Excellent service and good. Had the house salad and added grilled salmon. Wine and then some gelato and espresso to boot. Clean place and great staff. read more

Il Fornaio - Before - Italian Near Me - Mountain View, California

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This is a new location for the popular Italian chain that we frequented when they were operating in Seattle downtown. The decor is similar in style as the Santa Clara one and services equally superb. They offered Happy Hours from 3 to 6pm and we took advantage of that: Pizza, Calamari, Meatballs, Roast Cauliflower, all good. Then we ordered from the dinner menu the grill seafood plate, also excellent. I think I will come for happy hours frequently. read more

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Once again as usual. my dinner and the service tonight was nothing short of perfection! With Drinksmith Antonio behind the bar taking orders and making cocktails 'with love' along with Manager John stopping by TWICE to check on my meal it was Perfecto! BTW his knowledge wines and the food industry, shows why he is a favorite manager! I started with the fried calamari. Always a winner here. Cooked tender with a light batter that lets the squid flavor surface and yet still taste the crispy seasoning at the same time. My Chicken Parm (Pollo Alla Parmigiana) was cooked to perfection The delicious moist chicken breast with a crispy seasoned breading topped with marinara sauce and mozzarella was complimented on a 'nest' of spaghetti Pomodoro. All those mixed flavors are an incredible explosion of tastebud foodgasm! The huge portion is enough for dinner with leftovers packed by the incredible food runner Tony for next day lunch! Even though stuffed to the gills, I had to I finish off the feast with a piece of the outrageously delicious Tiramisu. Needless to say, most of that piece of Heaven will be tomorrows breakfast! read more

Visited for drinks during happy hour and had a lovely experience! It wasn't too busy on a Sunday at 5pm, so my party of two was seated immediately at the bar. The atmosphere of the restaurant was inviting and cozy, with warm lighting, lots of booth seating, and light chatter. The bartenders were super friendly and offered recommendations based on my preferences. The happy hour menu was impressive! There was a variety of reasonably priced drink and food selections. I really enjoyed the tuscan lemonade, which featured conciere vodka, blackberry purée, lemon, and soda. It was quite a sweet drink and had a strong fruit flavor. The tiki taormina was another very solid and sweet drink. It contained don q piña rum, peach purée, pineapple, lime, and mint. Both drinks were strong. I would definitely come back for happy hour deals! read more

Il Fornaio - Tiki Taormina, Tuscan Lemonade - Italian Near Me - Mountain View, California

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Delicious, great service. Happy hour deals were affordable drinks were strong. Will come again read more

Il Fornaio - Tiki - Italian Near Me - Mountain View, California

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I had a great experience dining here with reservation on a Saturday evening. I enjoyed the restaurant service and ambiance, definitely has a higher end kind of vibe, would be nice for special occasions. The food was good but not amazing. The pasta portions were small for the price, usually I can't finish all the pasta when I go out at similar restaurants but I was able to finish a pasta without filling super full, even with appetizers and sharing pizza. The pappardelle was a little bland, wouldn't get again. The tagliatelle bolognese was solid, and I really enjoyed the gnocchi ragu sauce, though the gnocchi itself was super mushy, a texture I wasn't expecting. Standouts were the beef carpaccio and tuscan lemonade (a sweet drink where you can barely taste the alcohol). Would come again to try different menu items! read more

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Decided to try Il Fornaio for the first time and it didn't disappoint. For a Tuesday evening, it was packed, especially at 5:45PM. I can tell this is well loved restaurant and for many good reasons. The ambiance from the get go is great, from an attentive hostess to a great waiter, it made the experience even better. The food was also delicious. The salad was a great starter and if you want a pizza as a starter, the one with zucchini was delicious. Lastly the pasta dish I had was creamy, savory and really comforting. I would definitely come again and try anything else read more

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I've been to Il Fornaio twice recently, both times watching sports at the bar, and being served by Antonio, who is excellent. The first time, I arrived during happy hour, so my first two drinks, a Kickin Old Fashioned and a Sorrento King, were only $9, and the chianti with dinner only $8. The Sorrento King is a smoked drink, very entertaining to watch be prepared. I ordered linguine mare, and was very pleased. For dessert, I was saddened that there was no cannoli, but enjoyed the Napoleone with an Americano. It's a very classy looking place, and the second time I sat at the bar, I watched my baseball team lose on one TV, and my football team lose on the other. So I console myself with a very delicious margarita pizza, very roman style with a great crust. And another Sorrento King, of course. I also had a Caesar salad, with very healthy looking lettuce, and great flavor overall. I can foresee future visits. read more

