D' Forno Cocina

It’s Friday night, I’m on a clam chowder mission, and the first two places flaked harder than a bad biscuit. One spot closed early. The other said, “We’ll have chowder when it’s colder outside.” Buddy... it’s Friday. That’s chowder law. Enter: D’Forno Cocina — the unsung hero of my night. I called, they said “Yes, we have chowder.” I said “See you in five.” Next thing I know, I’m two bowls deep, plus a Caesar and a blue cheese side salad. Found some pics on my phone from the last time I came here with Steve — we had calamari and hummus with pita. Good times then, and even better now. Shout-out to Johnny the bartender—dude was on point. He kept tabs on every table like a hawk with a bar towel. Smooth service even with a decent crowd. Not packed, not dead. Just the right Friday night groove. If you’re into low-key vibes, solid service, and chowder that actually exists, hit up D’Forno. It might just be your new Friday tradition.

Walking in, you have the option of sitting at the bar or near the kitchen. Both have very different vibes. One side is bright with window views the other is a little darker. From my first step inside, the service was amazing. I was given a rundown of all of the specials and the happy hour pricing. I highly recommend the steak fries appetizer. The pizza is very cheesy and satisfying. The menu has a variety to choose from. Pastas, mexican, salads, latin egg rolls, etc. Wish I would have found it sooner. I will definitely be returning.

We came across this restaurant by accident and are so glad we found it. Service was excellent, it's nice to get great, friendly service from someone that is genuinely interested in serving customers and enthusiastic in their job. Cocktails were beyond great. I started with an Old Fshioned (I am picky about them) it was really good and for those OF diehards, they serve it with an ice block. I ended the night with my now favorite Espresso Martini ( they add a shot of Rumchata...yumm). We ordered crab cakes for appetizer and my husband ordered Chicken Pomadoro (he loved it). I had Mediterranean chicken with pasta. For those that love pesto, I recommend this as it was great. The pick of my dish was after I already cut up the chicken, but the plating was spot on (sorry, got eager to eat it before I remembered to take the pic)

The waitstaff were very attentive and kind. They made sure my food was safe from allergens as well as delicious. The bread arrived at the table too hot to immediately eat, and boy was it flavorful. We were offered fresh garlic to go in the dipping sauce of balsamic and olive oil. The calamari was light and crispy. My seafood pasta was fresh, and my husband was thrilled with the homemade ravioli. The restaurant itself had a clean, modern feel with a tidy, exposed kitchen. It was just a wonderful experience all around.

UPDATE! 9 PM an hour before They closed was able to get in a cheese manicotti some hummus and two bowls of clam chowder and it was amazing. 2/7/25 UPDATE! Menu uploaded below. 11/1/24 Review 10/22/24 Our takeout order was one of the best meals we've had all year. The staff was professional and courteous as well as welcoming. Our meal was a takeout order and once reheated everything was excellent this location has very good value for the portions you get it is absolutely not overpriced as previous reviews have mentioned. No matter what you order make sure you take a pizza to go. This is an excellent takeout spot as well as a dine in experience. It also has a fully stocked bar which unfortunately I could not enjoy tonight. 11/1/24 on our second visit we tried a custom drink that Gabi Created with strawberry lemonade and vodka and a glass of wine. tonight we had the enchiladas which comes with four enchiladas with either red sauce or green sauce and our favorite clam chowder The Mediterranean chicken was a great pasta with perfect flavors all excellent portions really high value at this place you definitely get what you pay for here . The crème brûlée was absolutely insane and the tiramisu was exquisite .

We were celebrating a birthday and there were 8 of us. Everything we ordered was excellent. The appetizers, the dinners and the drinks from the bar were just perfect and very flavorful! The server had a great personality and very accommodating with deciding what we wanted to order. She was also the bartender!! Highly recommend this place! We will definitely be back!!

Absolutely delicious food! Had the spicy garlic chicken pasta and it was soo yummy! So much flavor! Even the bread was fresh and delicious. My husband had the pork tenderloin medallions.

