Bistro Jacques

Cozy spot. Good European food. I met Jacques and he seems like a great guy. The guy loitering by the front door is the valet, not a drug dealer.
Some feedback:
–Beef bourguignon is very good.
–would like some bread to soak up the mussel broth… Why let that goodness go to waste?
–be more generous with the fry sauces

We had a wonderful dinner at Bistro Jacques following a concert. The service was very attentive, starting with the valet parking. Jacques himself presides over the dining room. He has wines by the bottle not on the menu. We were in a celebratory mood, so we had a delicious Perrier-​Jouet champagne with our first course, which we shared: a composed salad of red and yellow beets with goat cheese, pommes frites, and pâté maison made with veal and duck. The beet salad and pâté, which was made with duck and veal, were delicious. We had hoped the twice-​fried pommes frites would taste like those in Belgium, but not quite. It may be that the US potatoes are different (seriously). Still, these were very good and served in a paper cone with a choice of sauces. The tarragon mayonnaise was especially good. For our main course, we had lamb chops and duck breast au poivre. Both were served with a delicious cherry-​port sauce. The lamb chops were lightly crusted and perfectly cooked. I like duck just between medium rare and medium; it too was perfectly done. For this course, we accepted Jacques’ suggestion of a 2013 Telegramme Chateauneuf-​du-​Pape, which was a wonderful accompaniment to the food. It had a powerful cherry and black fruit bouquet with similar fruit on the palate and a round, lasting finish. Treat yourself to this wine. For dessert, we tried the apple tart tatin, profiteroles with ice cream and chocolate sauce, and flourless chocolate espresso cake. The tart tatin was a bit of a disappointment, but the other two desserts were excellent. The flourless chocolate cake was best: dense and richly flavored as one would expect of a chocolate dessert in a Belgian restaurant. The ambiance is casual and friendly, as one would expect of a bistro. It is the kind of place where one speaks to the owner and the other guests. We’ll be back.

Excellent muscles, great environment. One of my favorite spots for a nice dinner. The service is great and the menu is pretty different from everything else in the area.

Went here for a nice dinner. Venue and ambiance was amazing. Great place to sit and have a long dinner. We ordered off of the restaurant week special menu– beef bourguignon and Coq au Vin. Was really good. The wine recommendation was very good.

Not worth the time, money, or energy to go there. Very unpleasant experience. The bartender and wait staff are lovely, but the owner over shadowed the experience making it very unpleasant. Would not recommending inflicting him on anyone.

The food was delicious and the service was amazing. They are very attentive. There is free valet parking and the owner even gave us free limoncello that he made when we finished eating. I would definitely recommend it.

Went here with the fam for dinner. Very busy, would recommend making a reservation, but take a chance if it’s before 7. A true gem in Wilmington ! The chefs antipasta was well worth the price!!! Amazing selection and quality. Loved the goat cheese, picked mushrooms and beets, and prosciutto. I got a salmon special, on top of mushroom risotto and a butternut squash sauce, green beans on top. It was very inventive and GOOD. Tried the rump roast, that was very very good, world recommend! Cabbage was especially tasty and the red wine sauce was amazing. Mussels were also good, but my sister noted she wished there was more sauce. That being said, they were flavorful and well cooked. My mom got chicken supreme, she liked the sauce, the brussel sprouts were cooked perfectly.
Great little place!!!

One of the best experiences of my life.
Mona Lisa Euro Bistro hosted the rehearsal dinner to my wedding and was an absolutely wonderful venue. The food was exquisite, the staff friendly and helpful, and the owner (Jacques) was not only helpful and creative, but also generous.
Since it was a large party, I had the unique experience of being able to try a large portion of the menu, and nothing disappointed. The deviled eggs, the chorizo, the escargots — it goes on and on, but each dish was arguably the best iteration I’d ever tasted. I had the pork entrée, and was able to taste the filet and the chicken entrees — all three were delicious (the filet was probably my favorite). Even my grandmother — who has had her share of good food in life — said it might have been the best she’s ever had, altogether.
Jacques and his wife came up with the menu and the floor layout; they accommodated some highly restrictive and unusual dietary restrictions of some of our guests (gluten-​free and PKU are easy for them to work with — just ask); they worked with me until we knew everything was just right. For planning a large party, it was a seamless process. The venue, dining, atmosphere, layout, and décor are perfect for large parties looking for intimate, European sensibilities.
We’ll be back whenever we’re in town; absolutely.

Great food and atmosphere ! I ordered the filet mignon with the peppercorn sauce and it was absolutely delicious!

What wonderfully cozy place to spend a cold evening. The food was excellent – we enjoyed the mussels, filet and my 5 year old son had a delicious chicken and pasta. My husband and I loved the Belgian beer selection as well as speciality menu items.
The service was excellent, the conversation with the owner was meaningful. The restaurant certainly does have a distinctly European feel – even they arrangement of the room evoked memories of a Belgian café I visited years ago. What a lovely addition to wilmington.

This place is so good, my fiancé is in the bathroom here and I am writing the review, having just polished off a delectable dessert: apple galette with a Bourbon (?) Caramel sauce, and pumpkin cannoli.
We had been wanting to try it for months and finally got in. The menu is nice with many options from all over Europe. I was tempted by the quail coq au vin, the charcuterie plate, and the tartare, but went with the Espana Mussels (w/​chorizo, olives), which were delicious. I also ordered the brussel sprouts with pancetta, which were awesome. My only teeny complaint was that the frites that came with the mussels were not thin and crisp as I’m used to with belgian mussels, but rather thick and potatoey (if that makes sense…). They came with a delcious choice of dips, of which the owner, Jacques, chose for us: the dijon mayo, which was tasty! My fiancé ordered the Vienna Style Schnitzel atop sour cabbage, spaetzal, and a really nice rich brown sauce.
The atmosphere was nice, the service was great. In the end, during our dessert, we were presented with complimentary lemoncellos. A very nice gesture I obviously wouldn’t expect every time-​but just shows the owner is interested in loyalty.
My fiancé has already been raving to all our friends. We will definitely be back!

We went to the Mona Lisa not knowing exactly what to expect. What we got was a delightful European experience. The owner is Belgian and the food was wonderful. The cheese plate was outstanding and the pasta carbonara to die for. The bartender was knowledgeable and helped us pick a good wine. Prices were earthbound and not outrageous.
Belgium is known for food and wine and soon the Mona Lisa will be too. Try it. You’ll like it.

Nice décor. The food was fresh and flavorful. Service was pleasant and fast. Free valet parking. We did not have dessert, but our meals (filet mignon, schnitzel, penne) were all quite excellent. We did not have desserts.
My DH thought it seemed expensive for what we got, so he thought 4 stars was appropriate. However, my filet was $ 24, it was an excellent filet, and included mashed carrot-​potato (which was really good) and grilled asparagus, which were perfectly grilled and very tasty. So I thought the price was fair for the type of restaurant and quality of the food. So I thought 5 stars was appropriate. My DH was the one who paid the bill, so perhaps that is why his opinion should prevail. However, this is my Unilocal account and I’m writing the review, so 5 stars it is!
We will definitely be back. Next time I hope to try the dessert.

Food was great, and that is coming from a foodie. Excellent wait staff and Jacques (owner) came to our table and personally thanked us for dining there. Overall really nice experience and would definitely return.