enza's italian restaurant

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. thechickenfrancese 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.

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 threechickenchoices that she made. she gotchickenpicatta. 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.

great family owned italian place & would go back in a heartbeat. so there were 8 of us who went to celebrate a birthday and from start to finish it was a really pleasant experience. the charismatic gentleman at the front door who greeted us in the silver suit was an excellent first touch (he was a real trip)! we were seated at our reserved table and the service from the hostess, bartenders and waitstaff was perfect. the food was awesome, i had thechickencannelloni with the cream dill and tomato sauce and it was out of this world (all others raved about their dishes as well). the portions were just as they should be, everything is homemade down to the salad dressings and you could tell. the prices were very affordable and the place is very classy right down to the white tablecloths and place settings. this family definitely knows how to make a night special and do it all right! thank you very much i plan to return more than once in the future.

as a regular of enza's, yes i have posted a few times in the past, we wanted to spend valentine's day at our favorite italian spot.

we were greeted by the now established maitre d' who opened the door and provided a greeting and a smile. he directed us to the hostess stand and provided our name. the hostess said our table was ready and sat us down in the main dining room.

our waitress was stephanie, one of the best at enza's. all the servers are very special, but stephanie is one of favs.

we ordered thechickenand veggies and one of the specials of the night - lobster ravioli in the alla rosa sauce. i also ordered the mama salad ($3 up charge) which consisted of mixed greens, tomatoes, feta cheese, golden raisins, pine nuts with a house made champagne vinaigrette dressing. wow, the salad was amazing. definitely recommend ordering one of the special salads as an alternative to the house salad.

the lobster ravioli consisted of 4 large pillows filled with lobster meat and cheese. sauteed spinach was in the middle of the plate with 3 large shrimp on top. yum.

thechickenand veggies consisted of grilledchickencooked and sliced to perfection in a garlic and olive oil sauce with a multitude of fresh veggies - broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, onions, etc.

neither one of us could finish our portion and had to get to go containers.

another great meal at enza's.

something special. i love the dining experience at enza. it is worth driving across town to be treated to a special dinner. the ambiance is romantic and reservations are recommended, though enjoying the live piano music while waiting at the bar is not a bad experience either. the food is exquisite. i enjoyed the enza salad which was like a greek salad on hormones, stuffed with such good ingredients i nearly could not touch my entrée after finishing this starter. at our table we tried the seafood pasta which was packed full of a variety of fresh seafood on a pasta with a light but flavorful lemon garlic sauce, thechickenmarsala which was also floating in a generous portion of rich, tasty sauce, and the prize winner for the evening, grouper francese served over pasta. everything was absolutely amazing.

the best. went there for our anniversary and the food and service was fantastic as usual.

even though the restaurant was packed on a saturday night, we felt like our server amanda treated us like family. we sat in the banquet room for the first time since it was opened. it is a nice change of pace from the hustle and bustle of the main dining room. they even pipe in the live music from the musicians playing next to the bar area. a nice touch.

to our surprise, amanda brought out a bottle of champagne and said it was from chef mike and enza for our anniversary. now don't expect this all the time. we have been regulars since they opened at the old sebastian's on the other side of the shopping center.

you can't get any better than enza's for authentic italian cuisine. it's just that good...


-----15 jun, 2013-----

enza's for catering too!. when it was time to decide on the food for our grand twins baby naming there was only one choice for the restaurant who was catering the event - enza's.

we sat down with enza and mike and they advised us on how many trays of entrees, salads and bread we needed for our 80+ guests. they even went as far as learning about the ages of the guests and made recommendations based on amounts they each typically eat. that was very helpful.

we went with trays ofchickenpicatta, eggplant parm, veggie lasagna, sicilian veggie pasta, house salad and garlic bread.

since it was an off-site catering event, enza told us what time they would be by to drop off the food at the venue in time for the luncheon.

after the baby naming, our guests made there way into the room where the luncheon was being served. all the chafing dishes were filled with trays and ready to go.

however, to our surprise, enza and mike stayed and served our guests on the buffet line the entire meal. enza even lead in the cutting and serving of the two sheet cakes not made by the restaurant!

the luncheon was a hit. everyone commented on how great the food tasted and many even went to personally thank enza and mike.

not only is enza's a great place to dine, but a great place for catered events.

all i can say is wow. there is a difference between family-run and corporate-owned restaurants. the personal commitment to provide great food and service is the difference.


