enza's italian restaurant

a nice find. i don't have much to add to the other accolades this restaurant has already received -- our meal did get off to a rocky start, since we were seated by four large parties who were shouting at each other the entire time, and acoustics of the small but pretty dining room aren't suited for such screaming matches -- but after the shrieking harpies and bellowing grizzly bears sauntered off and things quieted down, the atmosphere improved immeasurably. there are a few tables outside for dining but these are reserved for nicotine addicts.

the wait staff was courteous and efficient, and we did get a chance to meet the owner and chef. i was impressed by the specials on this night, particularly the seafood options like the dover sole, the grouper, and the halibut, but we both decided to go with the veal dishes -- a magnificent and luscious veal francese and a tart and tender veal piccata, both generously portioned and served on a bed of angel hair pasta. the only slight misstep in the meal was probably our fault -- we ordered the 'fried mozzarella' appetizer instead of the more authentic 'mozzarella en carroza' which is prepared in house.

there is a full bar in addition to a comprehensive and affordable wine list, plus many of the desserts are made in house.

best restaurant in jacksonville!!!!!. enzas is by far the best restaurant in jacksonville hands down. great value for superb food. they recently added a baby grand piano to add to the ambiance!

favorite restaurant and my good luck charm!. enza's from start to finish is unbelievable! the staff is always happy and accommodating and it never feels like you are in a busy restaurant because the service is so spot-on. the fried artichoke heart appetizer is the best i have ever had! my boyfriend and i went to enza's by chance on our first date and the love affair has continued to this day! i was struck by the atmosphere upon walking in, my knowledgeable and funny server (tristan is incredible, we request him every time!) made the evening a breeze for someone as indecisive as myself, my date toured the kitchen and met the chefs, and the perfect cappucino and tiramisu finished the best evening of my life. when i go my wine is always replaced as soon as i finish my glass (by people who aren't even serving me!) and even on a crazy night enza and her girls come say hello! i love all the food there and never order the same entree two times in a row because i want to try it all, the best evenings though are when mike makes the tiramisu, chocolate creme brulee, and banana cream pie- like dessert! i may have to order my own appetizer now because i refuse to share but those artichoke hearts have stolen mine! i rave to everyone i meet about this restaurant even to my own tables ( i am a waitress at a different restaurant) and i don't think i will ever stop going here, enza's was, and always is, an experience to last a lifetime! even if my boyfriend does like to scare enza with his flaming wallet ;-)

disappointed. my dinner was warm around the edges but cold in the middle. like just out of the refrigerator cold. we asked for bread with our dinner and it never came. my husbands lasagna was bland but at least it was hot. i really wanted to like this restaurant, had been wanting to try it for a long time. so i was really disappointed it wasn't better. everyone was friendly and my dinner was reheated, but it wasn't very appetizing.

family & food. my family and i have been coming to enza's for years, when it was a little hole in the wall. since then the food has been great and consistent but of course, service has slowed down and prices have sky-rocketed. this is understandable though and good for them for becoming so successful! i have tried literally everything on the menu, and it is all good. the chicken francese and the pasta fagioli soup are my favorite though. we are treated like family every time we come here, and it's a wonderful environment. be prepared to wait for more than hour on weekends, but it is definitely worth it! the only negative thing i have to say is the red/tomato sauce just doesn't do it for me.

from the service and the atmosfere, to the quality and quantity of food, it was excellent! if you order desert get the cheesecake!

went there tonight, as the wife was wanting something new to try. i was hungry for italian.
i was greeted promptly, as i knew that reservations are advised, but they took us without them. the staff were quite friendly.

i parked the car while the wife got settled in. i missed the specials, and she didn't tell me about them, and i might have changed my mind if i heard them, but i was plenty pleased with what i got.

