Il Fornello

Try the pizza with Prosciutto and arugula. It’s thin crust, very tasty! The service was fast and the servers are fun! It’s a great location if you are planning on having dinner there before a show.

I had a very enjoyable lunch at Il Fornello. We decided to have a quick lunch before the 2:00 matinée of the Phantom of the Opera. We had a very nice table by the window. My husband had the thin crust pizza with arugula and prosciutto which he enjoyed very much and I had the spaghetti and meatballs with slivers of Parmesan. The meatballs were just the way I liked them, a generous portion of medium sized meatballs (not too big) over an amount of spaghetti that was not too much. I was full enough, but not so much that I felt too full. Especially since we’d be sitting in the theatre right after we had our lunch.
We were served very quickly and we made it in plenty of time to see the show!

The restaurant is well situated for theatre goers and provides «good value». We went following a matinée at the Princess of Wales. Fortunately we had a reservation as the space filled very quickly. Our server Marissa was first rate. Friendly & attentive. She brought our wine and our antipasto (more than enough for two) very quickly while we looked at the menu for a main course. I very much liked that they had a good selection of wines available by the glass, quarter & half litre (as well, of course, the bottle. Then Marissa left an appropriate ‘pause’ before bringing our thin crust pizza — again, shared with two generous slices each. Overall — a positive experience… a good meal, reasonably priced with very good service. Notwithstanding so many eateries in this part of town we’d go back. And lastly… I’ve read far too many reviews where the benchmark is whether or not the food served was «authentic Italian.» My wife & I have made three extended visits to Italy in the past few years. From Sicily to Bellagio and points in between. In asking I often find that the reference point is a high end Italian eatery in Toronto or New York (or in a tourist area of Rome or Amalfi). So as to Il Fornello my expectation was geared to a mid priced restaurant in Toronto’s theatre district. It met that expectation.

I’d actually give here a 3.5 I had been to the Danforth location of Il Fornello years ago and liked it, so expected here to be about the same, and it was, when I came for dinner around 6pm on a mild Tuesday evening in December. The place was less than half full, with the majority of the customers seated toward the front of the restaurant. There must be at least 30 or 40 tables with a capacity for 100 I’d say. Simple, casual/​fine dining atmosphere with low lighting. Friendly service. Free white bread with oil and vinegar to start always is the perfect beginning to an Italian meal for me. Then my friend and I split an order of garlic cheese bread, which was delicious with lots of cheese melted to perfection. We each also tried the Gnocchi Gorgonzola (house made gnocchi in a gorgonzola cream sauce with toasted walnuts 18.65) which was delicious and very filling. I’m not even a walnut lover, but these were the perfect touch. Somehow yet, my friend was able to order and eat most of a side plate of fingerling fries. She obviously had a carb addiction that night. lol We split some bottle of pinot grigio which I don’t recall the details of, other than we did it enjoy it as well. My only complaint of the evening may sound huge to some people, but there was a smell of sewage throughout. This is common in many restaurants downtown, something I guess to do with the old piping in the city. It wasn’t dominant enough to really bother me, but it was there. So if you are sensitive to that, you may want to test it out before sitting down to order. The place itself seemed clean, so I doubt it was any fault of the restaurant. I’d definitely go back here anytime.

The first thing I noticed about this place (being, myself, a server) was their incredible ability to handle numerous tables with large groups. The service was professional and attentive to my group of 20. The selection of food options was amazing, with plenty of delicious choices and for a price that was not bad at all — ideal for a special night if you’re still on a budget! I had the gnocchi Gorgonzola and it was great.
I also managed to learn the name of a dessert I’d forgotten the name of (Tartufo), ordered it, and was not disappointed.

Edible Italian food, but with a great location opposite Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto.
Used for location before work. Other than that, for tourists going to a show.

We had not been to Il Fornello for a while. We had friends from out of town to watch Motown & I made a reservation through their website thinking it is the right thing to do. We got there on time and we were escorted to a table at the far back of the restaurant close to the kitchen. I asked if we could change our table but was told it was not an option for those making reservations online, so apparently they have a 2 tier system happening.
The server was rushed and frantic and seemed she had not time to waste. The food was below mediocre. My husband ordered the Gorgonzola pizza, the crust was soggy, dominated by the taste of undercooked onions, and barely had any gorgonzola. I ordered the Pesto pizza with fresh mozzarella and roasted tomatoes, yet got the regular mozzarella and the pizza was extremely greasy. Our guests were not impressed either. We decided to pay the bill and head somewhere else for dessert. What a disappointment.

For a restaurant in such a central location I should have known to run the opposite direction when my friend and I walked in to a half empty restaurant on a Friday. To be fair its a fairly large restaurant but I have been walking past this place for the longest time and was kind of curious how bad it could be. Turns out it was pretty bad. Not awful, but definitely not good. It is everything you would expect from a tourist trap that pretends to be a real restaurant. Service was lacking for a half empty restaurant, the salad I had was nowhere near as good as the salads I can get from IQ or even Freshii (depressing, I know). The pasta was also just sad. As in I rarely cook but can make way better pasta. This is what I get for being curious and I won’t be coming back again.

