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

  • Il Forno Restaurant

  • Online Reservations

Reserve at Il Forno Restaurant

Date

mm/dd/yyyy

Time
Party Size
Il Forno Restaurant
Il Forno Restaurant

Il Forno Restaurant Details

  • Dining Style: Casual Dining
  • Website: http://www.myilforno.com
  • Phone: (703) 807-2050
  • Hours of Operation: Daily: 11:00am - 10:00pm
  • Payment Options: AMEX, MasterCard, Visa
  • Cuisine: Italian, Contemporary American, Pizzeria
  • Dress Code: Casual Dress
  • Accepts Walk-Ins: Yes
  • Additional Details: Beer, Wine

Getting there

  • Cross Street: 9th Street
  • Parking: Public Lot
A word from Il Forno Restaurant
Il Forno Restaurant is coming to the ground floor of the Virginia Tech Research Center building. “Il Forno” means “The Oven” so look for excellent pizza from their oven, being imported from Italy.
Foodspotting photos
See all photos >
Diner Reviews
  • "Our first trip to Arlington; the waiters were very attentive, and the food was great."
    Dined on 7/19/2014
  • "The food is excellent and the service the maitre de restaurant provides is impeccable. It's the second time I have dined here and I'm sure I'll be back."
    Dined on 7/15/2014
  • "If you want to talk, eat great food, drink nice wine, and share a quiet moment with a dear friend - all at a reasonable price - then come to Il Forno"
    Dined on 7/9/2014
  • "Pleasant experience. Tasty food. Restaraunt was empty, not quite sure why. Extremely attentive staff. Only item we were not a fan of was the hand written note on the check as to the suggested tip. Found that a bit tacky."
    Dined on 7/7/2014
  • "Went for dinner with a friend. Seated quickly; the waiter was perhaps a little too attentive and too anxious to go over specials when we wanted to relax with drinks. My mixed salad with walnuts, cranberries, and raspberry vinagrette was a bit too sweet with too much dressing. We shared a platter of various hams and cheeses. The ham was surprisingly unimpressive; too little cheese. The beef checks were excellent; even my friend, who at first didn't want to try them, thought them great. We shared a pinapple dessert that also was very good. The wine list is very reasonable with good wines at decent prices. When we left, we both felt that it had been a good, but not a great experience."
    Dined on 6/20/2014
  • "Searched online for a moderately priced Italian reataurant close to our hotel. Menu was very appealing so we decided to give it a try. Would definitely come back. I got to converse a bit in Italian with the staff with my newly acquired skills."
    Dined on 6/18/2014
  • "I can't understand why this place isn't jammed with people. The food and service are fabulous. I believe it was once under other management and maybe wasn't as good, but if you didn't like it before, you should definitely try it again now. It is our new favorite place in Arlington."
    Dined on 6/14/2014
  • "Il Forno made an evening with a group of friends a lovely experience! The food is truly Italian, sophisticated but not pretentious. The service was gracious, welcoming, and very efficient. It seemed the staff was proud of their food, service, and ambiance, and really cared about their guests. Even something as simple as crostini really stood out. I especially appreciated that our part of six could all hear each other and easily converse at our round table. Whether having a serious business meeting or catching up with friends, I will gladly return to Il Forno!"
    Dined on 6/13/2014
  • "I have been to il forno several times for lunch and food has always been great. This was my first time for dinner. The service was exceptional. Far superior then its 'big' competitor at the Wilson/Glebe intersection. Food was also outstanding, started with muusels for the table. Main course was scallops & shrimp on skewer cooked to perfection. Table companion had baby lamb chops and claimed, "best she ever had". Did not have dessert. Cappuccino was frothed with such expertise, it brought back memories of my first cappuccino in Italy. I'll For no is truly a wonderful dining experience! "
    Dined on 5/31/2014
  • "A very nice scene for a quiet delicious meal. Cant go wrong here. Food and service is excellent"
    Dined on 5/27/2014
  • "As I went in immediately the manager greeted us with a huge smile and sat us in the perfect seat next to a window. Not too long after Anthony our waiter came to us and answered all of our questions with fine details and recommended that we try a spaghetti with seafood and a chicken roll type of dish so me and my wife tried both and we fell in love. Anthony made us laugh the entire night and even said I look like Nicholas cage. I will definitely be back with friends, hungry for more. As we left the host/manager gave us his card, shook our hands and made us feel very much at home. This restaurant is top shelf material. "
    Dined on 5/19/2014
  • "We so enjoyed our dining experience at Il Forno. The waiters were attentive and the food was delicious. The veal porterhouse was cooked to perfection and melt-in-your-mouth delicious; the pappardelle pasta was oh-so-yummy and the seafood special was to die for! This was our first dining experience there and we look forward to returning. Il Forno's food rivals and is truly finer quality than the food at more expensive restaurants. A must go to for Italian food lovers. "
    Dined on 5/10/2014
  • "Good food, decent wine, all together a fine evening. We live nearby; we'll go again. The service was accommodating dealing with allergies, and thoughtful suggestions."
