Il Fornaio

I've heard a lot of great things about this place, so I've been wanting to try it for a while. I finally got the chance yesterday, but overall, it didn't live up to the hype—nothing was particularly amazing except for the service. The staff were fantastic; their attentiveness and friendliness made the experience enjoyable from start to finish. However, the food was just mediocre Italian fare. I might have chosen the wrong dish—a Fusilli Salmon Fillet—which didn't impress me at all. It lacked the flavor and excitement I was hoping for. Would I come back? Maybe, especially if I'm in the mood for solid service, but I definitely won't be craving it or rushing to return anytime soon. If you're going, I'd suggest exploring the menu more carefully or asking for recommendations.

10/12/25 Celebrated our 11 year wedding anniversary. Great service. No wait. Exceptional! We will be back again soon. 8/17/25 We'll be back. Thank you for the excellent service & cuisine.

The restaurant from the outside is beautiful, from the inside it almost felt like a restaurant at an all-inclusive hotel. It is still beautiful, it’s just not an intimate Italian restaurant feeling. The service was excellent, our waters were refilled continuously. The server was very welcoming and friendly. They brought bread and it was warm, which is definitely a plus. The pasta was good, and the food came out fairly quickly. I recommend the chicken Parmesan, it was really good. I was disappointed with the tiramisu, it was not great and would not recommend it. Overall it’s a good option for an Italian dinner in Irvine, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend for a special occasion.

I had a decent experience overall. The service was great—super friendly and on top of everything, which really made the visit feel welcoming. The atmosphere was nice, but the seating felt a little cramped in some areas, especially if you’re looking for a more chill or spacious vibe. The food was super fresh and good quality, though flavor-wise it was just okay—nothing that really stood out. That said, the prices were pretty reasonable for the area, which made it feel worth it overall. Solid spot if you’re craving Italian with good service and a nice setting.

This was voted best for a reason! Everything on this menu was delicious. The calamari. The zuppa was stunning! Great service. Great drinks. Great food. You could relax here with some cocktails and enjoy your afternoon! Great for a date night!

This is a great chain restaurant for really good Italian food. It's fresh and good quality. The dishes I love are the calamari appetizer, the bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, butternut squash and walnut ravioli, the gnocchi with Italian sausage, and the bolognese. The service is anyways great, and the atmosphere is modern and cozy at the same time.

Excellent service and atmosphere, the food was good but not great. I ordered linguine with shrimp, scallops and the muscles were terrible but could have just been the time of year. The people I ate with enjoyed their meals. I had a business meeting and it was the perfect setting. Went with no reservations for lunch at Noon and got a table outside immediately. Definitely need reservations for inside. I highly recommend for the ambiance, excellent service in every way. Very friendly and they go out of their way to be helpful. I enjoyed the fact that the restaurant was immaculate in terms of cleanliness.

Love this place. Everyone eats everything. No one leaves hungry and there is always room for dessert even when you are full.

My guests loved their chicken and veal parm, but my gnocchi was mushy and tasteless. Had to struggle to get through it. The sauce was great but I ordered gnocchi not a bowl of sauce. The waiter was nice and attentive, but spilled a little wine each time he filled my glass. I resolved to pour my own. Fornaio is a wide open floor plan with a lot of glass. Not at all intimate. The bar is too modern for my taste...can't imagine they stock Schlitz or PBR. All in all a little too sanitary for me.

Had a recent private room birthday party for a family member last weekend. Service was beyond horrible. We had a little over 20 people with one server who was constantly nowhere to be found. The room was connected to the main restaurant via a small kitchen, and I had to constantly walk through there just to look for someone in order to ask for anything. Amazing that they had the audacity to still charge the automatic service charge. When we mentioned how unhappy we were to the manager he just shrugged it off and said ok we will keep that in mind for the next time as if he was used to hearing this. Hoping it would've been a better experience for the amount of money spent. We definitely won't be referring others and won't be coming back.

I love the one in Pasadena, but this was my first time here. Free valet parking is a great option. The restaurant is huge with indoor and outdoor seating. We went on a Friday for Happy Hour and were very happy. Excellent, friendly service. The Diavola pizza was excellent as were the wines and cocktails on the menu. I will definitely come back, since this is closer and has great parking.

