(626) 683-9797

24 W Union St
Pasadena, CA 91103 34.14675 -118.151052

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Neighborhood: West Central

ilfornaio.com

Years in business

Established in 1993

Hours:

Mon - Thur: 11:30am-10:00pm

Fri - Sat: 11:30am-11:00pm

Sun: 10:00am-10:00pm

Price:

$$

Last updated 8.16.11

Category:

Restaurants, Bakeries, Food & Dining

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, Discover, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Family-Friendly Dining

Cuisine:

Italian

Smoking Permitted:

On the patio; No cigars

Other Locations:

Editor's Tips

What People Are Saying About Il Fornaio

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

The Scene – At first glance, Il Fornaio looks too frenetic and unwieldy to be a serious restaurant--but it is. The sprawling, stylish dining room attracts a diverse crowd and the mile-long bar is a magnet for the young and well-tanned. Adding to the show are the pyrotechnics in the gleaming open kitchen. At peak hours, the place can be loud, but not distractingly so. – – The Food – The kitchen turns out well-honed renditions of regional northern Italian fare, with a dozen or more daily specials. For starters, salads are vibrant and attractive, as is the grilled…

Editor's Tips

Know Before You Go:
During the holidays, when they pitch a tent over the patio, there is no smoking allowed.
ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. “The bar is fun.”
  2. “Great location, good food”
  3. “Average Italian food but the location and ambience make Il Fornaio a nice place for a date.”
  4. “This has good Italian sytle dishes, but it is not the Italian ambience you might be looking for.”
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. “They do have very good pasta dishes and excellent desserts.”
  2. “The desserts are always good especially the chocolate mousse creme brulee!”
  3. “The beef tenderloin risotto w/ crispy shallots and gorgonzola cream was so good, I wished I had ordered it instead of just tasting a bit from my boyfriend's plate.”
  4. “The dessert wasn't bad.”
  5. “nice wood-fired oven makes for crispy pizza, and the desert cart is fully stocked.”
drinks
100.0% positive
  1. “The bread, served with wine and olive oil was very nostalgic and our meal was impeccable.”
  2. “The bar is fun.”
  3. “The wine selection is excellent as well, as we both enjoyed glasses of Italian varietals that we've never seen before.”
  4. “great place for a quick sandwich or salad, some baked goods or a cup of coffee that's reasonably-priced.”
food quality
84.47999954223633% positive
  1. “The ahi wasn't fresh (grey spots), and was extremely bland (not even salt & pepper).”
  2. “The cuisine here is good, exquisite in some cases, but the vibe is corporate and the bills are high.”
  3. “do enjoy the salmon carpaccio and the breads.”
  4. “Overall, the food was disappointing but the experience was average.”
  5. “Great location, good food”
  6. “The patio was filled, but the food wasn't all that great anymore.”
  7. “"Il Fornaio" means "the Baker" and yes, the bread is always great too.”
  8. “decent service, sub-par food”
  9. “The desserts are always good especially the chocolate mousse creme brulee!”
  10. “went there with a big group of people and we just didn't seem satisfied with the meal.”
  11. “The food looked appetizing, but it was bland.”
  12. “The food is always good, my favorite is the Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage butter.”
  13. “the servers are wonderful and the food is great.”
  14. “Their bread is the best on earth, served fresh and free on your table.”
  15. “They have good food and good service, but the Pasadena branch suffers terribly from rude and disorganized management.”
  16. “Average Italian food but the location and ambience make Il Fornaio a nice place for a date.”
  17. “This has good Italian sytle dishes, but it is not the Italian ambience you might be looking for.”
  18. “The Bolognese pasta was excellent.”
  19. “sure its a chain, but the food is just delicious.”
  20. “great place for a quick sandwich or salad, some baked goods or a cup of coffee that's reasonably-priced.”
  21. “Everyone fought for the salt to try to make their food more palatable.”
  22. “The bread, served with wine and olive oil was very nostalgic and our meal was impeccable.”
  23. “nice wood-fired oven makes for crispy pizza, and the desert cart is fully stocked.”
  24. “It's not small and private, but it is good food.”
  25. “The bread is amazing.”
  26. “Service was poor, my steak was undercooked and rubbery.”
  27. “They do have very good pasta dishes and excellent desserts.”
  28. “The food was mediocre.”
  29. “The beef tenderloin risotto w/ crispy shallots and gorgonzola cream was so good, I wished I had ordered it instead of just tasting a bit from my boyfriend's plate.”
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. “The wine selection is excellent as well, as we both enjoyed glasses of Italian varietals that we've never seen before.”
overall
100.0% positive
  1. “Average Italian food but the location and ambience make Il Fornaio a nice place for a date.”
  2. “great place for a quick sandwich or salad, some baked goods or a cup of coffee that's reasonably-priced.”
return potential
100.0% positive
  1. “All in all, I'm a happy diner, and I'll be sure to be back.”
service
75.0% positive
  1. “The service was good, as in not poor.”
  2. “decent service, sub-par food”
  3. “The service was friendly, patient and detail-oriented without being fussy.”
  4. “Unreliable, rude service”
  5. “The service was slow and very inneficient.”
  6. “the servers are wonderful and the food is great.”
  7. “once you get past the scatterbrained hostess who always forgets write down your name on the list, hence sometimes forget that you're even there, the restaurant is great.”
  8. “went there with a big group of people and we just didn't seem satisfied with the meal.”
  9. “They have good food and good service, but the Pasadena branch suffers terribly from rude and disorganized management.”
  10. “We went to Twin Palms and received great service.”
value
100.0% positive
  1. “am a firm believer that Italian dining should be ample portions and great prices in that red-checkered-tablecloth, mom-and-pop sort of way.”
wait time
50.0% positive
  1. “great place for a quick sandwich or salad, some baked goods or a cup of coffee that's reasonably-priced.”
  2. “The service was slow and very inneficient.”
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

