Sent Chicken back twice and even on third try it was nothing but chewy bristles. Horrible experience.

What an incredible dining experience...the food was delicious and the staff couldn't be any more pleasant. This is our new favorite restaurant during our monthly trips from Atlanta to Birmingham! read more

Loved eating here, but had a very bad experience in the Jacksonville location with a manager being rude and cussing at us telling us to "get the f@#k out", all because we had a complaint about the food. Several weeks later went to the Anniston location and service was good then a waitress expressed how rude and mean the owner was towards his employees. Explained to the waitress about our experience in Jacksonville. Several weeks later (today) we returned to eat at the Anniston location and was asked to leave for absolutely no reason. The on duty manager stated the owner said we were not allowed in either location but had no reason. The owner has been asked to call me repeatedly to talk about the issue but he refuses to call and hides behind his staff, instead of being a responsible business owner. Would not recommend this to anyone due to the way he is and how he treats staff and how staff are scared to confront him with customer complaints. Still waiting for a call from the owner but have yet to receive one. Will be going to the local newspaper and writing a complaint with them. He doesn't value customers opinions. If you have a complaint with food he does nothing and asks you to not come back to any of his establishments. He no longer has my business nor my company's business. read more

We had 8 for dinner and everyone raved about their meal. Chicken Marsala, Baked Ziti, Voodoo Pasta and Lasagna were all superb. Definitely recommended! read more

The atmosphere is incredible. Staff is top notch. Every dish I have tried thus far has been exceptional. Definitely one of my favorite restaurants! read more

Went for lunch today. Waitress was friendly and attentive. Portions were huge for lunch. Fresh flavors. Items ordered by the table were Caesar Salad, Fettucine Alfredo, and Chicken Florentine panini. Freshly baked rosemary bread is complimentary with house seasoned olive oil. Definitely best Italian in the area. read more

Friendly and spot on service and just wonderful food!! It's a "keeper" for sure!!! If you haven't been, you must try.

Lunch was okay at best. I'd heard glorious things about the original Effina's in Jacksonville, but this one has a long way to go to equal it. Service wasn't great, either. read more

Went for dinner last night with out-of-towners. If you like the high level of noise and TVs like a sports bar, then this is the place for you. I would not call this a fine dining experience and is definitely more casual than the Jacksonville location. After all, it used to be a sports bar and is built precisely for the hamburger and beer and sports crowd. Very noisy and this was 6:00 on a Wednesday night. Pretty pricey. We had calamari (great), shrimp appetizer (spicy and interesting?), bruschetta for appetizers. Mediterranean pasta left me thinking I had wasted my money although portion was huge. Did not like the flavors at all, and they were all lost in among each other. Caprese salad not what I expected and pricey--tomatoes not fully ripened and basil tasted like licorice, off-putting aftertaste, and not the usual olive oil drizzle but rather sweeter perhaps reduction of something . Sent the veal parmigiana back for being overcooked. The angel hair pasta was also overcooked. Dessert tiramisu was not exactly like one would expect being served in a glass mug and a piece of biscotti stuck in the top which one of our group said tasted like a granola bar, cheesecake maybe an inch wide slice. This is not a place I would return to, especially for the pricing on the menu. Red snapper $26.00 I found to be off-putting, as well, or I would have ordered that one. The others at the table apparently all thought their orders were worth the prices. I, however, did not. I would not consider this to be authentic Italian and pasta is cheap. However, Monica was our server and she was excellent. And if anyone cares, if you happen to have an infant with you, as we did, there is no changing table in the restroom. read more

Had received a coupon for my fathers bday that said that come enjoy a free meal On is for you and your family so this seemed to good to be true so I called ahead and asked if it covered just him or if it covered the whole family and I was told "oh no it covers everyone in your party" in a very pleasant tone so we all went to go together as none of us had ever been before and it was a very pleasant experience until the end where they plopped a 80 dollar bill down after assuring me over the phone ahead of time this covered his party as well which was a total of 3 people including himself then when we explained this to the waitress she called the manager over who proceeded to come up with any and every excuse to weasel out of what was said I even explained who the persons name who answered was and he assured me that wasn't the case so instead of honoring a mistake made on the BUSINESS end he ruined a 1st and ONLY visit to this restaurant and if they regularly do underhanded stuff like this then I advise anyone else who feels even remotely the same to vote with your wallet bc no food is worth being lied to then embarrassed by after the point of no return read more

My wife and I read the great reviews about Effina's restaurant. On the way from Birmingham on I-20 , we decided to stop by for lunch. It took us about 11 miles our of our way, but we were delighted that we took the detour. The atmosphere was very unique. The service from the waiter was outstanding. Even better was the lunch that we had! My wife had the scallops with angel hair. The scallops were huge to what we had in other restaurants. She enjoyed the light cream sauce that was on the pasta and scallops. I had the veal parmigiana with pasta. The veal was very tender and I must say, it was a thick cut.Other restaurants would just put a slice of the cheese on the veal and let the heat from the veal melt the cheese. Not at Effina's!! The veal along with the cheese was cooked in their oven. Now THAT makes a big difference in taste and presentation. We will go to Effina's again when we travel on I-20. It is well worth the extra 11 miles!!! read more

My sister and I ate there on Saturday night. I had the ribeye and it was honestly the worst steak I have ever had. It was tough and tasted horrible. My sister had the Chicken Marsala that is usually delicious but it looked like they had just poured wine over it, not browned at all, and it was cold. The food there is usually wonderful but it will be a while before we go back. Don't know what was off that night but definitely OFF. It cost to much to be that terrible. read more

So hungry, was craving some Italian. Pasta was out of bounds. Dynamite. I got the voodoo pasta. Spicy Dijon sauce with sausage, shrimp and chicken. Except they forgot the chicken for me and my two buds. It was so good that I didn't care, but needed the protein for my gains, I asked and the chef, and he was super apologetic and brought us all chicken. The bread was not impressive that they brought out at the beginning. Will go back again. The girls at the bar were super friendly, would always refill our waters read more

Great service. I had the lasagna, Caesar salad, wild mushroom ravioli. They were all great. I will be back. I can't wait to try the rest of the menu. read more

Ive lived in Birmingham my whole life but have traveled all over the southeast and recently picked up the Anniston/Gadsden area for work. I have been to both Effinas locations and can tell you that this will be one of the best experiences you'll ever have if your a foodie who loves the local feel, mixed with some of the best classic, yet authentic dishes made with only the freshest ingredients prepared by chefs that have a passion for only the best. The staff always welcomes you as if you'd been there and more than helpful when discussing their specials for the day and can describe every dish as if they cooked it theirselves... It's definitely one of the Best around the State. From all Italian dishes to their amazing burgers to the The fried calamari.. like NO other.. The batter IS so very lite, fried to perfection to not over cook the calamari.. Served with a homemade basil pesto sauces, basil so fresh It tastes like it was picked that day that has a hint of sweetness mixed with a little heat..perfection! The Bruschetta is fabulous.. Marinated tomatoes so fresh, served on homemade bread with fresh garlic and balsamic. Although it is an appetizer it enough for a meal. Cannot say enough about this place.. A MUST.. Worth the drive!! read more