Had a wonderful birthday dinner with friends. First time for all of us. The food was delicious and the service by Tony was great. Very nice place, definitely recommend. read more

Il Fornaio - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California

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First Time at Il Fornaio We decided to spend our Monday night date night at Il Fornaio, and it definitely won't be our last! We grabbed seats at the bar, and from the moment we sat down, Mauricio made us feel welcome. He was friendly, attentive, and truly made our first visit memorable. He even topped off the evening with one of the best Il fogato I've had! I ordered the Linguine Mare Chiaro, and it was outstanding. Perfectly cooked linguine with fresh shrimp, scallops, clams, and mussels in a light, flavorful tomato broth--it was fresh, comforting, and absolutely delicious. We also tried the Hot Honey Calabrese Pizza from the Happy Hour menu, baked in their wood-fired oven. The crispy crust, spicy Calabrese salami, gooey cheese, and drizzle of hot honey made for the perfect sweet-and-spicy bite. If it's your first time visiting, I highly recommend sitting at the bar and asking for Mauricio. His outstanding service made an already delicious meal even more enjoyable. We'll definitely be back! read more

Il Fornaio - Hot Honey Calabrese - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California

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Got the margarita italiano and some Italian wine that was pretty good. Margherita pizza Pollo Tuscan And some great pasta with a filet. Our server Cristobal was excellent. Definitely have been meaning to go back. Highly recommend this Italian restaurant. Clean flavors and very comforting dishw read more

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I came in on July 10, 2026 for a nice romantic date with my husband. It had been years since we have been to this restaurant because we moved out of state, but I remember from my previous experience they had great service and their food was delicious. Tony was our server that day and he was quick to help us with anything we needed and came across very friendly. He also was kind enough to give us a complimentary appetizer while we waited for our food. Overall my husband and I enjoyed the quality of the food, the beautiful ambiance, and the wonderful staff like Tony who was so attentive. We're so glad we got to return to Il Fornaio after so long. read more

Our friend had wanted to eat Italian food in Irvine, and we came across this place on OpenTable after years of glossing over it as east coasters who have high expectations about their italian food, and we were very happy! Il Fornaio's service, food, and ambiance blew us away! The food was hearty and filling (and priced reasonably in this day and age!). Staff were welcoming, polite, and respectful in terms of giving us time to order, sit back, and relax, while making sure we were tended to. Definitely worth going to when in the area! read more

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Il Fornaio in Irvine is one of our favorite Italian restaurants, and we were lucky to get a last‑minute reservation today on Mother's Day. Parking is easy with the validated structure, and the restaurant's location is beautiful. We were seated right away and placed our drink and food orders. We ordered several appetizers and entrées -- our usual favorites are the calamari, Caesar salad, rigatoni alla vodka, and spaghetti with marinara. Their bread is always delicious. The calamari and salad arrived promptly; the salad was great, but the calamari was only warm and not as crispy as we had requested. Unfortunately, things slipped a bit after that. Our entrées took a very long time to arrive, and only two pastas were brought out -- one of which was the wrong dish. When the manager came by, I clarified what we had ordered and let him know we were still missing a pasta. The remaining dishes eventually arrived and were delicious, but by then the first two people were nearly done eating. Il Fornaio is usually very consistent for us, so I'm hoping this was simply an off night due to the Mother's Day rush. read more

Il Fornaio - CALAMARETTI FRITTI - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California

Incredible fun evening at the private table in the kitchen. I made a reservation here to celebratae a friend's BD, they had come up with 4 choices, and this was my suggestion. So glad it was the right choice! The dishes were just so delicious, Steve our server was great, and we all had a blast. I told my friends, I didn't care what my check cost, it was worth every dollar. My leftovers were just as delicious. read more

