enza's italian restaurant

favorite restaurant and mygoodluck 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 ;-)

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 andgoodfor 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.

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 agoodmeal. 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 thegoodwork-- i know it takes a constant effort.

in 2004 enza and mike huff opened enza’s italian restaurant in mandarin. enza’s restaurant it’s a mid-high end italian restaurant in mandarin of san jose blvd. enza’s offers high quality italian cuisine at a fair price with huge portion sizes. enza’s is always busy so if you’re going to dine at enza’s make sure to make a reservation or expect to wait. on our visit, we walked up to the door and as i began to reach for it glided open. we were warmly greeted by the doorman, an older gentlemen in the craziest shiny 1970’s suit you’ve ever seen with snazzy wing tip shoes. he could have been a mafia don back in the day. at this moment we knew we were in the right place. the restaurant matched the outfit, in agoodway. enza’s has a way of exuding old school style while seamlessly melding that with contemporary charm. from the super cool ex-mafia don doorman to the wonderful lou

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 suchgoodingredients 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, the chicken marsala 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 of chicken picatta, 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 grilled chicken and veggies and the chicken alla 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. the chicken & 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 the chicken parm. 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.

the chicken parm. 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 of chicken home.

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 ordered chicken parm and chicken with 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.

the chicken parm 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. the chicken and veggies were sauteed in a olive oil and garlic sauce that definitely would keep the vampires away...in agoodway. 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 best chicken parmesan. 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 thegoodwork, enza

we love having dinner at enza's. we have had dinner here several times, and have yet to order something we didn't like. the staff has always been helpful and we have hadgoodservice. definitely one of our favorite places to eat.

decent. verygoodchicken marsala. was not impressed with the atmosphere but it wasgoodhomemade italian.

sogoodwe ate everything. we have eaten at enza's several times before, and tonight we stopped in for a late dinner and as always it was excellent. the atmosphere was relaxing, the staff members were friendly and the food tasted like it was homemade. we started our meal with the fried mozzarella balls which were so good. enza's makes the mozzarella in-house and it is mild/slightly salty and the marinara dipping sauce is fresh-tasting and robust. my husband had the meat tortellini carbonara and it was a generous portion, very savory, creamy and both the pasta and sauce were the right consistency. i had the eggplant parmesan with angel hair pasta and i really liked it. the eggplant was flavorful and the pasta was cooked correctly and not overdone. enza's is always a treat.

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 choose chicken cannelloni, chicken stephanie, 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 muchgoodfood 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.

enza's made this place so special!. well we had dinner last weekend, we ate like queens! i went with my mother and this is the best italian restaurant not only in jacksonville in the whole florida! we lovegoodfood, and the most important we lovegoodservice!
there we met a very handsome italian young man, impossible to forget him, his name is enzo, he was our server this night and he just made my night so wonderful, impressive his huge knowledge to recommended me the best for dinner and wines, i love this place and i will come back just because him! you can ask for him too, i am not too jealous ;-)
get the scallops are unbelievable delicious!
thank you enza's!

poor service raw food. we usually havegoodexperience but at the party for a 77 yr old we had poor service, raw grouper, cold osso bucco, had to beg for noodles with sauce for a 2 yr old! no consideration from owner, not impressed, i think they are getting too big for themselves. restaurants come and go, remember customers matter

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 the chicken frances. the lasagna was soooo good, the red sauce had such agoodsweet 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!

great restaurant. as a "regular" at enza's i was very surpised by bj's review on 6/20/2011. we have dinner there at least once a week for the last couple of years.. i am only sorry i waited so long to start. we find the portions generous and the food is the best!!. the wines selection is superior to most in this area. the house wines are verygoodtoo. and phil is our favorite server. he makes us feel welcome. he is always ready to make suggestions to make our dining experience special. but he is just one example of the great service you will find from enza's wait staff. we usually try to eat in the bar side so that we can enjoy the live music there. and the ladies behind the bar will make you welcome. if i am alone i usually choose to eat at the bar as do many of the 'regulars'. enza & mike want everyone to have a wonderful & relaxing dining experience at their place. i know i always do.

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 the chicken terezi 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 agoodrestaurant, but make sure you don't have phil wait on you.