Came here recently for a work dinner and it did not disappoint! The interior of the restaurant was beautiful and our server was very professional. The food was great, I really enjoyed the gnocchi and veal dish. We also got a lava cake to share and everyone enjoyed that. Only complaint is that we did have a wait long periods of time for our server to visit our table despite the restaurant being pretty quiet.

My boyfriend took me here for my birthday dinner and it was our first time trying this restaurant, and we were not disappointed! The service was amazing, the staff were friendly and helpful, and the food was sooo good! I also had a glass of rose and they sung happy birthday to me and gave me strawberry ice cream. This is a really cute date night spot! They have valet parking but the structure is also available. They do validate so luckily we don't have to pay for parking once we left. I'll definitely come back here again. And thank you to Geraldo who was our waiter for the night!!

I came here for a dinner event and this food was what was on their set menu. The salad was my favorite part of the meal. The dressing was fantastic, the croutons flavorful and crispy, the lettuce was crispy. Overall a great salad. The tenderloin was just okay. It was prepared a nice medium rare so in that regards was pretty much cooked perfectly. However I didn't like the sauce that much as it was overly sweet and not very flavorful. I ended up adding a lot of black pepper and salt to make up for the lack of flavor. The veggies were decent also not super flavorful, but mashed potatoes were great. Very fluffy, very flavorful, and just a solid mashed potatoes. The tiramisu was also yummy. The coffee flavor was great and I loved the cream and extra chocolate shreds on top. Overall good experience. Service was quick and the waiters were kind. I definitely want to come back and try the main restaurant and their pasta.

Nice Italian restaurant with all the traditional menu items and a nice variety of wines and desserts. Service was quite attentive and the ambiance is nice for a casual meal or date night. We most recently visited for an event in a private room, and it was set up with a big screen for a presentation while the staff went around and delivered food and drinks to the guests. The meal took a long time to serve, but the food was pretty good.

Valet or 3 hours validated self parking in structure. Located in same plaza as Lifetime gym. Service is professional and attentive. Nice clean decor. Food is amazing. Freshly baked warm bread with olive oil and vinegar is so nice and comforting. Arugula salad with beets was so good, loved the goat cheese. Rigatoni alla norcina was chef's kiss, perfectly al dente, light and flavorful. Beef tenderloin with mashed potatoes and veggies was delicious. Asked for rare and it came out perfect. Super tender and perfectly seasoned. Tiramisu to top it all off. Wonderful dinner. Impressed.

Food here is solid. Came for happy hour and an entree. The Tagliatelle Bolognese, a traditional meat ragu, was nice and lightly creamy. A delicious texture almost like it was homemade. The Arancini Al Sugo in bolognese sauce was delicious as well. Crispy on the outside and flavorful. And for dessert the Volcano, a warm chocolate cake with creamy center and caramel sea salt gelato was a perfect ending. Service was warm and attentive.

We had another great meal at Il Fornaio in Irvine. Instead of looking at the menu, I looked at the pictures of the dishes on Yelp. I found what looked like Linguini and clams in light, wine sauce. I asked for this from our waiter. He said no problem and will talk to the chef and make it happen. The dish was amazing. Just what I wanted. Fresh clams in a light, butter, and wine sauce that really highlighted the fresh made pasta. I like to really taste the pasta, and this was a perfect dish. I highly recommend this place for its service, atmosphere, and excellent food. Food made to order. The chef did exactly what I wanted.

The better version of North Italia, Il Fornaio has actual Italian food and not just reservations. There's a few selections for vegetarians, especially if gnocchi is up your alley, they have a couple options and each ball of dough just melts in your mouth. They're generous with the portions but not overly so, personal pizzas are thin, hot and definitely handmade. That chocolate lava cake though, or volcano cake, is... VERY chocolatey. Rich with quality chocolate and molten in the center. Good to see restaurants like this not degrading over time and fashion.

II Fornaio has become one of my favorite restaurants in Irvine. They offer some of the freshest and most delicious Italian food. They hand make their pasta I enjoy Linguine Alle Vongole. The restaurant was nice kind enough to make the seafood pasta with just clams in a white wine sauce cooked al dente. The calamari is also really good. The staff is very friendly and the decor inside is very nice.