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Came in for dinner while in the area. Ordered the bread, a pizza, and meatballs. The pizza had a nice crust but was soggy in the middle. The bread was fresh and soft. The meatballs were a little cold, but the sauce was tasty. We ate them anyway. Service was friendly and attentive. read more

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Great service and very helpful staff, especially when ordering vegetarian options. The food was delicious, with pizza being the highlight. We sat outside in the heated tent with our dogs and had a cozy, comfortable experience. read more

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This restaurant was amazing! The main thing that called me here was the happy hour. They have discounted prices on their drinks and appetizers. However, the prices of the regular menu are worth it because their servings are huge. The service was amazing. They checked on us plenty of times to make sure everything was alright. There are a handful of other restaurants in this plaza but a lot of parking available. There's also a lot of seating indoors, at the bar, or on the patio. read more

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This is my favorite Il Fornaio location. It's new, fit for happy hour or team outings alike, service is friendly, and the pasta quality beat my expectations. Some dishes are better than others - check Yelp before you order! I highly recommend the lasagna and tiramisu (it's big, too!). The chocolate cake that came with a yummy scoop of ice cream was pretty good, too but could have been a tad more molten. Portions are big and apparently they have a good happy hour! I'll definitely be back for that. read more

I came here with some coworkers for a work dinner. I really liked the ambiance--felt super comfortable and great decor. I was craving seafood and ordered the Gamberoni, and safe to say it hit the spot! Absolutely loved the seared scallops, which were juicy and melt-in-your-mouth tender. The lobster cream sauce was a fantastic complement to smother all over the seafood. Prawns were massive and I really liked how easy it was to remove from the shells. The risotto cake was also delicious and had this pleasant crisp. Food quality wise, it was great! But, the portions were underwhelming. I saw that my coworkers who ordered pizzas had so much food leftover, but I could probably down at least 2 or 3 of these Gamberoni dishes For dessert, I'd highly recommend the panna cotta. Loved the pleasant coffee aftertaste and had the perfect lightness to finish my meal read more

Il Fornaio - Gamberoni - Italian Near Me - Mountain View, California

We came to Il fornaio on Mother's Day and it was nice that they had a special Mother's Day menu. The service was pretty good and the restaurant is quite big inside and I like the setting. The food however was just okay. The best thing we got was probably the pizza. The minestrone soup was not good and the vegetables were too overcooked. The bruschetta tasted kinda odd too. The pasta dishes were both kinda sour and not that great. Not sure I'd come back here to be honest read more

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We walked in at around 8pm on a Friday night and was sat quickly. But it took like 20 mins before someone came and gave us waters and they walked away just as fast. It took another 10 mins before our actual server came and took our order. We ordered the calamari to start. It was alright. My bf got the pappardelle and I got the linguine. The pappardelle is covered in a mushroom sauce and it was more of the star than the pasta. The linguine was good and the portion size was perfect for a light eater like me. But due to the service, we probably wont be coming back here. read more

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Vegetarian reviewer: Went to this restaurant on Valentine's Day. The restaurant is beautiful and sooo well lit. It looked aesthetic, and it was crowded (actually full). We ordered: 1. Bruschette Assortite - This was the best dish amongst all our orders. There were 3- pesto cheese, mushroom, and one with tomato. All of them were great! I think $15 for this one still made sense. 2. App Gnocchi Gratinati - Super mediocre. Tasted kind of weird, and was pretty much a waste of $16. 3. Ravioli Zucca - Extremely oily. The gravy was mostly oil with some nuts and a couple of leaves. The nuts and leaves gave a nice flavor, but it couldn't cut it. Salt was less and it didn't justify a price of $28. This was actually our server's top recommendation. 4. Pizza Margherita - this was really underwhelming. $20. 5. Kick in Old Fashioned - My partner liked this drink, I liked it too. $15 The service wasn't great either. It took a long time and it is not the server's fault, but none of the suggestions worked great for us. Given the price point, I wouldn't recommend this place that much. I highly recommend going at a time when they have some happy hour/ offers for the try. I did read some people mentioning about it in reviews. The server offered me a taste of a cocktail but never came back with it, maybe I was confused. But then I just skipped ordering one altogether. Overall, it was a good experience--nothing fancy coz food wasn't top notch, but we loved the ambiance. We enjoyed our nice date night and made a memory for the next two weeks we were gonna live away! read more

