Il Fornaio - Palo Altoexcellent patio areaI've had a few business lunches now at Il Fornaio, and the food is superb every time. the wait staff is very attentive and the patio is great for an outdoor setting without worrying about weather, it's light, bright and tempered for conditions.
overall, I'm very impressed with this restaurant and I've dined at the sister locations in So Cal and not the same experience as Palo Alto location. BTW the salmon is excellent!6/10/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat place for a groupWe thoroughly enjoyed the private room for our birthday parties. The food was excellent. Can't wait to try other menu items. Service was exceptional. Highly recommend.6/8/2013 12:00:00 AMEarly Summer at Il FornaioThe food was delicious! The basket of warm olive rolls, pieces to be dipped into rich, fragrant olive oil. My husband had "TOMASELLE DI POLLO" which was chicken with Swiss Chard and with spinach and potatoes and I had "PANSOTTI ALLA CREMA DI NOCI" which was ravioli with beets and basil inside filled with ricotta and pesto in a wonderful sauce - Grana Padano-walnut cream sauce topped with toasted walnuts. Heavenly!
We enjoyed our dessert of "Gelati Misti" - one scoop each of Deep Dark Chocolate and Vanilla Bead Gelato and Raspberry Sorbet for me and Spumone Gelato for my husband.6/8/2013 12:00:00 AMIl Fornaio's monthly "Passoporto"Il Fornaio's monthly "Passoporto" dinners bring us back regularly. We enjoy trying the regional Italian dishes (and the little gifts are always fun!).6/3/2013 12:00:00 AMafter theatre celebrationHas become our spot for after theatre/or other venue celebration. Usually have a small group and the whole ambience is very welcoming.....
Thanx!!6/2/2013 12:00:00 AMIl Fornaio is a reliable choiceI always find the food to be well prepared, the service professional and the overall experience civilized. This last visit was no exception and the manager was especially generous with us in over honoring a dinner for two certificate.5/29/2013 12:00:00 AMexcellent experienceDinner was excellent but what stood out was the exceptional valet and car parking service. Very friendly and helpful. 10 out of 10 stars to the valet.
Our waiter was efficient and helpful with the menu and very friendly. The pasta was perfect and the apperativos were a very good way to start dinner. Staff was very nice and attentive.5/23/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat palo alto restaurantIl fornaio is my "go to" restaurant, the food is always delicious, service is very friendly, ambience is nice inside and at the outdoor patio, and prices are reasonable. Gabriel and Mario make great cappuccinos and fresh squeezed apple juice.5/21/2013 12:00:00 AMDelicious Food; Fantastic Service!I love this restaurant! They are always so accommodating to my vegan lifestyle. Their vegan soups are absolutely delicious, and they always allow me to alter my pasta dish, holding the cheese and adding olives and spiciness. I ended up with a superb dish from a creative chef.
Our waiter was a sweetheart. I told him how much i loved the soup, and he gave me a small amount to take home with him.
This place is a treasure, and my favorite seating is on the back patio!5/18/2013 12:00:00 AMgreat atmosphere and locationlocate center of palo alto, sits in a great hotel. food comes with great presentation, the quality of outstanding.5/14/2013 12:00:00 AMil forneaio, a treatIl Fornaio is a dependable restaurant. They offer wonderful dishes on their regular menu, what is a special treat is the regional offerings once a month, it is a wonderful trip to Italy through the palate. We make it a point to dine every month for that special regional delight and more often because of the regular menu choises...5/13/2013 12:00:00 AMLoved the creative menu (Loved the creative menu ( celebrating food from Puglia) and wine pairings; the most imaginative presentation I've seen in a very long time!!!
We can always count on Il Fornaio for a great meal in a vibrant, lovely setting. Appreciated the warm welcome from hostess & host, as well the great service from our knowledgeable and attentive waitress ( didn't get her name, though we were there on Monday night, the 13th). Thanks for a lovely evening!!5/13/2013 12:00:00 AMPerfect Mother's Day Brunch!Very relaxed brunch on the patio. Our waiter was very helpful and attentive. The food was delicious. We'll be back!5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMA Lovely Evening at Il FornaioI had a delicious spring salad "Burrata di Andria" with fresh vine-ripened sliced tomatoes with oregano, baby arugula and a round of soft, delicious Burrata cheese in dressing and "Zucchine alla Parmigiana," a small casserole of zucchini strips, layered with melted mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce and basil - it was really good!
My husband enjoyed his entree' of "Spiedini di Carne alla Pugliese!" Which is a skewer of grilled Italian sausage, juicy beef tenderloin, chicken breast, bell peppers, onions, herbs on a bed of sauteed dandelion greens.
