My wife and I had a great dinner at Il Fornaio, Palo Alto mid July 2025. I was visiting the Bay Area on Business and I took some PTO and my wife and toured CA for a few days. After dinner we were heading to SJC for a red eye flight. At the gate I realized I left my jacket at the restaurant. I called the restaurant and the staff found my jacket. I emailed a shipping label and they kindly mailed it back the next day. I'm very grateful to the staff for going above and beyond with service!
Paul
The food was delicious and it had a great atmosphere and reasonably priced for the food we had. The waiter was the best we ever had. He was terrific and a reason to come back. !
john
Wonderful good and service. I reccomend sitting outside. All the appetizer were wonderful and desserts were bid enough to be shared
Heidi
My husband and I went to Il Fornaio to celebrate our 30 year wedding anniversary. We got married at the Garden Court Hotel and then Il Fornaio catered our reception. Typically these restaurants have better atmosphere. The Walnut Creek and Sacramento locations have beautiful restaurants. I felt like I was eating at a diner. The table wasn't very exciting and our service was terrible. We had a very young and arrogant waiter who didn't even give us the time of day. I wasn't sure if he knew what a special occasion we were celebrating but he did. The food was decent but I'll never go back to this location which is sad for me to say. Needless to say, it wasn't special at all.
Lisa
The service and food were very good. Clean dining room. The staff was very friendly. Also, they have Valet parking which is great since trying to find parking in downtown Palo Alto is difficult.
Rhonda Jackson
Oh my goodness! The food was so amazing! Large portions, we had it for lunch the next day! We have been there twice! And we are going back!
Aria Huynh
I went with a group of coworkers to Il Fornaio in Palo Alto. We got a table right away and seated in the cute outdoor area. They have outdoor patio heater so it’s quite comfortable. We ordered some appetizers like Calamaretti Fritti, Cavolfiori, Polipo Con Patate. All are very on point and delicious!
For the entree, I got an Gamberoni E Capesante. The portion is enough for one person, not too much or too little. It’s also very flavorful and the sauce is so good. Overall I enjoy our time at the restaurant and definitely will come back with my family
Michael
Very festive atmosphere as it was a Fathers Day and birthday celebration for us and Stanford graduation weekend for many others.
Jehan Wani
Excellent food and service.They are very flexible too.Jose server was attentive and provided great service.Highly recommended if you are in Palo Alto.
Susan
The food was excellent, the service exceptional, but I wasn't given the chance to use the dining reward I had signed up for.
Nice carpaccio (tender beef, lots of cheese). Ok wines by the glass, although a surprising number are from California. The pappardelle was tasty, but the texture was disappointingly gloopy. The bread used to be included, but is now a $4 addition (it's great, though). Service was friendly, albeit not rushed.
Annoyingly, there's a 3% surcharge that just goes to the restaurant, not the staff. It should be included in the prices.
Cynthia
I took daughter there to celebrate the end of the school year. We had calamari, roasted cauliflower, and pasta with vodka sauce. Everything was delicious. The service was excellent. This is a great place for a family celebration.
Андрей Крон
I came here hoping for a cozy Italian dinner and left pretty satisfied. The pasta was fresh and cooked just right, and the focaccia they bring out before the meal? Totally addictive. I will say the portions are on the smaller side for the price, and the service felt a bit rushed, like they were trying to turn tables quickly. Still, the setting was beautiful—dim lighting, white tablecloths, and that romantic vibe that makes you feel like you’re somewhere special
T
Walked in was greeted seated, waiter was rude was very passive aggressive and in a rush when we arrive we were the only ones outside compare to an hour later it was completely full. The food was great. I'm definitely going to go back to a different site.
Mary Ellen
The veal piccata was absolutely delicious-one of the very best I have ever had. Kudos to the chef!
My wife and I had a great dinner at Il Fornaio, Palo Alto mid July 2025. I was visiting the Bay Area on Business and I took some PTO and my wife and toured CA for a few days. After dinner we were heading to SJC for a red eye flight. At the gate I realized I left my jacket at the restaurant. I called the restaurant and the staff found my jacket. I emailed a shipping label and they kindly mailed it back the next day. I'm very grateful to the staff for going above and beyond with service!
The food was delicious and it had a great atmosphere and reasonably priced for the food we had. The waiter was the best we ever had. He was terrific and a reason to come back. !
Wonderful good and service. I reccomend sitting outside. All the appetizer were wonderful and desserts were bid enough to be shared
My husband and I went to Il Fornaio to celebrate our 30 year wedding anniversary. We got married at the Garden Court Hotel and then Il Fornaio catered our reception. Typically these restaurants have better atmosphere. The Walnut Creek and Sacramento locations have beautiful restaurants. I felt like I was eating at a diner. The table wasn't very exciting and our service was terrible. We had a very young and arrogant waiter who didn't even give us the time of day. I wasn't sure if he knew what a special occasion we were celebrating but he did. The food was decent but I'll never go back to this location which is sad for me to say. Needless to say, it wasn't special at all.
The service and food were very good. Clean dining room. The staff was very friendly. Also, they have Valet parking which is great since trying to find parking in downtown Palo Alto is difficult.
Oh my goodness! The food was so amazing! Large portions, we had it for lunch the next day! We have been there twice! And we are going back!
I went with a group of coworkers to Il Fornaio in Palo Alto. We got a table right away and seated in the cute outdoor area. They have outdoor patio heater so it’s quite comfortable. We ordered some appetizers like Calamaretti Fritti, Cavolfiori, Polipo Con Patate. All are very on point and delicious!
For the entree, I got an Gamberoni E Capesante. The portion is enough for one person, not too much or too little. It’s also very flavorful and the sauce is so good. Overall I enjoy our time at the restaurant and definitely will come back with my family
Very festive atmosphere as it was a Fathers Day and birthday celebration for us and Stanford graduation weekend for many others.
Excellent food and service.They are very flexible too.Jose server was attentive and provided great service.Highly recommended if you are in Palo Alto.
The food was excellent, the service exceptional, but I wasn't given the chance to use the dining reward I had signed up for.
Restaurantji Recommends
Nice carpaccio (tender beef, lots of cheese). Ok wines by the glass, although a surprising number are from California. The pappardelle was tasty, but the texture was disappointingly gloopy. The bread used to be included, but is now a $4 addition (it's great, though).
Service was friendly, albeit not rushed.
Annoyingly, there's a 3% surcharge that just goes to the restaurant, not the staff. It should be included in the prices.
I took daughter there to celebrate the end of the school year. We had calamari, roasted cauliflower, and pasta with vodka sauce. Everything was delicious. The service was excellent. This is a great place for a family celebration.
I came here hoping for a cozy Italian dinner and left pretty satisfied. The pasta was fresh and cooked just right, and the focaccia they bring out before the meal? Totally addictive. I will say the portions are on the smaller side for the price, and the service felt a bit rushed, like they were trying to turn tables quickly. Still, the setting was beautiful—dim lighting, white tablecloths, and that romantic vibe that makes you feel like you’re somewhere special
Walked in was greeted seated, waiter was rude was very passive aggressive and in a rush when we arrive we were the only ones outside compare to an hour later it was completely full. The food was great. I'm definitely going to go back to a different site.
The veal piccata was absolutely delicious-one of the very best I have ever had. Kudos to the chef!
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