Mono Vita in Leicester

I absolutely love Greek food and sadly, this was nothing like Greek food. The ambience was quite awkward, the food was substandard and had undoubtedly been reheated in the microwave. I'm sorry to say it, but I'd never come back here and wouldn't recommend it to anybody.

Last Monday I had a booking (which was confirmed by email) with this restaurant through Groupon. I was looking forward to going as the menu looked good. Embarrassingly when i got there having invited a friend it was closed. The notice on the door and the website showed it should be open and the phone was ringing out. I emailed from their contact details on their website to ask then to get in touch presuming maybe something unforseen had occured - nothing. Yesterday (5 days later) i got through when I rang - no apology was given i was just advised the restaurant would be closed and groupon would have to ring them in order to rebook or refund! I asked instead for an email and was given an alternative one - which as yet has had no reply.I can only hope this will be resolved soon as it is not matching any of the reviews nor being handled well!

Like some of the other reviewers of this place we've driven/ walked past and thought about trying it out. We agreed we should have tried earlier, it's little gem. Nothing fancy just well-cooked food basic mediterranean cuisine. You sort of felt like you'd just stopped off at a trattoria or taverna, while on holiday. Pretty basic decor, nothing fancy but good friendly atmosphere. It's now on our list.

We had a lovely meal in Mono Vita this evening. It was great that the restaurant was open early evening as we have a 6 year old so tend to need 'dinner' at about 5.30pm.The service was great. Nothing was too much trouble and the gentleman serving made a real fuss of our little one.The food was delicious. All was prepared freshly and was nicely presented. The chicken and mushroom pasta was a real highlight! We would certainly recommend!

For the last four years I've spent a week working and staying away in Leicester. I've walked past this place before but something has stopped me going in - the prices look too cheap or it looks quiet. This year I decided to try it, and I'm really glad I did. The prices were really good, the food was excellent and the portions generous. The waiter was very attentive and even gave is some free olives and a 'Brandy'. I'll definitely be back and I recommend it without hesitation.

A rather hurried pre-theatre meal from the a la carte menu to take advantage of Tastecard. With hindsight, the fixed price deals would have been a better option.Tired stuffed vine leaves faded as other courses improved. Nothing special to recommend at this stage but enjoyed enough to try again in an area dominated by curry houses.Whilst pushing the Greek specialism, the menu is strongly Italian. Also no Greek wines on the list.Will return in a few weeks and leave amore objective review.Service OK, having been reminded we had a tight timetable.

I’ve been working in Leicester for the last 7 months and Mono Vita has to be the nicest establishment I’ve eaten in. The Ambiance and service are second to none, nothing is to much trouble.We have eaten here a number of times and never had a bad meal, the portions are large and are at a fantastic price. You’d be fools not to try here if you have the opportunity.Compliments to your chef.Congratulations on a fine establishment.5* from me.!

We went for dinner as a party of ten, and having checked out the menu on their website, I was hoping to try the "Greek style Set menu" - minimum two people. I was confident at least one other person in our party would choose this menu, and obviously expected we might need to move around the table so that those choosing this menu would sit together.Anyway when the waitress brought us the menus, she informed us that we could only have this menu if the whole table chose it. I have no idea of the reason for this policy - I would have thought that minimum two people meant exactly that. But to avoid embarrassment, I kept quiet, and instead chose from the pre-theatre menu which was perfectly nice and simple, but not really Greek or Italian.

I found this place by accident a couple of years ago whilst working nearby. I returned because the food and service were good and the prices very reasonable. Nothing has changed. I had a lovely meal served in a friendly manner by lovely staff. I will return when in the area again

Nice friendly staff but unfortunately the food is not authentic greek/mediterranean and a bit too expensive as well. Not good value for money. However we got a limoncello on the house!

