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Il Fornaio - Palo Alto, Palo Alto, CA

Il Fornaio - Palo Alto

4.5
4.5
2749 Reviews
$30 and under
Italian

Make a booking

2 people
7:00 pm
Booked 15 times today
  • Good for business meals
  • Neighbourhood gem
  • Good for special occasions
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
  • Area
    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, Takeaway, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Featured in

Menu

View menu on restaurant's website

What 2,749 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
  • 4.6Food
  • 4.5Service
  • 4.6Ambience
  • 4.3Value

Noise • Moderate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Il Fornaio in Palo Alto consistently delivers a delightful dining experience with "excellent service" and "consistently great food." The menu boasts a variety of Italian favorites, perfect for group celebrations or intimate dinners. Guests rave about its "lovely ambiance," especially the charming outdoor patio. Ideal for special occasions and casual gatherings.

2,749 Reviews

  1. Aída

    San Francisco

    5 reviews

    4.0

    5 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    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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  2. Sandra

    San Francisco

    205 reviews

    3.0

    205 reviews

    Dined on 8 November 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?

  3. Elizabeth

    San Francisco

    27 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    27 reviews

    Dined on 2 November 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.

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  4. Jeannie

    Central Coast

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on 21 October 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.

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  5. Peter

    San Francisco

    114 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    114 reviews

    Dined on 16 October 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Il Fornaio is consistent with excellent quality food and good service. And even though there were 2 huge parties we never felt ignored or had a disappointment with the service or food.

    Is this helpful?

  6. Laura

    San Francisco

    5 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on 14 October 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We celebrated my husband's birthday with the family. We were sitting in the outside patio which was lovely and had a wonderful waitress , Andrea who was very nice and did everything to make our evening very enjoyable.

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  7. OpenTable Diner

    New York City

    3 reviews

    3.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on 12 October 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    Very odd appetizer special - zucchini blossom and mozzarella deep fried. It was mostly fried batter. Nothing that resembled a “blossom.” Otherwise food was good.

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  8. Charles

    San Francisco

    8 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    8 reviews

    Dined on 5 October 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We go here for any and all occasions because food and service - all the people that work here are awesome. My wife and both of my daughters love this place. We will be coming here for years to come!!!

    Is this helpful?

  9. Hiroaki

    San Francisco

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 3 October 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    We had a meal in a comfortable atmosphere. The food is also great. I would like to use it again if I visit Palo Alto again.

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  10. Gaetano

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on 3 October 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Best and most consistent quality Italian restaurant in the Bay Area. Great taste and variety. No need to ever add anything to their dishes

    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 2749 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a booking

2 people
7:00 pm
Booked 15 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
  • Area
    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, Takeaway, 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

Featured in

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