The restaurant was nicely decorated and very welcoming. Very cute little Italian place. However, as much as I love 90's music, it was not appropriate for the atmosphere of this restaurant. It really through off what couple have been a nice romantic meal. The food was excellent! Everything came out hot and fresh and was very filling. You will not leave hungry. My biggest complaint would be the service. Our waitress was very rude and just seemed like she would have rather been anywhere else but at work. We went around 2:00pm which I understand is close to shift change, but I still expect to be treated as a guest instead of a nuisance. She was sitting at a table right behind us rolling silverware while we were being ignored. When she came to the table it seemed as if she couldn't get away from it quickly enough. This would be the only reason we will not be returning to this restaurant. Service is a huge make it or break it for me and she really broke it today. read more

Effina's - Italian Near Me - Anniston, Alabama

I rate this five stars plus two! Prior to relocating to Alabama I spotted this place on Yelp. Words cannot describe my life long and enduring love for veal Parmesan. I'm a born and bred Chicago that is home of the very best Italian cuisine in CONUS. That's right New York City and any and all pretenders. Not just the best pizza but also the best Veal Parmesan and lasagna. This evening's journey to Valhalla along with my wife started with a tasty bruschetta followed by cups delicious potato soup. Should have got a bowl of this stuff. My lovely bride had some of the best lasagna this side of Albany, New York since the 60's. For me the Veal Parmesan. Let me tell you it was the cat's ass! Full size veal cutlet swimming in Parmesan sauce covered by an ample portion of Parmesan cheese (pardon me while I faint.) I'm back. All of this on a bed of angel hair pasta. Being the greedy bastard that I am my meal was supplemented by an order of spaghetti with meat sauce that I shared with my gorgeous spouse. I couldn't consume all of mine. Of course she couldn't finish it off. I knew that the doggy bag would be all mine. On the way home she said I could have her leftovers. Thank you sweet Jesus for your grace and mercy. Sooo I'm gonna have Veal Parmesan with angel hair, spaghetti and lasagna leftover Alabama snack. My cycle has begun. We will return every month. I'm stuck on this here Veal Parmesan and dining with my wife in beautiful Anniston, Alabama. ROLL TIDE ROLL! read more

Went with a large group, which we called days before and the reservation was accepted by the restaurant. Waitress was sweet and trying, but new and over her head. The fact management gave her our table, and then refused to step in and help her was where everything was proven to be absolutely unacceptable. How can he not even come fill our water glasses? And the food. The special was a grilled pork chop. When I ordered it I told the waitress "I want it medium rare. If it's well done I will send it back, so make sure the kitchen knows it is how it want it done please". When our food FINALLY came, the manager had finally stepped into help (after 2 of us had to get up from the table and confront him and why wasn't he helping his staff), and he happened to have my food. I asked him before setting it down, if it was the medium rare one. He responded "it looks like it". Of course it was shoe leather. I called him back and he then told me that it "was illegal to cook pork that way". I was floored he would insult anyones intelligence that way. If it's illegal, tell me and give me the chance to spend my money on something that is my choice. He then said he was in the food industry for 20 years and "I know what I'm doing, baby". Baby. Just, wow. It was a terrible experience for all of us. Food cold, was there for 2.5 hours and only got 2 drinks total. This is supposed to be one of the nicest restaurants in Calhoun county. But if management honestly thinks it's ILLEGAL to cook pork the way it tastes best (imo), you'd be better off to order pizza or something cheap here. Do not trust these people with any high dollar ingredients. read more

Amazing bread and oil. I like the chicken Alfredo. The atmosphere is nice. I do remember once that they charged us to split a meal between two people. Not sure if they still do that. read more

They don't tell you they charge a credit card fee to recoup their costs. Shocked when I got the bill with an extra 3% no cash charge. This is a cost of doing business and something the company should absorb or at least disclosed on the menu. Won't go here again. The server was also way more concerned with chatting with her friend than serving our table. I was nice and still have a 18% tip even though the service was sub par. Food was tasty but the experience will keep me from returning. read more