-----22 may, 2013-----

a slice of italy in mandarin. we originally went to enza's to discuss an upcoming banquet for a family celebration. while there the smells of garlic and tomato sauce was just too much, so we decided to stay for dinner.

we were immediately seated and our water glasses were filled by one of the friendly staff members. our waitress josephine came by and greeted us and welcomed us. we noticed an appetizer on the board as we were walking in and inquired about it. josephine described the fried artichoke dish and recommended it as one of their signature dishes. sold!

we also ordered drinks as we reviewed the menu for what usually turns out to be a frustrating event because the choices are so good.

the fried artichoke arrived and was cut in thirds, dipped in a light batter, and stuffed with a little mozzarella cheese. they were placed on top of a mixed salad with a vinaigrette dressing. there was also a cup of franchaise sauce to dip the artichoke in. wow, was that a great combination.

we decided on the grilledchickenand veggies and thechickenalla rosa. entrees come with a choice of soup or salad and garlic bread. although not on the menu, if you are a lover of the olive oil and italian seasoning dipping plate, ask for it with the plain crusty bread.

i won't bore you with the salads. they were served cold on a chilled plate. can't stand when salads come out room temperature, or on a warm plate.

our entrees were plentiful and very tasty. the alla rosa was atop my choice of pasta (angle hair) in a pink sauce with a nice portion of thinly sliced mushrooms. thechicken& veggies had a large portion of sliced chicken, veggies and a liquid sauce.

hats off to josephine and the rest of the friendly staff at enza's.


-----15 apr, 2013-----

the food, the service, the ambiance. had a late night dinner (9pm) and was greeted by a hostess with a happy smile. we made a reservation via open table and had about a 5 minute wait. yes, at 9pm service was going strong at enza's.

ordered thechickenparm. and my spouse insisted on the mediterranean salad. the hot garlic bread was perfectly toasted and was accompanied by my request for the dish of olive oil and italian spices. you have to ask for it, and i highly recommend it.

thechickenparm. consisted of 3 large boneless breasts, homemade sauce, and just the right amount of cheese. i'm no light weight when it comes to eating, but i had to take one of the pieces ofchickenhome.

the mediterranean salad is served in a very large bowl with grill chicken, a mix of greens, tomatoes, feta, capers, and a few other ingredients. we needed a to-box for this one as well.

on our way out we stopped by the bar to say hello to an old friend and bumped into enza and chef mike. always a pleasure to see them.


-----24 sep, 2012-----

no other restaurant in jacksonville can measure up. a night out for italian food can only be at 2 places in jacksonville, and one of them is enza's. we all know the other one down the street, but we'll keep it "la familia".

on our recent dining experience we sat in the room by chef mike's bar. there was a party at the big table celebrating a birthday, while the rest of us watched the fsu game. in the banquet room there was another party going on. on top of that there was a piano player inside and a musician playing the steel drums on the patio. wow, and it didn't require an "e" ticket...

our server was great. she went through the specials for the evening and took our drink order. we orderedchickenparm andchickenwith veggies. the garlic bread was crunchy and was the perfect texture to dip in the olive oil and spice dish. the salads were cold and crisp with a light vinaigrette dressing.

thechickenparm was so big i had to take half of it home. i'm usually part of the "clean plate club", but the portion was huge. thechickenand veggies were sauteed in a olive oil and garlic sauce that definitely would keep the vampires away...in a good way. if you're going to eat italian, it must be immersed in fresh garlic.

in closing, if you want to show up without a reservation, you could have a wait. use opentable.com. it's easy, fast and your sure to snag a table...


