Mona Fresh Italian Food

Me and my work friends go to the tunnels all the time for lunch. I heard Mona was a good one for Italian food! I first was glad they had multiple things I could eat as a vegetarian. The line during lunch time can get long but was always moving fast. I ordered the vegetarian pesto pasta which came with a few other veggies like spinach sun dried tomatoes and mushrooms. They quickly made the food and it was decent! I think because they were going so fast the pasta had clumped together after cooking and in the hot water it didn't separate so I had one big clump of just pasta. I also thought they went overboard with the sun dried tomatoes. I had to pick them out. Overall it wasn't bad, because of how fast they go I think some of the food quality is compromised but I would go back and remove some of the veggies I didn't like.

the club Panini was the best Italian quesadilla I have ever had ! The cooks are cool to watch prepare the food. My Mexican people preparing Italian dishes! only in Houston baybee! The pastas are very filling I will be back...

First off I would love to see them offer zucchini noodles here for us low carb folks.I have no experience with the sandwiches or pastas...but the salads are good and they give you plenty. I can never finish mine. I would say I haven't found a salad that they feature that I don't want to change in some way. And the chicken I had on one was a bit on the dry side. I had some prosciutto with caesar dressing and it was so good. Though even with this they need to chop the prosciutto down a bit so its not just one long slice. As I write about it I am starting to crave it.

I've been ordering from Mona ever since Understory first opened. My favorite aspect about Mona is the convenience. Mona accepts orders online via Ritual, plus it's right downstairs in my building, so it's so easy to order and pick up on the fly (especially when lunch rush comes around and the lines are inevitably long....but they do move quickly). The food comes out hot and delicious; the quality if the pasta itself is fantastic and always cooked to my liking. I also really love the alfredo sauce here, and the portion size is more than enough for me as well.However, I'm giving it three stars due to some recent mishaps with my orders from Mona. There are times where the app will tell me that my order is ready; I get downstairs and they have yet to cook my order. I understand; sometimes the line is so long and orders are lost in the chaos, it's no biggie to me. But there are also a multitude of times where I've found tiny amounts of ingredients in my pasta that I did not order (for example, I'll specifically order a meatless pasta, but I find small amounts of prosciutto in my pasta). These mishaps make me question the cleanliness of the cook line sometimes, as well as things like preventing ingredient cross contamination. If this happened like one or two times, I wouldn't pay much mind to it; however, this has happened to me a handful of times as of late which concerns (and sightly annoys) me.Overall, I still enjoy Mona and recommend it to people who are in Downtown Houston and want a quick Italian lunch. I hope the quality control of the food improves, though.

While visiting Understory, decided to give this place a shot. Staff was very friendly and helpful. Love the concept of customizing your own pasta bowls! Food was great! Would recommend!

We visited Mona Fresh Italian Food -Downtown at Understory. This place is always full, so come a little early and with a lot of patience. It is definitely worth the trip. The food here is absolutely delicious and decadent, with a cafeteria feel. There is a lot of seating and open spaces so it doesn't feel claustrophobic. I cannot wait to visit them again.Stop by and build your own pasta.

Solid lunch option. I've gone twice, once getting their Milan option and once building my own.I found the Milan pasta too salty with both bacon and ham. It was good but not great.The build your own option was perfect. I used bacon as my meat, which was included free as one of the five ingredients, and kept the cost down to $9, around what I'd like to pay for an "anytime" option. The variety of ingredients was good, and the pasta tasted fresh. It reminded me of a fresher Aramark build-your-own pasta station in college. Overall, I was happy with the food and price. Be warned that the line can get insanely long. This may be due to it being one of the first shops to open in Understory, but have other options in mind in case it's a crazy long line when you arrive.

Great homemade pasta. Ordered online through their delivery service. Flavorful and filling. I had the Mushroom pasta. Definitely can get two servings out of it.

I regularly make pasta at home... but this place has changed me forever!Mona's build your own pasta option is amazing. Other than the fact that I can't ever decide between the pre-fixed options on the menu, sometimes I just get a craving and need it now. Mona is perfect for putting together awesome flavor combinations for lunchtime!They make their pastas EVERY. DAY. and you can taste the freshness. I recommend any of their pasta dishes, and of course have to recommend the paninis (try the Rosso, you'll thank me later).Downtown Houston has a gem right here!

The food is really good but I believe that any tips that you add to a credit card payment do not go to the staff. The only tips they receive are those that are paid in cash.