This is my new favorite restaurant!!! My boyfriend surprised me for my birthday with Effinas-downtown Anniston. There are two we recently learned. Wow!! The garlic oil with bread as a starter is YUMMY (the more garlic the better!!). The food is INCREDIBLE and the service could not be better. The waitress even brought out the roses for me that my boyfriend dropped off earlier in the day. She was very friendly, accommodating and knowledgeable of the food. Young gal (so sorry I can't remember her name ). Definitely going to try the Effinas in Jacksonville very soon. Highly recommended! read more

This is my favorite restaurant. I Love the Baked Rigatoni and Lasgna!! This is my second here is a week. read more

Effina's - Italian Near Me - Anniston, Alabama

Oh my goodness visited this place for the first time the food was amazing, not to mention the friendly staff.

I travel to this area for work a lot and I've always been disappointed in the dismal choice of restaurants here. Well I think I just found my new regular place to eat. The staff is well trained and extremely friendly. I also saw the owner walking around speaking with customers which is always nice. I started with the small Caesar salad which was a generous portion. For my entree I had the scallop special and it was excellent. The scallops were cooked and seasoned perfectly. All and all a great experience and I will certainly be back. read more

Effina's - Scallop special over pasta, started eating before I remembered to take the pic. - Italian Near Me - Anniston, Alabama

Excellent choice for a quick date night. Clean, new, very good service and even better food.

Based on yelp recommendation, we ordered takeout while passing through Anniston/Oxford on I-20. The drive into town was worth the trip due to Anniston's southern small town atmosphere. We were conservative in ordering, lasagna and spaghetti and meatballs. Both were delicious, but standard southern Italian food. In a big city, I would give it three stars, but in Anniston, Al, it probably deserves it's 4 star rating. read more

Went there for lunch and I thought everything was tasty. I had the chicken marsala and for some reason I was expecting it to be a stuffed chicken breast but it's not which is traditional. Still thought it was good. A co-worker of mine ordered the chicken parmigiana and it looked great.. huge portion.. I said I will be getting that next time. I'm a beer guy and they are lacking on the variety of craft beer so don't go expecting to sit at the bar with a good beer selection but the wine selection looked decent. If your in Anniston and you're looking for some good Italian food I recommend this place. Update : Went back for dinner the following weekend and ordered the Chicken parmigiana. It looked like a totally different menu item. The portion was much smaller and the tomato based sauce was runny and watery. I asked the manager why the portions were inconsistent he said due to several different cooks it was to be expected. So I'm knocking off a star due to very inconsistent portions and the meal I had was nowhere near the $15 + dollars I spent. read more

Giving it a one star does not even do it justice . There were five in our party none of the meals were served at the same time the first two came out with decent timing . Then one at a time the final three came out the third person's food was cold the fourth person's food was barely anything there for shrimps really and that was pretty much the meal and my food came out after everyone was almost done . The waiter never once stepped near our table once he took our order his name was Derek and he seemed to wander around we had two other waitresses who served our food a little at a time and one of the waitresses was really irritable . I had the reuben sandwich which was processed me the cheese was cold so was the meat and barely any sauerkraut on it and sauce and the rye bread was stale/ like a rock . Seriously it was so hard and dry that I cut my mouth trying to bite into the sandwich . It was really hard to bite my tongue when we left as the crowd who had a 2-hour wait and not say that it definitely was not worth the wait read more

Wow! This place is amazing! The chef did a fantastic job and we thoroughly enjoyed the food and the service.. The menu is outstanding .. first class all the way. It is a slice of heaven in the middle of Anniston. The food is truly fresh cooked to perfection. Wine sections great. I depend on yelp and I promise you won't be disappointed here ! read more

The service is excellent and the food is awesome. If you leave this place hungry you did it wrong! The polenta is amazing fried or creamed. The chicken parm is a great large portion with their savory marina. The Mediterranean is a great dish to try as well. read more