Slow service but the place is spread out; even though they weren’t busy it’s tough for one person to sprint back and forth from the bar section to the dining room. Breadsticks weren’t all that good but the pizza dough needs work; not supposed to be so thick and greasy. Crab cakes, same verdict; very soggy and greasy; remoulade sauce was bland. Guacamole was ok, the saganaki appetizer is not worth $20 (!!!) by no stretch of the imagination (even Kokkari in SF charges about half that!). About the only menu item that is vegetarian/vegan adjacent is the grilled vegetables pasta. Just make sure you tell them not to douse the sauce in butter and cream. It was ok as far as aromatics and flavor. Rice pudding was simply bad. Rice is NOT supposed to be Al-dente and it’s very easy to find a great traditional Greek recipe for this online. In fact if anyone from the restaurant sees this please message me; I’ll share an old school recipe from my in laws. It’s a good place ambiance wise and our server was polite. Hopefully they rework some of the recipes bc they need to stand out above the other Italian restaurants in the area in order to make it.

What a wonderful resurrection from when a partner from the previous Chefs of New York, Clay Rosson, stole thousands of dollars of restaurant equipment and wine. D'Forno Cocina is spotlessly clean! The service was outstanding and my waiter made sure I had everything I needed, I.e. drink refills, bread, without hovering over me. I had the baked manicotti. It was cooked to my liking and was 'molten lava' hot. It's great to have top notch Italian food in Modesto again. Will be returning to try more items on the menu and highly recommend D'Forno.

Had a late dinner here with a friend for my birthday. We had a great time, ordering drinks and chatting. Our server was awesome she sat us in the bar and constantly checked on us even though they were almost ready to close. In regards to the food it was perfectly great. Highly recommend and will be returning again to try out the other dishes.

I love the food here I got the spicy garlic pasta and it was sooo good. The drinks were good too. Our waiter was Maria and she was very accommodating and nice, she made my drink just perfect and more on the sweet side how I like it, she also gave good recommendations on appetizers and food which I appreciated. The ambience in the bar area seating is more on the dark lightning side which I personally like and feels more private. I'll definitely come back again soon.

Everything from drinks to dinner they have you covered. 10 out of 10 experience. The food was absolutely to die for and the espresso martini was one of the best I've ever had.

My friends and I came here for dinner to celebrate a birthday. The drinks were sooo good! I had their version of the espresso martini, which had chocolate and was so easy to drink. If I didn't have to drive, I would have ordered more. For dinner, 2 of us had the chicken piccata, 1 had chicken Marsala, and one had the seafood pasta. The food was enjoyable. I had brought in dessert because when I looked online, I didn't see a dessert menu. They held it in the back for me, when it was time to bring out, they plated it super cute! I am hoping to come back and dine out on the cute outdoor area!

Service was excellent and despite it being Valentine's Day our food was brought out in a timely manner. Although I wish they had better cocktail selection the food made up for it.

We were a party of four who met after lunch. The service was excellent. There were, perhaps, 10 people dining. We ordered the calamari appetizer. It was overcooked and almost in crumbles. Chicken marsala and barbecued chicken on focaccia were reportedly "very good". I ordered the seafood pasta. It was swimming in oil. it is as if the seafood was sautéed in oil and then added to the sauce. Seafood was sparse. I asked for cheese and was handed a shaker of Parmesan. While two lunchmates were satisfied with their choices, my other lunchmate and myself were disappointed in the seafood pasta. All were disappointed in the calamarI. The restaurant is very clean. Parking was easy,

What a great place to eat and drink! The bartender was the best, I think that her name was Kylie. She was so friendly and very attentive, the server as well and her name was Tabi. The drinks were good, and the food was amazing. I had the Salmon, it was crunchy and soft on the inside and the sauce was delicious. I enjoyed the ambiance, the only thing is that it was a little warm in the bar area... I can't wait to try new dishes next time that I make it out there.

Great new place in town. Excellent service and great selection of food to choose from. Had the avocado toast but they forgot my fruit. I was thankful they sent me out the door with it! Raspberry lemon drop was delicious! Had the calamari which was fresh and tasty! The star of the show was the seafood pasta! Rich and creamy, but loaded with all kinds of seafood! We will definitely be back!

Been to this place 5 times now and it is amazing every time. Salmon is awesome along with Chicken Marsala and seafood ravioli. Highly recommend check it out sometime!! Consistent and service is great.

Weekend lunch. This spot has been several things. Atmosphere is ok - kind of a long narrow room. Service was great. Friendly wait staff. Menu is wide - Greek, Italian and Mexican. We went with the lemon chicken soup (very lemony- very salty, not quite hot enough) wouldn't order again. A nice Greek side salad, gyro plate, and chopped chicken salad. The gyro plate was decent - good amount of well prepared gyro, rice and some veg. The chicken salad was wry good. Prices were on the high side, but in range. Overall, an ok meal.