I went here on Saturday with my mum and sister and had a great time. The dolmades were beautiful, and the tiramisu was ridiculously light. The guy that works there made us feel very welcome. Would go there again next time I’m in town

Eight of us went my friends birthday as she loves greek food and used to live there. As i dnt really like greek food this was an ideal choice as there was italian on the menu . As her family regularly visited her when she lived there they were all looking forward to it but we were sorely disappointed. My italian food very disappointing, was had garlic mushrooms which was more sauce than mushrooms . I had pasta with chicken and mushrooms and garlic bread.. the garlic bread was coated in tomato didnt taste of garlic and was very thin . The pasta was very rich and the chicken was chewy. I cant say I enjoyed any if it. The rest if the party had meze which they said wasnt great either. My friend had a fish dish as she is vegetarian and said it was ok , the other two people were equally disappointed by their meals. We expected a full greek night .. there was a duo playing music but nothing else. The waiter was bringing wine over from other people who had left it and gone ... odd... all in all I wouldn’t recommend and certainly wouldn’t return .

While we were waiting for starters, we were given some black olives to nibble on. We started with halloumi and saganaki. Both were amazing, especially the saganaki, which had so much flavour. For mains, we both had kleftiko, which was accompanied by the most amazing gravy. I had the homemade chips on the side, my wife had the rice. Was so impressed with the chips, tasted just like my mum's! The lamb kleftiko itself was tender and soooo tasty, as good as any kleftiko I've had elsewhere, and a nice large portion too. The baklava was sweet and moist, just like it should be and chocolate fudge cake was, well like chocolate fudge cake. The service was speedy, efficient, friendly and attentive. There was complementary limoncello at the end too. A very enjoyable evening, I shall definitely be back!

A real hidden gem in Leicester great food and service, best lamb chops I have had in ages followed by a great espresso

What a fabulous little restaurant, combining the food from all my favourite places. Friday night out with my three friends from school and we found this almost by accident, as one of the girls was going home by train and it is just minutes from the station. Felt welcome as soon as we walked in, loved the food, the atmosphere, friendly staff and to top it all live music too! Really felt as if we were suddenly, magically on holiday! Prices very reasonable as well. We will definitely be going again!

I love this place. When I'm working in Leicester, I make a point of eating here because of the fine quality of the food, and the personal service.

This is one of those little gems you often stumble across quite by accident. Tucked away on Northampton Street and a stone's throw from the Curve Theatre and the city centre, this small but inviting restaurant offers quite an impressive selection of Greek and Italian starters and mains. And the icing on the cake? Well, it's not that expensive to begin with but go there with a groupon deal and you'll come away wondering how on earth it all came to so little. We had a great time and will certainly visit again!

I have been going to Mono Vita since the day it opened (it was previously called "La Vida"). I can't praise this restaurant enough and his owner's friendly attitude as well as the amazing menu and the lovely atmosphere. The prices are so reasonable for the beautiful tasty Mediterranean food the restaurant serves! I am Spanish myself and their garlic mushrooms in creamy sauce and mussels, meat balls in tomato sauce are as good as my mum's!

We have visited this traditional restaurant several times with friends and families and have never been disappointed. There is such a great selection of food and nice bottled beers. The host and staff are very attentive and friendly.

Visited this restaurant with a quite large group of friends, there was 13 of us. The staff are really helpful, welcoming and friendly. As for the food, it was delicious! I had mushrooms to start followed by the Klaftico - which just fell off the bone. The evening was accompanied by two guys playing bazooki and guitar which just added to the great atmosphere. Super!

I would rate the food 3 out of 5 but seeing how disgusting the kitchen was I can't offer more than 2 stars. I saw the kitchen sink and pipes when we went to pay and could see how filthy it was. Behind the copper pipes was black with filth. I can't believe someone would cook in that environment especially for paying customers.

Stumbled across this small eatery while visiting the slovakian bar next door! Decided to stay for food and was not disappointed. The welcome was warm - was busy due to a christmas dinner taking most tables but we were found a table quickly. Wine list - all you need for a nice meal out. If you think you want montrachet, go elsewhere. The food was homely and extremely reasonably priced for a city centre restaurant. Again, it’s not michelin, but it is tasty and portions are generous. Amazing chips! Exactly what was needed. Very pleasant staff - will def be back!!

I've been here in the past when it was owned by different people. The place has not really changed the food is very good but the new staff need be a little more welcoming it all seems a bit matter of fact. It won't put me off but it would make it better if you get my meaning.