    Dined on 5/9/2014
  • "Good food, although I found myself a little hungry afterwards. Spaghetti ai frutti di mare tasted good, although aside from two large shrimp, the dish contained only tiny mussels, clams, and salad-sized shrimp. Gnocchi was quite good. An awkward moment was when the server offered cheese and we accepted, but were then recommended that it wouldn't taste right on the frutti di mare and it would be a bit too heavy for the gnocchi. So perhaps they shouldn't have offered?"
    Dined on 5/7/2014
  • "This is definitely a hidden gem! Great food, lovely presentation, and top-notch service. I can't wait to go back!"
    Dined on 5/3/2014
  • "Nice staff, courteous owner, good meal, great service revisit "
    Dined on 4/28/2014
  • "We spent 2 weeks in Northern Italy last summer and the food here is at least as good if not better than most of the meals we had there! The owner greeted us warmly, service was perfect, bread hot and delicious- even the olive oil served with bread was excellent. Lovely complimentary bruschetta. Beef carpaccio was fabulous. Seafood pasta fresh and very tasty. Veal Marsala delicate and tender, delicious gratinated potatoes. Cocktails great and reasonable. We stayed at the Westin across the street and HIGHLY recommend this over the (other Italian) restaurant in Westin. Classy modern design, impeccably clean, nice low lighting, plenty of room to stretch out... You can't miss at Il Forno! "
    Dined on 4/19/2014
  • "Our meals were delicious and well presented. The service staff were pleasant. Only down side was parking. The parking structure immediately adjacent that touts "restaurant parking" is not for Il Forno so parking was nearly as expensive as a meal! They told us after the meal that they validate for the parking that is behind the restaurant, not off of Glebe. "
    Dined on 4/14/2014
  • "5 ladies on the loose in Washington DC really lucked into this place! Great menu. Waiter was terrific and customized appetizer and salad platters for the table so we could sample a variety (and didn't charge us an arm and a leg for it either). He didn't bat an eye when we ordered different courses all out of order. The wine list was very Italian and he guided us to terrific values that we really enjoyed. Some of the online info emphasized their pizzas, but the chef has changed direction and the pizzas are not the centerpiece. They have some but don't go thinking this is a pizzeria. It is a wonderful Italian place with a fresh, light touch. FANTASTIC!"
    Dined on 4/11/2014
  • "From the Maitre d, to the pizza oven, to the menu this restaurant is authentic Italian. We love it. The bar is inviting and comfortable and the dinner is oh-so-enjoyable. I arrived early to wait for my two dinner companions and was treated like a friend from the moment I stepped in the door. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who wants to feel special...and like they stepped into Italy for just a couple of hours."
    Dined on 4/2/2014
  • "Great find in Ballston. Picked it randomly because of location. Everything was great."
    Dined on 4/1/2014
  • "Delightful first experience! The food was both beautiful and delicioso!!! The manager, Piero, made us feel like we were on vacation in one of our favorite locales in the world ... Bella Italia. Our server, Tarik, was wonderful. He gave us suggestions for food & wine ... all were spot-on. We can't wait to return for another wonderful meal. :-)"
    Dined on 3/22/2014
  • "Our first visit was very fun. Our server, Antonio was very solicitous and helpful when it came to menu suggestions and wine selections. We enjoyed the lamb chops, pizza and Caesar salad. Also, it was very nice to have the water served without ice. It was not very crowded, and I will say the food is better than expected! A very welcome, pleasant surprise!!"
    Dined on 3/22/2014
  • "The pizza prepared in the old oven was excellent. I highly recommend the Gorgonzola salad dressing. The pineapple shaving dessert was like nothing I had ever had. It was very good!"
    Dined on 3/17/2014
  • "Good Italian Restaurant in Ballston. Away from the younger crowds in Clarendon. The menu was fairly broad with a lot of choices, including pizza. The restaurant is not a pizza joint, however. Very nice, modern decor with huge windows. Food was very good. Service was a little slow. Not sure why because it wasn't very crowded when we were there. Fortunately we weren't in any hurry and the wait didn't bother us too much. First cappuccino came out luke warm but the second one was nice and hot."
    Dined on 3/15/2014
  • "Met here with some friends after a long time apart. The food was good, the prices reasonable and the service perfect. There was lots of catching up and long stories between everyone at the table and the waiters never rushed us and bent over backwards to make everything perfect."
    Dined on 2/28/2014
  • "Il Forno is in a good location near Ballston with parking underneath the building. The quality of the italian food is very good. enjoy"
    Dined on 2/27/2014
  • "Second time here... I'll be back! Great dining experience. Exceptional ambiance, prompt and courteous service, and the waiter provided a good recommendation for our wine. The place is very clean, with a nice window view of the neighborhood, or you can select a quiet corner."
    Dined on 2/17/2014
  • "Service was spot on. They didn't hover or overly service the table. We are able to talk and then enjoy our lunch."
    Dined on 1/16/2014
