Il Fornaio - Carmel

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1. JH

   JohnH

   New York Area

   2 reviews

   4.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 4 days ago

   overall4food5service2ambience4

   Nice place, excellent food. Had a disinterested waiter. Very slow and didn't seem to listen.
   

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2. l

   lindsayh

   Kansas City

   2 reviews

   4.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 5 days ago

   overall4food4service4ambience4

   When I went to order They were out of my first two choices but my third choice was very good
   

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3. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   New York Area

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 5 days ago

   overall5food5service5ambience5

   Never disappoints. I love their pizzas. Just like a great pizza in Rome or Sicily
   

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4. KW

   KarenW

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 7 days ago

   overall3food4service2ambience4

   We've always liked Il Fornaio, but this last time my husband was served the wrong dinner, then afterwards they tried to charge us for the dinner that we didn't order. Waiter seemed to disappear for long periods of time. Honest mistakes maybe due to being understaffed, but still takes away from the experience. Food was tasty.
   

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5. JV

   JohnV

   Orange County

   8 reviews

   5.0

   8 reviews

   Dined on May 19, 2023

   overall5food5service5ambience5

   There’s really nothing negative about this restaurant. Our waiter was helpful and service was great. The food was really good as well.
   

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6. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   Detroit

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined on May 18, 2023

   overall5food5service5ambience5

   Amazing food, service, and view! The salmon was beautifully prepared and they pour a great drink. 😁
   

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7. BL

   BobL

   Los Angeles

   4 reviews

   3.0

   4 reviews

   Dined on May 15, 2023

   overall3food4service4ambience3

   I dont think --- given this is Carmel and there are many very appealing restaurants there ---- I would recommend Il Fornaio but they were there and decent.
   

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8. GC

   GiacomoC

   Central Coast

   1 review

   1.0

   1 review

   Dined on May 14, 2023

   overall1food1service1ambience2

   Unfortunately the experience was bad. It was on a Special Day but it appeared that know one seemed to in charge. Our service was poor. We waited 45 minutes for our order to arrive. In the past we’ve had positive experiences but I doubt if we will return.
   

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9. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   New York Area

   1 review

   vip
   1.0

   1 review

   Dined on May 14, 2023

   overall1food1service1ambience1

   Worst experience ever. No stars! We ended up leaving without eating as we waited an hour and no food. Never again.
   

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10. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    New York Area

    1 review

    vip
    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on May 14, 2023

    overall1food1service2ambience4

    Went for brunch, the vast majority of our food was inedible. Eggs Benedict came with nearly hard boiled eggs and no hollandaise sauce. Potatoes were raw. Bread came (after asking 3x) without butter. They ran out of ketchup. It was over an hour before our food even arrived and the worst part was the manager didn’t come over once to acknowledge the horrible experience.
    

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11. JK

    JuliaK

    Exclusive

    4 reviews

    1.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on May 14, 2023

    overall1food1service1ambience3

    It was below AVG - slow service, overpriced tasteless unseasoned food, surly servers. I had to get up and get my own salt and stuff. Won’t go back.
    

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12. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on May 13, 2023

    overall1food2service1ambience5

    I just feel I have to be honest. We booked at Open Table. App asked if it was a special occasion. I said it was for my boyfriend’s birthday. When we got there I checked in. Hostess said “Oh, here is your reservation for your boyfriend’s birthday “. Never said happy birthday to him and seemed preoccupied. We get our table which was very nice. But during the meal our waiter never came back once to see how we were doing. I had to get up and ask for bread. Then get up and ask for butter. Then get up to go ask for salt! Ran out of water! And sadly the food wasn’t that good. We live here local but at this point it will be a while before we go back again.
    

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13. NM

    NadiaM

    Central Coast

    80 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    80 reviews

    Dined on May 10, 2023

    overall4food4service4ambience4

    Everything was great, services and delicious cuisine. I just wish they add new dishes like Veal milanese! Also would be a nice touch if they include some chocolate with the bill like other restaurants! Grazie
    

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14. FB

    FaribaB

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on May 6, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Great service, ambiance, food and view from the patio. We were a large group and enjoyed our time there 😀
    

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15. DC

    DaphneC

    Sacramento

    6 reviews

    4.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on May 6, 2023

    overall4food3service3ambience4

    Nice table and ambience,. it was our anniversary but no recognition. Ordered the chicken Marsala and chicken breast was tough and dry. Usually it’s chicken filets that are pounded and tender in other restaurants. Waiter lacked interest in us and dropped off food for us along with the table next to us. Overall nice evening but would order something different ext time.
    

