Enza's Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Jacksonville

I don't really like to post reviews like this but I feel compelled to do so...first some good things..the piano is an interesting touch...the ambience is nice...comfortable and reasonably pleasant place to dine...the meatballs were quite good...the pomodoro caprese was decent-i certainly wouldn't complain about it...and the cannoli they gave my daughter for her bd was quite good as well-and I'm appreciative for them doing so which makes it a bit harder to state the following but I would be remiss if I didn't...first the service...it's beyond slow..it's not service...there's nothing remotely resembling servitude or care from the service staff...we asked for a dessert menu early on due to how long things were taking-never got one...it took at least 15 minutes after being seated before a waiter came to our table...we had to flag someone down just to get water...and even that took a while...and the piano? The guy asked my daughter if she had any requests so she gave him one which he acknowledged...but never played it in the two hours we were there...and she even tipped him at my insistence..the caprese had a good pesto as garnishment...since the table bread comes with no oil or butter sauce, we found the otherwise meh bread to be much improved by dipping in the pesto...with 2 or 3 pieces of bread remaining we asked our server if we could possibly get a bit more pesto to finish the bread...u would've thought we had asked for her to give birth based on her reaction...she eventually brought us some and we were later charged for a side of pesto-but hey, at least it was good...which brings us to the not so good...when my daughter got her pink lemonade-she routinely orders such at other places-the frown was noticeable after the first sip...I asked how it was and got 'not one of the better ones' and 'that it had too much pink or something and tasted fake'...for what it's worth...she did like her meatballs and after the two others of us tasted, we agreed they were quite good...which compared to our two dishes was no small feat...my companion had the chicken teresi...which if not for my dish would've been the worst dish I've ever put in my mouth at an Italian restaurant...whether two much corn starch or flour or whatever it was...it was just nasty...the only taste was of some foreign pasty matter...she took a couple bites and that was all she wrote...which brings me to my clams and white sauce over linguine-my choice mote often than not when having Italian... first, it seemed unusually small with very few clams-one of which was unopened...after taking the first bite I was simply flabbergasted by the taste of salt..didn't taste anything but salt...it was mind-boggling...so figuring I had some sort of freakish bite I had another..nope..the first was not an aberration...it was just as salty...after a third was every bit as salty as the first two that was more than enough for me to conclude that it was the worst dish by far I had ever tasted at an Italian restaurant...after tasting my companion's and having it be a close second to the worst it was simply dumbfounded that such things could be served...they were unedible and disgusting and if any chef or cook had taken any sort of taste they would've known such and they would've ended up in the trash can and probably helped out by kling any pests that were unfortunate enough to imbibe them...I don't know if most of the regular staff-service and kitchen-were absent the day after Christmas and the dishwasher was doing the cooking and street people were doing the serving but it was all ridiculously bad...the booths on either side of us had troubles with their orders so in the end we just wanted to get the hell out and went and had Italian ice because I hesitate to think what they would do with tiramisu...though again to be fair, the cannoli they brought out was good...how there can be such a huge disparity between the quality and taste of dishes is baffling..needless to say this was our first & last trip to Enzas...and the 20% tip i left was just another Christmas...

WHY WE CHOSE We chose ENZA'S because my wife and I always try our best to support local family-owned businesses.  ENZA'S is exactly that.  We have been lucky enough to meet Enza's lovely family and they've made us feel so very welcomed.  Enza runs the front of the house and Mike, her husband, runs the kitchen.  It all runs like a well-oiled machine. ARRIVE When we arrived, we were greeted by a wall of warm and welcoming smiles. We had a reservation, so we were immediately led to our table.  There were soft lights, piano music and friendly conversations filling the room. The tables were set with white tablecloths and contrasting black napkins. Understated and elegant. They obviously do not buy their silverware at the Dollar Tree. Everything was very clean and very classy. SERVER Our server's name is Candice.  She is fabulous. Neither waitress nor server are adequate titles in the case of Candice.  We felt more like she had invited us into her home and, as our host, wanted to make sure we had everything we needed to have a pleasant experience. She has an uncanny knack for anticipating our needs. Not once did we have to ask for refills to our beverages. (That's a big deal to me.) She always arrives with a big smile and cheerful repartee. We strongly suggest you ask for CANDICE. FOOD Enza moved here from Palermo, Sicily and brought her family's love for great Tyrrhenian Sea cuisine with her. This will be our fourth trip; we are becoming Wednesday night regulars. We come to ENZA'S for our mid-week date night to celebrate successfully making it halfway through the week. We've ordered a different entree each visit, and we've loved everything Candice brings to our table. The food needs nothing. We enjoy it just as it is served. NOW FOR THE NEGATIVE.  I feel confident in saying that I have developed an addiction to Enza's SALTED CARAMEL GELATO.  I kid you not. It is almost intoxicating. For the record, I wish to state that when I am sitting with a cup of Enza's SALTED CARAMEL GELATO in front of me and the face that I absolutely adore across the table from me......well......at that point, I refuse to be held accountable for my actions.

ENZA'S. Check it out.  You can tell them Teddy...

Where to start. . . This restaurant is full of charm, personality, and a smiling staff! My wife and I recently stopped in for dinner and let me tell you, we were not disappointed! We arrived approximately 45 minutes prior to closing. We were promptly seated after being greeted by the front staff. Our waitress immediately greeted us after being seated. Our waitress was smiling, upbeat, and full of joy! With that being said, she was confident in her skills and abilities as well as the day’s specials that were being offered. We started with the Calamari ( anytime Calamari is on the menu we always order it ) this Calamari was perfectly cooked! The outside had the perfect crunch and the Calamari itself was perfectly cooked, there was not 1 single chewy piece, not 1!!! And if you’re a Calamari connoisseur, then you know that chewy Calamari is NOT what you want!! For main entrees we ordered Chicken Parmesan and Lobster Shrimp Pasta ( daily special ) both dishes were cooked perfectly. The size of each dish was WOW! The size of the portions were absolutely perfect and by no means would you look at your plate saying this is too much food! But certainly make sure that you come with an appetite because there are so many delicious dishes on the menu and let’s not forget about the bread that comes with every meal! The bread is perfectly cooked with some seasoning on the inside of the bread and delicious olive oil and garlic to dip the bread in that is absolutely to die for! Now, time to mention one of the best perks of eating at Enza’s. . . THE LIVE MUSIC!!! The live music is such a hard thing to come by in restaurants these days, especially a musician playing the piano. I will say that there are times when live music can be too much and too loud in a restaurant environment. However, the live music was the perfect touch to this lovely and quaint restaurant. Wow just wow, what an amazing experience!!! Do not hesitate to stop in here for lunch or dinner! I promise that you will not be...