Great food and great service. It's quiet with a bar. Street parking available. My daughter loved the shrimp pasta.

We decided to visit this new restaurant downtown. Sat in the bar area. Great service! Chose a cup of clam chowder and Seafood pasta. Food was delicious! Downside- my Lemon Drop was decent at $12.95. Not good enough to order another The vodka (well) with club soda was $11.95. Charged for the vodka and the soda. Crazy. Atmosphere was nice, a little loud. I may order food to go, but will not pay the drink prices for well.

The restaurant is too dark inside for my liking. I prefer sitting out on the side patio with the beautiful plants or in the front. The menu has great options but so far most things we've tried have been very salty. The gyros plate, the Philly cheese steak, the chicken sandwich, chicken Marsala. We have also gone at various times of the day to find only a few other customers there.

Dinner reservation was at 6pm. Place was steady with people on a Thursday evening. We sat down and our waitress seemed stressed. She brought us bread and we asked our waitress for butter and it was like pulling teeth. Asked her for straws and she comes with 1 (7 of us at the table). She was rude and didn't have the best customer service. Our one appetizer (calamari) took forever. When she finally came to take our order I felt as if she was rushing everyone. By the time we finally received our dinner. It was wrong! And not once did she ask or check to see how our meal was. The table of 6 who sat behind us and came after got their meal before us. I specifically asked for the spicy garlic chicken pasta to be very very light on the cream sauce. And yet it was drenched with sauce with the 3 pieces of chicken on top. Ordered the chicken fettuccine and added broccoli we had no broccoli but surely had 3 pieces of chicken on top. For what you pay for THIS is not worth it. The 3 pieces of Chicken itself was good hence the 3 stars. My brother loved his seafood pasta with marina sauce. And my mom's rib eye was still red! And she asked for it be medium well. I felt like her cow was still mooing. Overall the experience here wasn't what I expected. And the service was not good at all. I will probably never be back again and wanted to really wanted to enjoy it.

They were able to accommodate our large party of 15, our server was amazing and we even had a view of the chefs at work. This was our first time dining at D'Forno Cocina and it did not disappoint. The food was amazing and we had an amazing server. 10/10

Very cute place in the old Bayou. Extensive Mediterranean menu and good drinks. You MUST reserve a spot in their side alley, so charming! Made us feel like we were in a quaint Italian cafe. We split a gyro pizza and it was delicious. Our server was great, very friendly and on top of things. Need to return and try their brunch.

Their response is a lie. They didn't "work it out". In fact they admitted to charging me more but did not refund me the overcharged amount. I had to dispute the charge with my credit card company .

Very excited for David's new restaurant. We started off with the delish calamari. Was my favorite at the other location on Mchenry so I knew it would be. For lunch we had the bbq chicken sandwiches and the chicken pita . My friend left off the mustard and I should've as well since it was so good and it didn't need it and actually kinda overpowered it, so I just didn't eat the bottom roll on second half . Chicken was flavorful and cooked perfectly. The Elena's pita was good but for some reason they put zucchini in it and it wasn't supposed to have it. Tasty otherwise. Too full for dessert , next time.

Mel was one of the best servers I have ever encountered!! We only drank outside, but the service, atmosphere, & cocktails were amazing. Definitely going back to try some food. Thanks again Mel

My first experience here was really good. However it was a lot less busy than my current experience. The food is good. Not excellent but good. The saganaki cheese was not well executed and basically a waste of money. It was burned. And not in a pleasant way. No fresh ground pepper offered with my full size salad. No Parmesan offered on the pasta. That was new for me. Nice servers but inattentive for the size of the crowd. Over all I don't think they would do well in a large dinner rush. Enjoyed the shrimp salad. But over all better Italian in the area. Please clean it up so we have a great Italian place in downtown.

The place is nice. Service was a little slow but that was not a big deal. I realize the challenges of running a restaurant in 2024. I had the spicy garlic chicken pasta which was very tasty. I will probably order it again on my next visit. I was told they have breakfast on the weekends so I may try that one of these days.

The food here is amazing and great service. Nice a relaxing and not too loud. Just right! Hector is the best bartender!