Tried to get an early dinner reservation for Saturday but there were no openings. My husband and I arrived around 4:50 and a very nice gentleman opened the doors early and seated us. We were starving this day because our son had games and our last meal was at 9am! We were immediately offered water and bread by Tony. OH yum! The bread was warm and fresh with flavorful olive oil and vinegar to dip it in. We ordered the calamari- delicous soup of the day- can't remember what it was called! Had leek, potato, mushroom and it was such a mild flavored comfort meal. loved it. linguine mare- good amount of seafood, very well made, yummy! shrimp pesto pasta - can't remember actual name, amazing and honestly best pesto ever!! la colomba - a refreshing drink that was well balanced tiramisu - we can't help ourselves, this was perfect and authentic tasting. Overall a wonderful experience, Tony was a great waiter, so sweet and attentive even though he was so busy. Service is not super fast if you're in a rush which we were not. We got to enjoy our meal and each others company without feeling like we are getting kicked out. The restaurant itself was bright, beautiful, clean and aesthetic but also warm and romantic. read more

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My family and I had dinner here on not so busy Monday night in their patio area. We made a reservation through OpenTable to guarantee a patio seating since according to that and Yelp, dogs were allowed. Upon checking in, we were told they only allow service dogs but they can make an exemption seeing how tiny our dog was. Apparently a server was bit by a dog before. Anyway, our server was Arturo. He did well pronouncing the Italian words. He was also able to make our baby girl smile a few times with his whistles. He offered us a complimentary assorted bruschette that has tomatoes, olive oil and cheese. They were pretty good. On their drinks menu, we were trying to look for beer. They do not have that on the menu, but our server knew all the draft beers they offer. We ordered an 805 and a Peroni to go with our food. My husband and I shared a pizza as an appetizer. He ordered Agnello al Limone, which is the lamb one. I ordered Linguine mare, basically the pasta seafood. The pizza was ok, we've had better. The lamb was very delicious and tender. I would definitely come back for that. The pasta was good. Overall, we had a great time. Update: I just realized they gave us the wrong pizza. This isn't what we ordered. No wonder we weren't feeling it. read more

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Went for happy hour on Thursday and there was plenty of seating (you can sit at the bar, regular tables near the bar, or outside). Tried several items on the happy hour menu and they were all pretty good. We also wrote that we were celebrating a birthday and the staff definitely had a nice little treat and we're so kind and helpful! Clean restaurant and restroom as well. Parking is validated or you can valet. read more

Il Fornaio - Bruschette Assortite - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California

Service.. every one very nice.. from waiter... servers... hostess... We knew we couldn't finish full meals so my daughter and I split everything.. thank you for splitting the dishes for us prior to serving I would love to sit in patio seating one of these times... looked pretty outside Indoor patio seating looked fun too Bread and oil vinegar- love the crusty bread**** Ciliegini -Spaghetti with fava bean puree Insalata de Pere with Gorgonzola cheese... yummy...***** Budino di pane alla gianduia for dessert With dk choc gelato ...sooooo yummy... a perfect way to finish off a meal and leave beyond Was my second time in 6 years... only because I live in the central valley... otherwise believe me... I'd be here more often read more

Il Fornaio - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California

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Nice team dinner! Had a group of 25 and our server, Alejandra was friendly and efficient. The entrees were varied and offered a little bit of everything. The NY Strip steak entree was a little underwhelming so would not order it again but appreciated the atmosphere and the fact that the restaurant validated the valet parking! read more

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Great! This restaurant is located in a very nice area and has a great outdoor seating setup. The staff here is friendly and very accommodating. The food was delicious. They have daily happy hour specials which changes each day. It was a nice touch! Will definitely be back when I'm in the area. read more

Il Fornaio - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California

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This place was a real surprise. Absolutely beautiful location and free parking validation for 3 hours. Servers and wait staff were outstanding from the get go. Had the hand made pasta ala vodka which is perfectly al dente and texture between the deep rich vodka sauce to the bacons bits was excellent. Next was the Pomodoro bolognese which was equally good . My only issue was the pizza which was pretty horrid for a Margherita. Barely any greens and amateurish and looks like a regular cheese pizza that just added some extra toppings. Overall a great dinner and atmosphere just skip the pizza read more