Tasty food, excellent wines, good service. For a corporate event, the food service area was a bit loud and the restrooms are a bit far away.

Great service! Our server was so kind! We did the OC restaurant menu so we tried the 3 course dinner with a Caesar salad, the salmon, and the berry torte. We got the tiki drink as well as the raspberry lemonade. Drinks were delicious. Food was tasty

I came here for a last minute dinner with some girlfriends on a Friday night and we were able to walk right in with no reservation. The service was spectacular! Our waiter was so kind and gave great recommendations. We got the burrata to share and it came with 4 servings. I got the margarita pizza which had a perfect crispy crust.

4.5 stars! We had a reservation at Il Fornaio Irvine for a Thursday dinner, and they seated us right away. The restaurant wasn't too busy which was nice, too! Our server was super friendly and helpful, though the food took a little longer to come out I ordered the Casarecce al Pesto e Pollo, and it was really good! The pasta had a nice texture, and the pesto cream sauce was super flavorful. The sundried tomatoes added a slight sweetness that balanced everything out, and the chicken was tender. Definitely ideal for larger groups - we had 8 people! There were a lot of celebrations happening in and around the restaurant as well.

Butternut squash ravioli was outstanding. As was the chicken Marsala and Braised beef ravioli. Calamari and marinara was delicious. Bread and olive oil was ok. Strawberry sorbet was ok as was the bread pudding Nutella dessert. I would not order the deserts again. Service by the server was top notch. Everyone had an Italian accent and many birthdays were celebrated tonight. They sing in Italian. Nice atmosphere not too loud.

My wife and I decided to stop here for an early dinner while it was still happy hour. Happy Hour is only served in the bar, which is fine as it was a beautiful area. We ordered the arancini off the Happy Hour menu and the tagliatelle bolognese off the regular dishes. Both dishes were solid in preparation and taste but I wouldn't describe them as top notch Italian. Both, also, were generous portions. The arancini was filling but I believe should have been crispier on the surface. The tagliatelle bolognese was on the bland side for flavor. The chili flakes helped. We also had the molten chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream for dessert, which was indulgent and well prepared. The decor of the restaurant is stunning with a very luxe look. The service when we were there was definitely hit and miss. Our first waiter left the menus for us and then disappeared for a long while. When we were served our dishes a pleasant woman served them to us and added the parmesan cheese. And then it was a second waiter who gave us water and the bill. Maybe we came during an off time.

Took my girlfriend here for a special occasion and honestly it was good but not worth the price. I planned for reservations for 2 about 2 weeks ahead of time in hopes of getting a good table and we got seated in a corner side area which was underwhelming. The ordered the mafaldene and seafood linguine and while good, the price point didn't feel as justifiable. I felt I could have just as good as a dish at a lower end Italian restaurant. That being said, you would think we would be paying for service but we also didn't get checked in very much, and waited for a long time for our order to come out. Overall I don't know if I would come again on my own free will, especially if there's other Italian restaurants that I think could do better.

I had been here once before when 2021 when they weren't offering dine-in so I didn't really get the feel of it (though I remember the food being good) a friend and I recently decided to celebrate here and wow, the food was absolutely great! We were very impressed with both of our dishes and the drinks were delicious but very strong, just the way we like them. The service was great, minus the fact that we were offered bread and thought it was complementary but it wasn't - I mean it was only a couple dollars but still. The way the server phrased it, it seemed like it came with the experience. Aside from that there's complementary valet parking for the first few hours which is nice because the parking garage can get confusing. There's indoor and outdoor seating as well. It's a cute spot to take a date or catch up with a friend over delicious Italian food. I'll definitely be back.

Great service. Our waiter was so attentive and such a kind person. Oh Em Gee all the dishes were utterly amazing! Even the salmon with the Yukon gold potatoes. Every dish is worth mentioning, but I'll keep it short. The layout is nice and fancy, and I'll love to come back

The pizza and lobster ravioli were the only two dishes that stood out to me. The rigatoni alla vodka was quite dry and not saucy enough. Service was amazing, my server was always attentive and made sure everything was okay and bought out everything very quickly. It's a cute Italian place, nice for date night or a special occasion.