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16. A

    Anon

    New Orleans

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on April 29, 2023

    overall4food4service4ambience5

    We had a vegan in our group who was also allergic to egg and dairy They were attentive to their needs. However service was slow because they said they needed to ensure cooking area was properly cleaned to prevent cross contamination and had to reheat our food causing delay. Overall good service.
    

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17. DN

    DebiN

    Central Coast

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on April 29, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    The food was delicious and the staff was very attentive and accommodating. Overall a wonderful experience.
    

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18. D

    Desert1

    Tahoe

    17 reviews

    5.0

    17 reviews

    Dined on April 24, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Always good pizza, fish and wine! Walk to the beach at sunset from here and your day will be complete 🍤
    

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19. SR

    StephanieR

    Orange County

    14 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    14 reviews

    Dined on April 22, 2023

    overall3food3service2ambience4

    The restaurant is in a great location and has beautiful views at sunset but the service could use some work. The food was good but we have had better at other Il Fornaio locations. We were hoping for more but were left a little underwhelmed.
    

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20. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Sacramento

    2 reviews

    3.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on April 21, 2023

    overall3food5service2ambience2

    This reservation was for my friends birthday, the server was quite rude and didn’t check up on us. We had to flag down new people everytime to get served. Def was not worth the money for crappy service
    

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21. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco

    3 reviews

    4.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on April 21, 2023

    overall4food4service4ambience4

    We had a great time. The Dodd and service was great. Thanks for a great evening.
    

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22. LL

    LisaL

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    3.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on April 16, 2023

    overall3food5service2ambience5

    The staff is polite but very green. Great food, space, perfect Sunday
    

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23. G

    Gilgamesh

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on April 16, 2023

    overall2food2service2ambience3

    Mid food to be honest I would spend that much money again on food that lacks personality and identity. Nothing stands out
    

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24. NM

    NadiaM

    Central Coast

    80 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    80 reviews

    Dined on April 5, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Real authentic Italian cuisine, beautiful venue and great services!!
    

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25. C

    Carmelgal

    San Francisco

    11 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    11 reviews

    Dined on March 27, 2023

    overall5food4service5ambience5

    We sat in the sunroom and I highly recommend it if you want to have a nice conversation. Our waiter was wonderful. The food was very good. One of our party is gf and dairy intolerant and the choices were limited but the kitchen was very accommodating. It would be nice if there was a gf non dairy offering for dessert other than sorbet. Or at least almond milk offered for the after dinner coffee. All in all… a wonderful place to dine in Carmel. I didn’t mention the beautiful environment. Something to consider.
    

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26. R

    Reviewer

    Denver

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on March 26, 2023

    overall5food4service5ambience4

    A very pleasurable experience...we always go to Il Fornaio when in Carmel.
    

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27. J

    Jessica

    San Francisco

    76 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    76 reviews

    Dined on March 25, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    We learned of Il Fornaio's special "Central Italy" menu this month, and decided to try it. We got all the items on it, so two appetizers to share, two entrees to share, and then dessert. It was delicious, with a wonderful Tuscan bean soup, a salad, a pasta dish followed by excellent seafood. And the dessert was an original. They also offered a paired wine flight for a $20. Service was excellent, and this is a beautiful, spacious room in Carmel. Great experience and we'll be back.
    

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28. R

    Roberto

    San Francisco

    8 reviews

    5.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on March 24, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    A very enjoyable evening for my birthday celebration. Really enjoyed service and food. Could have chosen a. Umber other places but happy we decided to go to it Fornaio. We will return.
    

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29. c

    cshell

    Central Coast

    14 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    14 reviews

    Dined on March 18, 2023

    overall4food4service5ambience5

    Very nice restaurant. Some of the meals were very generous and others were not, seemed like a hit or miss with what you ordered. The hits were definitely the rosemary chicken and the homemade linguine with seafood. The miss was the spinach ravioli. Unlike most Italian restaurants where bread is a given, you order and pay for that here. Service was excellent and the interior was very nice.
    

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30. t

    thedream

    San Francisco

    63 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    63 reviews

    Dined on March 8, 2023

    overall4food4service4ambience4

    A very nice midweek lunch. Everything was just right.
    

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31. MB

    MBBaby

    San Francisco

    18 reviews

    2.0

    18 reviews

    Dined on March 6, 2023

    overall2food2service2ambience3

    Made the reservations a couple weeks in advance for 65th birthday, on a slow Sunday evening. The hostess was friendly and greeted us with “Happy Birthday” and said she’d saved her favorite table for us. The waiter never acknowledged the special occasion, was not particularly friendly or helpful or interested in what he was doing. He was fairly unintelligible, which had nothing to do with his English proficiency. Had to ask for water twice. Had to ask for bread which was delivered barely warm. Finally acknowledged the birthday when he delivered an un-requested dessert. The Branzinni was over cooked (crispy) and barely edible. The manager asked a couple of times how the meal was and we said fine—the last thing I wanted to do on my birthday was complain about the meal and the experience, it was bad enough already. I’ve eaten at this restaurant before and had an entirely different experience; it was probably an “off night” but a very disappointing one.
    

