Mona Lisa Restaurant — an Italian diner that has served as a staple for almost 50 years in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood, is “forever” closing its doors, according to its owners. Its last day of operation will be Friday,

An iconic Italian restaurant in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood, is closing by the end of the week after nearly 50 years in business.Mona Lisa Restaurant located at 353 Columbus Ave. will close on October 31 at midnight.

SAN FRANCISCO - After nearly 50 years in business, an iconic San Francisco restaurant is closing its doors. The Mona Lisa Restaurant, a fixture in the city’s North Beach neighborhood since 1979, will serve its final meal on Friday.

The Mona Lisa is the most widely recognised and most famous painting ever. Although the King of France, Francis I, and Napoleon Bonaparte both fell in love with Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece, she ended up in the Louvre,

Leonardo da Vinci started the iconic 'Mona Lisa' painting in Italy but finished it in France, where he sold it to the French King, François I.

It was the Monday morning of August 21, 1911, the weekly closure day of the Louvre during the summer holidays, when an Italian mason named Vincenzo Peruggia carried out the most astounding art heist in modern times when he stole the Mona Lisa during the day, around 7 am.

Never say never. The Mona Lisa (1503), undoubtedly the main attraction at the Louvre, was stolen in 1911 and recovered two years later. The thief, Vincenzo Peruggia, was an Italian handyman working at the Louvre and was caught trying to sell it.

Every traveler has a mental bucket list. You know the one — those postcard-perfect places you’ve seen in movies, history books, or Instagram feeds that you absolutely must visit before you die. The Mona Lisa’s enigmatic smile,