Another great visit These were outstanding _ Linguine Mare Chiaro _Chicken pappardelle pasta Ins Bietole Cestino Del Pane Ling Mare Pappardelle Alla Norcina Salmon Grig

I enjoy this restaurant every time I come. It's very cute and I love that they welcome you each time you come in. I love the food here and try to pick something different if not I go with my usual. This last time I got the steak, which was very enjoyable, tender, and I loved the sauce that it came with and went well with the spinach and mash. We always get the fresh bread which is also so good, hot and crispy. Wish I had some now lol We are always treated so well here and everyone is kind and happy! We can't wait to come back

It was an extremely cold evening and bosscat had a 1.5 hour wait so we improvised and decided to try something close by. We were so happy that bosscat couldn't take us because this place is absolutely fantastic! It looked very cute and fancy from the outside but looked even more beautiful on the inside. This is definitely 100% a very nice date night spot, a place for special occasions, or I guess for anyone who got it like that. The host sat us right away and outside which worried me as I was freezing walking in but it was surprisingly very warm on the patio and it was a lot quieter than sitting inside. We enjoyed that. We were sat at a table with a very strong heater (like my head was burning so they had to turn it down for me kind of strong heater) but everyone was so kind and welcoming, very happy to help with anything we asked. GREAT SERVICE. The food... honestly.. I MISS IT ALREADY. I got the Linguine Mare Chiaro and my date had the Pollo Ai Funghi. These dishes checked all of the boxes for me. Perfectly seasoned, cooked, and presented. The sauce for my pasta was not just a regular ole tomato sauce but with the white wine and seafood, it sang in my mouth and in my heart. His dish was good too! The chicken was so tender and juicy and everything married well for his dish as well BUT I am obsessed with this pasta. I didn't want to share and I want to go back already. Highly recommend! 10/10

Back again to Il Fornaio! It might have been those delicious Mac and cheese bites, that brought me back. The ricotta and honey cheese fondue is great too. That rhymed, but wasn't on purpose lol I got the pear salad and added salmon. The salad itself was good with the pecans and pear slices. It had good flavor. I'm glad I added salmon though, so it would be more filling. The salmon had really good flavor. I just wish it was a thicker slab of salmon. My fiancé always gets one of the pastas and enjoys those. It usually has meat in the pasta. He says it has good flavor. This place is a win for both of us. We will order from Il Fornaio again.

Had an enjoyable meal solo at Il Fornaio. Beautiful restaurant. Arrived early and was seated immediately without a reservation. Began with an appetizer of a trio of bruschettas, tomato, caponata, and burrata. For starter, I went with ceasar salad. For main course, I chose the spaghetti and meatballs with marinara sauce. For dessert, I had an Affogato. Really nice service.

Il Fornaio is hands down one of the best Italian spots I've ever been to. I went with my family and from the moment we walked in, the experience was exceptional. The service was warm, welcoming, and attentive -- they made us feel right at home. The food? Absolutely amazing. Authentic Italian cuisine with rich, delicious flavors in every bite. You can tell everything is made with love and tradition. If you're looking for real Italian taste and top-notch service, Il Fornaio is the place. Five stars all the way!

The rigatoni alla vodka must be their signature dish because it was the best! We tried it during the tequila festival in Irvine last year and it got us hooked! Creamy delicious sauce. We came during happy hour (m-f 3-6) and the prices are great. The pasta wasn't on there but still worth it. The pizza FRADIAVOLA is a must also. The one I don't recommend is the polpettine. Pretty average meatballs. Not worth. Capped it off with the Sorrento king. Pretty strong and not bad overall. I teeter between 3 and 4 stars because we sat outside and i noticed white specks on the table and plates, but didn't think much of it. The wind blew a little and the canopy shook and all this white stuff started falling on our heads, plates, drinks and bread. We told the waiter and they just kind of shrugged it off. We moved away from the covering and luckily our food hadn't arrived yet besides the bread. I'll probably go again but just not sit in that area.