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Came here last night for my daughter's Birthday celebration. We were a party of 13! Unfortunately, this was a disappointing experience. The service was very inattentive from start to finish. No one came by to check on our table to see if we needed drink refills, takeout boxes for our leftovers, or anything else during the meal. When it was time for dessert, we waited a long time for our cake and plates, and no one kept us updated. We even had to ask for the bill because no one brought it to us. What made it even more frustrating was watching the staff regularly check on the smaller tables around us while our party was largely ignored. Since gratuity is automatically added for parties of 10 or more, it honestly left us wondering if that played a role in the level of service we received. I can't say for certain, but that's certainly how it felt. The pasta was good, but the calamari was bland! No taste at all you can tell it came from a frozen bag. The service fell far below expectations and took away from what should have been a special celebration. Needless to say, I will not be returning. read more

My guests loved their chicken and veal parm, but my gnocchi was mushy and tasteless. Had to struggle to get through it. The sauce was great but I ordered gnocchi not a bowl of sauce. The waiter was nice and attentive, but spilled a little wine each time he filled my glass. I resolved to pour my own. Fornaio is a wide open floor plan with a lot of glass. Not at all intimate. The bar is too modern for my taste...can't imagine they stock Schlitz or PBR. All in all a little too sanitary for me. read more

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It's been a hot minute since dining at Il Fornaio but since they were open during lunch on Father's Day, we decided to return to the restaurant after several years. The inside of the restaurant is bright and airy which is lovely on a nice summer day. The open kitchen concept i felt very Italian as well. The restaurant was decently busy on Sunday afternoon which was nice to see as well. Don't forget to bring your parking ticket in for validation at the podium. I started with their house salad which actually was very tasty and had so many toppings on it which was awesome. I don't remember what the preset dressing was but I opted for olive oil and balsamic which was delightful. For my entree, I got the Linguine Mare Chiaro which was plated with plenty of seafood including clams, shrimp, scallops and mussels. The mussels tasted a bit fishy to me but the rest was great. The pasta wasn't quite what I was expecting. I envisioned a much lighter volume of sauce but felt like the noodles were drowning in the Tomato-base sauce. Honestly it wasn't worth the calories for me so I just ate a few bites of the pasta and went straight for the seafood. To end our lunch we shared a Tiramisu which was delicious. Overall a good experience and the staff were all very nice too. read more

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Il Fornial offers a warm and welcoming dining experience with flavorful dishes and friendly service. The calamari was a standout crispy and perfectly cooked without the rubbery texture you often find elsewhere. The pizza had a well balanced flavor and an excellent crust that held up nicely. The white fish was tender with a soft, buttery sauce that paired well without overpowering it. The beet salad had great flavor, though a bit more toasted walnuts would have added an extra layer of texture. For entrees, the salmon was another highlight the crust was excellent, and the potatoes were crisp and seasoned well. The spinach, however, was a bit underwhelming and could use more seasoning or punch. Service was pleasant overall; the servers were kind and welcoming. Appetizers took a little longer than expected, but entrées arrived promptly. read more

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I really love the food at Il Fornaio. The ambience is nice and the service is warm and attentive. Unfortunately the automatic 3% surcharge on the bill is a turn-off. It's not a tip, and it makes me hesitate to come back even though I enjoy the meals. read more

The service was very slow.... Took forever for the server to take the order for us when the restaurant wasn't that busy for Saturday evening. The food was great though!!! read more

Such beautiful ambiance. Great attention to detail by the staff - truly wonderful service! I went for me and my boyfriend's anniversary, and they even put up a cute little anniversary sign & got us a complimentary dessert that was delicious. Food was incredible. Best pasta I've had in a while read more

