Il Fornaio - Palo Alto

Review summary

1. R

   Rod

   Hawaii

   4 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   4 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Very nicely done for this busy holiday. Stephanie and her staff worked hard to create an enjoyable and savory dining experience. The courses were in super abundance. Thanks to all at IL FORNAIO!
   

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2. J

   Janette

   Las Vegas

   4 reviews

   5.0

   4 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Our server was great and enjoyed a hearty thanksgiving dinner. We were seated at the patio with ample heat. 💫👏
   

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3. M

   Mike

   Sacramento

   5 reviews

   vip
   1.0

   5 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 3

   IMHO, Il Fornaio, a great CONCEPT for a restaurant, has been struggling for a while. The problem lies in the kitchen. The food is generally overcooked (or undercooked, if you ask for something 'medium'), the dishes are sort of bland, and, worst of all, there is an on-going problem of getting the food quickly to the table when ready. Went for Thanksgiving dinner, with the traditional turkey on the menu, and it was really bad. Turkey was dry, stuffing was a big mushroom bomb bread blob, both green beans and sweet potatoes were undercooked. And, a fountain club soda was 6 bucks, and a martini $20!! Also, Il Fornaio keeps changing its loyalty program (there are at least four iterations I can recall), and each new version offers less for your loyalty. In the current version, your points expire after 45 days. Just give it up. (I remember when they had the Passport, which featured differing regional cuisines, with a little gift, like sea salt, or a plate, from Italy. It was really nice, and just charming.) I really want to like this chain, but right now, I just can't.
   

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4. G

   Gregory

   San Francisco

   9 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   9 reviews

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Delightful Thanksgiving experience. The only negative was the sweet potatoes dish. They were undercooked. The turkey, beans, and pie were delicious
   

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5. C

   Carol

   San Francisco

   16 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   16 reviews

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Very good food and service. We really enjoyed it.
   

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6. K

   Karen

   San Francisco

   20 reviews

   5.0

   20 reviews

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   The service was great and the food was very good, especially the lasagna!
   

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7. A

   Aída

   San Francisco

   5 reviews

   4.0

   5 reviews

   Dined on 24 November 2024

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Great experience! Our server was a very sweet lady, I didn’t have the chance to catch her name, sorry. The food was good and pretty fast, I really recommend the calamari and the pizza Cristina. We were celebrating a friends birthday and got a tiramisu for her and they comped it for us. Amazing service overall. The restaurant is beautiful and there’s music that goes really well with it playing too.
   

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8. S

   Sandra

   San Francisco

   206 reviews

   3.0

   206 reviews

   Dined on 8 November 2024

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 5

   I feel so overpriced. Place was totally empty except for maybe two or three other tables, but had to keep on looking for the waiter to find him. The ambience was lovely. I do not need to return 
   

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9. E

   Elizabeth

   San Francisco

   27 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   27 reviews

   Dined on 2 November 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   We arrived and were promptly seated for 7:45pm Saturday reservation . Our server, Cathy, is a longtime employee and is very professional as well as gracious. My husband & I ordered the Tagliatelle Bolognese and Polo Al Funghi. Both were delicious. We shared a Caesar salad & 9 oz Pinot Grigio. We miss the counter seating where we could observe the chefs close up. When weather permits we love the front patio seating where our 2 Frenchies are welcome.
   

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10. J

    Jeannie

    Central Coast

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on 21 October 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4

    First time at the Palo Alto location for friend birthday. Good appetizer and dessert. As for entree the pasta dishes we had were all over cooked. Otherwise the ambience was good , tons of parking.
    

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