Wonderful night at Il Fornaio on the Patio TONY was an amazing waiter He really cares and gives great input on selections Highly recommend this Italian restaurant

Went to the Il Fornaio in Irvine for a work dinner and the food was delicious! We ordered some appetizers for the group including: Brussel sprouts (my personal favorite), bread (which I believe was complimentary), and calamari. I ordered the Grigliata di Pesce Misto and it was very good, my only critique was the fish was a smidge overcooked. My coworkers had a mix of pasta and fish dishes and everyone loved their food. Make sure you get your parking stub validated before you leave for the garage. Customer service was great and it's a cute restaurant in a larger business complex. We even saw some cute bunnies outside.

Came with my hubby after his work trip, and we met Hector and he is best bartender ever!! He treated us like family' the ambiance was perfect. The food was so Delicious and I have to keep coming back to this place!

We have been going to Il Fornaio for about a million years, usually for family celebrations and things like that. But we went to happy hour the other day, and it was as good as the restaurant experience. Friendly and efficient bartenders. Excellent margherita pizza and very good calamari. Good cocktails - I had the smoky one with rye. And a very good Chianti on the wine by the glass menu. Great job as always, Il Fornaio!

Consistently great food and superior service. Ambiance and all the details. Their beautiful setting supports special occasions. Perfect!

I highly recommend this place! It is the stuff of dreams, made from scratch, love and authenticity. Great place for a seafood lover too.

Super friendly staff, great ambiance and excellent food!!! We had an absolutely wonderful experience at Il Fornaio in Beverly Hills.

Il Fornaio is a fancy date night Italian Restaurant in the border of Costa Mesa and Irvine. Just walking up to the restaurant makes you feel like you are leaving the mundane world and entering a fancy experience. Parking is validated, so make sure to bring your ticket from the parking structure! We came at the end of the night, so the restaurant was very calm and relaxing, and the house bread that was served was very fresh and delicious. I will say that the highlight of our meal was the Rigatoni alla Vodka as the flavors of the pasta were a perfect blend of creaminess and freshness. Our server was super friendly and helpful, despite us having a late reservation. Overall, I would definitely recommend Il Fornaio for anyone looking for a nice fancy date night spot. I personally will definitely be back soon!

This is a solid spot for Italian food in Irvine. Their Rigatoni alla Vodka is a must order. Also tried their Lasagne Ferrarese this time and it was solid. Love how they always have an additional specials menu. Dog friendly patio available too!

Beautiful upscale Italian restaurant in a lovely plaza with paid parking but you can get 3 hours validated. We got the: - insalata di pere (5/5) bright and tangy salad with extra tang from the gorgonzola - margherita pizza (4/5) classic but a bit lacking on toppings even though I know it's not supposed to have a lot; great basil flavor nonetheless - linguini alla siciliana (seasonal special) (5/5) please get this while you can! the pasta is so clearly freshly pulled and there's a great amount of seafood and sauce The food came out in like 5 minutes which was so surprising but everything tasted great. Will be back for sure!

First time trying this restaurant and everything was pleasantly delicious! The service was also top tier, everyone was very friendly and quick. I would definitely return and try some more great food!!

I used to order from Il Fornaio when I would go to the Bay area for work, now that I go to OC instead I was happy to see that they have locations here too. I've only done take out, but the food had always been very good.

Almost a great place but has some quality issues on food and service. As a vegetarian, there's not a whole lot on the menu to choose from. Out of the entrees, only two are vegetarian. None of the specials were vegetarian either. On the appetizer side, there's a bit more stuff and even a vegan dish (cauliflower) although I'm not sure what else a vegan can have. Arancini (5/5) - delicious saffron risotto breaded and fried on top of a pistachio pesto sauce. The perfect amount of sauce and the saffron flavor came through nicely. Gnocchi Gratinati (3/5) - truffled mushroom cream sauce was delicious but the texture of the gnocchi was off - too chalky/crumbly and dry. The gnocchi wasn't creamy enough and wasn't very satisfying. Ravioli Zucca (4/5) - loved the brown butter sage sauce. It paired well with the butternut squash ravioli. The crispy sage was a delightful topping! Like tempura sage! Never had anything like that. With so much detail on the sage and sauce on the ravioli, I'm surprised they just added raw plain walnuts on top. Such a disappointing contrast. Not even roasted or seasoned with anything. Cristina (4/5) - We got this with the prosciutto on the side for my husband so it was just the mozzarela, mushrooms, arugula and truffle oil for me. This was delicious except for the crust which tasted a little too dense and chewy like it was underproofed. Service was mostly great except they took my husband's fork when they cleared his appetizer plate and they didn't replace so he had to flag down our server to get a new one. We also didn't get our drinks until we had our entrees for a while and we were both waiting a bit thinking it would be nice to have our entrees with some drinks. I think our server forgot but he remembered as soon as we waved for his attention.

