IL Fornaio - Seattle

A friend and I dropped in Nov 18th in the late afternoon (4pm) to grab a quick drink and a small bite after seeing the current Bodies Exhibit that I wrote about in a different review last week. My first experience with Il Fornaio was in Palo Alto, California and I still think that it's the better locale from its energy, vibe and service - but this WA version of the chain is still good. The drinks are the usual mix of standard cocktails with a twist for that specific restaurant. We chose to have a small appetizer and we were given bread on top of that so we had more than we needed for our brief visit. more

This is a great spot for happy hour. My husband and I discovered this when we were trying to get in *anywhere* for drinks and apps before an 7:30pm show at the Paramount on a Friday night. This was the only place we could get a table - and bonus! They serve free food until 6:30pm. The freebies are nothing special - fried ravioli, bruschetta, etc - but hey, they're free! more

This place is located in the center of the Pacific Place mall, and they serve up a great lunch! I love their "build your own" salads - you choose your own toppings from an extensive list, and they have yummy things like artichoke hearts and gorgonzola crumbles. They also have a nice selection of sandwiches and the pizza looks great - though I've never tried it myself. You can get San Pelligrino sparkling lemonade in a can here - I LOVE that stuff and it can be hard to find. more

This is a great spot for happy hour. Free food! That’s right. If you sit in the bar during happy hour (I believe it goes until 6:30pm) you get complementary appetizers. Okay, the appetizers are pretty ordinary (think bruchetta, mini pizzas, spicy chicken wings) but we are talking about free munchies folks! My friend and I dropped in on happy hour a few weeks ago. We had a couple glasses of wine each and filled up on the free apps for a whopping total of only $16! It can’t be beat! more

From the lackluster service, to the overcooked food, this was one dining experience I wish to forget. The waiter seemed to have 4 too many tables in his care, as we were not the only table routinely looking around for service throughout the meal. When he finally was tableside, he was very abrupt and disinterested. I had the Cappellacci di Zucca (squash-stuffed ravioli) which sounded magnificent, but was terribly rubbery. My girlfriend had the Rigatoni, which was cooked to perfection. I attempted to send my food back, but was basically talked out of it by the server ("...I can take it back, but there are very busy, and it will take some time for your new meal..."). I believe the food can be better (proven by the few bites I had of my girlfriend's) but not sure what to say about the service. I doubt we'll give them another chance. more

I was only going to give this place 2 stars because the food did not meet my expectations, but the atmosphere inside was better than I had expected and the service was very good, so I'll give it 3. It is a chain and it's located in the Pacific Place mall, so maybe my expectations were too high to begin with. I ordered the lobster ravioli for about $20. Because one of the people at our table took a while to finish his salad, the entrees were ready prematurely. Unfortunately, they sat on the tray while we waited for him to finish and during that time, my dish got cold. I really dislike cold past and so that kind of ruined my dish for me. Besides that, I would say the lobster ravioli was pretty good, but not to die for. It was a bit overly lemony. They give you a nice selection of bread, foccacia, and breaksticks, and there was a large variety of starter salads and soups. Overall, I probably wouldn't go here again (unless someone else invited me) just because there are so many other excellent restaurants in Seattle to go to. more

Thin and crispy. Well proportioned toppings. Pair it with a fresh-squeezed lemonade and you're set! more

Ok! So I first ate at this spot in Vegas at New York New York. And the whole experience made me feel like I was not in Vegas at all. It was fabulous. And the Pine St. location- Equally as fab! Homemade gnocci that was so comfortingly delish some Italian grammy may as well have been in the kitchen. A yummy salmon dish, and a freindly staff. I like the open kitchen too. This place is very good without being to commercial. more

Do you like salads? I love salads, and Il Fornaio has taken salads to their peak with their courtyard cafe located in the center of the main floor of Pacific Place in the heart of downtown Seattle. It is only open for lunch. They also have some very nice sanwiches, soups and pizza slices, along with cookies and soft drinks, and coffee drinks. However, the salads are to rave for. You grab a base, cut romain, or a wild leaf mix. Then you hand it over to the counter person who adds your choice of five additions to the lettuce. They have too many selections for me to remember then all, so I will go back and write them down to add to this post at a later date. The counter person tosses your personalized salad with your choice of dressing and hands it back to you to pay for at the end of the counter. Salad lovers convene here! more

My husband and I were on a "date" night and decided to try Il Fornaio. It was fabulous. They have a downstairs dining area that is more casual and the upstairs is more upscale. We decided to eat in the upstairs area. The ambiance was beautiful and romantic with dimmed lighting, high ceilings, and bistro-like decor. Our server was AMAZING. She described the dishes and desserts so well - it was hard to turn down anything she mentioned. She was very attentive and our bus boy was just as great. From a service standpoint, it was perfect. We never had to look around for our server or ask for anything because they anticipated our every need. The food was also great. Delicious homemade pasta cooked to perfection and unique menu choices left us very happy. Our server presented us with a dessert tray at the end that we could not resist even though we were so full. The best part of this meal was that it was not very expensive at all for the quality of food and service. We were very impressed. As far as bringing the little ones, there were actually several kids dining there while we were there. So it is a nice "date night with baby" place too. I would try to go on the earlier side if you are bringing baby. As you can tell, we will definitely be going back. more