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Il Fornaio - Palo Alto, Palo Alto, CA

Il Fornaio - Palo Alto

4.5
4.5
2755 Reviews
$30 and under
Italian

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 25 times today
  • Good for special occasions
  • Good for business meals
  • Neighborhood gem
Step inside Il Fornaio and take an award-winning culinary journey through Italy. Specialties include house made pastas, wood-fired pizza, grilled fish, authentic risotto, and rotisserie meats. Using the freshest ingredients and traditional cooking techniques, Il Fornaio offers a wide variety of premium-quality Italian food paired with great cocktails and a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence wine list.

Order delivery or takeout

Private dining

Private dining

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Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Italian, Unspecified
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Wed 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Thu–Sun 12:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (650) 853-3888
  • Website
    https://www.ilfornaio.com/location/il-fornaio-palo-alto/
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Carte Blanche, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Catering
    Off-site catering available. Please contact Event Coordinator for more details.
  • Private party facilities
    Celebrating 30 years in downtown Palo Alto, Il Fornaio offers 2 private dining rooms and a heated, covered, garden Piazza. Banquet menus for large parties features the best of Il Fornaio's authentic Italian cuisine and Chef Maurizio's signature dishes.
  • Private party contact
    Juli Calderon: (650) 853-3720
  • Location
    520 Cowper Street, Palo Alto, CA 94301
  • Neighborhood
    Palo Alto
  • Cross street
    University
  • Parking details
    Valet parking is available for $20. In addition, there is also the hotel parking lot, as well as a public lot available.
  • Public transit
    Cal Train
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Cafe, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

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Menu

View menu on restaurant's website

What 2,755 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.5
4.5 based on recent ratings
  • 4.5Food
  • 4.4Service
  • 4.5Ambience
  • 4.2Value

Noise • Moderate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Il Fornaio in Palo Alto offers a charming ambiance with its lovely patio seating and tasteful interior. Guests praise its "excellent service" and "consistently great food." The menu is extensive, featuring reliable favorites like Pasta Bolognese. Although some dishes may not always meet expectations, the atmosphere and attentive staff make it a preferred choice for special occasions and gatherings.

2,755 Reviews

  1. Rod

    Hawaii

    4 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined 6 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!

    Is this helpful?

  2. Janette

    Las Vegas

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined 6 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. 💫👏

    Is this helpful?

  3. Mike

    Sacramento

    6 reviews

    vip
    1.0

    6 reviews

    Dined 6 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. Gregory

    San Francisco

    9 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    9 reviews

    Dined 7 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

    Is this helpful?

  5. Carol

    San Francisco

    17 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    17 reviews

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Very good food and service. We really enjoyed it.

    Is this helpful?

  6. Karen

    San Francisco

    20 reviews

    5.0

    20 reviews

    Dined 7 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!

    Is this helpful?

  7. Aída

    San Francisco

    5 reviews

    4.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on November 24, 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. Sandra

    San Francisco

    207 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    207 reviews

    Dined on November 8, 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 

    Is this helpful?

  9. Elizabeth

    San Francisco

    27 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    27 reviews

    Dined on November 2, 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.

    1 person found this helpful

  10. Jeannie

    Central Coast

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on October 21, 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.

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Il Fornaio - Palo Alto offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (650) 853-3888.

Il Fornaio - Palo Alto is rated 4.5 stars by 2755 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 25 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for Il Fornaio - Palo Alto

520 Cowper Street, Palo Alto, CA 94301

Additional information

  • Cross street
    University
  • Neighborhood
    Palo Alto
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Wed 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Thu–Sun 12:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Italian, Unspecified
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Valet parking is available for $20. In addition, there is also the hotel parking lot, as well as a public lot available.
  • Public transit
    Cal Train
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Carte Blanche, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Cafe, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Website
    https://www.ilfornaio.com/location/il-fornaio-palo-alto/
  • Phone number
    (650) 853-3888
  • Catering
    Off-site catering available. Please contact Event Coordinator for more details.
  • Private party facilities
    Celebrating 30 years in downtown Palo Alto, Il Fornaio offers 2 private dining rooms and a heated, covered, garden Piazza. Banquet menus for large parties features the best of Il Fornaio's authentic Italian cuisine and Chef Maurizio's signature dishes.
  • Private party contact
    Juli Calderon: (650) 853-3720

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