IL Fornaio - San Francisco

Recommends

stevedoherty

Joined 6 years ago

Great for birthdays and catering!. A friend of mine recently took myself and a couple friends to Il Fornaio for my birthday. We didn't have a reservation and we still managed to get a table within 20 minutes. While we waited we sat at the bar and had a couple cocktails. The bartender made some really good drinks and he was funny as hell. Our waiter was very friendly and the food (I ordered the seafood linguini) was delicious. We ordered a couple bottles of Il Fornaio wine for the table and the wine was very good and reasonable. They even brought me out a cappucino cheesecake at the end of the meal.

I liked the food so much, I started ordering catering from them for my office. The food is always good, and the gentlemen who takes my orders is always very nice and helpful...even when I order at the last minute. This was a great place to dine with a group of friends, the food is excellent, and I'd recommend their catering for lunches and events

Doesn't Recommend

sluggerkirk

Joined 6 years ago

Good service, Great drinks, Good wine,. Service was good, barman made the best Perfect Manhatten I have had in San Fran. Soup was cold and had no flavor. main course was not to warm , chicken was dry and seemed to be not cooked fresh. sauted spinich was greasy. We dine a lot in San Fran. and this was the worst dinner we have ever had. Would not return again.

Recommends

Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Big, brassy and hot, this Italian powerhouse lures the out-of-town crowd off the Embarcadero strip.. With its oversize bar, the sprawling dining room attracts a diverse crowd of locals and tourists. The restaurant has an open kitchen that turns out renditions of regional northern Italian fare, with a dozen or more daily specials. Starters include salads or grilled ciabatta bread swathed with chopped tomatoes, basil and kalamata olives. Entrees such as ravioli filled with butternut squash or mesquite-grilled salmon are popular.

Recommends

lbcpaul

Joined 7 years ago

Excellent wait staff, decent food. For the price our food was decent, our server definately made up for it. The wine list is over-priced. I found my favorite wine on their list, a petit syrah, but for $20 more than I find at other restaurants. We had a pleasant 3-course dinner for two, with a bottle of EXP for $80.

Recommends

audreyjl

Joined 7 years ago

It was ok. This place has beautiful decor and you can tell they are very proud of them selves. The food was decent, but nothing I'd recommend or want to go back for. If it was more reasonable priced then I guess the simple taste would be worth it but it's a little bland to pay so much. The service was good and the staff was very friendly though so they get points for that.

Doesn't Recommend

bzzzsweeti

Joined 7 years ago

Where's the rest of our food?. Having loved buying cookies from this place in the past, dining here was highly disappointing. Valentine's Day was ruined because of this place. My bf ordered ravioli and got 4 pcs to match my 4 pcs of scallops. Definitely NOT anything anyone couldn't have made in their own kitchen. The waiter was rude, thinking he was such an Italian pronounciation expert. Rolled his eyes at everyone who couldn't pronounce the dish properly. The people in the next table were ordering when he corrected them as they ordered. How condescending! Service was slow and the food (excuse my bluntness)...SUCKED! We went for fast food just to compensate for the lack of service and food from this place. Blah! Not fond of Buca Di Beppo, but it would have been better than this place.

Recommends

sharkitect

Joined 8 years ago

A Potentially Enjoyable Experience. A generally pleasant experience, but maybe not for everyone. The cavernous dining space with high ceilings and white tablecloths can seem intimidating at first, and sometimes sort of eerily deserted. I get the sense that the restaurant caters to an older crowd and you might not get the best service if the staff believes you will spend less than a hundred. That said, if you do spend over a hundred you will almost certainly get your moneys' worth. If you only order entrees you may be disappointed - it's best to get several appetizers. The service is deliberately slow-paced, which can be good or bad depending on your preference. For me at least this is a welcome change from the many restaurants that try to rush you out as soon as you arrive. Great for large groups and family get-togethers.

Doesn't Recommend

chicken_man1

Joined 11 years ago

Not Terrible, but Disappointing. Went for brunch, and it seemed like the staff was unsurpervised. No bread on the table, but bread plates were there. Coffee tasted like it had sat on the warmer for a hour. Food was indifferently prepared, some good, some seemingly unseasoned or undercooked. Waiter seemed like he was a kitchen extra who was replacing a sick-out; barely spoke to us. Again, not the worst that I've ever had, but it didn't seem like anyone there cared about the customer at all.

Doesn't Recommend

bubblet

Joined 10 years ago

Terribly slow service, mediocre food. We booked a table for 13 for a birthday party. It took them almost half an hour just to bring our drinks. We sat right across from where the wait staff picked up the food to serve to the patrons and watched as the food sat, and sat, and sat until somehow had the time to serve it. I guess that was foreshadowing in some sense because we got seated at 8pm (actually 8:15 because they were running late and almost ruined our surprise party) and didnt get our food til 9:30pm. The waiter had the nerve to suggest we get our appetizers, salads and main course all at once because "it was getting late" (which was entirely their fault). Food was mediocre at best and overpriced.

Recommends

zinlover

Joined 10 years ago

It's an okay restaurant. I went on an arranged group dinner and while the service was prompt and very friendly, the food is just about average for San Francisco standards. I can think of other places in the city where you can get a dinner for less than the prices here and much more imaginative and higher quality. I guess that's what you get with a chain restaraunt though.