyond happy with this company and the level of service we received and will be referring them to everyone we know! Thank you so much Mona Lisa Catering for making my Wedding an amazing one!

My wedding consisted of 200 guests on August 22, 2015. While the process was complicated because a lot of people didn’t RSVP on time, Willie was extremely unprofessional. We had to drive from Perris CA to his office, in his home, in Porter Ranch, which was too far. He threatened to not show up to our wedding 2 weeks before the date if he didn’t receive the final payment on the date of the contract. We ensured we had the money but we needed the weekend to drive out there and he wasn’t having it. We had to rush to the postal office and overnight the money. I get theres a contract and deadlines but there was no consideration in the lengthy drive. To be honest we forgot the final due date which was our fault but the anger behind Willie was heartbreaking. For a bride, planning a wedding is extremely stressful and it is hard to fine tune details on time and especially traveling such a distance. Willie was not flexible and was angry while talking over the phone. He freely expressed his hate toward our venue but that’s not our fault. I was always super relieved to speak with Maryanne. They do not provide water nor ice. We didn’t know they needed 32 gallons of water until 2 weeks before the wedding and for a bride budgeting this is extremely unprofessional timing on their end. We were suppose to keep the leftovers as discussed but his workers were too much in a rush to speak with us on the day and their fowl attitude was evident towards our guests. I received multiple complaints about the manner in which they spoke to our guests and we did not get to keep any leftover food that was paid for. They were also given a schedule so for us to have to hunt them down to start cutting the cake was an added stress. Our «fruit bar» was a cut and hollow watermelon filled with grapes and other fruit. They refilled them but it was not a fruit BAR. It felt so cheap. The chicken dinner was tasty and affordable but the experience with Willie was every bride’s nightmare. We received a lovely frame with our picture taken the day of, which was so sweet and it was interesting that Willie did not show up to our wedding when he initially said that he would. I can own up to my faults on the rsvp issues but his temper was too short for a first time bride. Sadly, as a result, I did not get to enjoy or have any excitement at any time of the planning of my wedding. Their chicken was okay (hence the 1 star) but collaborating with Mona Lisa Catering was not worth the stress and tears. especially to have spent over $ 5,600. They also messed up my cake by mixing the strawberry and bananas when we asked to have them separate.
ps: they do not take credit. Also their cakes do not come decorated you have to buy the flowers separate to have color on the cake.

Willie and Mona Lisa Catering were such a pleasure to work with for our wedding. At our initial meeting with Willie, he made my wife and me feel very comfortable and was able to provide us with suggestions from all the experience he had doing weddings.
After we had decided to go with Mona Lisa Catering our venue informed us that the reception area was not going to be available until 4pm, which left Willie and his team only 3 hours to setup when they typically needed 4. He simply said for us not to worry and that they will have it all ready within the 3 hours. This just goes to show the type of person Willie is and how he will do everything in his power to make your day perfect.
We received a lot of feedback from our guests about how good the food was and how nice the serving staff treated everyone. On the day of the wedding Willie even took a picture of my wife and I and a few minutes later presented us with an engraved frame with the picture inside! This really meant a lot to us since it was the first picture we were able to see of ourselves after the wedding. We highly recommend Mona Lisa Catering if you’re looking to serve great food to your guests without breaking the bank!

We just got married Aug 29, 2015. I had a few pet peeves with the caterer was:
1. Changed the floor plan of the tables, after my fiancé and I already perfected the flow throughout the room. As we entered the hall for reception, we had to squeeze by our guest.
2. Placed their business cards all over my reception. I already gave them advertisement on my programs & without asking I was offended to see them everywhere.
3. Mona Lisa staff absolutely butchered my cake. I don’t know which one of the non-​cake cutting knowledge staff members cut it, the end result that I was left with was heartbreaking.
4. Because we didn’t want to rent the toasting glasses from them, they refused to pour the glasses of apple cider at our non alcoholic reception.
5. Willie showed up to supervise the supervisor and staff. He was just hovering, it annoyed me.
6. They left early after the contract stated that they were supposed to stay until 6pm. Only stayed 5 hours (contracted for 6 hrs.)
I appreciate they left the food (of guest plates paid, but not in attendance) behind for my family to have. But I will not hire them again for any other event.