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Pretty disappointed. Average Italian fare with upmarket prices. Having moved from NJ, am used to authentic Italian food from 'Sopranos' country, this was an insult. The Caprese salad - Mozzarella was dead, Tomatoes insipid. The Ravioli had a bland sauce & the filings didn't taste anything. Worst was the Seafood pasta, the clams and/or mussels were stale, confirmed by an upset stomach later. Appalled at the Quality & that too at such exorbitant prices. Place is big, decor nice. Service ok. Maybe good for an office party where wine & starters r more important than food. Best of Luck. read more

I visited this spot for Happy Hour which runs daily from 3-6 pm. We arrived around 4 or 5 pm and it wasn't crowded at all. We were seated outdoors and it was a very relaxing atmosphere. We tried the Pizza Fradiavola, Calamaretti Fritti, and Bruschetta, along with a few cocktails. All of the dishes were delicious and a great value for Happy Hour! I'll definitely be coming back! read more

Il Fornaio - Bruschetta and Calamari - Italian Near Me - Mountain View, California

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Walked in to this local Italian joint in downtown Palo Alto on a weekday evening after 7pm. The vibe was family style, casual and relaxing. Sat at a small booth with mirrors inside the restaurant. They have outside seating as well. Ordered the grilled Halibut with risotto. The fish was fresh and portion was generous, the risotto was a bit mushy. Ordered a side dish of cauliflower which was baked with rosemary to healthify the meal. It was a bit bland and I requested hot sauce. The only one they had was a buffalo style dip used to create one of their pizzas. It went well with the cauliflower. Ordered spumoni for dessert. Once again, the portion was big. The servers were friendly. Ambiance was good. PS. Read somewhere that Steve Jobs had his last meal here. read more

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Been here two times and had the same waitress both times and she remembered us! That was very sweet. The second time we came here we had a large group of 10 people and they seated us in our own private room for no charge, the ambiance was great and I would recommend this for any large group setting! Food was good overall, definitely one of the better italian places in the bay! I think the service here puts it a notch over others but I have no complaints for food: my ranking of things to try - gnocchi gratinati : very mushroom but I love it, I would get this as an entree rigatoni alla vodka: best pasta here! I prefer to sub the bacon w mushroom. One time we did other asserted veggies w brocolini and asparagus and carrot..if you go with this option I would remove the carrot casarecce al pesto: also good! not as good as vodka sauce but needs a bit more salt ravioli di zucca: a bit too much cheese/sweetness for me but not bad fradiavola: It was good/fine - I think the pastas are more unique/ better We also always get the cestino del pan (bread and olive oil) it's usually warm and fresh!! And free refills on this! Would recommend.. it would be nice if they added some fresh parmesan to the olive oil too but just a suggestion!! Also all the drinks ive gotten here are good! I liked the tiki drink it tastes like no alcohol. They also always give a free dessert for a special occasion! First time I came was for a bday and second time was for a work celebration! I was touched that they thought to give a dessert for the second one :') Overall great place for a special occasion!! Would recommend read more

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Had an amazing experience here! The pasta was delicious, and the drinks were on point. I'm already planning my next trip back to try the pizza. Highly recommend! read more

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The space was quite spacious and clean. I was able to get a same day reservation for a party of 5. We ordered an array of appetizers and pasta dishes. I ordered the iced tiramisu which I enjoyed! The fried Mac and cheese balls were very good. The burrata was creamy and delicious! The pizza was good, crust was nice and crispy! All pasta dishes were good. The chicken cutlet was a bit soggy by the time I got it as it was laying on a bed of noodles. The service was great, no complaints. read more

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Finished out the night with desserts can coffee with an old college buddy. Did not know there was an Il Fornaio in Mt. View. I have to the original in downtown Palo Alto and the one in Burlingame. IF always satisfies. It's a great new spot in Mt. View (i have no idea how long it has been opened). I had the Spumone Gelato (raspberry & chocolate sauce) and an Americano coffee. My buddy had the Affogato al Caffe and a shot of cognac. Both were excellent and an ideal way to top off a day of eating and drinking way too much. The service was also very good and we were well attended to. The interior is very modern, yet classy. Fellas this is a good date spot. To sum up, it was good for dessert and I am guessing even better for dinner. I am definitely keeping this place on the list. Now for the pics... read more

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Atmosphere is very warm and inviting, especially during the Christmas holidays. This is the perfect place for date or after work happy hour. The servers are very friendly and professional some of the best in their field. Happy hour is very affordable for the area, which is why I like bringing friends back here all the time. For less than $10 you can get a variety of beers, wines, and cocktails. For about $12-$15 you can get a nice appetizer or pizza. You simply cannot go wrong with the ambience, service and food! read more

