Il Fornaio Restaurant Review

Il Fornaio is an Italian restaurant serving “creatively prepared, premium-quality Italian cuisine based on authentic regional Italian recipes.”
They have 21 locations, many in California. They have been around since 1972, initially starting as a baking school.
The decor was modern Italian style architecture and decorations. The place was pretty busy and full of families, birthday celebrations, and many other large parties.

We visited the Burlingame California location. They have a standard menu and a daily additional specialties menu. They have special nights where food is from particular parts of Italy.
They also have a their legendary bakery up front. We ate here because we hadn’t visited one in a while.

Menu pics:

Actual menus

Website Menu

Picks:

Yes, the bread is real good. Various kinds and olive oil and vinegar for dipping.

Linguine Mare Chiaro ($19.95) Thin flat pasta with clams, mussels, prawns and scallops; seasoned with tomatoes, crushed red pepper, garlic and trebbiano wine was very good. Pasta well cooked. Ingredients were fresh. Dish could have been hotter though.

Dessert Tray

Affogato Al Caffè ($5.95) Dessert. Espresso poured over two scoops of vanilla gelato and topped with fresh whipped cream was great. Hard to botch. The espresso was poured tableside and takes a while to trickle down.

OK:

Carpaccio ($9.95) Thinly sliced raw beef, shaved grana, capers and wild arugula drizzled with lemon-olive oil was a good dish. Lots of cheese and arugula, could have been more meat. Olive oil was not distinctive.

Pizza Piccolo ($6.95 Kids) – Pizza with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese was ok. The crust was almost like uniform flatbred. Edge weren’t crispy at all.

Penne In Bolognese ($5.95 Kids) – Pasta tubes with Parmesan cheese and meat sauce was good. Good flavor, lots of meat sauce, perfect for kids.

Glass of Chardonnay ($8) Was really good and surprisingly reasonable in price.

La Tempesta ($9.95) cocktail with Ten cane rum, fresh orange, fresh lime, pineapple and passion fruit puree was very fruity and a little strong.

Pans:

Pollo Toscano ($17.95) Rotisserie chicken seasoned with rosemary; served with sautéed vegetables and mashed potatoes had chicken that was too dry and only lukewarm. Flavor of the chicken was ok. Real skimpy with 3 pieces of broccoli

The service we had was horrendous, probably due to a lazy waiter. He forgot an appetizer, wine, knives, pepper and several other things. He didn’t even bother to show the dessert cart, while other were showing it. We hope other waiters are better.
The prices are inline with restaurants of this genre, there were not hot deals..
Some of the food was good, others weren’t that great. You can get better Italian at similar prices from places like A16, Incanto, Delfina, and Perbacco.
With service being so bad, we’d think twice about going to the Burlingame location. This place exhibited characteristics like a chain, and not a chef owned restaurant.

Book Il Fornaio Reservation

$25 Dining Certificate for $5

Il Fornaio Overall Rating: (Good 2)

Come Back?

Food Rating:	(Good)
Service Rating:	(Below Average)
Atmosphere Rating:	(Very Good)
Value Rating:	(Average)

Guide: 0 = poor, 1 = Below/Average, 2 = Good, 2.5 = Very Good, 3 = Excellent , 4 = Extraordinary

Alcohol:	Full Bar
Attire:	Dressy
Hours:	Mon. - Thu. 11:30 am - 11:00 pm. Fri. 11:30 am - Midnight. Sat. 9:00 am - Midnight. Sun. 9:00 am - 10:00 pm
Parking:	Street
Reservations:	Yes
Prices:	$11.95 - $32.50