08/09/11

Favorite!

by annagreerk

6 stars for ZABAIONE!! A must try! My favorite dessert anywhere.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

08/08/11

I can feel spirit of a baker in this recipe

by Nicole Erickson

I see a lot of mixed reviews, but here is my experience. We when out for breakfast on sunday morning. What a beautiful day for a patio, quiet and relax atmosphere surrounded by gorgeous architecture. I absolutely was amazed by service of our waiter Robert, from the way how he introduces menu special I was even more hungry. Fallowing his advise on cappuccino I could not be more happier, fluffy foam with large bubbles looks so good I had to take a picture, its was even better than I thought. I ordered "Uova Alla Benedettina e Polpa Di Granchio" ( oh boy there is whole recipe in this name :) It's a master pice of creative layers of goodness. BOOM! And not to forget best bread ever, I grow up on fresh bread like that. Perfect crust and fluffy dough mixed with olives, I can feel spirit of a baker in this recipe.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

07/29/11

Great deal

by alondrajawad

Just went for a quick lunch there and decided on the Vegetable Pizza from the cafe section. For $6.99 I got a delicious, thin crust, burnt in the right places, fresh tasting, perfectly individually-sized (for a big eater like me) pizza with lots of gooey cheese, grilled artichoke hearts, eggplant, zucchini, onions and tomatoes. Great deal for Old Town Pasadena!

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

07/28/11

Always a great experience

by Shawna5522

I've been coming to this Il Fornaio for years and it's always a great experience. The menu changes from time to time but the food is always great!

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

07/27/11

Great service

by miguelina balke

The service there is great, I dont mind waiting a few minutes because it's always so busy there, if all the tables are packed the patio there is very lovely

The Details on Il Fornaio

Place Categories:

  • good service
  • always great bread
  • excellent desserts
  • rude management
  • nice place
  • big group
  • not fresh ahi
  • mediocre food
  • mediocre meal
  • very good pasta dishes
  • good crispy shallots
  • enjoyed glasses
  • happy diner
  • obnoxious teens
  • not bad restuarant
  • nice woodfired oven
  • good italian sytle dishes
  • excellent bolognese pasta
  • enjoy salmon carpaccio
  • best breakfast
  • crispy pizza
  • fun bar
  • good subpar food
  • wonderful bolognese
  • love il fornaio
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