Il Fornaio

Overall, good food, good service, but my main two complaints are 1) that it’s very difficult to read or see the menu in the evenings… its way too dark at the tables 2) in one section of the restaurant, the tables are so close together you feel like you can’t talk to your friend without the tables next to you being able to hear everything you’re saying!

So glad I came here to try it again.
Sunday for lunch and I ordered the chicken dish petto di pollo al pepperoncino and could not have been happier. The chicken was flavored and cooked to perfection. I am not sure how they managed to get it so juicy but I thoroughly enjoyed every bite of it!
Our waiter recommended it and I’m so glad he did. He was also very attentive and made the dinning experience even better! I’m so happy my friends chose this place for lunch I haven’t been since 2011 and now I will frequent often :)
Parking is easy and ample in the lot with REI and Trader Joes. Brunch menu looks amazing so that’s on the to-​do list.
Good job! I’m a fan.

This place was ok. But the inside is really nice and everything is very classy. Service was good. Just the food isn’t that great. Overall I probably wouldn’t come again. I’d like to try other restuarants around the area.

Pretty tasty food, no complaints. I’ve been to a few Il Fornaio’s in a few different places, and this was was good just like the rest.

party of 10, tuesday night.
long story short: this is a fancy, slightly overpriced italian restaurant with fairly standard fare.
dimly lit in the evenings.
great for big parties. they have a few private rooms.
service was great.
food was a good standard menu, nothing that knocked our socks off. very large portions so you could share. pastas are their best dishes, so definitely try one of those. tried the branzino in a piccata sauce, which was ok. but they were very nice and deboned the whole fish right at the table. desserts include classic tiramisu and cannoli, which were ok as well. these came in large portions as well.
extensive wine list and a full bar.
large parking lot.

OK I’ve been to the 1 in Pasadena and remembered it was decent but this location was awful. There were 4 of us and every single one of pasta dishes was badly prepared and we ordered a full meal appetizers, entrees & desserts. No one wanted to say anything till we left the restaurant, utterly worse Italian ever. Paid close to a 100 each person & it was horridly prepared. Not sure if the chef was off the day we ate there but if it helps it was a Sunday night. Truly bad food experience.

This is supposed to be a favorite of the locals, but I didn’t find it to be impressive.
Three of us had the tasting menu. The first two courses were very small portions of soup and Italian sausage-​stuffed ravioli (delicious but only two pieces). The salmon was delicious, but after the first two courses, we were hard to please at that point– we had filled up on bread, fearing the end of a small meal for a big price tag.

I went to Il Fornaio for dinner with family over the weekend.
Overall, it was a great experience, with both the company and the food being delicious. Il Fornaio is a chain-​restaurant, but don’t get me wrong, it is a GREAT chain-​restaurant. I’ve eaten so much good Italian food over the years, I know it when I taste it. It can be a tad expensive, but you should be expected to pay the price any nice restaurant when you go out.
We tried a number of dishes, including their Bistecca Fiorentina (which is a porterhouse cut), Gnocchi with Bolognese sauce and a Margherita Pizza. The steak was absolutely fantastic. It was cooked on the medium rare side, but seared properly. It had flavor, succulent juices, and the proper tenderness. The gnocchi were equally excellent, very light, but still substantial, really perfect in their texture. They usually are served in a cream sauce, but I like meat sauce, and I was extremely impressed by the bolognese. It was not too acidic, it had a lot of meat, and it was served proportionally to the pasta. The pizza was pretty simple, but there’s only so much you can do with a Margherita pizza. It was served Southern-​Italian thin style, so it wasn’t doused in cheese or sauce.
Anyone who likes Italian food and can find one of these restaurants nearby definitely should check this place out.

Hands down the BEST tiramisu I have ever had in my life! The staff is super sweet always and the outdoor seating is beautiful

The food is respectable, the ambiance is attractive, and the waitstaff is generally pleasant. The restaurant could improve in a couple respects though.
1) The menu has not changed in years. The menu is more stagnant than a dead guy floating in the lake face down. Additionally, the menu is limited. I understand that they want to ensure quality control, but frankly, there are too few choices to warrant coming back regularly.
2) IL Fornaio, can you please explain to me why you consistently seat my family and I (well dressed, mind you) in the less desirable area to the right in the uncomfortable chairs, instead of the EMPTY main dining room?!? No, we didn’t make a reservations for TUESDAY night at 5:00 pm, we simply walked in. Oh the humanity. Don’t make us do the song and dance number where I ask to sit in the main dining room, then you go back to the front to make sure it’s ok while we wait awkwardly. Just sit us, and anybody for that matter, in the better area. I know you can! Nobody ever gets seated in the main area while we eat there. It’s a freaking enigma!

Decided to celebrate the holidays with a party of 12 for Christmas Eve and made reservations a month in advance. We arrived at 6:35 for a 6:45pm seating. We still had to wait 45 minutes (!) for a table AND they sat us in the patio on a cold night. Ridiculous! I wasted my time with the manager as she blamed the diners for lingering too long after their meals (really?!) rather than taking responsibility and saying that she underestimated and overbooked … Which I would’ve been fine with. It’s Christmas Eve! What did they think the crowds were going to be like?! Don’t ever go here for any holiday party.