We visited Mini Vita for my Dad’s birthday having purchased the deal on Groupon. This was an absolute bargain and value for money! The food was excellent, the choice was huge and the quality was just delicious. To top it off, the staff were just amazing, so friendly, super efficient and we were never left waiting for anything. Great food, great value, great service! Will definitely be going again!

My partner and I stopped here for a Greek meal. We ordered Stiffado and Kleftiko.

I usually score down, but I've gone for 4 stars here, because of the pizza and value.

Fabulous hidden gem, visited with an old friend as I had a Groupon to use! Was blown away with the quality of the food, we both loved our starters and the main course we chose were just fabulous! Plus must add the best home cooked chips I’ve tasted for years! Service was good and welcoming, this place really needs a visit, you will be pleasantly surprised as I was! Don’t judge a book by it cover! I will be back!

....you don't really need much more from a review.

Was taken here as a birthday treat by my friend. Food came out quickly and was very hot and tasted amazing. I had garlic mushrooms (picture is half eaten ops)and then beef stifado. Staff were lovely.

We have been on two seperate occasions and all te food was amazing and beautifullr presented, the quality is great and portion sizes are good, the drinks are fairly priced and the traditional deserts are superb, we will definitely be going back !

Visited on a groupon voucher and wasnt expecting much after judging a book by its cover.

What a find this place is. Excellent food great service and good staff. Great choice of menu, you can park opposite the little theatre.

Four of us dined all having different starters and mains, food arrived all together, hot and beautifully presented, which these days seems some restaurants struggle to do. The food was delicious and plentiful served by excellent friendly staff. We had a fabulous evening and will most definatly be going back for more of this.

A very nice welcome from the staff and the food was excellent and not overpriced. The House wine was a nice quality one at only £12.70 per bottle

Lovely people accommodated us at the last minute after we had a disaster at Pizza Express. Served us excellent Veggie Moussakas and a Spaghetti Bolagnaise.

As soon as we settled down the food began to roll out of the kitchen.The Grand Meze was rich, nutritious & very filling. It had a lot of servings and was very balanced. The layout was very nice and we enjoyed the food. Staff was helpful, atmosphere was homely & we enjoyed the Mousaka. What let it down was the afters, Tiramisu, as it tasted way too fruity and was terribly soggy. There was no card payment but there's a cash machine round the corner.

I had a Groupon voucher for this restaurant. It was good that with the Groupon voucher we could have most items on the menu. I thought that the food was average. The service was good considering it was a busy saturday evening.

We used a Groupon Voucher for four people to visit this restaurant. We were pleasantly surprised to find that you could have most of the normal menu in the deal, as I remember all but the fillet steak.

Following TA recommendations we ate here after watching Mama Mia 2. It is like stepping into an old taverna - unsophisticated, honest and homely. We warmed to the staff whose English was limited but amply compensated by their friendliness, welcome and desire to give us the best they have. We chose fish and seafood, and shared an enormous pudding. It was comforting, home cooking - we enjoyed it so much we will return with our grown-up family for our August birthday celebrations - The chef promised to share a drink with us - Lovely people and a great place for straightforward, unpretentious fare.

Visited last night and what looked like the owner was the waiter for the night. He was rude, arrogant and stupid. The food came out burnt and he got our order wrong. There was 3 tables including us. Would recommend not to waste your time here as the way you get spoken to is not worth any kind of money. Was let down as the other reviews have been so positive. Things have definitely changed or the owner is just racist.

We visited this restaurant at a quiet time (late afternoon) and whilst it lacked a little in atmosphere the food we had was very tasty and well presented.The staff were very friendly and efficient and we really enjoyed our time there.

Yes it's like a 60s time warp but in a nice comfortable way. Extremely friendly and service prompt. We had an £9.99 Theatre Menu quick was excellent.Very hot and tasty.Chips to die for and how they should be. Would recommend and will certainly return

Ok, so let’s cover the awkward first. When you enter the restaurant you do feel like you are stepping back into the 70’s, but then there is no harm in a bit of nostalgia. After you over come that then the experience is amazing. Great staff, varied menu... we had a mix of the Greek, the Italian and some fabulous meat dishes. A great little find and we will be back.

