Il Fornaio

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 outI 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.

The waiter asked if I wanted to have my parking validated, I said yes and he took my ticket... it was not validated :(Next time I go I'll do it myself

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.

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.

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

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

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 lolWe are always treated so well here and everyone is kind and happy! We can't wait to come back

Food was delicious and everyone in our family enjoyed their meal. The server was enthusiastic about the food and wine that was being served. We loved the seating area in the center which created a cozy yet elegant vibe but not too fancy that you felt out of place. Our favorite was the CALAMARETTI FRITTI, POLIPO CON PATATE, GNOCCHI GRATINATI and RIGATONI ALLA VODKA. Our family genuinely loved our experience and we will be back.

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.

Been to this restaurant many times already and it's always a very nice experience for me and my friends. Tonight, our server was Tony and he gave us an excellent service. He was very attentive and served our already good food with a smile all the time. We enjoyed the place so much, we stayed longer than usual LOL!