Effina's - Chicken Parm - Italian Near Me - Anniston, Alabama

Years ago, I visited the original Effina's in Jacksonville and had a horrible experience. I had not been back since then, but visited the new Anniston location with a friend for lunch. I had a much better experience at the Anniston location and have been another two times since, each time leaving with a pleasurable experience. The food was wonderful, atmosphere is very relaxing, and the wait staff was very professional, friendly, and prompt. I will be visiting again. read more

If you're looking for an semi upper class place to go (that is still affordable) this is it. The food really has that "I made this especially for you" touch. I had the lamb and it was divine. What they don't give you in crazy portion sizes they give you in flavor. The service was pleasant as well- no bad or snooty attitudes and attentive. If you're looking to try something you've never had before check out their daily menu. I've never been disappointed just giving something a try here. Trust them- they know what they're doing! read more

It was talked up from people in that area. We were disappointed but also amazed at what people call great these days. It is not a bad place but when we were told it is a great Italian restaurant we were expecting something nice as or equivalent to places like in birmingham. The anniston area is very limited on restaurant choices so the people are happy to have anything. The lights were bright at tables instead of ambient lighting. The music was 80's and rap.....nothing wrong with that but it was loud like in bar that has a band on stage. Not exactly relaxing or Italian restaurant type music. The food was ok. Most every item is pork meat based or cajun sauce and other items are heavy as in much fat added to them. Again this is not a bad thing but we were expecting other options without having to order a salad with grilled chicken or veggie plate. We tried a few things and this is how i know it was heavy, more fat content that we prefer. Staff is young inexperienced but nice. read more

Just tried this place on the recommendation of a friend. The food was very good and original. Drinks were good (I only order beer and whiskey neat so can't really mess it up) bartender was friendly and attentive. The wait staff was mostly made up of young blond women so if that's your jam (and it should be) you're in business. Price was very reasonable. I had the roast beef Italian sandwich and a whiskey as well as enough beer to float a battleship and still had enough $$ leftover to post bail. read more

This is a solid restaurant that probably erred more on the side of a 3.5 but deserves more than a 3-hence the 4 rating. The BBQ shrimp New Orleans style is not New Orleans authentic if you are use to true NOLA BBQ shrimp. It was a little spicy but pepper spicy and you can tell that the shrimp was "fresh frozen". Not awful but not something I would order again. The Mushroom Raviolis sautéed in a brown butter with flash fried sage on the other hand carries this review. It was on point and most certainly something I would order again. The price point was fair for what you get, everyone very friendly and knowledgable and a classy pub feel. It may not be the first restaurant that I would run back to the next time I am in town but I will definitely visit again. read more

Effina's - New Orleans style BBQ shrimp-just ok. The toast points were pretty yummy though. - Italian Near Me - Anniston, Alabama

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mushroom ravioli was undercooked and the sauce was watery. bread wasn't very good. calamari was served lukewarm - squid itself and batter were terrible. bathrooms were dirty and shoddy. back kitchen area did not look sanitary. service was ok. did not enjoy my meal and was disappointed. read more

We like to try local restaurants when we are on vacation. We saw Effina's ad in a local restaurant guide and thought we'd give it a try. We were not disappointed. My wife had chicken piccata, which normally comes with angel hair pasta, but they were willing to substitute with sautéed vegetables due to her dietary restrictions with NO up charge. I had the eggplant parmigiana, which was thinly sliced and crispy. We enjoyed everything so much we even splurged on the cheesecake dessert with my wife licking the spoons clean. The staff was extremely friendly, which made the meal that much more enjoyable. Would definitely recommend if in this area of Alabama. read more

Called ahead to make sure they were still serving at 9:35 pm on a Thursday night. We were assured that the Kitchen was open til ten. We arrived at 9:40 and were then told that they were no longer serving food by the manager. When I mentioned that we had called ahead she did not apologize, offer to honor the person answering the phones commitment to our service. She was pretty satisfied watching us leave. Two visits in one!!!! First and last!!! Too many businesses out there to spend money where they don't do what they say. Period. read more

I have visited this restaurant every time I'm in town. Service is excellent and I've never had a bad meal. The chicken Picatta is my favorite dish. I also tried the filet and it was delicious. The atmosphere is awesome. Overall is a great experience every time I'm in town! WAR EAGLE read more

Good service and good food! Wanted to try something local and we were not disappointed! We will definitely return next visit to this area! The Chicken Piccata was wonderful!!! Also try the Filet Tips with homemade Pappardelle Pasta! read more

This place is crap- slowest place ever, customer service is non existent. The place looks nice but not customer oriented.