We were here on a wednesday evening. There was no waiting list and it didn’t take long until we got our food served. I had gnocchis and my friend had cannelloni, both were very tasty.
The price was ok!

I’ve had friends tell me that they consider Il Fornello a bit formulaic and on the safe side, but my experience here was nothing short of positive. Our server was peasant, friendly in her demeanor and was attentive. Any menu questions were answered promptly. The bruschetta was tasty and out pasta dishes were flavorful and balanced without going over the top. Price is often a point of contention with Italian restaurants as people lament that they could make the same for less money, but I think that when the food is this quality and leaves you wanton for nothing, these complaints should take a back seat. Aside from that, the prices were very fair. Atmosphere was cozy and warm. Highly recommend.

Upon entering and being seated, a huge waft of stinky odour hit my face (smelled like poop or something)… The whole time I kept asking what is that smell? I thought maybe it was their wooden furniture or flooring… but it couldn’t be. It bothered me throughout the night and really just interefered with my whole dining experience. I was still guessing what that smell could be… a friend suggested it might be their parmesan cheese. But I’ve never come across this problem at any other Italian restaurant. Now reading another Unilocaler that this is indeed from the wooden flooring just changes my whole mind about the experience altogether. That is just absolutely disgusting that they kept the old flooring… who knows what mystery lies underneath it all.
I ordered off the summerlicious dinner menu for a fix price of 25 $. It came with a choice of appetizer, entrée, and dessert. Dinner rolls were complimentary. I got the Insalata Caprese (appetizer), Pasta Stefano (beef entrée), Ice cream with Ontario berries. I would have to say the salad was my favourite part of the meal. The entrée was huge but not amazing; I found that the beef tasted too dark/​strong. I couldn’t finish mine sadly… the food was not bad, but with the smell in the whole restaurant was making it hard as well. I would have to say that service is on the slow side… took forever to have our meals as well as dessert.

Let mstart off by saying that this review would have scored much higher if the place didn’t stink like a barnyard.
I brought some visiting family members to Il Fornello for dinner on their last night in the city. They were craving pasta and we happened to be walking by Il Fornello, so…
We stepped into the restaurant and the first thing we noticed was the almost overwhelming stench… it literally smelled like a cattle stall. We commented on the smell and the hostess explained that we were in an old building and they’ve kept the original wood flooring, and the flooring was responsible for the smell. We debated leaving because of the smell, but decided to stay regardless.
We ordered chicken parmesan (huge portion), spaghetti with bolognese (sauce was delicious) and a vegetable penne dish (quite tasty). All the meals tasted great and the portion sizes were more than ample. However, I was somewhat envious after having received my meal, as a server walked by with one of their wood oven fired pizzas! Should have had that instead.
Along with our meal, we had ordered some cocktails and beer. The prices for the drinks were advertised on the menu card they handed us at $ 5/​each, which is why we ordered them — more on that later.
The service was great, however, our table was next to the servers’ station, so we had the unfortunate experience of having to listen to the staff complain about their jobs to one another as well as discuss which other establishments were hiring and where they had dropped off their resumes… while I understand that not everybody likes their job, it’s probably a good idea to edit your conversation if you happen to be standing RIGHT NEXT TO A CLIENT’S TABLE. Just sayin’.
When we received our bills, we noticed that the $ 5 drinks were actually $ 7 and $ 8 dollars instead of the price listed on the menu card. When we asked about that, the server indicated that the $ 5 drink promotion was only valid if you ordered off that particular menu card.
So, one star for food, one star for service
stars lost for stench, annoying gnattering of the wait staff, and $ 5 drink technicality… in my opinion, that price difference should have been pointed out when we ordered the drinks, since we made a comment to our server about the $ 5 price when we ordered… mind you we didn’t ask the specific question «are these drinks $ 5?», we were looking at that menu card, made a comment then ordered them. At the very least, the restaurant should have given us the drinks at the $ 5 price… hmph!!!

I gave this restaurant 2-​stars for its overall food, but this place has AMAZING fig pizza, and I come back to this place just for their fig pizza. I get mine without the prosciutto and get it with extra figs. The original pizza is: mascarpone, prosciutto, figs, shaved grana padano cheese, honey, arugula.

The food was ok. Nothing spectacular. The service was friendly.

These guys did a great gob with GF pizza when I recently dined with a group of 14 people. The fact that I was able to customize a pizza specifically to what I wanted was really appreciated, especially when they were managing a large group.
Everyone seemed pleased with their food, and the service was very efficicent. The ambiance is defintely noisy here, but that’s pretty common in the downtown core, especially when you have a large group.

