ENZO Steakhouse & Bar — Restaurant in Fayetteville

Let me preface by saying I think a person's enjoyment of their food and beverage at a restaurant boils down to whether they share the same palate as the chef and bartender. In the case of Enzo, me and the chef and bartender were not vibing. Actually, I have a bone to pick with whoever trains the waitstaff too.

From the top: My husband and I came here for our anniversary. We noted that as the special occasion on our reservation but we were not wished a happy anniversary in any way by anyone. I didn't think about it in the moment and only realized after a night's sleep. I'm mentioning it for anyone wanting to go here for a special occasion, if you want them to do something extra, you'll probably have to spell it out.

We skipped the charcuterie course and started with antipasti and cocktails. The crispy olives were amazing! I'd recommend ordering it for the table as an amuse bouche. It really did delight the palate. Lots of flavors going on there that all worked together. We also ordered the peach and ricotta which was a flatbread situation. It was okay. Very big portion compared to the crispy olives. We ate half and boxed up the rest.

Our cocktails. Mine tasted like straight alcohol, like it was missing the simple syrup. Nothing wrong with straight alcohol but when all these ingredients are listed and it's a pretty color but all I taste is alcohol then it's just not the experience I was expecting. I took two sips, gave up, and asked for a glass of red wine since my husband's cocktail also seemed to be to be missing some flavors. I've not been so unpleasantly surprised by a cocktail in such a long time. If I went back I personally would only get wine since they can't mess that up. I noticed on the check we were not charged for my cocktail which I appreciate.

We shared the lamb Bolognese which was supposed to come with pappardelle, but instead was served with what I would describe as like a squid ink very tightly wound gnocchi situation. There was no explanation given as to why the pasta was different. It was chewy and gritty and on the harder side not softer like I'd expect gnocchi to be. It definitely soured my experience of the dish. The Bolognese was really good though.

We each ordered the filet, and shared the potatoes, carrots and asparagus. I usually make filet mignon at home, we've never had it in a restaurant but figured now was as good a time as any to see if mine was as good as we think it is. The verdict is that we'd rather have mine at home. The ones at the restaurant just didn't wow us. They were seasoned well but for us not worth the price. The potatoes were good, the carrots were great, and the asparagus and broccolini were just wrong. That's when we started speculating that there are warring chefs in the kitchen because I find it hard to believe that the same chef came up with the carrots and the asparagus. They're so very different that they cannot have come from the same palate, and I find it hard to believe that the chef who came up with the carrots signed off on the asparagus. For dessert we had tiramisu and cannoli. The cannoli was so close to being nice, that orange flavor really set it apart, but then it was borderline savory due to lacking any sweetness in the shell. The tiramisu was okay, it was missing the alcohol for sure.

Onto the service: for the prices and ambience, I expected them to fully embrace fine dining. The wait staff wear jeans and dress shirts. I think when you wear jeans you just are more relaxed and casual, which probably explains why we did not get fine dining service. We had to ask for empty plates and glasses to be removed and the servers just did not anticipate our needs. It might just be an American thing but we really like when dishes from the previous course are removed before the next course is brought out. Having to pick up our plates before we're done eating so that the server can put down the next course feels like you're rushing me (we were there for two hours total so it's not like we were moving slow).

All in all, it was just an...

Working in hospitality for years so my expectations are very high…first time to this area, I was invited by a friend to try things out. I’m down for a good time especially when food is on the menu…GOOD FOOD! Driving up we saw people on the patio enjoying themselves so we pick Enzo as the place to go…. Well I personally didn’t feel welcome but the host I’m very fashionable so maybe, just maybe it was a look out of amazement. We ask if we could be seated at the bar, he reluctantly said yes after looking me up and down a few times… excited we walk to the bar and find our seats. Again I’ve been in the industry a very long time when it was good and now when it’s not so good… Jessica and Leo on the bar and that where the experience change and started going down… 30sec acknowledging the guest gone didn’t happen we had to asked for menu and again for drinks, clearly these two started the shift on a tag team or Jessica was on bar and Leo on well just wasn’t clear who was doing what, Jessica very short and almost sounded like my friend was annoying her…introducing themselves didn’t happen thank goodness for name tags. Jessica did however, ask if this was the first time but no history or background of the restaurant was giving. At start I was thinking ok it a shift change she getting ready to go for the night…and I was wrong. Again history or style of restaurant wasn’t explained so we started ordering Jessica very short cut my friend off by saying what the “chef required is…”. play on words are very important… she told us at that time about the course that is suggested by the chef(play on words) we order and not to long after apps came out and soon after the entree…now here where things get uncomfortable… the 2 minute/ 2 bit check in was not done either. My friend mentioned that their food was cold. Jessica over heard and mentioned that she would get a manager. The Male manager came over didn’t not introduce himself either may be that the culture of this establishment, he ask about the dish and said he would REHEAT IT!!!! (Wait not reheat👀)…about 3 minutes the dish came back with the same fish… again we both work in the Industry for years, and once a guest eat or touch a dish it is to be mark as wast… this is considered cross contamination to bring this same item back to the guest and the fact the he returned to us offering the same fish was good… now it keeps going everyone now is uncomfortable we asked to checkout and Jesica did remember it was a birthday and broke down the option to me. at the the end more things happen that change my mind personally to return. My friend ask for Jessica to wish her a farewell and Leo in a very almost disrespectful tone said “she” wants you…my friend asked who is she? Leo stated “I’m sorry if I offended you I know time are different with pronouns and all” training is a much need focus on step of service and sensitivity especially… hopefully things change for the...

Enzo’s Steakhouse is truly a gem—the food is excellent, the atmosphere is stunning, and the service is warm and attentive. Our servers were lovely, making sure we were well taken care of throughout our visit.

However, our experience at the Spring Brunch left something to be desired. While we thoroughly enjoyed the flavors and presentation, the portioning for the four-course meal was disappointing. We were seated as a group of four but received the same amount of food as the two-top tables around us, despite all guests paying the same price. This led to an uneven and frustrating dining experience, where smaller tables were able to take home leftovers while we found ourselves rationing our portions.

When we raised our concerns, we were told that portions were determined by table size, but this did not align with what we observed around the restaurant. Fortunately, after speaking with a manager, additional food was provided, but it shouldn’t have required intervention to receive appropriate portions. For example, splitting an 8oz steak among four people resulted in just a bite each, and the egg dish was similarly scarce. Meanwhile, bread was plentiful, but the protein portions were not.

Additionally, we were disappointed that several advertised offerings were missing from our experience. The promotion had included enticing items such as bread with crème fraîche to accompany various pastries and a carbonara dish served from a cheese wheel. These extras were part of the overall appeal but were unfortunately not provided during the event.

We still love Enzo’s and would absolutely return for a regular dining experience, but based on this, we would not recommend attending a ticketed event where food is served family-style. If we return for a future event, we now know to request individual servings to ensure a fair portion.

We appreciate the effort made to accommodate us, and we hope the restaurant will reconsider how portions and advertised offerings are allocated for these...