-----26 nov, 2009-----

great food & now music too?. my wife and i visited enza's last weekend as usual for dinner. upon exiting our car near whole foods (it was very busy in front of the restaurant) i could hear music from the direction of enza's.

as we approached the storefront area we were welcomed by a jazz band playing and tables filled on the outside.

even with our usual reservation, we had to wait 10 minutes for a table since the restaurant, and now the bar area, was packed to capacity.

there is one thing that makes a great restaurant - consistency. enza's by far has the bestchickenparmesan. the tomato sauce, with it's unique italian spices, has just the right blend of perfection.

our usual waiter phil was so booked he couldn't even take our table. the young waitress who had our table provided a great example of attention to detail in the spirit of enza's usual standards.

as we sat and enjoyed our dinners, we listened to the jazz music in the background which provided a delightful backdrop to our meal.

to top it off we saw several friends who also eat at enza's.

looking forward to our next visit.

keep up the great work.


-----10 jan, 2009-----

a happy birthday celebration. we recently celebrated my dad's 80th birthday at enza's. enza made sure we had a special table set up for all our guests. our waiter phil catered to all our needs.

we all had a variety of entrees and pastas which were enjoyed by all. if you haven't tried the enza salad, your missing a treat. the additional items and special dressing is to die for!

now that the whole foods market is open in the same shopping center, you may want to call in advance to make a reservation.

so much for my "best kept secret" restaurant!


-----10 nov, 2008-----

a great family restaurant. i have taken my family to enzas at least 2-3 times a month for many years. the new location is very modern and the prices are very affordable. the wait staff is very friendly and i know many people that dine at enzas and always ask for the same server. we always ask for phil. it is that kind of place!

recently, we celebrated my parents 54th anniversary at enzas. we could have gone to ruths chris, mortons or matthews, but eating at enzas is like eating a meal with your big family. to top it off, we watched the the jax. jaguars win against the colts on the plasma tv in their bar area. what a way to cap off a great evening. keep up the good work, enza

decent. very goodchickenmarsala. was not impressed with the atmosphere but it was good homemade italian.

not like other italian restaurants. since my parents were staying in jacksonville for the evening we decided to go and try enza's and everyone was right this isn't like other italian restaurants. since there were so many tempting choices we decided to order and share so we started our meal with beef carpaccio, fried ravioli, and goat cheese bruschetta. for the entrees we choosechickencannelloni,chickenstephanie, and the veal shank special of the evening. once the appetizers and salad (which come with the entrees) were served we realized we were almost completely full already which was a problem since so much good food was yet to come. when the entrees were served they definitely didn't disappoint every bite was delicious. we all ended up taking home half of our entrees each just so we would have room to share a dessert. our waitress was very attentive, the servings of food was large and delicious, but the prices are a little higher than we normally spend on a weekend dinner.

excellent!!!. i travel to jacksonville each week for work. a couple of weekends ago, my wife traveled to me on the weekend instead of the other way around. my project manager recommended enza's so we decided to give it a try. wow! am i glad we did!!!

we started with the goat cheese bruschetta. i could have eaten several orders of this and made it a meal! unbelievable creaminess, the freshness of the tomatoes and spices, to go along with the satisfying crunch of the homemade bread. it was wonderful.

my wife got thechickenparm and i got the meatballs and sausage over angel hair pasta. both were exceptional. huge portions. cooked to perfection.

we shared a cannoli for dessert. it was ok but not great. it was our first time having a cannoli so it could have been a perfect one and we just were ok with it but not blown away.

overall...this is a must go for italian foodies coming to jacksonville area! you will not be disappointed.

