Il Fornaio - Irvine

Review summary

1. J

   Justin

   Orange County

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined today

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

   This place is amazing. Highly recommend it. All of our dishes were amazing Appetizers : meatballs, bruschetta platter, Cesar salad Main dish : lobster and shrimp ravioli, short rib ravioli Restaurant wine from Tuscany was great. Enjoy,
   

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2. M

   Mark

   Orange County

   10 reviews

   3.0

   10 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   Christmas Eve I went to Il Fornaio as a tribute to my father, who loved the restaurant. The hosts and first impressions were very pleasant. The menu, while not extensive, had a nice selection. Everyone at our party loved what they had selected. The wine selection was good and fairly priced. And the dessert menu is stuck in the 1990s. The waiter service was terrible. Before bringing out the three appetizers we ordered, the waiter placed two raised pizza stands on the table and two small dishes on top. It was unnecessary and caused a full glass of water to spill on the table. Not the waiter nor a Busser, but Someone who introduced himself as the chef came to our rescue to help with the mess. He also served the bread even though we were next to the bussing station with staff standing about. We split the check between two cards and tipped it according to the printed suggestion. While waiting at the valet, the waiter approached us and accused us of dining and dashing with the check presenter in his hand. I told him he was mistaken and asked him to show me the papers. The two signed receipts were neatly inside the check holder. When I showed him, he gave no apology but only said oh and walked away. I will not be going back!!!
   

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3. S

   Stanford

   VIP

   Los Angeles

   40 reviews

   5.0

   40 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   We were given a table immediately after arriving. Our server was terrific. I had the pear salad, which was delicious and of course the bread is wonderful. We shared a prosciutto pizza that was well cooked. We topped off our meal with the chocolate soufflé cake. Quite delicious.
   

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4. S

   Sean

   Orange County

   7 reviews

   4.0

   7 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   Went on Christmas Eve around 6:30PM...we were seated right away as we had reservations. A little tight with the seating arrangements, as they use every square inch of space. Unfortunately we were seated across from a loud mouth guy, who was talking loud the whole time, not even aware of how others were feeling...eek! Thank God the big mouth left and we could enjoy the rest of our meal. Anyway, the food was great, the service was good. House made pasta of the Ravioli with short rib..outstanding! Salad was great..nice balance of salad to dressing. Husband had the Pasta with meat sauce...bread was great! We will definitely be going back again, wasn't expecting the caliber of food and service on a busy Holiday, but it exceeded our expectations!
   

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5. M

   Melanie

   Orange County

   18 reviews

   5.0

   18 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

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

   We had the BEST christmas eve dinner! It is our family tradition!
   

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6. C

   Carl

   Central Coast

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 4 days ago

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

   It was our first time I went according to the reviews and we were not disappointed. The food was delicious while presented. We could tell everything was made fresh for us, and we will definitely be coming back.
   

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7. C

   Chris

   Orange County

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 7 days ago

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

   I recently visited this restaurant, and unfortunately, my experience wasn't as enjoyable as I had hoped. I ordered the pasta, but it arrived overcooked, lacking the texture and flavor I was expecting. It was disappointing, especially since pasta is usually a safe bet. Additionally, I had issues with parking. The restaurant offers validation, but somehow my parking ticket wasn't processed properly, leaving me with a $27 fee. I expected more attention to detail, especially when it comes to something as straightforward as parking validation. Overall, I left feeling frustrated. Between the overcooked pasta and the unexpected parking charge, I won't be rushing back anytime soon.
   

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8. E

   Elise

   VIP

   Orange County

   26 reviews

   5.0

   26 reviews

   Dined on December 18, 2024

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

   El Fornaio has the most delicious food…especially the fish. The ambiance is lovely and lively but never loud…..one of my favorite restaurants!!!
   

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9. Q

   Q

   Orange County

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined on December 17, 2024

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

   The server guy was careless and took so long for him to come back.... He does not like to answer your questions, he is not a polite person; not training well here in customer service. We ordered decaf coffee and emphasized about it, he provided my guests and me regular dark coffee in the later afternoon, made us whole night unable to sleep. We had other 4 events during the holidays, due to the bad service, we have to reschedule to another restaurant.
   

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10. J

    Janice

    VIP

    Orange County

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on December 16, 2024

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

    We have dined here for over 30 years and have never had even a mediocre meal. Dishes are fresh and each one has a distinct flavor profile.Fresh, house made pasta shines every time. Our only regret is not living next door to this restaurant in order to eat here more often!
    

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