Il Fornaio - Italian Near Me - Mountain View, California

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Very good service and food, not crowded or loud! Went here with three friends and it was awesome. We got there around 1pm on Saturday and we got a table right away, no wait! They had the exact type of ginger beer I like :) Rigatone alle Vodka was awesome Pizza was also good And the tiramisu was 11/10, maybe the best I have ever had!! We went for one of my friend's birthday and he got a free ice cream sundae thing. read more

This review is 3.5 stars. And maybe I'm being a little tough on Il Fornaio, but the experience felt good, not great. I made a reservation for 6:30 on a Saturday night. We arrived on time, and when we gave them our name for the reservation, the hosts chatted amongst themselves for quite some time on where to seat us. The host asked whether we would be okay with sitting on a high top in the bar, and it felt like we were being treated as if we were just walk ins, which felt strange to me. What is the purpose of a reservation? We did end up sitting near the bar, which was a table that was a hybrid of a bench and high chair seating. The service was slow. My two dining companions ordered drinks, and I just opted for water. The two other drinks arrived, and it took a long time for me to receive water. It wasn't delivered until half the bread basket we ordered was gone, which also took quite some time to arrive. Our meals also took some time as well, but I couldn't say whether that was a service issue or due to a back up in the kitchen. I used to be a server, so I try to be as understanding as possible when it comes to service, but the restaurant was not packed and our server and others passed by our table multiple times when we needed drinks and refills. On a brighter note, the restaurant was decorated beautifully for the holidays, with big gold stars, hanging snowflakes, candy cane Christmas trees, and wooden nutcrackers adorning the interior. The only thing that would have elevated the holiday experience was if they added Christmas lights on the interior. The food was good. I ordered the Branzino which was complimented by a tomato olive sauce. I was very happy with the dish, which was well seasoned and served with broccolini, carrots, and roasted potatoes. My dining companions ordered Margherita pizzas with proscuitto. They both finished their plates sans the crust and said the pizza was good. But I noticed there was quite a lot of cheese on it, instead of the dots of fresh mozzarella that you often see on a true margherita pizza. Overall, Il Fornaio was a good dining experience, and I'd probably return for the Branzino, but I could not say it exceeded my expectations. read more

Il Fornaio - Margherita with proscuitto - Italian Near Me - Mountain View, California

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First of all, huge kudos to this place for being open on Thanksgiving Day and serving up a wonderful dinner experience. We made reservations a couple of weeks in advance online, and they called us a couple of days before Thanksgiving to confirm our party size, which I thought was thoughtful. For the holiday menu, one could choose between their Thanksgiving set menu ($59pp), ordering items a la carte, or ordering from their usual menu - I liked this setup because different members of our party could adjust their order flexibly. The set came with a butternut squash soup, a salad, a turkey entree with all the fixings, and a lovely pumpkin pie dessert. It was way too much food for 1 person but luckily not everyone ordered the full set so we could share the food around. I ordered the rigatoni alla vodka which tasted heavenly and was cooked to perfection. The ambiance of the restaurant was upscale but cozy and offered a warm atmosphere to celebrate the holiday. Overall 4.5 stars! Cons: - They packed the tables to the brim, so the service was at times slow, and they messed up one of our drink orders - The salad was very plain and dry, which was a little disappointing read more

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I came for happy hour and the drinks and food were great! The service was really good. I especially liked the bruschette assortite. 3 different toppings! It wasn't crowded at 3:00pm on a Wednesday so it was quiet enough to hear each other. I may come back soon and stay for dinner. read more

Il Fornaio is a staple of our beloved San Antonio neighborhood in north Mountain View. I spent years going to the Walnut Creek location, and have been a regular at the Mountain View location for the last year or so.. John the manager is very professional and attentive to his customers. He has a high attention to detail, and is always making sure the customers are happy and things are running smooth. The team behind the bar; Antonio, Marko, and Orlando are very friendly and fun to talk with. Given it's location adjacent to the old Shockley Semiconductor building , there are a number of interesting and accomplished people who regularly stop by to tell a few stories about silicon and what it takes to turn sand into dreams. Although the crowd tends to trend a little older, it's a great place to have dinner or just hang out at the bar and make some new friends. read more

Excellent food! Each entree we had was delicious. Pesto pasta, vodka rigatoni and the spaghetti pomodoro.

