Il Fornaio

I've been to Il Fornaio three times in the past 2 months. Twice at the Irvine location for customer meetings, but this recent time was in my hometown with my fiance for a date night. I haven't been to this location in years, and I vividly remember having just an OK experience the last time (also confirmed the sentiment as I reread my last review). That being said, I felt like an updated review was warranted since I had a much better experience this time around.

We had dinner reservations for 5:15pm on a Saturday night. Il Fornaio hasn't changed one bit. It's maintained its classiness over the years and aged quite well. When we sat at our table, there must've been 10 customers total in the entire restaurant. The restaurant quickly picked up, and as soon as you know it, the place was packed.

Service was excellent. Food came out in a timely manner, and our server was friendly and incredibly attentive. However, she seemed to be very diplomatic about her opinions on certain food items, so I had a hard time really choosing what to eat. I also wished that she brought to attention the menu with the specials, because I completely missed it. I had already placed my order for my entree by the time I saw what were the specials. (I would've gotten the lobster ravioli if I had known about them).

We shared the polpettine and calamari. The polpettine appetizer consisted of 3 beef meatballs in marinara sauce over soft polenta. The beef meetballs were particularly great. They had a nice smokiness to them. Enjoyed the calamari for the most part. The pieces were meaty and breaded well, but whoever prepared them had a heavy hand with the salt.

I was pretty stuffed with appetizers, so I opted for a caesar salad with anchovies. It was a very traditional caesar, which I enjoyed.

My fiance got braised short rib ravioli. This was a very interesting dish. Not saying it wasn't tasty, but it didn't taste Italian to me. It was like a beef dumpling stew.

Thai restaurant takes us right back to our trip in Italy. Restaurant is a good set up for first dates or anniversary celebrations. Food and menu are very authentic, service is very quick and everybody there were so nice. We came on a rainy Friday night at dinner time and were seated right away. We had a reservation, but the restaurant could've easily accommodated anybody without. We started with carpaccio and calamari for the table's appetizer and both were delicious. Linguini had the perfect amount of sauce and tasted very light, the seafood in it was fresh. The salmon had a slight crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, sitting on a bed of spinach with a side of potatoes.

Excellent food. Great atmosphere. And our server (Savinne) was exceptional!
Thanks for a very memorable evening.

Had a work meeting here today with a reservation.

The ambiance of this place is cute. Our table was just behind the whole wall of wines which I thought was a nice view. They also offered outdoor seating which I think would be great for a dinner as they had string lights out there as well.

We were able to sit down while waiting for the rest of the party to arrive and ordered 3 apps: the calamari, capriccio, and the bruschetta. Size for calamari isn't much but was crunchy and flavorful. As for the capriccio, it was just okay but I did like the dressing on the greens. Paired well with it. First time trying the bruschetta and i loved the basil pesto one! Delicious.

I got their rigattoni, gluten free with scallop and it was great! Scallop tasted fresh. Wished I had asked for cheese but thats okay. Pairs well with the sparkling water I ordered!

Service was really nice. Had our server checked up on us periodically and refilled our water/took our plates away.

Would come back again to try their lasagna, ravioli or even their linguinie!! First time at an upscale italian restaurant and met my expectations.

We were very impressed with this location. We let them know we were seeing a show across the street at the Civic Center & they took great care of us to seat us, and the food was amazing for both myself & my husband. We definitely will be returning

My bf took me here for our anniversary and I loved it! We ordered an espresso martini and the Tuscan lemonade for bar drinks. They were both delicious and dangerous since you couldn't really taste the alcohol. For food we ordered the lasagna and the rigatoni alla vodka. Both were amazing and we had no complaints about taste. The position for the rigatoni could have been a little better but it got me to a good full that doesn't put you over the top. The service was great as well, everyone was helpful and super attentive. The place itself is definitely casual for lunch but we were a little more dressed up for our occasion. I would definitely recommend trying this place out :)

Not only was the food great, but the SERVICE! We were lucky enough to have Sonia as our server for a large party (10) and she didn't miss a beat. Thank you for making our client dinner a success.

Came here with some work colleagues and had a great lunch. The interior is beautiful and elegant. The staff was very knowledgeable, attentive and took great care of us. I had the Branzino Al Limone and it was great. The fish was perfectly cooked and seasoned. I usually don't like capers but the combination of the string beans, potatoes and the sauce was really good. Overall it was a great experience and I would definitely come back again.

What a wonderful place to enjoy great food, with great company and such a warm ambiance. We came in after a event held at the hotel to wind down on a rainy day and the staff provided incredible service with delicious frutti di mare and veal ravioli. This was all recommended by Kyle who went over and beyond and also shout out for the King of Sorrento

Nice ambiance.
Service was very good - friendly, attentive and helpful.
Food was great - Really enjoyed the Rigatoni alla Vodka & Butternut Squash Ravioli with creme sauce.
Also tried the carpaccio, which is as okay, but I probably wouldn't order again.