This review is long overdue. In spring of 2010, I was helping my boyfriend’s cousin with their wedding. And I stumbled upon Mona Lisa Catering. I called up the owner and scheduled a meeting. He and his wife were very welcoming. They are really sweet and passionate about what they do. They care about your wedding to every detail. They try to make your day, the best possible. I think the story was they opened up the business together. They let us taste the cake and showed us all the table cloth essentials.
This is the best valued catering in the San Fernando Valley. Whether you’re a bride on a budget or not, this family– owned business is a great choice. After many years in the business, they have many knowledge and they have many variety of sashes of colors for you to choose from to decorate the wedding chairs. The pricing is great! The food is delicious! Everyone from the wedding that night came up to me and told me how they really love the food. We ordered chicken. They also have a cake option available and it’s quite yummy. You don’t have to worry about hiring a separate cake company to make you the cake and transfer it to the event; you can have this company do it for you including the cake cutting service.
As a bride, you don’t have to worry about renting plates, silverwares, glasswares, or colored napkins. Mona Lisa has all of this stuff. It’s all included in the service. They have their own professional staff, so you don’t have to worry about hiring any servers. The price option is shocking. The quality of food they serve for this price is wonderful! There are buffet style appetizer options for guest to taste before the event start. They even have cupcakes (new), fondue, and fruit station options. The catering plan also comes with a coffee station. I really enjoyed working with this catering company, and would highly recommend to all my friends. They truly are amazing. And they truly care. When it’s my turn to get married, or when more of my friends get married, I’ll definitely share my experiences of Mona Lisa Catering with them.

Mona Lisa Catering did a wonderful job at our wedding. We got married at the end of May 2015. They handled every detail so we were able to focus on getting married. We still have people coming up to us asking us who we used no almost 2 months later. The food was fresh, and ready to feed our guest. The staff was professional and ready to serve. We would use them again.

Mona Lisa was an amazing Caterer. I got married on April 11, 2015, and Wagdy and his team did an excellent job. They were very detailed and professional. The price was very affordable and they were on top of everything. They wanted to make sure of final guest counts, cake, etc. Many people have there experiences and mine was incredible. They gave me and my husband nothing but the best. We loved our cake! So moist and soft. I recommend to any one for any occasion.

We used Mona Lisa catering for the wedding on 1÷17÷2015, we thought they did a great job with a very affordable price. Willie who is the owner is very organized and he could sound a bit pushy when discussing the serving details but overall he is very professional and well organized.
We worked out a serving plan that really fit the wedding schedule and things went very smooth at the wedding. Some of the chicken was a little over-​cooked that day but overal the food was delicious and the cake was really good. They packed up all the left-​over food for us at the end. We had a pretty good experience with them and we would use them again for catering. We hope this review helps your decision.

If possible I wouldn’t even give them a start… by far the worst catering company you can use. Please save yourself the money and pay the extra money to go with another caterer the food tasted bad and to top of off the day of my wedding they bring the whole family kid included. Was very disappointed and to top it of no they had no professionalism and were extremely rude.

My husband and I were married on October 18, 2014 and Mona Lisa catered our event. We couldn’t be happier! The prices were reasonable, the service was impeccable, and the attention to detail was impressive!
We had dinner for 100 people and we added the cocktail hour, bottle service, and cake service. I did not have a wedding coordinator, and honestly did not need one! Mary Ann stepped in wherever needed and took care of everything. In addition, they provided the beautiful tablecloths at no additional charge. My guests were very impressed by the food and the professionalism of this company, we highly recommend them!

I am very late with my review! Mona Lisa catering catered my wedding in this past April. They were so very wonderful. Wagdy did everything he could to make sure i was happy on my big day. The food was delicious (appetizers and plated dinner), his staff was amazing and he even had a wonderful gift for my husband and I. I couldn’t have been more happy with this catering experience and I would definitely recommend them for any wedding, especially for his unbeatable prices!

Mona Lisa is the best! I had them for my daughter’s baptism and they were awesome. Great service, very organized and inexpensive. A BIG thanks to Mona Lisa and their employees for a wonderful time. Thank you so much. I greatly recommend Mona Lisa to anyone with ANY occasion.

We held our wedding in First Congregational Church this may and were very lucky to have Mona Lisa Catering as our cater.
First of all, the price they charged was very very competitive. If we had gone for other caters for the same kind of food we would have at least paid 40% more. It was really a bargain.
Second, people in Mona Lisa Catering (MaryAnn and Mr. Shenouda) are very professional. We didn’t hire wedding coordinator/​planner and had to communicate with church and vendors on our own. Mona Lisa Catering saved us lots of time by negotiating with Church wedding coordinator on our behalves to work our a floor plan than met our needs. On our wedding data they showed up on time and set everything up on time. During our reception and dinner their service was friendly and attentive. After the dinner, they kindly packed all the left-​over in clean boxes for us.
Last but not least, the food they provided was top-​notch. Appetizers were all very tasty. Fruit station was fantastic. We chose filet mignon and salmon as our main entrée. They were all well cooked and servings of them were large.
In a word, I highly recommend Mona Lisa Catering.

