Il Fornaio - San Jose

Review summary

1. C

   Christina

   San Francisco

   3 reviews

   2.0

   3 reviews

   Dined today

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 4

   Unfortunately our meal was a total fail. The drinks and burrata appetizer were good, but 2 of the four meals were inedible. The pasta rigatoni wasn't fully cooked, and the shrimp scampi with polenta was all shell and the polenta was clumpy. The waiter tried to make it up to us by offering to bring something else, but we didn't have time since we were seeing a show. He ended up removing them from the bill but never brought any bread (despite saying he would) or anything for our friends to eat instead before we went to the show. The gnocchi entree and arugula with couscous salad were both good, but the whole experience was disappointing and our poor friends left hungry.
   

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2. J

   Jared

   San Francisco

   31 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   31 reviews

   Dined today

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   It's a beautiful room with a high ceiling and big windows and an open kitchen. Service was super! Fast, attentive and nice (bearded European). The pear salad was excellent, the steak was just right (for me), and the lobster pasta was good too ... but better to just serve a good lobster without sauce and a bed of red sauce pasta. Generally, very good, but this time (during a pre-theater rush) the service was efficient and .. outstanding. thanks!
   

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3. J

   James

   San Francisco

   3 reviews

   5.0

   3 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Even though our show ran longer than expected and we arrived at the restaurant late, we were given nothing but very considerate service and wonderful food. 30 minutes to closing, we were the last customers in the restaurant but made to feel appreciated and well taken care of. We shared our dinners of Rigatoni allá Vodka and Pollo allá Parmigiana and they were both outstanding. The pasta had a nice al dente bite that only fresh pasta can give you and the sauce had a perfect yummy balance of bacon in a tomato cream. The chicken parm was so flavorful and tender, loaded with cheese but not to the point of excess. And the spaghetti on the side, so often nothing to write home about in other restaurants, was excellent as well. It was our anniversary celebration, and not only did they put a small card on our table wishing us “Felice Anniversario”, but many of the employees stopped by to wish us this as well. And then following our dinners they came out with a special dessert for us to share. Thanks to all of these wonderful people’s efforts, from hostess, chefs to waiters and bus staff, they made our experience a wonderful one. And thankfully, we were able to bring home our leftovers so we’re both looking forward to having the rest of it tonight.
   

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4. D

   Danny

   San Francisco

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 6 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 4

   Located well in the Westin with windows to the street which is a good vibe. Pasta was good, we asked for our $55 filet mignon to be medium and it was well done. We had a time constraint and service was slow so we did not send it back. Had to send back a cocktail which was terrible, replacement was OK. Wait staff seemed over-worked and we spent much longer in there than intended. The manager stopped by and that's how I was able to get another drink when my first ran out. All-in, it was almost $200 for the two of us, and I don't mind paying a premium, but I expect a better result when I do.
   

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5. S

   Scott

   San Francisco

   4 reviews

   4.0

   4 reviews

   Dined 6 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 3

   Server was prompt and made sure we made it to the opera, while having a nice dinner and dessert.
   

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6. T

   Tom

   San Francisco

   18 reviews

   5.0

   18 reviews

   Dined 7 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   My wife ordered the salad with salmon while I ordered the Bolognese. Both were excellent, tasty, hot and timely. The server was easily able to handle a couple of special food requests and was attentive on drink refills without being overbearing.
   

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7. B

   Bob

   San Francisco

   49 reviews

   5.0

   49 reviews

   Dined on November 14, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Our party was late, thanks to rush hour traffic, but we were seated at our table of choice. Our server was at our table promptly, and he had no problem with taking our drink and meal orders simultaneously. The food was excellent, and that also applied to some of the best broccolini I can recall. At no time was there enough noise to bother our conversation. The one down-side was the parking across San Carlos street. I had not anticipated how congested that lot turned out to be.
   

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8. M

   Michael

   San Francisco

   28 reviews

   5.0

   28 reviews

   Dined on November 11, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   Food is always amazing... we had the Calamari and Caprese apps, then rigatoni with bacon, chicken pesto pasta, and tiramisu... all were tasty!!! It was not busy on Sunday, but most nights are quite packed... helped to get a reservation.
   

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9. KM

   KristenM

   San Francisco

   15 reviews

   5.0

   15 reviews

   Dined on November 4, 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Delicious past dishes! Friendly service. Happy place for date night.
   

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10. L

    Lorna

    San Francisco

    44 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    44 reviews

    Dined on October 31, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4

    We ate here prior to seeing a show at the performing arts center a few blocks away. The staff was friendly and helpful. They asked if we had a show to get to so that they knew we were on a schedule. Without feeling rushed, everything was served in a timely manner. I had a seasonal pumpkin martini. It was good, flavorful without being overly sweet. My husband had pasta to start carbing up for a marathon and I had the tuna tartare. Both were very good. The only thing not so great about our visit is where we were seated. I understand the need to balance the load between different servers. A short wall divides the restaurant into about 3/4 and 1/4. Though we arrived early and there were tons of two top tables, we were seated behind the dividing wall. We were literally the only people seated there the whole time. That wall creates a corridor of sorts where most of the kitchen traffic, and customers headed to the bar, etc, go by. We were surrounded by empty tables with a constant flow of people walking by. Not really very relaxing. I pointed it out to the hostess on one of her many trips going by our table, just letting her know what the experience was like. She offered to reseat us. I declined, as we were halfway through our meal. I mainly thought she would want to know for future clients. The manager came by and apologized, and sent us a free dessert. Very kind. I'd go back there again. It really is a nice place to eat with a varied menu, good service, and a nice bar. I'll just make sure we get seated in the main part of the restaurant next time.
    

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