Great experience with our waiter Steve! Steve was very friendly and brought out our food quickly. Food was also amazing, would recommend the LINGUINE MARE CHIARO. It's a more savory pasta with lots of fresh seafood. This was my first time here, but I think I'll be getting this pasta from now on! Ambiance was nice--plenty of seating when we went on a Thursday evening after work. Overall, great food and great service from Steve!

Celebrated our anniversary at Il Fornaio, and it did not disappoint! It was our first time here, and we had a wonderful experiencing from the staff, ambiance, and food! Everything was a 5/5. I think what really enhanced our experience was the friendly staff. Everyone we encountered and conversed with was so pleasant. For the night, we had: - their complimentary bread with olive oil and balsamic (5/5) - fried calamari (5/5) - lobster ravioli (5/5) - tomato vodka rigatoni (4/5) - a few of their spritz drinks Everything was splendid. We love how generous they are with the complimentary bread because it was quite yummy. This is another Italian restaurant we'll be adding to our list. We will definitely be back!

went for first date, food was really really good! service was also great, very descriptive and thorough in menu. would come again for sure!

Four (4) of us came for dinner tonight and we were so glad we decided to come here. Food was excellent and service was wonderful. Restaurant was full by 7:00 pm and stay full all night. We had the Fradiavola pizza as appetizer. The pizza came with sausage, bell peppers, and mushrooms. It was a great choice. For entree, both my daughter & I ordered the same thing. We had the salmon with roasted Yukon potatoes and spinach. Delish! My husband and our son-in-law ordered the sole and they loved it. We also had the teramisu for dessert. That was very good. Mildred was our server and she was fantastic. She always checked on us and made sure we had everything we needed. So nice & sweet.

Located right next to Lifetime Gym. There's a parking structure right next to it where you can park and get validated after your meal. Restaurant is very nice and has plenty of i door and outdoor seating. Service is good and they left a birthday celebration card at our table to let others know that we were celebrating. My cousin and I chose to share the calamari and the arancini balls with pistachio sauce as our starters and then the linguine de mare? And the rigatoni with vodka sauce. Calamari was good and had a good portion of equal portions of tentacles and rings. Light crisp batter and served with half a lemon and marinara. Good flavor and portion. Arancini balls were a dish that we were both excited for and it was SO disappointing. Literally tasted like old yellow rice rolled into balls deep fried and placed in the pistachio crema pesto sauce. The arancini had no flavor, was SO dry and just bland. No creamy texture to the risotto balls and only had the pistachio sauce to save it. Would not recommend and would not ever order again. Maybe a bad day but it was such a waste of a dish. Linguini mare chiano was good. Seafood in it was abundant and fresh. Sauce was very deep in basil flavors and had decadent slivers of garlic that would melt in your mouth. Linguine tastes very fresh but ended up globbing together at the end. Rigatoni alla vodka was the absolute best and I understand why it's so popular! Texture of the noodles were amazing and the sauce was incredibly flavorful and rich! Overall great experience and would come again. Our server brought a complementary dessert for my cousin and they all sang which was very seeet! Great spot to come to celebrate special occasions!

Don't know where to start, but I'll begin and end with heaping praise on the food, employees, and atmosphere, of this upscale, yet reasonably priced, Italian restaurant!

Had a wonderful time celebrating a birthday here. Staff were very thoughtful, caring, friendly, and so courteous. Service was excellent. Food was amazing and arrived quickly. The restaurant is very open and spacious, yet still manages to feel intimate at the same time. Since everything was so well run, we were very comfortable and really able to enjoy the conversations around the table. Almost felt like a catered dinner at home. Parking in the structure was also fully covered by their validation. We will be back for sure.