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I love the one in Pasadena, but this was my first time here. Free valet parking is a great option. The restaurant is huge with indoor and outdoor seating. We went on a Friday for Happy Hour and were very happy. Excellent, friendly service. The Diavola pizza was excellent as were the wines and cocktails on the menu. I will definitely come back, since this is closer and has great parking. read more

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I came here for a dinner event and this food was what was on their set menu. The salad was my favorite part of the meal. The dressing was fantastic, the croutons flavorful and crispy, the lettuce was crispy. Overall a great salad. The tenderloin was just okay. It was prepared a nice medium rare so in that regards was pretty much cooked perfectly. However I didn't like the sauce that much as it was overly sweet and not very flavorful. I ended up adding a lot of black pepper and salt to make up for the lack of flavor. The veggies were decent also not super flavorful, but mashed potatoes were great. Very fluffy, very flavorful, and just a solid mashed potatoes. The tiramisu was also yummy. The coffee flavor was great and I loved the cream and extra chocolate shreds on top. Overall good experience. Service was quick and the waiters were kind. I definitely want to come back and try the main restaurant and their pasta. read more

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Nice Italian restaurant with all the traditional menu items and a nice variety of wines and desserts. Service was quite attentive and the ambiance is nice for a casual meal or date night. We most recently visited for an event in a private room, and it was set up with a big screen for a presentation while the staff went around and delivered food and drinks to the guests. The meal took a long time to serve, but the food was pretty good. read more

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So very happy the spinach ravioli is back and it's delicious. Split it with my husband . We love that dish. I order with the cheese on the side because he likes it. Bartenders are super friendly read more

Il Fornaio - A lovely class of red wine. - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California

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Beautiful restaurant but this is not Italian food. Not even close... The caprese salad had no flavor, no olive oil or zest or balsamic, just three mozzarella rounds and tomatoes that look horrible The pizza was ok but I've had better. The complimentary bread was hard as a rock and couldn't even give us olive oil in the side. Where they out spices and olive oil today? Absolutely not worth it. read more

Great place, beautiful place, they just can't make coffee it was cold , they can't differentiate what a cappuccino is vs a latte was very disappointing, the manager had to come make it and was still not right , they did the best they could that day they just need training on being baristas sorry I don't like pointing out bad stuff but this was pretty bad this day read more

We had another great meal at Il Fornaio in Irvine. Instead of looking at the menu, I looked at the pictures of the dishes on Yelp. I found what looked like Linguini and clams in light, wine sauce. I asked for this from our waiter. He said no problem and will talk to the chef and make it happen. The dish was amazing. Just what I wanted. Fresh clams in a light, butter, and wine sauce that really highlighted the fresh made pasta. I like to really taste the pasta, and this was a perfect dish. I highly recommend this place for its service, atmosphere, and excellent food. Food made to order. The chef did exactly what I wanted. read more

Il Fornaio - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California

I can't take my mind off Cristina, la pizza. The texture, the cheese, the savory prosciutto paired with the fresh arugula, and the fragrant truffle that left me wanting one more bite after the last slice was gone. Although we ordered the Cristina and Lasagna, la pizza won my heart. The lasagna was good too, but about halfway through it felt like I already had enough. The service was good, attentive and helpful. The restaurant was clean, but there were some annoying flies/pests that kept buzzing around the food... probably coming from the patio seating. read more

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Went to dinner here tonight with my family visiting from out of state. Just going to cut to the chase, the food was delicious but the service was really bad. The restaurant was barely half capacity when we got there, died out throughout the night. Despite that, the entrees took an hour to come out. The appetizer we ordered never showed up, we had to cancel it. The waiter offered us bread and never brought it until the entrees came out (you also have to pay for the bread). It also took a really long time to get the check and pay, especially considering that by the end of the meal the restaurant was completely dead. We could see the kitchen from our table and they were prioritizing pumping out Uber Eats orders instead of the meals for the people seated in the restaurant. For a restaurant that charges a 3% service fee separate from gratuity to "provide a higher quality experience" it's pretty ironic that their service is terrible. If you want to try this place, just order the takeout. read more