  • "My 9th visit here in as many weeks - mostly personal and friends/family but this time I was with an ex-colleague. We enjoyed the dishes and service. We had a window table and got great service. New Manager has done a good job of adding new and fresh menu items - exciting. They have a few specials in the past that I really liked ... one stands out, I don't know what it's called... but it's shaved pineapples, with balsamic reduction with raspberry and sorbet inside of a crisp eatable cup... it's just out of this world."
    Dined on 1/8/2014
  • "Once a big party showed up at a table near us our server forgot we existed. Had to ask another server to get the bill. She told the manager who told our server. Fifty cent tip was the result. No comment by the manager to us about this."
    Dined on 11/30/2013
  • "We live in the area and were craving Italian food so decided to try out Il Forno. We are both from NY/NJ so grew up with very good Italian food; our meal was fine but nothing special or that would make us craving to come back. The eggplant appetizer special was good (sauce was great) but small. The primavera salad was also good and my husband loved the goat cheese. The pizza was just ok and we didn't think that it was anything special. The creme brulee was pretty good. The wine was a great deal at $21--we enjoyed the sauvignon blanc. The service was very good. On a Sat night, crowd seemed to be mainly tourists staying at nearby hotels. Overall it was a fine dinner, but in an area with tons of restaurants to chose from, not a stand out."
    Dined on 11/16/2013
  • "Horrible service. 7:15pm reservation. Seated at 7:50. Waited until 8:15 and when no waiter showed up, and they started taking the order from a 7-top that sat down after us we left. Funny thing, we saw the 7-top come into PF Changs about 15 minutes after got there. I can imagine what they went through! Sorry Il Forno, with so many other great restaurants in the area, you guys are in trouble unless you clean your act up quick."
    Dined on 10/26/2013
  • "Beyond terrible. Visited the night before the mcm as it was close to the hotel. The restaurant was only about half full. We had to ask 3 times for bread, had to go get our own pitcher of water to refill our glasses, and waited 30 min for a bottle of wine which was then dropped off at the table unopened Had to find someone to open it who seemed seriously annoyed by the request. As for the food... everyone got their food at a different time. The gnocci was good, prosciutto crostini was very good. Every thing else was terrible. Pasta was way under cooked it crunched!), cal zone was burnt, and scallops were tiny only 4 for entree). This was an enormous disappointment as we were really looking forward to a good meal for our weekend away!!!"
    Dined on 10/26/2013
  • "The restaurant looks nice from the outside but looks are deceiving. The food is extremely ordinary. I don't expect this place to last long."
    Dined on 10/12/2013
  • "I have been here many times with friends and each time, we leave the restaurant feeling fully satisfied. The seafood is very fresh and tasty. Good wine selections, too. Nice ambience for an all-girls' get together or with groups of friends. They validate 2 hours of parking in the garage which is a big plus as street parking can be hard to find during peak times. I'd recommend this place to anyone who has not been here yet."
    Dined on 10/9/2013
  • "We attended Il Fornio for my wife's birthday and needless to say there will be a do-over for her dinner. The atmosphere was okay and the service was pretty good. However the food was over cooked, oddly and over seasoned (very salty) and the portions were too large with a lack of emphasis on how the sides should compliment the main. I would not recommend this location unless you were had no other options. When we gave feedback on the meal we received an apology and a over sized placard coupon for 20% off for what seemed to be catering (very odd). Perhaps it will change in the future. Good thing there are several other solid choices to eat in the immediate area."
    Dined on 10/4/2013
  • "I enjoyed my meal- I ordered the salmon and house red wine. At first the waiter brought me the wrong dish but he quickly replaced it with the correct. The salmon was great but the Caesar Salad it came with was not tasty. House red was quite good. My friend enjoyed her dinner as well. If you live in the area it Is worth trying!"
    Dined on 9/28/2013
  • "I am a vegan and the two "vegetarian" soups they had that day were both made with chicken stock! They had a minestrone soup (which was labled vegetarian on the menu) and a lentil soup on special. I got a salad which the server told me was big enough for lunch, but was hungry an hour later. The menu isn't bad, but I wish they would offer more options to vegetarians/vegans."
    Dined on 9/9/2013
  • "While the food was very good, there were some definite issues with the service. The restaurant was only about a third full at the prime dinner time, so the waiter kept returning to the table because he didn't have anything else to do. The bussers continually tried to clear plates when it was obvious we were still eating. Also, the waiter brought me a dessert menu while my friend was still in the middle of his entree. The waiter never asked if either of us wanted coffee or an after dinner drink. I wasn't sure why they were trying to rush things along when the restaurant was not crowded at all."
    Dined on 8/8/2013
More reviews ›
Larger map ›
Smaller map ›