We have been here a number of times, primarily because some of our family members really enjoy their meals here, but we find it typically overpriced and underwhelming. The thing that put me over the top was a panzanella salad for $15 that was tiny and had 4 croutons. That is not a panzanella salad. Other dishes were also small - the fusilloni for example ($21). Even the affogato at $14 had way too much whipped cream that took away from the drink that really should be coffee and ice cream. My salmon was good, I'll say that much. read more

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Was there for happy hour, The location and space is is nice The food was ordered from h/r menu so was limited and ok but not memorable The red wine was disappointing from same menu Service was spotty but friendly. Sadly I was charged for a second glass of wine never received but was ordered. They cheerfully removed the charge since we had enough of this place and left Not a great experience for a first time visitor The competition down the walkway is way better. read more

The food is super duper tasty, but the portions are small. Server was very kind and responsive. read more

Il Fornaio - Margherita Rigatoni alla Vodka Linguine Mare Chiaro Pappardelle alla Norcina con Pollo - Italian Near Me - Mountain View, California

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I used to love this place so much and came here so much before!! Until I got BAD food poisoning yesterday from the seafood and the beef carpaccio!!! read more

Il Fornaio - Shrimp was not fresh - Italian Near Me - Mountain View, California

Orlando and Marco at the bar are the best. They are both customer oriented, very attentive and hospitality focused! Taylor/ Hana xoxoxo read more

Il Fornaio - Italian Near Me - Mountain View, California

Il Fornaio is a bougie Italian joint with multiple locations. For a fancy birthday dinner or any large formal dinner this is the place to go. The ambiance was great with plenty of seating (outdoor as well) and also a wine stand in the interior with an open kitchen. Firstly I asked for bread with the balsamic vinegar and olive oil and it was so good. The bread was warm and fresh and it was the perfect starter. Then I got the Insalata Di Pere which was alright. The pears were overcooked but the veggies Gorgonzola and pecans were very tasty and peared well together:)! For my main dish I got the special boar ragu pasta. It was a typical tagliatelle pasta with bear ragu. It was a special so it may have only been there for a limited time but it was incredibly good. The tomato sauce tasted fresh and the boar was very meaty and slightly gamey but it was also incredibly tender and worked with the tomato sauce well. The last dish I got was the gnocchi which was my favorite dish. The gnocchi itself was so fluffy and airy and the red pesto sauce it came with was delicious! Dessert was quite the adventure. I only tried the Vulcan and it was like a makeshift lava cake. It was chcolatey but not overwhelming and also really fluffy and warm. I loved it so much I would come again just for the dessert! Overall, although the price was exorbitant Il Fornaio was just insanely good and the ambiance was also amazing which is why I would recommend Il Fornaio for certain occasions read more

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Amazing service food was amazing. Filet mignon was out of this world. The pesto gnocchi was just fantastic. I highly recommend the filet mignon medium rare with the mashed potatoes, mushrooms with the red wine sauce, Amazing. I love the vibe on the inside. It was very comfortable. The lighting was great. The outside patio is amazing. Highly recommend this restaurant. read more

Il Fornaio - Filetto al Vino Rosso* Medium rare cooked to perfection. When I say perfection I mean perfection. Top 3 steaks I've ever had. - Italian Near Me - Mountain View, California

A decent happy hour option, as it runs until six! Lovely service (they wisely chose to put us on the patio, where my toddler happily wandered around as we had the entire space to ourselves until nearly the end of the meal). However, food-wise I was a bit underwhelmed by the roast cauliflower, which imo was underdone and lacked flavor. I do recommend the pizza and calamari, and the arancini weren't bad, but very filling--skip if you have a small stomach. We enjoyed the pillowy gnocchi too! read more

Il Fornaio has officially become my favorite spot for happy hour. For the past two weeks, I've managed to get two different groups of friends to meet up there, and next Friday I'm bringing my kid and his cousins. The food is great--we ordered all six appetizers on the menu and liked every single one. The cocktails are half-price, though I think they might also be about half (or maybe two-thirds) the usual alcohol content, which I actually don't mind. My alcohol tolerance is pretty low, and most of my friends don't drink anyway. The staff is very kind and attentive--no complaints at all. Actually: I love it there! read more

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Nice atmosphere and good food. I was particularly blown away with the calamari appetizer. Super tender, on point on flavor and not overly cooked. Beet salad was fresh and a classic. We had carpaccio and the meat was fresh but was too salty when they put too much capers and Parmesan. Their house bread was delicious with EV oil and balsamic vinegar. read more

Il Fornaio - Calamari so tender but lacked crispy outer batter. However, batter was perfectly thin. Love it - Italian Near Me - Mountain View, California