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32. j

    jboy

    San Francisco

    5 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on February 26, 2023

    overall3food4service3ambience5

    We visited Carmel, Calif and selected this restaurant for lunch. It seemed only one server was servicing tables (the restaurant was only ~1/4 full, and we needed to ask for the things that should have been standard in servicing a table; such as: Salt and pepper on the table (we needed to ask for it as we did for a straw for those drinking Ice Tea along with sweetener for the tea and for refills—no bread was put on the table until we asked for it). When the server took our orders, it took her quite a while to come back to our table to tell the person in our party that ordered an entree that was no longer available since they needed to close something different. We needed to express that we didn’t want the orders to come out randomly, that we wanted everything to come out at the same time and ensure everything was prepared together so we didn’t have food that was sitting in the kitchen while the last entree was being made. The quality of food was good, which impressed us all since none of us had been back to Il Fornaio since the onset of the pandemic since the quality of the food had taken a turn for the worse and prices had gone up for what you received. There definitely needs to be some improvement in service.
    

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33. C

    Chloe

    Dallas

    8 reviews

    5.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on February 23, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience4

    We had a quiet, delightful dinner on a cold, blustery evening. The food was delicious.
    

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34. FT

    FoodTraveler

    Central Coast

    3 reviews

    3.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on February 22, 2023

    overall3food3service4ambience3

    As a local resident, I have dined here many times. It is hit or miss. My experience last night was a miss (with the very important exception of excellent wait staff). It was a cold night (in the 40’s) by Carmel standards. The restaurant was about 20% full, with all the tables in the bar empty. Despite this, the host would not let us sit there ( the warmest part of the restaurant ). He did not seem to care about our comfort, did not apologize, just seated us near the door, which brought in frigid air every time it was opened. We finally just kept our coats on. The food was ok, but not as good as it once was. I ordered the butternut squash ravioli with fried sage leaves and walnuts. The first time I ordered this, on a specials menu last fall, it was sublime, care had been taken with every detail. It was not as good the second time, and I won’t order it again after last night. The ravioli and sauce were okay, but there was very little sage, and the walnut pieces were raw. Except for the professional and friendly wait staff, the dining experience last night was disappointing. I’ll take my out of town visitors elsewhere next time.
    

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35. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Central Coast

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 20, 2023

    overall4food4service1ambience5

    In all fairness it was a busy Presidents Day weekend but the service was below Fornios standards. My entree was delivered incorrectly , salad was a no show and got a club soda instead of the Tonic water I asked got. My guest didn’t get her soup. Ordinarily I would understand because it was a busy Sunday night but every time I confronted the waiter he’d say oh sorry, do you still want the whatever he got wrong. What I wanted to hear was let me make it right.
    

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36. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    New York Area

    2 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on February 19, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Fantastic ambience, service and food!!! Always a favorite in Carmel by the Sea.
    

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37. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Denver

    3 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on February 18, 2023

    overall3food4service2ambience4

    The food was good. The wait staff service was poor. The bus staff service was excellent.
    

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38. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Central Coast

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 17, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Great table, wonderful food- lovely celebration
    

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39. OT

    OpenTable Diner

    Central Coast

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 15, 2023

    overall5food5service5ambience5

    Valentine’s dinner, amazing as always
    

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40. CW

    ChanessaW

    Central Coast

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 12, 2023

    overall3food5service5ambience5

    I don’t normally put negative reviews but I gotta say, it could’ve been a perfect dining experience if not for one thing, the door by the front desk (we were 2 tables away from) kept staying open 2 inches & because it’s inevitable to stay shut I kindly asked the hostess if she could keep an eye & try to keep it shut She was kinda rude so I then asked if we could just be moved, she spoke w the manager & said it wasn’t possible so for our entire dinner (3 apps/2 entrees/2desserts) I froze & was super uncomfortable. I got up to shut it 5 times my husband shut it twice & we finally asked for our dessert to go Super bummed that she was 3 steps away & couldn’t try & shut it…. I have to note she did close it once & or that we’d be moved. When you’re spending over $200 on a dining experience being uncomfortably cold is a huge disappointment. Thankful making reservations was extremely easy and we were completely satisfied with your service ♥️
    

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