Powered By OpenTable: Restaurant Reservations. Right this way.
Restaurant Reservations - Free • Instant • Confirmed

  • Il Fornaio - Walnut Creek

  • Online Reservations

Reserve at Il Fornaio - Walnut Creek

Date

mm/dd/yyyy

Time
Party Size
Il Fornaio - Walnut Creek
Il Fornaio - Walnut Creek

Il Fornaio - Walnut Creek Details

  • Dining Style: Casual Dining
  • Website: http://www.ilfornaio.com
  • Phone: (925) 296-0100
  • Hours of Operation: Lunch: Monday - Sunday: 11:30am - 4:00pm; Dinner: Sunday - Thursday: 4:00pm - 10:00pm, Friday & Saturday: 4:00pm - 11:00pm; Brunch: Saturday & Sunday: 10:00am - 2:00pm
  • Payment Options: AMEX, Diners Club, Discover, MasterCard, Visa
  • Cuisine: Italian
  • Executive Chef: Mario Radilla
  • Dress Code: Casual Dress
  • Accepts Walk-Ins: Yes
  • Additional Details: Banquet/Private Rooms, Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cafe, Counter Seating, Fireplace, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking Restaurant, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Personal wines welcome (corkage fee applies), Private Room, Takeout, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Catering: Delivery service available for orders over $100 in the Walnut Creek area.

