Il Fornaio - PasadenaAlways satisfied with qualityAlways satisfied with quality of food, taste and menu choices. Walked into a busy mothers day lunch and service sometimes hit and miss but acceptable considering the occasion but always acceptable.5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMForgot how great this place isIl Fornaio is great Italian Resturant, have been to this location before - just forgot how nice a convient it is. The wait staff is great, the food well seasoned, and the seafood is top rate.5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMDependable and DeliciousMy various experiences at Il Fornaio over the years have never disappointed. Food and selection is always tip top. The special regional menus are exciting. They make great wine recommendations, have local chefs and are not pretentious, nor do they suffer the lower quality of food and experience often delivered by chains this large.5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMA Ridiculous RuleFood was excellent. Service by the waiters was outstanding. But management's arbitrary, surprise rule greatly diminished the pleasure of the evening. Our large group (17) was in a private room. After opening 4 bottles of the wine we brought with us, and for which we gladly paid corkage, we were informed that they couldn't open more than "4 bottles per table". When asked why, the management could only say "it's a rule of the restaurant." So, to be able to open the other 5 bottles of wine, we had to abandon the private room and go out into the large dining room and sit at 4 separate tables. There we could have opened up 16 bottles! A ludicrous rule that is in the interest of neither the customer or the restaurant.5/4/2013 12:00:00 AMgood service, good feel, appreciategood service, good feel, appreciated the free surprise desert.4/22/2013 12:00:00 AMI've eaten at several Il FornaioI've eaten at several Il Fornaio locations throughout the years and the quality of food and service is always consistent. My only complaint is that the size of the beet salad was quite small for the price and the dressing lacked flavor. I added chicken to the salad and the chicken portion was large and completely covered the salad on the small plate- totally out of proportion. Everyone else enjoyed their meal.4/21/2013 12:00:00 AMAbsolutely lovely service.Absolutely lovely service. We wanted to take our time over lunch and were not made to feel rushed in any way. The food was yummy and overall the experience could not have been better. I will definitely keep it in mind for future lunches, brunches and dinners. It is not in my immediate neighborhood but well worth the drive to Pasadena to enjoy the great food and wonderful ambiance.4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMWe enjoyed ourselves at theWe enjoyed ourselves at the restaurant. Our server was excellent and our food was very good. It was just very loud inside, but then again it was Saturday night!4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMWe sought an outdoor tableWe sought an outdoor table with room to refer to documents for our business discussion. Our table location worked just right. The service was attentive, timely, and accurate in all respects. This was a first visit for my guests, and they were delighted with the menu choices and their personal selection. Not one crumb was left behind!4/17/2013 12:00:00 AMWe had a party of Ten so weWe had a party of Ten so we were in a private room which is nice. Good ambiance.4/13/2013 12:00:00 AMAll in all it was a very enjoyableAll in all it was a very enjoyable dinner and great for our out-of-town guests.4/13/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat service, food, greetings.Great service, food, greetings. Wines are improving.
We love the place4/12/2013 12:00:00 AMWe have an Il Fornaio in SanWe have an Il Fornaio in San Jose, CA. My folks and I were out of town over the Easter Holiday and wanted a nice place to have brunch...I had no idea Il Fornaio even served brunch...But, much to our surprise we had the nicest brunch, food was great and the service was wonderful. My folks were pampered and that made the experience even better...3/31/2013 12:00:00 AMTrouble with booking. I gotTrouble with booking. I got the confirmation. Checked in. nd then the next day got a message " no show"3/30/2013 12:00:00 AMthumbs up!Great place , used to go to the one in Manhattan Beach years ago, The salmon was superb, and the penne in vodka sauce rocked! Great place to take a date.3/29/2013 12:00:00 AMDefinitely stick with wine,Definitely stick with wine, appetizers,salads, and pizzas, which are pretty tasty and well-prepared. The cocktails are bad, puny martini and other glasses with no presentation whatsoever, My drink had 2 mushy blueberries only and the baby glass not even full, just 3 sips. The entrees are edible, but who goes out to nice restaurant to eat mushy poorly seasoned Chef Boyardee quality you can get out of a can...lasagna is particularly bad, like baby food with dissolving pasta beyond overcooked. Service was great and the place has so much potential....would recommend Gale's if you want great food.3/19/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat and reliable place.We've been coming to this particular Il Fornau for many years and have found it to have been a consistent and reliable place for traditional and legitimate multi-regional italian cooking.Terrific wait staff, alert, attentive and knowledgeable. Open view kitchen, simple techniques and excellent ingredients with only an occasional off note. Wonderful fresh baked and breads. A light touch with fish and grilled fare.
A few cons: a tendency to over-salt some dishes, little things can sometimes miss, e.g., A wonderful near-perfect carpaccio but the shaved reggiano is right out of the fridge and icy cold rather than brought to room temp for release of great flavor. Very noisy kitchen fan system invades dining room.3/15/2013 12:00:00 AMNancy, our waitress was fantastic.Nancy, our waitress was fantastic. Attentive and nice. The bread and salads are amazing.3/14/2013 12:00:00 AMAlways a SurpriseIlFornaio in Old Town Pasadena always has something
new up its sleeve. The regional meals always provide a taste of an aspect of Italian fare that is unique among local
Italian restaurants. Their suggested wine pairings make the meal
a cut above.3/12/2013 12:00:00 AMWent there with our dog inWent there with our dog in a cold night, friendly staff accommodated us in the patio and turned on the heaters for us, a waiter was assigned to us and it was perfect. Cold but then again who told me to go out for dinner with our pooch.1/13/2013 12:00:00 AMLove Il Fornaio!Delicious food, perfectly portioned. Flavorful and great service.11/27/2012 12:00:00 AM