Leci’s Italian Cafe

Found via Unilocal.A nice little place in a small strip mall. Upon entering I was amazed that as small as it looked it had plenty of seating. Great Italian atmosphere with music playing. Service was slow but there was a large group 25+ when we arrived. I ordered the Garlic Cheese Bread and the Alla Rosa. The Garlic Cheese Bread was very disappointing, there ws a lack of garlic and the cheese seemed to be a slice of some cheap stuff. The only thing that made it worth eating was the marinara sauce. My main course was recommended by the server but I was again disappointed. The chicken was rubbery (now I see why they covered it with sauce), the sauce was a blend of the marinara and a white wine sauce, I believe it was white wine and not just a cream. The sauce had horrible taste, the wine must have been super cheap. One the plus the noodles were delicious and cooked perfectly. I was with a guest and his food was delicious he stated, so I took that into account when giving my stars. May not have been my night.

They now use a huge amount of MSG which in this large amount makes me feel sick and an almost heart attack type of racing feeling. They now use a huge amount of MSG in their Lasagna. Even the Chinese restaurants have taken out MSG because it can make people feel sick with a racing type of feeling that can be very scary.
I asked them if they would cut down the huge amount of MSG they now use and they just did not care about my health and safety or other peoples safety that have problems with huge amounts of MSG in the food.
Instead of them saying sorry they said to leave the restaurant and never come back again! They even threatened to call the Police on me if I did not leave immediately! I was feeling sick because of all this MSG and wanted to rest up before driving my car. They never even gave me another glass of water when mine ran out, and I told them about the serious MSG PROBLEM I was having. It would have helped me to feel better with a glass of water but they just ignored my table after I reported the over dose of the MSG they now put in their food. They did not care if I updated my Unilocal review and they said they had a right to make a comment. There is know excuse for how badly they treated me and their over use of MSG which can make people feel sick etc.
Stay far a way from this restaurant.

Great price and huge portion, the rest can take home for another meal, Yummy pasta!!!

This place is great! Small family atmosphere, very reasonable prices, lots of variety on the menu. Food is really good and you get plenty of it. Every time I work in Jacksonville this is one off the places I make an effort to visit.

As an out of town business visitor, food was 3 stars, decent menu and good variety of choices. But this week night visit just didn’t have good service. Only 1 server working about 6 – 8 tables, we had to flag her down for refills. We ordered the antipasto which had lettuce that looked aged from a bag. It was ok with the meats, cheeses and other veggies. But it definitely looked weak in appearance of the lettuce. We also split a pizza, which was pretty good. Wish I had a chance to try more, but that was it. The interior of restaurant also appeared a little dated, and the restrooms need a good cleaning and upgrade.

This place was really cute! From the outside I was not expecting the inside to be as nice as it was. I ordered the spaghetti marinara with minestrone soup. The food was great, and the portions were gigantic. I ate that meal for 3 days, which is a good thing. I think it was around 11 or 12 dollars total, so it was a great deal. I can’t wait to go back!

Hidden gem!!! Best Italian I have had since I got back from Italy!!! The bruschetta is my favorite thing on the menu. next would be the tomato salad… and the pasta!!!

Just had the lunch buffet, and I have to say YOU GET WHAT YA PAY FOR. This was the worst Italian food I have had, and I have had a lot of Italian food. The buffet was warm at most, no hot food. The pizza was soggy, wet and cold,. The meatballs taste like the frozen kind that have been reheated and whatever that chicken was, it was not like any chicken piñata I have ever had, it was bland and the pieces of chicken had been baked dry. The waitstaff was friendly, which is the only reason I give this place a star at all. Would not recommend eating here!

This was our first time in Jacksonville and we were pleasantly surprised. Our waitress, Nicole, was very attentive, knowledgeable, and helpful. The portions are HUGE and served hot we both ordered calzones and neither of us could finish them. The antipasto was well made wth tasty fresh veggies and quality meats. The atmosphere was that of a corner pub and the lighting and Sinatra music were enjoyable. If we ever make it back to Jacksonville we will certainly revisit.

Great food. Best marinara sauce in the world. Sauce chunky and fresh. Big calzones can easily serve 3 people. Loved it and would definitely order again
Super fast delivery

Thoroughly enjoyed my visit here! The meal began with VERY cold cold beer… Always a great way to start! We ordered lasagna and the ravioli, which came with salads and some bread with olive oil. Hearty portions. Tastes fresh and homemade! Quiet atmosphere… Great for a peaceful night. Service is a little slow but very sweet waitress. The music is authentic Italian music which was entertaining ;) overall a great experience! We will be back.

thoroughly enjoy this place — staying nearby have gotten take out and both quality & quantity have been fantastic. pasta is tops and red sauce reminds me of old favorite place where Mamma Sciavvo did the cooking sweet spicy hearty great.
tomato salad with good amount of feta fresh basil chop and just right garlic and oil. both chicken and. veal dishes were really good. done perfect and held up well finishing up in to go pan. meatballs and sausage were ⁴⁄₅ but no complaints they could have been canned for all I cared — the sauce makes them taste like ¹⁰⁄₁₀.

This used to be my favorite Italian restaurant in Jacksonville until one night the service was I bad I wouldn’t go back again! They have really good food but the service is never good. It’s more like they screwed up our order twice and then we just had to live with what they gave us because arguing with them was not worth it. Get take out if u want to eat their food!

The lunch buffet was good, with lots of choices to choose from. For only 7.99 you can’t beat it! The service was a little slow, I had to keep asking for drinks and we always had someone else that wasn’t out waitress help us.

Excellent food for the price. The lunch buffet is very good. There isn’t a dish that I dislike. It’s hard to get Italian food right but this place does.

Great place. Ordenes the penne alla vodka with chicken and it was very good. The price ranged from $ 10.00−13.00, it included soap ir salad. Great fast service very nice little café.

Leci’s is a great little find! They have a very fairly priced lunch buffet with an impressive salad bar and quite a variety of Italian dishes (pizza, calzone, pasta, etc.). My favorites are their Greek salad and calzone (it’s huge!). Good food, good prices, good service. We go a few times a month and have never been disappointed.

Awesome Awesome Awesome!!!
Food is really good and portions are great. Very good value for a regular price!
Lunch buffet available also. $ 7.95

A good find, I am staying in a hotel nearby, and this is one of a few places within walking distance. I wasn’t too sure when I looked at the front, but am glad I did.
I had the Leci’s salad and veal milanese. The dressing on the salad was a bit creamy, which is not my favorite, but was still good. The veal was quite good. Service was very efficient.

Service: very good. Our waitress was friendly and was always there when we needed her.
Food: I had the margarita pie. It was good but being from NYC area, it didn’t wow me.
Bathrooms: first off, I’m kind of a germaphobe, the floor was sticky, but that could also be from using too much cleaning solution… The floor needs to be regrout, they are stained and look ugly/​dirty.
Overall: I don’t live close so not sure if I will make a special trip. But if I was in the area again, I’ll give it a shot! I’ll try a pasta dish next time.