Il Fornaio
| Address: | 520 Cowper St, Palo Alto, CA 94301, USA |
| Phone: | +1 650-853-3888 |
| Site: | ilfornaio.com |
| Rating: | 3.8 |
| Working: | 7–10:30AM 7–10:30AM 7–10:30AM 7–10:30AM 7–10:30AM 8–11AM 8–11AM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 25
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Tracy Tripp
Wheres the beef, no wheres the bread! it looks like you have changed out your delightfully crispy bread of some kind of soggy version of a focaccia. What a dismal failure. There are many Italian style restaurants in the area to choose from. Your signature side dish has always been a basket of those small rolls served with olive oil. Who in the world ever thought of dumping the crunchy rolls for that tasteless and miserable excuse for a side dish? It sounds like a corporate idea to save money that came from someone who never ate at the restaurant. My office is down the block and I usually take clients there for lunch/dinner. Not coming back till the rolls make a triumphant return to the table!
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Garrett Funk
Pay like more upscale dining, get Applebees quality food. For the prices and the reputation and the strange high reviews on Yelp, I was expecting to be impressed. The food wasnt great. The pasta I got didnt have much sauce on it, and it wasnt even very flavorful. I tried a bite of food from a couple others I was with as well, and it wasnt memorable. I actually think Ive made better sauce myself. What kind of Italian restaurant doesnt have good tomato sauce? And for being bad, I had to hit up some fast food afterward because I left hungry. At least if the food isnt great, give us enough to eat. The entre was more like an appetizer. Big disappointment.
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Jay Duluk
Il Fornia is a great Italian restaurant. I especially recommend the breakfasts, where you can have awesome French toast made with freshly baked bread, topped with fresh berries and maple syrup. If you get the eggs benedict, I suggest you substitute smoked salmon for the ham, and add avocado, to make a spectacular dish. Ive done that dozens of times over the years, so I know they dont mind making those substitutions/additions. Enjoy!
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A Private User
What a disappointment! I hadnt been here in years but had always been good & consistent. Tonight I had the veal scalapini & it was terrible. The meat was thick & tough. Under seasoned & the chopped artichokes hearts still had thistles. My husband had the beef medallions & he was equally disappointed with his entree. Too bad as this place does have wonderful atmosphere on the out door patio. I will not be returning.
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A Private User
I am surprised that this place got a 20/30 for Food. The food was pretty terrible- the pasta bolognese I ordered didnt have any flavor and the potato leak soup was equally terrible. We also had a weird experience with our waiter - he didnt seem to know the menu well and wasnt attentive to our question about wine recommendations, etc. I wouldnt recommend this place to anyone.
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Jess C
The appetizers (Calamaretti Fritti and Rustichella), sides (seasonal vegetables, roasted potatoes) and dessert (Tiramisu) were all decent, and paired well with a lovely wine. Unfortunately the steak was really terrible. I asked for medium rare but the it was barely pink in the center. It was flavorless and chewy. Definitely do not recommend ordering the steak.
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Krishna Prasad
Terrible place. Bad service. Even worse food. Only Italian restaurant that does not how to make pesto and aglio e olio. The waiter had no idea what either of these things were. Also, he almost refused to give me a virgin cocktail as he said they didnt make it! If the system allowed me to put negative numbers for stars I would. Stay away from this place
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maryannEatsArt
Reliable place to have strong cocktails in the separate bar area with stools and chairs, great outdoor seating, always busy with families, business people. This location has large, open, bustling kitchen giving a sense of hipness. Consistently good food, excellent place to go for brunch, meet friends, celebrate special occasions.
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A Private User
This restaurant has wonderful food and great service, but it comes at quite a price! A breakfast at this restaurant (consisting of an omelette and juice) could get you a nice dinner (consisting of ravioli, caesar salad, and a dessert) at another Italian restaurant about a block away for relatively the same price (in Palo Alto).
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Nicole Quilliam
Brunch here is wonderful. I love the large, well lit space they have here. The service is friendly and I always enjoy myself here. I have been coming to this place since I was a kid and it is a great family place or spot for a nice Italian date night. The bar and open kitchen are super fun to check out!
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Rachel Midori Abril
This is my favorite Italian restaurant in the Silicon Valley. Its located within a pretty ritzy hotel so not too many random people show up. The best time to come is late in the evening when its pretty empty and you can take full advantage of the restaurants atmosphere.
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Jim Barcelona
Ive never had a bad experience here. They always bring out bread and a platter of balsamic vinegar with olive oil. The pastas always been al dente and the service is impeccable. I always order Italian style here by getting one of the primi and one of the secondi.
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Rishita Patel
Cozy indoor/outdoor atmosphere with a variety of dishes and expansive wine list, including several Italian and local favorites. Attentive service. Visited in the summer, but their patio is covered in heat lamps so Im sure it is a lovely fall/winter spot as well.
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Andrew Manson
Great food. Just so so service. Even with the excellent food Im not sure Id go back. Service was that bad. I felt they kept rushing me to leave. Several times I had to tell them I wasnt done eating. Honestly it was quite rude service.
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Hennie Cloete
My food was minimal. I had the Fettuccine Mare which consisted out of 2 shrimp, no fish that I saw and maybe 9 clams. Overwhelming tomato taste. If you liked the food and thought it was fine dining you are a dumb-ass.
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Gareth Genner
Power broker Silicon Valley location. Excellent coffee and delicious small plates and meals. The courtyard is a great location to negotiate a funding round or enjoy a romantic rendezvous.
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John Cleveland
The food is great, but the service is hit or miss depending on when you get there. We had a Sunday brunch here once where it took over 30 minutes to get our check after we asked for it.
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Bruce Wayne
Very good Italian food and great service. I especially like their Pizza Fradiavola. The place is pretty big and you can usually get a table without a long wait even during lunch time.
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Abhay Kulkarni
Nice breakfast place in downtown Palo Alto. Relaxed atmosphere. Good friendly staff to boot. Went on a weekday early AM - place was empty at 7:30 AM but started filling up by 8:30.
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Joey Zeenny
Excellent place for business lunch/dinner. We were a group of 6 people and sat at a round table in the far end. Very convenient and the food was very good (had the grilled salmon).
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Kenny Root
The smell of the freshly-baked breads and the picturesque entrees ready to be taken to waiting customers let me know this would be a great place to eat. I was not disappointed.
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Luc Vincent
A Palo Alto classic. Not the most innovative cuisine but you really cant go wrong eating here. And the place is huge, with rooms for big parties as well as small groups.
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Susan Shepard
We ate her for brunch before my sisters wedding a few years ago. If the weather is warm and sunny, its a great brunch spot and the food is decent, too.
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Bram Bout
What youve come to expect from Il Fornaio: consistently amazing food and great service. Loved the risotto special and the short ribs were to die for!
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Brent Cotton
Nice scotch selection tastie food and nice service.