my wife had the waitress pick from the three chicken choices that she made. she got chicken picatta. which she loved. i got the seafood combo, clams, mussels, jumbo shrimp and big diver scallops in a white sauce, not spicy. we both had the side salad with house vinaigrette, which we both enjoyed, and then they brought out hot garlic bread. delicious!
our entrees came out, and my wife only ate about half of her entree, as it was very large, which she took home for breakfast. i had five scallops, six or seven very large shrimp, and plenty of clams and mussels. i was worried a bit at first, as the first two clams i ate had broken shells, but they had to have broken while cooked, they tasted fine, and they definitely opened up during cooking.
as far as ambience is concerned, this is the place to take a date. they had live music. we would have dressed up a bit more if we had known, but we weren't the only people in shirts and shorts eating there, so we didn't feel out of place. i was expecting a bigger bill than i got, as what i ordered was $28, but even with my wife's desert that she took home (along with her leftovers), i was pleasantly surprised that it was just over $60.
we will go back there again, on a date night for ourselves.

had a wonderful, romantic dinner and lovely service provided by ida. mama's salad and the goat cheese bruschetta, with estancia pinot noir were a perfect light dinner! would love to go back.

went with another couple, delicious food and great ambiance. online reservations recommended, the meatball app was awesome. will be going again.

my family and i visited on a sunday afternoon. the service was very friendly and the food was very authentic italian. everything taste freshly prepare but a lil pricey. solid restaurant.

enza's is a beautiful, cosmopolitan-feeling restaurant. the staff were attentive and personable. the food, however - or, at least the dish i ordered was truly disappointing. according to the menu, the seafood canniloni (not sure of spelling) were filled with "shrimp, scallops and imitation crab." not too thrilled with the crab, i decided chunks of shrimp and scallops would compensate. turned out the shrimp/scallops/imitation crab were all ground together, like sausage and tasted somewhat "seafoody" but like nothing particular. i couldn't taste any one ingredient. my husband said it tasted sort of "crabby"....which probably means that there was more imitation crab meat than anything else.
i was very disappointed - expensively so.

very disappointing. i have eaten at enza's for years. i have never had a bad experience with service or food. until last night (march 28, 2015). it was my 30th birthday and my family and husband had made reservations over a week for a large group of us to have dinner there. we arrive around 6:45 and were seated pretty much immediately. when we get to our table, our group is separated to two tables so we ask if we can please be grouped together. the manager on duty told us no that they had 400 other reservations and we can not be put together. we all sat down with most of us at one table and two others at another. they were at a very large table by themselves and the server realized this and asked if they couldn't be moved closer to us. the other party was able to move to a table closer to us, which we asked if they could have been joined. it took awhile before the manager to come over and finally let us all sit together after 20 minutes of figuring it all out. once we were all finally situated, we ordered appetizers and drinks and that all came out promptly. we ordered our dinner. after about 2 1/2 we start realizing that tables all around that has sat down after us has eaten, and new tables have sat and also have gotten their food. we kept asking and kept getting the same answer for an hour, "its being plated". sadly most of my group left because it was already after 9:30 and some of them had to get home. the rest of us stayed but once we finally got our food it was cold, rock hard (chicked parmesan and veal) and one of my guest is a vegetarian and ordered eggplant parm and had meat all in it. needless to say that my favorite italian restaurant will no longer be existent to me and my family. we have been nothing but fans since the beginning of enzas and have always loved the food here, the service and atmosphere but after last night my 30th birthday was ruined. thank goodness for my wonderful company.

i've been coming here for years! gnocchi with alla rosa sauce, enzas salad, and the amazing creme brulee for dessert. absolutely amazing, well staffed, respectful and attentive. recently brought my extended family, and even with everyone ordering something different, it was still all amazing.

atmosphere & food. we have frequented enza's for many years. we brought some friends and they agreed how great it was. the music is a nice addition to a good meal. the server was great and was sure to cater to everyones needs-- she asked for extra alfredo sauce for the pasta and she asked us if we wanted that. we are happy to tip well for great service. i love their gnocchi and we love their dover sole franchese style. keep up the good work-- i know it takes a constant effort.

my first dinner of many - i hope. my first dinner at enza's was absolutely the best authentic italian dinner i have ever had. service was impeccable and the food was even better. although not on the menu, they offer escargot as an appetizer and, if you ask politely, they will prepare it as an entree over your choice of pasta. it is so rich and decadent! everything revolves around family in this restaurant and they embrace each diner as if they are family. the photos lining the walls tell a great history.


-----16 oct, 2014-----

escargot. sautéed in olive oil and garlic butter and served atop choice of pasta! mama mia!!