I’ve been twice here and the food has always been incredibly delicious. Had pizza and pasta and both were really well done — nothing overly fancy but really good.
Some interesting pizzas on the menu — especially the fig one! (I think it’s called fichi). Worth trying.
My problem — it is pricey but offers good stuff. I find it interesting to see people say that this is a place where you don’t break the bank — guess I am just a cheaper guy in general :) — expensive is a relative term to many people. I find it more expensive than your average Italian — with just a small uptick in quality — hence the 4 star rating instead of 5.
Another problem — place can become packed easily and you could sit with someone right next to you, or in between coats (as someone mentioned before). Nothing major negative though…

+.5 for service.
Came here for Summerlicious, as I was told this place does it well and have done it for several years. It can’t be that bad, right? Upon entering, I noticed a Conditional Pass sign on the front door. Hmm…
I was seated promptly as I reserved a table of two. The place was busy! They were right saying if you don’t reserve, you’re certainly not guaranteed a seat. I arrived about 10 minutes before my friend, but my server allowed me to get started on drinks.
I ordered the insalata caprese, orrecchiette, and the vanilla panna cotta. With it came bread; similar to Il Fornaro in that aspect.
The bread was very hard and tough to eat. However, I liked the olive oil and stuff that came along with it (still can never figure out if it’s green before brown or the other way around…).
The insalata caprese was interesting. It was relatively simple, with tomatoes and two chunks of mozzarella cheese. The tomatoes were definitely picked fresh, the mozzarella cheese had the right amount of taste, and the extra virgin oil added perfectly to the appetizer.
In terms of the orrecchiette, it was average at best. The pasta didn’t seem to be fully cooked, as it kept sticking to one another. The cauliflower and spinach were a good addition, and the prosciutto was good as well. I asked for parmesan cheese, however my server put way too much on it… covered the whole plate (and the plate was big!).
The vanilla panna cotta was meh… the custard was good, but the berry sauce tasted way off for my liking.
One thing this place has over other Italian restaurants is the portion size. They’re huge! My friend barely finished his insalata tonno e arugula and didn’t finish his strawberry shortcake. While it didn’t match up to Il Fornaro in terms of quality, the quantity somewhat made up for it.

It almost baffles me that this place has such horrible/​mediocre reviews.
Pros:
— Pizza fichi? Yes please. With a honey undertone, layers of gourmet cheese and greens, you really can’t go wrong. It’s a little sweet, a little tangy and just the right mix of «this can’t be too good for me, but it can’t be thaaat bad»
— It’s in the heart of downtown Toronto (so I’m sure it’s close to TTC transportation)
— Delicious gourmet pizzas, pastas, etc.
— Their drinks sound exotic (…venetian sunset? Allure me some more with your intricate vocabulary)
— They’re going to be a part of Summerlicious this year! That’s pretty cool.
— The waitress that tended me was very sweet!
Cons:
— At the mercy of DT parking and traffic (which always sucks)
— The other dishes seem a bit more pricey than the pizzas
I went here for a bachelorette party and it was nice. Granted, we were a little overdressed compared to the other patrons (then again, that really is beyond our control). But we weren’t overdressed given the ambiance. It’s a nice date spot. Very casual and classy yet relaxed. Toronto, you never fail to impress me.

I met my pals for supper there Friday night.
I usually get pepperoni pizza when I go to an Il Fornello. But I’ve had a lot of pizza lately so thought I’d get Chicken Parm. It was okay, not great. There was a weird texture and taste in the tomato sauce … maybe Parmesan cheese mixed in with it (I don’t like Parm cheese)? It was a big serving and I left some of the pasta.
Kat was our server and she took good care of us. She was friendly and made sure we had everything we needed. Keep an eye out for her … she’s going to be a star!

Decided I want some Italian food tonight, and took a detour here since it was close to my work.
I noticed it had Spaghetti Bolognese so I decided to let it take the challenge to see if I would like it even if it was ridiculously pricey $ 18.
Started with 3 slices of bread, wasn’t refilled nor offered for refill. They don’t provide butter but they provided the oils. Fortunately I knew how those worked, but I still prefer the good old butter.
I didn’t really notice how long it took, because I was in the middle of finishing Professor Layton and the Last Spectre. So whether it was long or not was not relevant for me.
First impression I got was… is this what I ordered? The server said yes it was Spaghetti Bolognese. I was like okay… first of all it didn’t look meaty, it looked like over watered sauce with some feckles of meat.
So I tried eating it, but unfortunately my first impression was still spot on. It wasn’t too meaty, and was primarily very watery from too much tomatoes I guess. There wasn’t the balance of meats that I expect from a good Bolognese sauce.
Service was standard for a Downtown Toronto restaurant.
At this moment I won’t give this place a good rating just because my experience with the food was way too overpriced and the quality is just a tad better than the cheap HK cafes.
I am also not a fan of the dark atmosphere, it’s hard to see and appreciate the food. That’s one thing I like about Shiso Tree Café is the lights are bright so I get to see the food.