Il Fornaio

Been here many times over the years for lunch and dinner, staff are kind, food is ok. The main reason my family and I like to come here is for the ambience. They have beautiful decor during the holidays and throughout the year the vibe inside is very warm, lively and suitable for the more casual special occasion meals. Food wise, butternut squash ravioli is my favorite, but everything else , (pizzas, calamari, lasagna, most other pastas) taste very commercial, and gives similar vibes to the cheesecake factory. Prices are also similar to cheesecake factory, where it is a bit pricey for the portion and quality you get. So overall if you're prioritizing ambience this is your spot, but if you're looking for more authentic Italian food, might need to keep looking.

We came for a big team lunch around 12 and there was plenty of seating. Parking can get pretty hard since it's downtown burlingame but you'll eventually find a spot.We got free bread when we sat down and it was good and soft.Calamari: 3/5 Was hoping for the calamari to be a bit crispier. By the time we got it, the breading was already getting a bit soggy.Ravioli: 4/5 Good portion size. Cream sauce was nice but definitely needed some more salt, the actual ravioli was kind of bland.Overall the food was fine but was nothing special, i've had better italian food around the bay.

Pretty basic. Food is fine but expensive. Service forgot I needed a fork and knife (took it away with appetizer) so I had to forage for one like an idiot after two servers didn't understand my request for a new one.I like the interior if you are not sitting near the kitchen where it is loud and the lights change from a nice warm hue to this clinical bright white spotlight.

Had a layover and decided to check out this restaurant. The atmosphere is very pleasant and relaxing. The host was so sweet and welcoming. Servers were all soo attentive and kind. Ordered some bread aka CESTINO DEL PANE (not pictured here). The bread was cooked to perfection. My pasta was so flavorful and buttery. I think it was my favorite vodka sauce I've ever had it's a big portion so you will have leftovers. My boyfriend got the ravioli and it wasn't a big portion. For the price they should definitely serve more. He wanted more because he loved it. If you're looking for a bigger portion and leftovers skip the Ravioli. Loved my experience here

Let's start with parking .... Plenty of it!! Street and lots thankfully this area is busy in the evening.Location is beautiful every elegant and openWe came for the Happy Hour which was from 3-6pm Monday through Friday Great deals for delicious Italian cuisine Associate Eddie at the bar was very welcoming we sat at a table but he was very kind and helped us order wine and food. Aurora was wonderful as well very made our date night a very pleasant experience! We order an calamaretti fritti and the pizza fradiavola both great choices delicious and filling!! Over all 5 stars we will be back but next time with friends

Spacious and family-friendly Italian restaurant located in downtown Burlingame. The polpo con patate was delicious! The octopus was soft and the olive oil had a fresh, fruity aroma with a subtle, citrusy flavor. Lunch time was pretty busy and the server forgot to give our complementary bread. He was very apologetic and tried to accommodate us as best as he could. He even offered to give us extra bread to go which was kind of him! Overall, great experience!

the server asked us if we wanted bread so we thought it was complimentary but turns out it wasn't. would've appreciated more transparency. also did the check in on Yelp for the bruschetta but they charged us anyways for it. even though she said she would take care of it. rigatoni vodka was so good. the linguine seafood was unique too with tons of seafood. braised rib ravioli was really mushy on the inside, no texture. calamari was tasty. bruschetta bread was soggy but tomato's were good. there was a fan directly over a lightbulb so it was causing the light to strobe overhead. they turned it off when we asked tho.

We arrived close to closing but the service was still great. The scallops and roasted cauliflower were delicious and there was a good selection of drinks. The restaurant wasn't very busy so the environment was very relaxing. Overall a solid place to visit.

I booked a last-minute reservation (aka the night before) for a team dinner. The Il Fornaio team accommodated our reservation updates, and we were seated immediately upon arrival. I noticed that the restaurant has a surprisingly large dining area, yet most tables were full on a weeknight with groups that appeared to be celebrating a special occasion. Our table ordered several rounds of appetizers, which were brought out quickly despite the bustling dinner crowd. Everything we ordered hit the spot - I especially enjoyed the roasted cauliflower appetizer that had a nice touch of rosemary. For my main course, I ordered the mafaldine pasta with squid. The pasta, cooked to a perfect al dente, was enrobed in a delicious tomato-seafood sauce. As a bonus, I soaked up the remaining sauce with the (complimentary!) bread that was served at our table. My team enjoyed the evening of elevated Italian comfort food accompanied by warm hospitality.

I came here to use their private room for a client appreciation event. The food was good and the service was terrific. My only complaint was that they tacked on a $28/person wine charge which was not in the original contract. They also tacked on taxes and tip on top of that. Other than that we had a good experience.