Il Fornaio

What happened to this place? I’ve been coming here for 7 years and today was just awful. One piece of celery and two clams and two mussels and with dry sea bass. The steak was old and mushy. Nothing tastes fresh. Service was slow. Never again.

Wish I could give 0 stars. We waited for more than 20 minutes to finally meet our server and then wait for more than 40 minutes and guess what… dinner never came to our table. Why move the Bar and add more tables if they don’t have enough staff, specially for a Saturday night. Doesn’t make any sense. I’ll never come back.

We’ve been coming here for years but I think this time might be our last time. After the renovation the price went up even more when it was already expensive as is for the quality they provide.
Like I always say, I dont mind paying high $$$ for a quality of food but this place offers nothing greater than Denny’s in Japan. Actually Japanese Denny’s is better because they don’t charge $ 25 for a seafood pasta.
I always liked getting their beef carpaccio but no more. Guess it’s a new thing that they are trying to mimic a high-​end restaurant where a waiter squeezes a lemon fresh on our table. Nice attempt but I was like, I can do that myself so can you not charge $ 15 for an appetizer?
The service was super slow and we waited forever between the time we ordered an appetizer and our meals. And our meals took 40 minutes to be served.
I don’t think we will ever come back here. Good buy Il Fornaio.

What did they do! Why ruin a good thing! The bar is ‘JUST WRONG!” The atmosphere is ruined. The feeling is gone. The bar is cold, no atmosphere, poor lighting, too high and ordinary. Lacks the social appeal. I thought bars made a great bulk of review. NOT ANYMORE at least not at Il Fornaio! Wait — I forgot to add — dull, tasteless & Off The Avenue!

I have to agree with other than reviews — this place is absolute worst.
Food is dull and tasteless. Their Minestrone soup tasted like water and looked watered down. Bruschetta looked good; however, lacked any taste as well.
Veal Scallopine was mostly OK due to the lime seasoning/​sauce; otherwise, lacked any taste. Furthermore, it came cold, as most of the other dishes.
Service is not great either — waiter walked away in the middle of taking the order; could not remember who gets what (there were only two soup [different] orders and it is not hard to remember who ordered what).
I would not recommend this place for dinner — stay away.

I have been eating here for years, and if you order the right thing it’s pretty good. The seasonal festa menus are fantastic.
So why one star? They just killed the ambience and the feel by moving the bar into the entryway. There was no effort to design it to be appealing or carry over any of the panache of the old bar. They had the best bar in town, now it feels like courtyard by Marriott– ugly, cheap, no ambiance

We’ve been regulars here for years. The recent renovations have destroyed the ambience of IF. No more breakfast on the loggia. The baked goods are gone and upon entry one is routed to a bar, I guess you wait for a table in the bar too. There are no longer table clothes in the dining room, just bare wood. Goodbye Il Fornio, it was great while it lasted.
It wasn’t the food it was the facility.

This is the worst Italian restaurant. Not even one of the worst; just the worst, period.
I have come here actually several times. I don’t know why I keep coming back. I suppose I’d like to make myself believe that the bad experience of last time was just a fluke and that it’s actually a decent place.
I mean, it’s always packed, it’s got nice décor, service is okay, I guess, nice bar, etc.
The food is always just darn bad. I wonder if anyone has ever really told them? I got sick once from the undercooked chicken. I’ve tried the polenta – and only tried it because I didn’t get through and finish the whole thing. It was gloriously disgusting. No-​taste oily morsel, cheese was the only good part and flooded with mushrooms. Like, the dish was goddam mushrooms.
Pasta dishes here are so stupid. Do you know we can boil pasta at home and it comes out better than yours? Paul Newman makes better red sauce and I hope your sea food is at least frozen and not just at one point fresh and sitting there for a few days. It looks and tastes bad and thanks for making me sick again.
The bread is good. The wine was bad. You can expect to go there and see all these snooty broads with their $ 5,000 Chanel bags and you wonder: Do they know that they’re eating s***? I hate the restaurants of Burlingame.

I came her on Mother’s Day and had a great dinner! I’ve been her a few times before for appetizers and salad and never found it special but this time I ordered the penne all a vodka and thought it was delicious! We had a wonderful waiter that was very friendly and checked on us regularly. My grandma didn’t like the plate she ordered and they offered her something else without any problems.
The restaurant is a great location right of Burlingame ave. and offer valet. They have a big full bar and lots of seating. I recommend making reservations anyways. it always seems busy.

Look, don’t do brunch here. So many other options literally across the street or a block away and breakfasty food is not their thing.
Lunch and dinner are great. I both like and dislike that they list calories on everything but hey, it’s good to know.
This way at lunch I can order a Caesar salad and a little gelato for dessert. I enjoy their pasta dishes and pizza very much as well.
I’ve never had bad service here, and the only time I felt meh about the food was at brunch.
I also love the quickie espresso bar and to-​go salads/​sandwiches/​pastries section.

If you’re coming in the pick up an order, expect some disrespect and attitude. Won’t give you the time of day like you’re some peasant not good enough to actually eat at the restaurant. I’ve encountered snooty waiters and waitresses and hosts TWICE and this last time really hit a nerve that I’m actually sitting in the middle of the restaurant right now writing this review.
I’d rather go to Olive Garden. They’re nicer over there.