Mr. Wagdy is an awesome cater and his wife is one of few cheifs that I love their food… very organized and great service… they are fast at what they do… their prices are low according to what you get.

I know this is long, but PLEASE READ! It will help in making your decision…
I had a horrible experience with Mona Lisa Catering for my wedding.
In our initial meeting with Willie, he was very nice and very professional… after he got our deposit check, it all went down hill. This is a business that cares only about the money that they are getting, not the customer.
We went with MLC only because of the price and how much we got for the price… that was a mistake.
I will skip all the annoyances from the meetings that followed the initial meeting, like Willie not showing up where he was suppose to, not keeping track of all of our needs/wants…I will jump to the morning of my wedding…
MLC showed up at 12 (with the whole family… including his granddaughter who was dressed for a wedding… formal dress and all. I did not invite his granddaughter to attend my wedding, but she still came and I have pictures to prove that she danced on the dance floor my entire reception, ate candy from my personally created candy bar for my guests, and used my photo booth to take pictures by herself as well as with my guests. I love kids, but this went too far).
Willie brought the wrong table clothes to my wedding… he brought white and I paid extra for the black ones… he told my mom (mother of the bride) to drive to Michael’s and buy her own table clothes! The day of my wedding! SERIOUSLY? My dad had to call him and chew him out before he agreed to get the black table clothes that we agreed on a month prior. When they finally got the black table clothes, the servers were so angry that they had to reset the tables that they took my center pieces and angrily slammed them onto the ground. My wedding ceremony singer was the one who told them to stop, Willie said nothing.
Jumping to when my dad gave his Father of the Bride speech… Willie was in the back yelling at his employees the whole time. I was the furthest away from them and I still heard them. The Father’s speech is one of the most precious at a wedding and Willie took that away from my dad and me. I will never forgive him for that!
Just a few more things and I am done… Willie helped himself to my candy bar, again just for my guests, and was shoving candy into a to-​go box for later, he tried to tell me to tell my DJ to stop the wedding before the end time so he could clean up and go home (I paid extra to have him stay and hour longer and he still tried to get out of it), his servers started cleaning off the tables before my reception was over… making my guests and FAMILY feel very uncomfortable.
All in all I would never, EVER recommend Mona Lisa Catering to anyone! He was rude, he stole from my wedding, and he demanded extra money from us because he had to go get the table clothes we already paid for because he left them at his house.
Please do yourself a favor and CHOOSE SOMEONE ELSE, if it wasn’t for my amazing family/​friends and my DJ (The Wedding Music DJ’s) my reception would have been a mess!

This had to be some of the worst wedding food I have ever had. There were so many things that wasn’t good at my cousins wedding it was crazy.
The appetizer food was ok, normal food, didn’t taste amazing. I go to the bathroom inside the house (the wedding was at an estate) and there were two older people in the kitchen SCREAMING at the servers. VERY UNPROFESSIONAL! They put bread out on the tables, in a basket, but in one of those plastic bags that you put lettuce in at the grocery store, really??? The salad was all oil, no flavor and no vinegar or lemon juice, just oil. The dinner was chicken with a mushroom sauce, steamed veggies and rice pilaf. The chicken was rubber and the sauce was nasty. Made with canned mushrooms, yuck! The veggies had no flavor, just steamed and put on the plate. The rice pilaf probably came out of a box, I could make it better. Then we finally tasted the cake… OMG. The frosting literally tasted like I took a spoon full of vegetable shortening and ate it. No sugar, not sweet at all. The sponge part of the cake also had no flavor. I was shocked.
I would not recommend anyone to use them. The food and service is NOT good.
**RESPONSE TO WAGDY**
I am sorry but none of what you said is an excuse for bad food. Bread does not go stale in 5 minutes. What I heard was not «clanking of dishes and just talking in another language» I know what a kitchen sounds like and these people were YELLING at the staff in an inappropriate way. As of right now your rating is 2 ½ stars… which I think is more than it should be.

Used them for our wedding at the South Coast Botanic Garden. They were good. I loved that they took care of EVERYTHING (plates, tableware, glasses, cake (added on).
The only thing I was kinda turned off by is the owner is a very meticulous man (which is good cause he wants to provide a wonderful service) but can be interpreted as pushy. He is not, he does whatever you want as long as you give him the proper resources, but for a bride the week of her wedding with all the stress of the day, it can be a little added stress. The food was better than what I expected and the presentation of the fruit bar was wonderful!
His daughter, Jenny I think it is, was the one at the wedding getting everything organized and she was super cool. My wedding planner had nothing but wonderful things to say about her!
I would definetely use them again! The price was very resonable…