Went here on Friday night. Had a lovely meal, staff friendly and helpful. Food came out timely and hot. Loved the menu choices too...lots of Greek and Italian food. We will be back.

My partner and myself went here last night, Friday evening and everything was really lovely. The 2 staff working were friendly and helpful. The food is delicious. I had moussaka and my partner had the seafood platter. We both had a starter each and we were so full!! It is a really cosy restaurant, nothing fancy, but we really like it. We used a Groupon voucher and it was great value. 2 guys were setting up to play music but we left about 8.30pm so we didn't hear them. Lovely evening, thank you. We have found some great places, thanks to Groupon

We had the restaurant to ourselves on a Sunday night and despite their only being two members of staff on the food, service and attention to detail was perfect. The mezes just kept coming and you couldn't say no to any of it as it was all delicious but in the end the volume beat us and we all agreed were were full to our limits but disappointed we couldn't manage any more. Thank you to the owner and chef for making this occasion a very special treat for us all.Your food and wine is excellent as was your service. Just perfect.

This is a nothing-fancy very good Greek restaurant, with a friendly head waiter and good food. The Greek style means the food keeps coming in generous quantities. We went as a group and enjoyed our visit

Visited Mono Vita on 28 April on a Groupon deal. This place is a gem, the atmosphere was lively the food choices were plentiful and the food was great. With the Groupon this restaurant is a bargain. I chose the chilli prawns and the mixed grill and both were great, the lamb chops were well cooked and salty and were amazing. Good old fashioned chips, made french fries look like a waste of time. The house wine was a little sharp for my liking but I will be back.

I have walked past this place many times - which I think gets overlooked as it is on a quiet one way street! So tonight I decided to try it with my boyfriend.

My sister and I, came here, after visiting my poorly husband in hospital! Not knowing what restaurants would be open, as it was Good Friday, we came across this little gem! In need of nourishment, and cheering up we were so pleased that we came here!! Our meal was lovely, and we had the pleasure of having live music too! The atmosphere was lovely and friendly, and the staff were smashing!! Would certainly come back here again, if ever back in Leicester!! Thank you for a lovely evening!!

A party of us were attending a show at Curve and wanted somewhere close by to have a meal afterwards. Mono Vita was offering a Groupon for two courses, so we decided to try it as it is close to the theatre and to the railway station. We were warmly welcomed and shown straight to our table. The restaurant is informal with a good atmosphere, and we noticed a further room upstairs for a party, which looked nice. The gentleman and lady who served us were both very friendly and helpful. The menu has a good choice of dishes including vegetarian options. There was also a good selection of drinks. We went for Frascati, the lowest priced white wine, and it was lovely. The men was good value anyway, but even better with the Groupon. Would go again.

We used to come here before the change of ownership so this was our first visit, it was a Monday night and it was very quiet but don't let that pit you off. We had Feta Salad and Garlic Mushrooms to start with crusty bread and all was good. For mains we had Chicken Breast with peppers and mushrooms & Lamb Chops for me and it was really nice I must say. A small portion of sauce for my rice would have been a bonus, all in all we enjoyed our meal and will return.

Visited early evening. Meze was fabulous! Staff couldn't do enough to ensure we were happy. We arrived early and they left their own meal to serve us- we were happy to have a drink and wait but their focus was on us. Offered us more food but already had loads!!! recommended wine was lovely complement to food. We decided to share a dessert as we couldn't eat any more! They brought a Tiramisu enough for 4!!!!! These guys deserve to do well.

We wanted to try this place out especially because it was on tastecard and we had 50%. The server didn’t know what tap water was and was disgusted when we explained its from the tap. We ordered prawns for starters, they came out in a basic tomato sauce and over cooked. When ordering mains we opted for sea bass in a lemon butter sauce. The dish came out in the same sauce as the prawns but with chopped tomatoes onto. As this was not what we ordered we asked to see the menu. The menu didn’t state anything about tomatoes and when we told the manager this isn’t what we had ordered the chef came out and started shouting at us and being defensive to his food, claiming there wasn’t anymore Seabass left and that he wasn’t going to make us another dish. At this point we were extremely disappointed with the lack of service we received and will not be returning. Avoid at all cost!