Getting there

  • Cross Street: North Broadway
  • Public Transit: BART
  • Parking: Street Parking
  • Parking Details: Valet located in Broadway Pointe Plaza, entrance located on Duncan off North Main. Cost is $6.00 with validation.
A word from Il Fornaio - Walnut Creek
Il Fornaio means 'the baker' in Italian. This award-winning restaurant offers an authentic and unique Italian dining experience. Specialties include wood-fired rotisserie and grilled meats, poultry and game; housemade pastas; pizzas from an oak wood burning oven; fresh salads and housemade soups; a… wide variety of desserts; and fresh baked bread made daily from scratch. Winner of the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence 2007.Continued
Foodspotting photos
See all photos >
Diner Reviews
  • "The food was fair; nothing special. The service was slow and not attentive. With all the strong competition in Walnut Creek, there's no need to return."
    Dined on 7/30/2014
  • "Beautiful setting for lunch on either the outdoor patio or the attractive and comfortable dining room. Service is very good and friendly. Nice selection of Italian white wines. Entrees and salads are good but undistinguished. Desserts are delicious! Lots of other places do Italian food as well or better."
    Dined on 7/30/2014
  • "We were prompted to dine at Il Fornaio this time because of the promotion for free corkage during July. We had an absolutely delicious dinner and fabulous service. I forgot my free corkage coupon, and the waiter did not hesitate to remove the charge from our bill. Now this is first class service. We frequent your happy hour and it was such a delight to have a sit down dinner in the dining room. Sometimes we forget how lucky we are to have a great local restaurant within a few miles of four home."
    Dined on 7/29/2014
  • "We came here for a last night family dinner to celebrate. The appetizers were very good with copious portions. Our table was split on the main course as 2 were pleased but the other 2 who both ordered the veal were disappointed. The meat was chewy and the vegetables were undercooked. We told our waiter at the end of the meal when he asked us how everything was. To compensate he kindly offered us desert. I hope to be served refined food when paying a high price, unfortunately I felt the level not up to par."
    Dined on 7/28/2014
  • "I've been going to Il Fornaio for years. It's never disappointed me. They always have a great menu list. It's Italian. It's great. If you're not a fan of Italian food, this place isn't for you. If you love Italian, then go! I went on a Sunday late afternoon. Pretty slow n' quiet. I know Friday/Saturday night can be packed with a wait time and very energetic. And of course I'll be going back! It's one of my fav. places in Walnut Creek (even if WC has terrible parking)."
    Dined on 7/27/2014
  • "We're regulars and there is a good reason. The food and service is always good. Yes the bar staff and waiters all know us and take good care of us, but it looks as though they do it for everyone!"
    Dined on 7/26/2014
  • "We enjoy Il Fornaio--food is consistently good. Sven is excellent. Nice dining outdoors and in."
    Dined on 7/23/2014
  • "Re-connected with a old friend from high school and we had a lovely dinner and great service! Since it was Sunday night and less of a crowd, we got to pick our table towards the back to be alone and catch up on 48 years of life! The server was excellent, tended to our needs and seemed to sense our need for a place to be sit where we didn't have to whisper and could be as energetic as we like!. I have always loved Il Fornaio for the delicious breads & pasta, but I have never had anything I didn't like there. The bar is big and open and usually lots of activity and overall a great place to meet someone who hasn't been there before. It was a GREAT night!"
    Dined on 7/20/2014
  • "The staff is the best. I asked for the best waiter and they delivered."
    Dined on 7/18/2014
  • "As usual the food was outstanding, fresh and delicious! The chefs were great substituting with no issues a menu item for me. The wait staff is quick and friendly. Alway have had great service here."
    Dined on 7/18/2014
  • "Il Fornaio has always been my go to place for most events. The food is good, prices reasonable, and the acoustics allow for pleasant conversation. Excellent service! Great for group dinners. I had a birthday event there 2 years ago and we all had a great time. Il Fornaio in Walnut Creek is one of my favorite restaurants."
    Dined on 7/17/2014
  • "Really enjoyed our food; staff was attentive, thoughtful, helpful."
    Dined on 7/12/2014
  • "Our waiter was somewhat engaging. The food, only moderately so."
    Dined on 7/12/2014
  • "This was a great little find. Went here to celebrate a friend's birthday. Food was good, ambiance was beautiful and the prices were fair but the service was a little slow...I attribute that to the LARGE private dinner party of more than 30. Food was extended and the wait staff in my opinion was strained a bit due to that. However, I'd certainly return."
    Dined on 7/11/2014
  • "Our meal was a fish medley. The prawns and the white fish were good but the salmon and the scallops had a "fishy" taste and the squid was so over cooked it was like rubber. The entire dish was over powered by too much butter and the vegetables were very over cooked. Not a pleasant experience!"
    Dined on 7/11/2014
  • "Good casual restaurant. Food servings were very big- took some home"
    Dined on 7/10/2014
  • "My wife and I had a wonderful dinner at Il Fornaio on July 5th. I had a reserved a table for 2 outside and we arrived at 7:30 where we began with a beautiful glass of prosecco and one of their flatbread pizza starters (Rustichella). We eventually settled on having the salmon and grilled vegetable special along with a bottle of Talbott chardonnay. Our waitress was smiling, gregarious, and did an excellent job keeping us happy all evening long. It was a very relaxing evening of dining, drinking, and conversation. The food was cooked to perfection, was interesting enough to keep us interested, and when combined with the ambiance of outdoor dining on a summer night and a friendly waitress - I'm scoring it a home run!"
    Dined on 7/5/2014
  • "We just enjoy this restautrant for ourselves. We bring our guests there. All our all-time standby!"
    Dined on 7/4/2014
  • "Wonderful dining experience! Great food, great service! One of our favorite places to eat."
    Dined on 7/4/2014
  • "I met 5 friends from high school to celebrate our 40th class reunion. Yet that's not the reconnection I'm speaking of. I used to frequent Il Fornaio when it opened in Walnut Creek in 1998. For years I made a point to be there a few times a month. But sadly, it turned a bit in the wrong direction, at least for me. But last Friday night was a very enjoyable experience. All cocktails and dishes were just wonderful; not to mention the 2010 Stagg's Leap Petite Sirah. It was like old times. I'll be making another reservation quite soon."
