Forno Osteria & Bar Montgomery

Really great food, with each dish thoughtfully composed and with deep, interesting flavor profiles. I tend to have reservations about Italian food since it's so easy to hide behind a heavy tomato sauce or ragout, and the dishes at Forno were very much not doing so. The service was good, I just wish they made it more clear that bread for the table didn't come as a default. I was honestly surprised by how excellent this place was, with the overall experience and food quality far exceeding the extremely reasonable price point and the low key and humble vibe.

A fantastic unplanned visit!Looking for somewhere to have a quick friendly dinner with a colleague, I stumbled across Forno while looking for a place to eat on YELP! It was well past normal dinner time in the middle of the week so the options weren't all that plentiful. I truly lucked out by coming across Forno.We started with the Bruschetta Sampler. Filling but delicious. The two of us destroyed them. Gone.Both of us also chose the Braised Beef Short Rib. I have a weakness for Braised Beef Short Rib. So, if I see it on a menu, it's over. My brain stops reading, menu closed and done. This was one of those cases. Menu open, read "Braised Beef Short Rib" and I was done. In hindsight, I should really continue reading the menu. How will I know if it's being served on something like a bed of old tire shavings or sauteed aged house cat hair? Rest assured, Forno serves their Braised Beef Short Rib with Parsnip-Parmigiano Puree and Glazed Baby Carrots. Fantastic blend of sweet and savory goodness.We also ordered their Cauliflower Gratin as a side that we both shared. Fantastic.To fill in the gaps, Vanilla Creme Brulee rounded off the evening perfectly.Again, we were a last minute walk-in and we got lucky. I can imagine Forno stays pretty busy. It was pretty busy, well after 7pm on a weeknight, however we were able to walk right in and get a good table. Our server was fantastic as well. Attentive and knowledgeable with his recommendations.If you're familiar with the Montgomery area, then you know the way things work. There are several parking lots behind many of the businesses to choose from. If the weather is nice, it's a nice little walk to and from the store fronts and restaurants on Montgomery Rd.Would I go back? I absolutely can't wait. It's over 30 minutes from where I live so I don't find myself in Montgomery often. But, this would be worth the trip and I look forward to coming back for another fantastic meal.

Good spot for a nice dinner out with family or friends. Pizza here is delicious, and service was excellent. Parking nearby is helpful too.

Food is phenomenal... service was top notch. It has a beautiful atmosphere. It's the perfect spot for a date night. I highly recommend the braised short ribs.

Forno not only has amazing food but their service and atmosphere are also top tier. Inside feels so cozy and elegant and is perfect for a romantic date or intimate dinner with friends. Everything we tried was delicious, but by far the winners were the eggplant parmigiana, and their pizza. If you enjoy wood fired, Italian style pizza, then this may just be the best place to get it in Cincinnati.

It is hard for an Italian restaurant to earn my praise. The best Italian meals has always been served at my own kitchen table. We went to FORNO Osteria last night. I ordered the octopus and meatballs. My wife ordered the pork chop. My general rule is you can judge an Italian restaurant based on how well they make meatballs. The veal based gems were wonderful. Granted, nothing like our family recipe. But, we use a combination of beef and veal so I wasn't expecting to compare it that way. The octopus was outstanding. The only problem with it is that it will be hard for me to select a different entree the next time we go. My wife's pork chop was delicious as well. It was pounded, lightly breaded and served in a butter sauce. Delizioso! I often tell friends my biggest issue with the cuisine in Northern Cincinnati is the lack of a great Italian restaurant. Problem solved!

Excellent all around. Very good service, excellent food, and great ambiance. For appetizers we shared the meatballs and the tripe. The flavors on the tripe appetizer were sublime. The meatballs were very good as well. For dinner, I got the Atlantic cod. It was perfectly cooked -- nice and crispy on the outside and moist and flavorful on the inside. The eggplant parmasen was delicious, although a bit on the heavy side For dessert, we shared the creme brulee. Again excellent. A wonderful evening -- we will definitely return the next time we are in town.

We have been going to Forno for years and this is my first review on Yelp. We had a reservation for four at 7:15pm on a Saturday night at a high top in the bar area, and arrived exactly on time. Like every other time we have gone, our table was still occupied by other guests when we arrived. And if you have ever been, you know that the place is small and there is absolutely no room in the foyer to wait. After getting two emails and a text reminding me of our reservation, it is frustrating that we still had to wait 16 minutes for our table while the bartender completely ignored that we were standing right by the bar and didn't ask if we would like a drink. I had to be more assertive than I normally would to get his attention to get us some wine. When we were seated, it took a good 15 minutes before that same bartender came over to acknowledge us. After that, the evening went smoothly. Our server Liz was great. We started with the Tonne e Fagioli. It has been on there menu for forever, and is a unique presentation of yellow fin tuna on beans. It does have a fennel note, which I love, but it is not for everyone. And I wish the beans were cooked just a teensy bit more. The artichoke soup was very good, but came to our table cold. I wanted to send it back to get heated, but my wife didn't want to complain. The house made focaccia was excellent, as were all of the bruschetta options. For our mains, two of us ordered pizza. The Salsiccia E Cipolla (sausage, caramelized onion, mozzarella) was loved by my friend, and the Elena (black truffle, gorgonzola, mozzarella and arugula) was also liked, but we thought it needed a generous drizzle of EVOO over the top and didn't have much truffle flavor at all. The Atlantic Cod dish was wonderful, and the Pork Chop Milanese was huge and cooked perfectly. The cauliflower on top was fantastic. If Forno could just up their service game more and pay attention to the little details (like hot soup), I would give it 5 stars for a casual Italian place.

Forno in Montgomery has such a cozy and intimate vibe that truly makes you feel like you're at a little Italian winery. Whether you sit at a table or the bar overlooking the large stone pizza oven, you'll feel at home. The service was impeccable from the second we walked in the door, and then there's the food...Oh my goodness the food. Every bite perfect. Fresh bread, pasta with the masteful al dente cooking, and lots of cheesy goodness. What we ordered:1 Gnocchi - served with a lick-the-bowl-clean leek-parmigiano fondue and topped with speck and parm2 Tagliatelle Bolognese - served with a tender beef and veal sauce. Perfect chew on the noodkes3 Atlantic Cod - thick cut cod nicely seared with pesto and peperonata4 @allezbakery bread basket5 Cauliflower Gratin - a fantastically cheesy baked side "for the table" that I truly wanted all for myself

Some pretty good Italian food here. It was very crowded, and the server seemed a little hurried with us. Otherwise it was all good.