amazing!. this is the first review i've written on urbanspoon. we've lived in the jacksonville area for over 8 years and we never found really great italian food, like we're used to being from the western ny area originally. that was until tonight. omg, we absolutely loved the food. i had the lasagna and my wife ordered thechickenfrances. the lasagna was soooo good, the red sauce had such a good sweet flavor i almost asked for a side of it just to use to dip the garlic bread in. my wife actually received veal frances by mistake, but she absolutely loved it. so she got to enjoy the veal for the price of the chicken, bonus. for dessert she had some tiramisu and loved that as well. this is by far the best italian restaurant we've been to in jacksonville and anywhere thus far in fl as well! we will be back very soon!

the worstchickenpiccata i've ever had. the server never mentioned any specials. the chef came out & instead of apologizing & offering to comp an uneaten dinner, she said no one ever complains about her piccata. very disappointing dinner.

pretty good, but had a couple of problems. i dined with my family on friday, june 17th. we arrived at 8:30 and they were really busy. the hostess said it would be a 25 minute wait. i told her we were celebrating my son's birthday and she said that she had a larger table than our party available. so we sat down. the problems started when we met our server phil. he's one of those fast talking italians that said he had been there since day 1. we asked to see the wine list which he provided, and we selected one of the few chardonnays on their list which was clos du bois. he said there was another italian wine that we might be interested to try, and brought a sample which was very nice. we didn't care for the alternate and ordered the clos du bois (which he pronounced clo du boyce). he brought the wine back to serve, and seemed to be a bit perturbed about something. he poured a sample of wine to all three of us and walked off. we all looked at each other like "what happened?" and decided to pour our own. we flagged down another server to provide a chiller for our wine. we ordered 2 appetizers which were mussels and calamari. it took a while for the appetizers to arrive, but we finally received them. the calamari was served in a metal holder which was cute, but held a very small portion for $9.95. the mussels were a better choice. we placed our dinner entrees, and he asked if we wanted the enza salad. the menu stated that a salad accompanied the entrees, but the enza salad was an extra $2.00. i asked what the salad was that came with the entrees, and he said " boring salad" which was just lettuce and tomato. from that point on he tried to upsell everything we ordered. i don't eat much pasta and wanted to substitute a vegetable, and he said that was another extra $2.00. their prices are not too high until you add up all the extras. i had thechickenterezi with extra spinach which consisted of a very soupy sauce with pieces of chicken. i didn't taste the other dishes, because it took a long time for our entrees to come out and i was ready to just eat and go.after we finished our entrees he started to get more friendly (tip time) and gave us a complimentary dessert which was very nice. as we were paying our bill he said we could have a cup of coffee, but we were tired and just wanted to go home. i think this is a good restaurant, but make sure you don't have phil wait on you.

by far my favorite restaurant ever. enza always comes out to say hello to my family, as we have enjoying her amazing cuisine since they were at their old location. my entire family always gets thechickenparm, which is always superb. if you haven't been here yet, try it, because it's always amazing! just make sure to get a reservation!

fantastic!. i love this place. great menu and delicious food! i had the antipasti enza, their homemadechickennoodle soup and the veal picatta. the antipasti enza was almost a meal in itself. the meats, cheeses, olives, dressing, all of it was outstanding. thechickennoodle soup was clearly made in house and fresh. the veal was amazing. it was delicious and incredibly tender. without out question, enza's offers some of the best italian food jacksonville has to offer.

what a find!. i'm from out of town and my girlfriend and i were looking for something different. used urbanspoon and came up with "enza's". when we drove up, it was in a strip-mall. don't let that fool you...it is nice inside and the staff couldn't have been nicer. our waiter (phil) was a gentleman and took care of us. offered outstanding suggestions from the menu and made the night very special. he even brought enza out from the kitchen to say hey and took us on a mini-tour of the place.
next time i'm in jacksonville, i'm sure we'll be back!

try thechickenfrancese over angelhair pasta. incredible!