«First date heaven» that is what my older, single, brother calls this restaurant. He meets all his «first dates» there’s for a glass of wine. He loves the place because it’s lively, friendly, great ambiance, and he knows the waiters and bartenders. If the glass of wine at the popular bar is a hit, he invites his date to dinner!
He loves the menu– defaults to anything «square» — says pasta is too unruly on a first date… he races, and I agree, thumbs up: the steak, chops, salmon-(ask for it to be slightly undercooked)
He was there twice a month forever… then he met his now fiancée.
I love the place for all the right reasons.

So let me begin by saying, this isn’t the first negative encounter I have had with I F. Yet for some reason we have choose to return time & time again. Most of those times with positive memories. Our first negative experience occurred some years ago and was corrected by a Manager who recognized us, noticed my wife and I leave — he ran out the restaurant to apologize and convince us it was all a mistake and he will make it right. He was a really classy super guy. So much so, that we put that event behind us and we chose to have our son’s Baptism celebration at this place a couple years back. Anyways, fast forward to today.
If I could give this restaurant a ZERO star I would. No restaurant is perfect, I’ve been around the block enough to know this and I set my expectation accordingly. However, today was the straw that broke the camels back — SERIOUSLY. The god awful experience my wife, my son and I experience was borderline racially motivated we feel. Though I can’t prove it.
Today we arrived at around 6pm to visit Il Fornaio and enjoy some good news that our family had received earlier in the week. Just the three of us. My wife was craving for the pasta in meats sauce and I had been craving their small Pepperoni pizzas and their bread! But that would never happen — those meals and us would never meet. To be quite honest — there is ABSOLUTELY nothing that Il Forniao can do to convince us to return. (Perhaps if they fire «David» the on duty Manager — we may consider it)
Who’s David? Well he’s the man who single handily threw il Forniao’s reputation in the toilet and flushed it down. I will never return as long as he is part of this establishment. So let me lay out what exactly occurred.
As I was saying we arrived, wife in hunger, 2yr old in hunger and myself in hunger too. We went to the Host table and was advised that due to the number of large parties — the wait would be approx. 1 hour. I wanted to leave, but my wife who had been craving this place insisted we try and ask if we can sit in the outdoor patio. The Hostesses (two of them) both said, that area is first come, first serve. Go out there and sit where you like. So we did just that. There were approx. 10 tables, with 2 being used by other customers. We saw one table that was comfortable enough to accommodate my wife, myself and my son in a high chair. We did notice the «Reserve» tabs sitting on the table, but we assumed it was ok to sit, since the hostess had said, it’s a first come, first serve. Honestly we have never sat in the patio before so it was a learning experience. We’d been sitting for a few minutes when a server swung by and called us by a different name. Apparently she thought we were the people who had reserved that table. She was very nice and polite and mentioned that this area isn’t suppose to be reserved and was going to step away to determine why this area is reserved, after we were told that it’s a «First Come, First Serve» seating. So she left to discuss this with her colleague.
A few short minutes later. A tall burly guy walks over in a heave and proclaims «You will have to leave these reserved seating», in a very non tactful and disrespectful way. I was immediately stunned, I began to tell him that the hostess told us otherwise. But because of his immediate demeanor — that the first words to come out of my mouth was «Ok we are going to leave then»
He didn’t blink — he simply turn around and said ok. Walked away. My wife and I were — in shock and awe. Seriously. Did this guy (later identified as David) just shun us away, no apologizes, no attempt to reconcile a miscommunication amongst his staff causing us to be inconvenienced. My wife was asking — what did we do? She tried calling for him and ask him why is he treating us like this?
I’m sorry this «David» — chose to disrespect the wrong family. I wanted his name and a number so that I can follow up and make sure the people that need to read/​hear this story were advised of this. I was not about to curl up under a rock and allow this to stand. So I went back inside to determine who he was and how I can reach management regarding his behavior and demand that he be at the very least demoted to water meter reader — he has ZERO place in the hospitality workplace. Meanwhile, my wife was embarrassed and stunned. Anyways, as I walked back in — I confronted «David» asked him what was his name and to write it down. But for every attempt to get his name — he retorted with something even more disrespectful. I then said to him — you know what, you are better off saying nothing and simply giving me your name. Sometimes, saying nothing at all is a better tool.
The saying goes — «Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.»
Well David, you removed all doubt the moment you yelled at my family and I — «GET OUT OF MY RESTAURANT!»…Wow, how splendid. Thank you David for that — that is truly gold.

Always the best pasta in town. The best crowd. The best servers even if their a little slow. Why only 3 stars is beyond me. Go back to BJS people.

Pricey restaurant for diner, which can be expected in Burlingame. The portion sizes for the regular pasta isn’t large enough for a hungry person, but they have a larger size on their menu, which I wish I ordered, but the for around $ 20 with no real meat I passed. Sadly I left hungry and ended up eating after when I got home. The flavor in my opinion was average and a bit bland for my taste.
It’s nice that they have an open kitchen, so you can see what’s going on with your food and if they keep a clean kitchen or not. Next time I’ll try their pizza. I hear they have good happy hour prices.