Disappointed. First time I tried this place it was really slow so my bf and I got seated right away and had some great, great food. That’s the only reason they get two stars.
Came back last night craving their pasta expecting it to be a busy night and expecting a wait (friday). Was told 30 mins, so my bf and I grabbed a drink at the bar and waited: at about 45 mins I checked with the hostess and she said just a little bit longer. Another 20 mins goes by… And there was a two top table next to us open for about 30 mins. Nothing?
Finally I went up and asked about the two top and she told me it was open seating. Like stop. Really? Couldn’t have told us that an hour ago? We sit. Don’t get greeted for 15 mins. Get a manager. Tell them we are disappointed and want waters. Manager goes to the back and comes back out with no waters, walks right by our table and doesn’t even acknowledge us.
That was enough for me to never come back. Sucks to say because the food is good. From someone that worked in the service industry for 5 years, I think we were way too nice. Get it together guys.

I’ve been to other locations and this one is not as good. I believe the menu items are the same but the preparation is not quite as good. Fantastic ambience but there are other restaurant choices in the area that I prefer.

This place always makes my dish, the way I want it. I am very picky and they always prepare whatever I order to perfection.
Freshly made pasta… When it comes to Italian places… There is no question, for me. It’s always here or I don’t go Seriously

Christian our server was amazing! He helped make my friends birthday very special!
The 3 stars is because of the interaction with the manager. Not professional at all.

Attended this Restaurant with a friend that has been here on a different occasion.
What we had:
My order:
2 Pomegranitas
Petto Pollo
Dessert:
Cannoli with one scoop of gelato
Second order:
Coke with Pollo Toscano
PROs: Ambiance was very low, modern. Food was pretty well and served with sides of potatoes and vegetables.
CONs: Although seated very quickly, our server was running around that she couldn’t pay attention to what we wanted to order. I asked her many times to recommend something and her answer was very vague because before I could even hear the name of the recommended dish, she took off again, while saying, «excuse me for one moment.» Which was for the third time.
We were asked if we were seeking dessert to wrap the night and I asked for the menu. The server came around with a rolling cart, full of desserts and explained what each and every dessert was, which was a great touch. I love Cannoli’s so I asked for the Cannoli’s with a scoop of Gelato whcThe Cannoli’s were not the best I ever had.
I would recommend going when it’s not so busy but unfortunately, I do not know when that is. We attended about 7:30pm on a Saturday. Would try once more with this restaurant.

Great place to eat great Italian food. This place is beautiful and the chef brought out pea soup for us to try— on the house!!!
So fun from beginning to end.
Love girls night out!!!

Get to II Fornaio before DineLA ends! I haven’t eaten here in years, but I enjoyed my recent meal here immensely! Their special menu was placed on the inside flap of the menu was varied (and included dessert), so I came to give it a try! See their menu here;
Honestly, it was so much food and for $ 40 it was definitely a good deal. My husband and I actually shared the antipasti (we opted for the carpaccio) and dessert, so it is a deal when you can share items. The carpaccio was thinly sliced raw beef with cheese, arugulam lemon and capers — a very balanced blend of flavors. It was a nice starter and it went well with a glass of white wine!
I absolutely loved the squash ravioli with crispy sage leaves! I am used to tiny, tiny portions of butternut squash ravioli, but there were large (almost tortellni) shaped pastas. The portion was huge! This was one of my favorite pasta dishes and I recommend to anyone who enjoys squash and walnuts. Dessert: get the tiramisu! That’s all I have to say since I ate it in 3 bites — lol!
A + for service and a decent wine list!

We have been to many different Il Fornaio locations over the years, this chain Italian restaurant is really popular, it’s always packed on weekends. Went on a quick double dinner date before a movie on a Friday night, they were not be able to accommodate us a booth seating, gave us a table in the corner instead, not ideal, but acceptable.
I noticed their regular menu hasn’t been changed for long time, but their special seasonal menu is always nice, I usually like to order off that menu. Had a Goose lemon drop to start, I have always liked their complimentary assorted bread, so fresh and yummy.
Hubby and I shared angel hair pasta as appetizer, with tomatoes, basil and garlic in marinara sauce, very simple pasta, we liked it a lot, it was very light with nice clean flavor.
Other dishes: shrimp risotto, spinach ravioli filled with Italian sausage and ricotta, Branzino fish filet and Beef tenderloin.
Shrimp risotto was so good, perfectly cooked risotto with lots of tender shrimps in it, flavors were so rich and delicious!
Branzino fish was very fresh and tender, but the seasoning was uneven, most parts of the fillets were flavorless, one part was extremely salty, at least I liked the mashed potatoes a lot, this dish was not that good because of the failed seasoning.
Hubby liked his beef tenderloin, the medium rare beef slices were moist and flavorful, I loved the gold potatoes in it.
Spinach ravioli was pretty delicious too according to sister.
The food here is usually good in general, nothing too bad that you will hate it so much, or something so good that will blow you away. Decent delicious and comforting Italian food, and I like that a lot. Service is usually friendly but not attentive enough when it gets busy. To me, this location is a good place to have a meal before a movie at Arclight down the street.

A good location, so close to the LAX airport, I managed to have business dinner during my four hours of layover before.
I like those décor inside with nice interior.
Service is always good. Friendly and knowledgable staff to assist you from wine selection to entrée to desert.
Food for me is average. They are not bad but not the best I had. The restaurant is set up as a nice place to dine, it is unfortunate the food is just average.
The particular night I was there last week, they were hosting some party there. Considering how many people were there, I was pleasantly surprised how I wasn’t bothered by the party noise at all. I noticed they were set up for a big party based on many bottles of wine set up there as I walked in, but I didn’t notice on so many people until I was leaving for the night.
Very nice atmosphere, knowledgable and friendly staff, I enjoyed my dinner there. I will come back again for its location.