Amazing service on a Thursday evening before dinner rush. Really like how the restaurant looks and their sun roof - we got to see them open it! Reminded me of those Steam punk ceiling openings that would let the hot air balloon out. Anyway, everything we ordered looked great. I had the Vodka sauce Rigatoni with added basil. Delish. Also liked their calamari, meatball, and bruschetta. Tiramisu was yums read more

Great Italian food, excellent service, good wine. Decor is suitable for business dinners or celebrations, and it's a very nice place to get a fine meal. read more

Came here on New Years Eve and was shocked at how quickly everything came out. The service was excellent, but the food was even better. The pasta was packed with so much flavor and the wine paired nicely with the food. The standout was the tiramisu, as I did not leave even a crumb left. The ambiance felt very high end and luxurious and I enjoyed the light music they played. Cool place! read more

Il Fornaio - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California

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Came here recently for a work dinner and it did not disappoint! The interior of the restaurant was beautiful and our server was very professional. The food was great, I really enjoyed the gnocchi and veal dish. We also got a lava cake to share and everyone enjoyed that. Only complaint is that we did have a wait long periods of time for our server to visit our table despite the restaurant being pretty quiet. read more

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The better version of North Italia, Il Fornaio has actual Italian food and not just reservations. There's a few selections for vegetarians, especially if gnocchi is up your alley, they have a couple options and each ball of dough just melts in your mouth. They're generous with the portions but not overly so, personal pizzas are thin, hot and definitely handmade. That chocolate lava cake though, or volcano cake, is... VERY chocolatey. Rich with quality chocolate and molten in the center. Good to see restaurants like this not degrading over time and fashion. read more

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My boyfriend took me here for my birthday dinner and it was our first time trying this restaurant, and we were not disappointed! The service was amazing, the staff were friendly and helpful, and the food was sooo good! I also had a glass of rose and they sung happy birthday to me and gave me strawberry ice cream. This is a really cute date night spot! They have valet parking but the structure is also available. They do validate so luckily we don't have to pay for parking once we left. I'll definitely come back here again. And thank you to Geraldo who was our waiter for the night!! read more

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Came back after 1 year and I will say that I adore everything of this Italian restaurant! We ordered few different things to try out today which is the Beef Carpaccio, Capricciosa and Seafood Linguine always my fav. Overall service is outstanding! Our server was really nice and constanky check on our table. He offered us another dessert which is the cherry on top. Will be supporting this restaurant business in the future! read more

Il Fornaio - Tiramisu - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California

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I've been to Il Fornaio in Irvine two different times, and honestly the food has been really good both times. That's why it's disappointing that both visits had issues with charges being added without any explanation from the staff. The first time we went, we were offered bread and only later realized we were charged $4 for it. The second time was even more frustrating. Our waiter, Tony, asked if we wanted water, and when we said yes, he brought out a bottle of water that ended up costing $9. We thought we were just getting regular tap water like most restaurants automatically give. While sitting there, we noticed that tables around us with other waiters all had free glasses of tap water, while every table Tony was serving had the bottled water instead. When we got the check, we saw the $9 water charge and were also charged another $4 for bread that we didn't even receive this time. It honestly made us feel like Tony purposely avoids explaining prices so people end up paying extra without realizing it. On top of that, the service was really slow. We waited around 45 minutes for just one pasta dish and one pizza. The food itself was good, but the experience this time left a bad impression and made the whole dinner feel unpleasant. read more

Il Fornaio - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California

They validate here and gave plenty of parking. The food and service was good! Our server felt bad for our wait an gave us like 3 rounds of bread lol. The prices were pretty good too considering the atmosphere. I would go back here. The pasta tasted homemade! read more

Il Fornaio - Pappardelle alla Norcina con Pollo - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California

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The food is quite nice for preparing a volume of customer on the weekend. The service was great. Thumb up on the ciopino. The sauce was thick and tasty. The seafood was tender and not overcooked. read more