The restaurant is very nice has great Aviance and service was wonderful. Would definitely go back and they told us that they would be eventually serving breakfast so we are desperately waiting to hear when that will happen.

Went with mom for lunch!! Went in for lunch with mom this afternoon. Everything we ordered was to perfection! Mom had lasagna, she brought half of it home, and I had one of my favorites the chopped chicken salad! Thank you to Sergio for preparing our delicious lunch and thank you to Mel for his great service! Will be back soon! Mom loves the bread

I have to be honest, we were disappointed. It was a Thursday night. Service was flawless. Food was OK. Minestrone is decent but an interesting square chop for all veggies. Hummus was good but the pita bread was cooked in bad oil. Bread is interesting. Small hard squares. Not good at all. My seafood ravioli was good, not great. It was not busy at all on a Thursday night right after an event at the State Theatre, so might be a bad signal for them.

Fantastic service. Try the Mexican dishes they are very good. The patio is nice anytime of day very relaxing if you like to dine alfresco

Service was exceptional!!!!!! Food was excellent, and service was wonderful. Our waiter name David was so attentive and very professional. I was completely impressed with David professionalism. I definitely come back. "David great job handling customer service "

This was our first time here and unfortunately it wasn't the greatest experience. Staff was really nice and friendly and food was great but we had some issues. Our friend had to ask for his wine 2 times, the rest of us had our drinks for quite some time already (he even was served his dinner served before receiving his wine). My dinner order was completely the wrong item. Our other friend was not given her salad dressing and had to ask twice for it. The rest of us finished our meals before she finally got the dressing. Our waitress was really nice so I definitely am not going to mention her name and throw her under the bus. We still had a nice evening and think that it is worth giving it another try so we will be back (like I said before, food was delicious!)

Meh. The service was great and the drinks were good but that food was mediocre at best. The ambiance was nothing more than a taqueria and for some reason there is mexican food on the Italian menu. Pick a cuisine and stick with it because this half in half out makes them all bland. Pizza was soggy, they were out of most of the things we ordered and making a margarita pizza is not just throwing your pomodora bruschetta toppings on cheese. Maybe this location is cursed because nothing seems to stick there.

We had a reservation for a party of 10. Excellent variety of dinner plates for everyone. I ordered the Cioppino & it was delicious! We started with Saganaki Flaming Cheese, Calamari & Brochettes all were great choices. The Saganaki Flaming Cheese is a must! Crème Brûlée & Tiramisu for dessert were delightful! Thank you Jose for the excellent service you provided.

Anniversary night and a wonderful place! Small salad, Mediterranean chicken, seafood ravioli, and bread. Bread is outstanding! House red and white. Maria P. was congenial, helpful and just 'down right' delightful. Going for breakfast this weekend!

Nothing but good things to say about this restaurant. Food was delicious, service was great and friendly! A little gem in Modesto!

We visited for the first time for an early dinner before symphony on a recent Friday evening. I had made reservations online and we were greeted with smiles when we arrived. Our table for eight was ready. Waters around were delivered and when our group had all arrived our waiter took our drink order. The wine list is adequate but not extensive. We perused the menu and our wine was delivered. Our waiter was kind to allow our party to have one check per couple, which our group prefers. The menu has Italian, Mexican and Greek offerings so something for everyone. Two of us had the gyros plate which includes soup or salad. My husband had the ribeye, some had the pistachio crusted salmon and others the chicken piccata. Bread is served with the meal. Everyone was happy with their choices. We even had time for dessert, chocolate silk mousse cake for us to share and rice pudding for others. We all agreed to add this restaurant to our rotation for symphony nights. Easy walking distance to the Gallo Center for the Arts and parking is nearby. Do give D'Forno Cocina a try!

Ac doesn't work in the bar. Even the restaurant is hot. Went for breakfast. Says traditional eggs Benedict. Never seen anything like it. The sauce was red and spicy. Biscuits and gravy was a biscuit with a lemon sauce on it. Oregano in the country potatoes. Yuk. Never will go for breakfast.

A solid dining experience with fantastic wait staff. I will definitely come back. Food was good, fantastic ambiance, and drinks.

Second time here. Good food only topped by the incredibly attentive service. Thanks Jose and staff for taking such good care of our group! Nice ambiance too!

