La Cena Ristorante

We went for my birthday and everything about this place made my birthday a wonderful experience.
We will be going again soon. Honestly, from some of the reviews, I was a bit nervous about the service/experience.
But there's chronic complainers everywhere.
Dismiss those and try it for yourself.
We were greeted with a wonderful smiling host and everyone throughout the entire dinner was courteous and helpful with questions about the menu, ordering and wine.
The food was amazing and the best Chicken Marsala I've had.
Full of flavor! My husband had a shrimp and scallop pasta and he said his was amazing too.
We had an appetizer, bottle of wine, dinner and I ordered a dessert to go.
Everything was top notch.
So glad we found this hidden gem.
There's no sign outside that we seen but Google maps took us directly to it.
When you're a great quality restaurant, you don't need a sign.
Obviously their reputation speaks and advertises itself. It's an adult only setting and we knew that when we made reservations.
I appreciated the quaint atmosphere (and yes I've had small children at one time too).
We went to enjoyed the adult only atmosphere. Call ahead for reservation because it obviously fills up fast on the weekends. Looking forward to making reservations again soon.

My Dinner was so amazing at LA Cena.
I got a bit full from the bread, escargot, salad and wine.
My main entrée was the Chicken Parmigiano.
Every single thing is made from scratch in house.
I ate a little of my main entrée and my date had a bite and I still had enough left for 3 plates for lunch today.
Plus a small covered dish for somebody's late night snack.
The place is AMAZING! It's by reservations only.
I got their voice-mail and I'm not one to leave a message.
Jerry, the owner/chef graciously accommodated us and sat us promptly at 5pm on a Saturday night.
Food was plentiful! The had the wine I love thankfully on hand.
Chateau des Bachlards, Contessa de Vazeilles, Fleurie 2020.
$75 by only serving it by the bottle.
Not a hesitation nor complaint from my date.
I was to full for dessert, but he had a nice fluffy authentic Italian cheesecake.
I tasted it and it was DELICIOUS.
I would definitely return over and over to dabble in every item on the menu.
Quite setting, not rushed at all from the staff seeking to flip the table for the next tip at all! Honestly speaking the wine and his imported beers were more costly than our meal.
Thank you for my date, thank you for the wait staff, and thank you Chef Jerry for having us to your table. Ps.
I haven't even opened my dates left over fresh fish container.
I'll be savoring that for dinner.
Yummy 😋

Owner response

Last week, I had a great dinner with my family at La Cena Ristorante for my mom's birthday.
I was spoiled growing up eating amazing Italian food that my mom prepared, and personally I think that La Cena is second to none in Jacksonville for Italian food.
The food is superb, the service was on point, and I appreciated that we could have a conversation without yelling at each other to hear each other.
Also, the plate sizes are generous.
My family and friends love this place.
I've gone twice now, and both times have been excellent.
I highly recommend.