    Dined on 6/27/2014
  • "Friends from far and near love to meet me at Il Fornaio for lunch or dinner when they come to Walnut Creek."
    Dined on 6/27/2014
  • "Met for a business lunch mid-week. Ambiance nice, able to speak without shouting, waitress was fun, food good, decent wine list. It was too windy to sit outside, but I've enjoyed that as well in the past. Can always depend on a good experience at Il Fornaio."
    Dined on 6/25/2014
  • "I have been here many times but this time it was awful. The food came out cold and the order was wrong. We asked for bread and the waiter said they don't have it at the time we were there. My mother looked at another table and they had bread. All of the other times I ate there I never had to ask for the bread. I probably won't be back for a while."
    Dined on 6/22/2014
  • "Usually dining at Il Fornaio is great, this night 2 out of our 4 meals disappointed. Lasagna served luke warm, second time with cold spots in the food and the pizza Calzone had a fully burned bottom....The other two meals tasted great and were outstanding in quality. The service has been great and the server really tried making up for the mistakes. Will try again....."
    Dined on 6/21/2014
  • "Dining al fresco can be fun. We sat in an area that is usually enclosed, with large doors that open on a pleasant night. With the temperature drop outdoors and the AC blowing, it was a bit awkward for comfort. Wait staff seems efficient but perhaps a bit indifferent. We don't expect fawning but a bit more personal service could help. The pasta with vodka sauce was good; the fish risotto was "too fishy". The risotto needed a bit more flavor layering. We finished the pasta with vodka but didn't finish the risotto. Still, I'll go again. I've liked the place but either Il Fornaio was "off" a bit or perhaps I was "off" a bit!"
    Dined on 6/19/2014
  • "met with a group of high school friends as sort of a mini-reunion. The staff was very attentive, but not intrusive. They let us go at our own pace, realizing that we were there as much for the group as the food. The fantastic meal was a real bonus"
    Dined on 6/19/2014
  • "Was looking forward to trying this restaurant for some time - very disappointing - food came out cold, had to be returned (that was a first for us), and 2 people at our table didn't even receive their dishes until the rest were already finished eating. Appetizers were bland (had minestrone soup, salad - needed SALT - was flat- and dinners were Ok. The pizza was good, however, but we really thought we were in for a nice dinner on Father's Day - do not think we will be returning."
    Dined on 6/15/2014
  • "Food was good but service was fair at best. I had made reservations on Open Table and indicated the special event was for Father's Day and a Birthday celebration. I also mentioned it the server when we arrived. Our dessert order was taken, the desserts delivered and no candle or Birthday dessert was delivered! We had to find the server and remind her again (the third time) it was a BD celebration. It would have been nice to have been greeted upon arrival by the host...since it does reflect on the reservation it is a BD celebration...Happy Birthday and Happy Father's Day. The server should NOT have forgotten! There are many good restaurants in the area with excellent service that we can choose."
    Dined on 6/15/2014
  • "This is our date night, go-to place, at least once a month. We love their Passport program that bring Italian Regional Specialities alive with a new region each month--and they throw in a special gift for passport members! The food is always good and the service is friendly and efficient. Excellent wine list and one of the best happy hour values in town."
    Dined on 6/7/2014
  • "I'v been going to Il Fornaio for years and have never been disappointed. I particularly like their Monthly Regional Dinners which present the cuisine of a different region of Italy each month. The wait staff is excellent and a manager always stops by your table to check that you are happy."
    Dined on 6/7/2014
  • "Our go to place. Always good food and service and gifts!"
    Dined on 6/6/2014
  • "Have had better meals here in the past, had a vegetarian pasta dish that essentially tasted like spaghettios for $18!"
    Dined on 6/4/2014
  • "Earlier this year we dined at the Oceanside location. The food was 5-star. I ordered the same dish at the Walnut Creek location. It was not near as good. My wife also ordered the same dish she had in Oceanside. She was also dissapointed."
    Dined on 6/2/2014
  • "Had the seafood risotto & that was delicious! Another had the seafood pasta special and the chicken stuffed raviolis were so yummy. I love the assortment of breads. "
    Dined on 6/1/2014
  • "Patio dining was pleasant. Food and service is ok. Like the ability to order smaller servings on certain items. "
    Dined on 5/31/2014
  • "Great place for seafood as well as pasta. Nightly specials are always some of the best entrees. Lovely covered patio area with large doors that open up to outside dining. At times very busy but we never feel rushed. A consistent pleaser. "
    Dined on 5/31/2014
  • "The patio area is perfect for outdoor dining. The building blocks the sun past 5pm so you are shaded but still warm. The food tasted great and the server encouraged us to take our time and enjoy ourselves. "
    Dined on 5/31/2014
  • "Food and service are consistently high quality. Il Fornaio never disappoints."
    Dined on 5/30/2014
  • "Big thanks to the manager and staff for the wonderful evening spent celebrating our 20th anniversary. The manager came to the table and supplied us with two glasses of champagne to get the evening started. Complimentary appetizers and desert rounded out the evening. We've eaten at Il Fornaio many times; often bringing family with us for dinner. We've always had wonderful meals and service. We love the setting during nice weather when all the windows are open. "
    Dined on 5/28/2014
  • "I had heard of the restaurant before but hadn't ever been. I had heard plenty of good things about it. Everything was right on. Il Fornaio has a calming ambience. The waiter we had was a really nice older gentleman who made sure we had everything we needed. The food was good and came out quickly. It was pretty quiet in the restaurant which made it easier to have conversation at the dinner table."
    Dined on 5/27/2014
More reviews ›
Send a Gift Card for Il Fornaio - Walnut Creek
Buy now and deliver it instantly by email, or print a beautiful card to give in person.
Buy one today! ›
Larger map ›
Smaller map ›
Plan your next party here
We offer 2 private dining spaces; our East Loggia, holding 80 seated or up to 120 for a stadning reception.We can create … smaller private dining areas for as small as 15 people using curtains. Our South Loggia can hold up 40 guests seated. Continued
Great for events up to: 120
More details and contact info ›