We have eaten here several times and it has always been " ok". Therefore we do return. This time we could not have been more disappointed . We were greeted at the door by a very nice Young lady and that was the end of "wonderful". Let me share some information for you. This was last Saturday night at 6:00 pm. There were only 6 other customers in the restaurant and a total of 9 employees. We had to actually wait over 10 min for our waitress to come to our table. We gave her our drink AND dinner requests at the same time. After another 10 min we asked for some bread for our table which is normally brought to the table right away ‍. We saw other customers experiencing the same service as us. My husband had ordered a lemon soup as the advertised addition to his meal but not only did he not receive it our waitress later did not understand why he did not get it. I would think that since she took our order she could have followed up on that. We told her to skip it since his seafood ravioli had finally come to the table. Let's add that his seafood ravioli was not only fishy tasting but very bland in sauce, not a good combination . One would hope that maybe the drink from the bar would be a redeeming value. However he order an "old fashion" and it was terrible. . Go and get the one at the intermission it is great. So sad to say our experience will not have us going back

We had a large group that went to this restaurant after a McHenry Mansion tour and they did an excellent job. They had only been open less than 2 weeks. The food was excellent and the service was phenomenal.

Love coming here for dinner or just drinks! Friendly service, tasty food, & great drinks!!! Always fun to come out with the girls for a few drinks & appetizers! Calamari is the best I've had. The salads don't make me miss carbs because they are to DIE for with their homemade balsamic!

Great food from three cultures: Italian, Greek, and Mexican in one stop. The bar is great, servers are prompt and helpful, so this is a perfect downtown alternative for dinner.

Service and food was not great. Waitress Maria took our order after 10 minutes of waiting. 15 min later after taking our order she comes back to our table to double check our order. She forgot to place our order, that's why she was verifying our order. The food came out. I ordered chicken Fajitas. The chicken had no flavor, and it tasted like boil Chicken. The beans were very dry. I hate returning my food but I did. We requested our tab, even that took 15 mins. Mind you we were the only one in the restaurant. My partner ended up getting up to ask for the tab from the waitress again , who was just carrying on a conversation with the cooks. I would not recommend this place.

We had an early dinner before a show at the State. This is 1/2 block away. It's only been open a week, which you wouldn't know. Their service was perfect. The food was delicious. The fries were thick, spiral cut and delicious. I also had a Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich i loved. My husbannd had delicious seafood pasta. The wine list had many good choices. They had my favorite, which is rarely sold by the glass. The menu offers something for everyone and a good range of prices. The food, location, service and menu are perfect. My husband and I agree we'll be back.

This is my second time eating here , beef ravioli were great again great service I had the rice pudding for desert and tasted just like my grandmother's rice pudding . The best

Came here on12/22 and back again on 12/29 Delicious food and amazing desserts. Mediterranean Chicken and pepperoni pizza, delicious. Husband had the chicken piccata last week, this week beef raviolis. Brought my sister and brother-in-law this week and he had the seafood dish and she had chicken pommodoro. They loved it. Don't skip dessert. We have tried the chocolate pie, the crème brûlée, tiramisu and rice pudding. 10/10. Good size servings and everything made from scratch

Went here to grab a bite before the Chris Isaak show at the Gallo Center. It is only 2 blocks away, so that was nice. Apparently they just recently opened. Minestrone soup was hot and flavorful. My wife and I shared a gyro wrap and that, too, was good. Onion rings could have been a little hotter and crispier, but overall it was a good experience here and we would go back.

Wanted to try this place which is now in the building that housed the former Chefs of New York. Very pleasant experience. The service was very good. Female bartender was also our server, as we opted to sit on that side to view the football game. Food was really good as were the drinks. I'd definitely return and would recommend.

Good food, friendly and efficient service. A welcomed addition to Modesto's downtown dining scene. Best of luck to David and his staff.

We had dinner at d'forno's last night and it was delicious! Every aspect of the evening g was excellent from the greeting by hostess to our very friendly and professional server Macey (?) We started with the crab cakes which were delicious. I had the pistachio crusted salmon and it was cooked perfectly. The other two entrees my family were wonderful as well. We were so full when we left but had to take some dessert for later. The tiramisu is made at the restaurant and the cheesecake was rich and creamy as well. This is without a doubt the best dinner out I've had ages. We will definitely be back! Thank you for a wonderful evening.