We both loved our desserts - mine of "Gelati Misti" - one scoop of Dark Chocolate, one of Vanilla Bean Gelato and one of Raspberry Sorbet and his of "Spumone Gelato."
We will be back as always!5/11/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat service for our family gatherFantastic service for a family brunch celebrating our daughter's 19th birthday. We had a table on the outdoor patio. Perfect for us. Food was good and the staff were simply fantastic, even though it was a very busy day at the restaurant.5/5/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat family experience.This place did a great job both time we chose to dine there. This the reason for the second visit. They were prompt and the food was great. Price is great for the quality of food. For good Italian, its a great spot. Will return again and again.5/4/2013 12:00:00 AMWe eat here once a month andWe eat here once a month and our experience has been consistently very good. Our waiter, Antonio, was very very personable and professional. We were celebrating a birthday and very much appreciated the tiramisu with candle to finish off our lovely evening.4/27/2013 12:00:00 AMWe enjoyed our meal there.We enjoyed our meal there. We were lucky enough to get the Honor table - I guess they give one away each night. We got some free treats to go with our pizza and salad. My husband and I had our first date there years ago and this was the second year I've celebrated a friends' birthday there. Great place!4/19/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat RestaurantWe love the Il Fornio in Palo Alto. They do fish perfectly. The food is alway good and the prices are very reasonable. We come every month for the Italian Regional Passport - a special menu specifically for a different region of Italy and they give you a gift (i.e, olive oil, white truffle oil, peppers, fresh Italian seasoning . So far, hands down, the Tuscany region is my favorite.4/12/2013 12:00:00 AMAnother excellent dinner atAnother excellent dinner at Il Fornaio Palo Alto, where we always enjoy the monthly Italian regional menu.4/9/2013 12:00:00 AMBeen here a few times - thisBeen here a few times - this was among the best...4/7/2013 12:00:00 AMSpring at Il FornaioIt was a cool Spring but every table was taken at Il Fornaio filled with happy people and in the heated lamp garden.
The warm rolls and bread were delicious dipped into fragrant olive oil!
My entree' of "Mezzelune Cacio e Pere" was so good! Ravioli with slivers of grilled pears, mozzarella and Grana Padano with a sauce of asparagus crescenza cream and scattered toasted walnuts. You can close your eyes and savor it!
My dessert of "Gelati Misti" was so good - of a scoop of "Deep Dark Chocolate" and one of "Vanilla Bean" Gelato and a scoop of Raspberry Sorbet - richly flavored!
My husband loved his chicken dish "Pollo al Mattone alla Diavola" which included a salad and roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes - very good! Also his "Spumone4/6/2013 12:00:00 AMEaster breakfast at Il FornaioWe have eaten here many times, breakfast mostly, often with our family group of 8-14 people usually. Kid friendly by the way. Excellent wait-staff. Dinner and lunch rate very good to excellent. However, our breakfast on Easter was not as good. No more excellent bread basket, just a basket of good (but limited) toast. Menu limited; plates/portions on the small side without the extras like a bit of fruit or some other treat. Sauce for their version of eggs benedict had little flavor, thank goodness I ordered it on the side. OJ was very tasty tho.
Would probably skip this restaurant for breakfast.3/31/2013 12:00:00 AMMy family and I made a lastMy family and I made a last minute reservation and were able to get in. Unfortunately, because there was a very large group our food was not delivered in a timely manner. Both the manager and our server did apologize to us and the manager comped our bill. Aside from our meals coming out late, our server did provide us with great service which earned him a 25% tip based on the original amount.3/17/2013 12:00:00 AMLove the Soup!Regional soups are always delicious AND vegan. Yay!3/17/2013 12:00:00 AMBeen coming here for years.Been coming here for years. Great ambience. Calabrian special, including wine, was excellent.3/16/2013 12:00:00 AMWe were meeting folks fromWe were meeting folks from out of state there for an early dinner and even though they were late in arriving, we were seated as soon as they arrived - 45 minutes after our reservations were set for.
Everyone, the food, the ambiance were perfect. Our out of town guests (who travel a lot) really enjoyed it all and commented, "We love the "old world" / "classic" feel of the whole restaurant. The service was good also.
We each ordered something different and all were very pleased.3/13/2013 12:00:00 AMGood ambiance, great food,Good ambiance, great food, and wonderful service. The manager and chef went out of their way to insure that my daughter who has multiple food allergies had a delicious meal.3/10/2013 12:00:00 AMWe have been here before forWe have been here before for happy hour, which is outstanding, but this was our first dinner experience here in many years. My cioppino was delicious, as were the other two entrees. The fried vegetables are excellent as a starter--very crisp and tasty. Their cocktails, likewise, are terrific! We plan to join their Passport program in 2013 with our neighbors.12/24/2012 12:00:00 AM