This is our 3rd visit this year every time fantastic, very reasonable priced, owner very welcoming and polite, lovely place to visit keep up the great work 👍🏼👍🏼

The food we were served was lovely and the people incredibly friendly and helpful. The mushroom starter was wondeful.

First visit here since it changed its name. Would it be as good? Yes! Had a fantastic evening. Menu now has Greek food as well as Italian. Wine list doesn’t now have the lovely Chianti Classico but found a decent alternative. Missed seeing Jimmi but he came out later from the kitchen to say hello. Usual singers on a Friday night were fab and gave the place a party atmosphere later on in the evening. Would highly recommend this place.

We were so looking forward to a different taste in Leicester. Bitterly disappointed, this is not Greek food and wasn't convinced by the owners assurances, as we live there for half of every year. Sauerkraut, carrots and copious amounts of vinegar shouldn't be in a greek salad! Chicken stifado without onions, garlic,spices, herbs or taste not quite traditional and microwave cooked.

A little on the expensive side but worth a visit anyway. There was an office party going on at the same time which created an atmosphere.

Decided to try this place having walked by it then read Trip Advisor reviews. Went for lunch on a Saturday afternoon,found the place to be very quiet but decided to go for it! So glad we did - the food was very tasty, the service good and the prices reasonable. We chose to sample a selection of the starters - aubergine, halloumi, mozzarella with salad, Greek salad, creamy garlic mushrooms & cheesy pitta bread (went a bit mad with the cheese but we love it!. This was served with crusty bread & olives, and accompanied by a couple of glasses of a rather nice Pinot Grigio. We fully intend to go back to sample an evening meal in the near future. Definitely recommended this lovely restaurant!

We had not heard of this place before and decided to check it out. Its a lovely little place to eat and had a great welcome on entry. The food is a varied Italian/Greek menu and all at good prices. The wine menu is small but very good and really well priced.

Had a lovely dining experience at this restaurant. Two vegetarians and two carnivores and all enjoyed their meals. The Veggie Moussaka was particularly good. The restaurant has a lovely atmosphere and friendly staff.

We took four relations here after going to the afternoon performance at the theatre, we were met with smiling faces, shown to our seats and were told we could still have the pre theatre menu which we all chose, it was a pleasure to have a 3 course meal without feeling bloated, the portions were generous and well presented.

What a find - went here as we liked the look of a mixed Greek / Italian menu and were not let down.

Fantastic food fantastic service. Superb value. Thoroughly recommended. A lovely independent restaurant with both Italian and Greek cuisine

There are hundreds of restaurants, cafes and bars in the centre of Leicester. How do you find one that shines out? Consult Trip Advisor. We wanted a pre-theatre lunch before seeing Miss Saigon at The Curve. After reading Trip Advisor we chose Mono Vita, a 5 minutes walk away through the churchyard. It was just excellent for our needs. The food was great, the host Chimmy (I may have got that wrong) was attentive and gracious. Although we chose the pre-theatre special Chimmy said we could change any dishes with a la carte if we wished. The meal was over within an hour yet there was no sign that all ingredients had not been freshly prepared.

Me, my wife and our friends have just been spoiled by the staff here. The food is fantastic and soo much of it. Quality is really good. Try it, you will not be disappointed!

The food here is excellent. They serve a variety of dishes. Everything i have eaten here has been cooked exceptionally well. The staff are friendly and extremely helpful. The garlic mushrooms are a must! The food is exceptionally good value for money. I think that there is a variety of food on the menu that means there is a good range of choice. I think this is the best authentic Italian restaurant here.

I have been a regular at this restaurant on my visits to Leicester. The quality of the food is second to none and it is the best authentic Italian restaurant I have been to. The staff are friendly, knowledgeable and very obliging.

Came here for lunch with my wife and we both had a wonderful time. The food and service were spot on.