Eggs Benedict Fail
Went here with the family for brunch last Saturday and I love their breakfast pizza which was good but they failed to serve poached eggs that were acceptable. Instead of being runny, they were over cooked and hard as a golf ball. I sent the dish back and after a good 15 minutes, the eggs on the replacement were just as over cooked as the first ones. Did the manager come over to apologize, no. Were we offered a free desert, no.
We had to ask for bread twice and needed to help the server open up a bottle of wine because she said she never did this before and was fumbling over the bottle. All in all, a bad dining experience.

We received a gift card and wanted to come use it. Since my doc put me on a strict diet, I can only eat so much. I looked at the menu online and selected what I wanted prior to going to the restaurant. Brace yourself, folks. this review may be a long one!
We arrived around 6ish in the evening and the place was already packed. There was a line so I decided to wait and be patient. My husband went up front to ask what the line was for, but no one (including the snooty customers) bothered to respond. He finally flagged a server down and we were brought to our table. Turns out the line was for the hostess to sit parties of 3 or more.
Our waiter greeted us and told us the specials for the evening. He proceeded to ask for our drink order. I asked for some hot water with lemon and my husband ordered a diet coke. He looked a little surprised by our order and asked if we planned on having some wine or other alcoholic drink to which we replied no.
We sat for a bit and he never returned to take our order. The manager noticed and took our order: calamari to share, the petto di pollo al peperoncino with sauteed spinach and seasoned vegetables in place of the potatoes, and the porkchop wrapped in prosciutto special. We got our calamari pretty quick and it was delicious.
Then we waited. And waited. And waited. 30 – 45 minutes or so goes by and still no food. Others that arrived after us got their food and drinks. Our waiter was much too busy entertaining 2 other tables next to us to notice that our drinks needed refilling. At one point I noticed him looking directly at my husband’s empty diet coke cup, but he didn’t refill it until 10 minutes later. Finally my husband waved our waiter down and asked what the status was of our order. He told us that my husband ordered his pork chop «well done.» We told the waiter that he ordered it regular and didn’t know that you can get a pork chop well done.
The manager came to apologize saying that the kitchen never received our ticket order, but he asked them to rush it. Somehow, according to the manger, he placed our order into the system and then the waiter placed it into the system a while later so it might’ve canceled each other out. He then apologized and offered us free drinks or dessert. We told him we don’t drink and can’t have dessert. I added in that it was per doctor’s orders. He understood and said our meal would be on the house since we waited for a long time. We thanked him. Hmm seems like we caught our waiter in a lie.
When our food finally came, they had given me potatoes instead of the vegetables. I didn’t want to ask them to correct their mistake, so I just gave it to my husband and took his spinach. The whole time we ate our food, I couldn’t help but think if they had spit or done something to our dishes. The waiter finally came over to check on us and miraculously apologized. Then he told us «don’t bother waiting for a check folks, you may simply leave since the meal’s on us.»
We did not tip and just got up and left after we were done. For someone in law enforcement, I felt very awkward like I had just «dined and dashed.» We still have our gift card and think we may use it at other Il Fornaio’s in the area. Aside from the manager, the staff seemed to lack customer service skills. Maybe this is a good training opportunity for the manager, if he reads this review.

There is often a long wait for this popular Italian spot that is part of an upscale chain. They said 30 – 45 minute wait but it was over an hour.
I was a big fan of the chicken salad ten years ago, but did not see it on the menu this time. Also, the bread basket did not have any olive bread, which is my favorite.
I had the pasta with fresh clams and would not order it again. It lacked any real flavor.
DH liked his veal scallopine and son liked pizza with prosciutto. DD had the beet salad, which was good.
So not a great meal, but OK food and horrible wait. Hostesses had attitude, but they were probably stressed. Seemed like everyone was seated before us, but maybe they had reservations or knew someone.
Now I remember why I stopped coming here, after liking it in the 90s and earlier this century. Seems like they are coasting on their reputation.

Lunch on NYE, he had the Ravioli alla Lucana, I had the salmon special, we shared the beef carpaccio app + the hazelnut chocolate cake. The by the glass Syrah was delightful and the food was superb!
Not too packed, the ambiance was light and intimate. Our waiter was attentive and multilingual, which made the experience memorable.
Pricey as it is, we had an especially delectable meal. The boneless salmon was at once crispy at the edges + soft/​flakey at its core. The carpaccio was paper thin and the salted caramel ice cream complimented the cake divinely!
We have eaten here before but this lovely of a lunch has prompted us to consider coming here more often in the new year! Next time for Sunday brunch perhaps.

Came here for a Sunday brunch with friends. Gosh the place is packed! It’s on the noisy side, and the wait staff was a little slow and forgetful (we asked for butter twice). I had the crab cake Benedict which was just ok. The crab cake was disappointing; they didn’t taste fresh but looked like they were from some frozen patty with lots of filler. Overall a disappointing experience given how nice the place looks and the price.