Absolutely divine veal parmesan! Today was our second visit and my second veal parmesan. Your Olive Gardens don't serve this. The cutlet is Chicago size style, huge. My lovely wife was again had the lasagna. Yes I get her leftovers. We had to have my truck serviced in Anniston and were both hungry. Credit her for this excellent choice. Worth the drive if only for the meal. Meatball appetizer was also delightful. Call me predictable but I like what I like. My wife doesn't complain so stay in your lane because I'm going back for the same thing. read more

Love everything about this place. Favorites are the New Orleans shrimp appatizer. The spaghetti with marinara add meatballs. Love the atmosphere as well. read more

The food and service were horrible. My noodles were rubber and my meat was burnt. My boyfriend didn't even get the special he ordered. It was a completely different one. Then he told the waitress and she said it was just written on the board wrong. This place used to have great food. I'm not sure what's happened the last couple of times I've been read more

The food wasn't that great , we paid $75 for an uncooked piece of fish and 3 zucchini slices and 4 asparagus rods , we will not be coming back ! read more

This is my favorite restaurant in Anniston!! Everything I have ordered has been off the chart AWESOME!! The wild mushroom ravioli is to die for!!! We order for an appetizer every time!! If you like real Italian food you must try this place!! read more

The last two times we're at this restaurant the food was excellent it beat Olive Garden this time I paid $30 for a meal that I could have got a better meal at Taco Bell the noodles were not done the bolognese sauce had a funny taste I ask for extra sauce because the sauce the noodles had very little sauce on it they charged me $3 for extra sauce I would not go back to this restaurant read more

First time in since this new restaurant opened. Excellent service and excellent food. Came in hungry and ordered three appetizers and main dish of angel hair pasta with Alfredo sauce as well as shrimp, scallops, fish and mussels. It was all delicious. The best prepared calamari that I have had in a really long time. I plan to be back and try more of the menu. read more

Effina's - Italian Near Me - Anniston, Alabama

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Wonderful restaurant in the heart of downtown Anniston! We went there for lunch and it was delightful. The pork tenderloin sandwich melts in your mouth and the cheese bread appetizer is to die for. read more

Ah mazing! I was there for lunch and from the time I walked in I was greeted and seated! Although Effinas has two locations this one downtown and jacksonville this one is more spacious. The Jacksonville, Al Effina's is more intimate. My waitress was very bubbly and constantly checked up on me to see if I was alright. I ordered their Cesar salad which was great and cane with the exact amount of sauce. I also got their lunch special Italian sausage and pasta. You get to choose your pasta and sauce! I got the pesto sauce and tortellini pasta! SSSUUUPPPEEERRR good and the sausage was great too i also received 2 pieces of garlic bread. O i forgot to mention that it is an Effina's tradition to receive bread before your meal. I was so stuffed this time I didn't get to order dessert... Phooey... but make sure you try their cannoli and their tiramisu! Thanks Effina's downtown! O and might I add that Effina's downtown has liquor!! Lol read more

Very nice supper. Everything was fresh. Pasta was excellent. Service was very good. One of the best dinning experiences my wife and I have had in a long time. We will be back. read more

Great place to eat. Steven and his team are awesome. This food is outstanding, love to portobello stuffed ravioli, meat balls are fantastic and amazing steaks. The staff goes above and beyond to make it a great dining experience. Do yourself a favor and go check them out. It is about a 45 minute drive for us and well worth it. read more

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

Had the Pork Tenderloin Panini that was Great. The smashed fries were ok only 2 but different. Will return for lunch again, The waitress was friendly help with order suggestion kept the tea glass full. which is a big pluss read more

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