IL FORNELLO, Ajax — Restaurant in Ajax

We booked the semi-private Libri room for my parents' 30th wedding anniversary celebration. Considering I was a guest and also got a very positive feedback from the hosts (my parents), I would only rate this place a 3 because of a few but significant disappointments.

Pros: -Renee was accommodating considering we booked it very last minute (3 days prior) because of a venue mishap -staff allowed us to come in 30-min before opening to decorate -service was excellent: Julio did a great job in taking our orders, serving the food, bussing the tables, and respecting our event's timeline without making us feel hurried -large food portions; delicious appetizers & desserts -decor was lovely; space was clean & modern & though semi-private, I noticed that most restaurant guests were seated further away from our party to avoid noise-overlap

Cons: -on the Il Fornello Ajax website under private dining, the menu section specifically says "We offer several different menus with something for everyone to help make your next group event a success including a $25 Lunch Prix Fixe, $28 Three Course Dinner Prix Fixe and our $35 Four Course Prix Fixe Dinner." We went for a lunch celebration and the $25 lunch prix fixe was not honoured because Renee said that this deal was only for a "different location". Not wanting to argue over a few dollars, my parents let it go & decided we should still book this venue with the $28 3-course dinner prix fixe. I'm sorry, but if it is on your website and up to now (a week after our event) it hasn't been amended, this $25 lunch offer should be honoured. -Renee confirmed that we would be able to order a salmon entree for a few guests with special dietary concerns for an added $5 per salmon order. I'm not sure if this was lack of communication between management and staff, but when asked about it, we were told we would have to pay the $35 prix fixe price for those ordering salmon. Again, only a few dollars of difference but honouring one's word is important. -entrees were only okay. Most of the pastas were nothing memorable and were mostly made of cheeses. The pizzas were a good size, however. -a few guests complained of stomach upset (gastroenteritis) soon after their meal, which is very embarrassing for the hosts

Though the hosts and guests did overall enjoy themselves and there were many, many positive things about this location, the cons outweighed the pros in my perspective. Unfortunately, I would not come back to host an event at...

I recently visited Il Fornello in Ajax, and unfortunately, my experience left much to be desired. While the service was commendable, the atmosphere, cleanliness, and overall meal quality fell short of expectations.

Upon entering the restaurant, I couldn't help but notice a lackluster atmosphere. The ambiance felt somewhat dull and uninspiring, which immediately impacted the overall dining experience. Moreover, as I settled in at my table, I noticed dust on the ledges, which signaled a lack of attention to detail in terms of cleanliness.

The biggest disappointment was encountered in the ladies' washroom. The sink was in a deplorable state, with something black, possibly rust or mold, visibly present. This raised serious concerns about hygiene and sanitation. It is essential for any dining establishment to maintain clean and sanitary facilities, and this oversight certainly left a lasting negative impression.

Moving on to the food, our initial choice of calamari appetizer was a letdown. The calamari tasted rubbery and lacked the expected crispy crunch of well-prepared calamari. The soft breading did not add any desirable texture, and overall, the dish was far from enjoyable.

For our main courses, I ordered the Butternut Squash Ravioli, while my dining companion opted for the Pappardelle Stefano. Regrettably, my ravioli dish was bland and lacked the promised flavors. The lack of seasoning and taste left me unsatisfied with my meal choice. On the other hand, Shawn's Pappardelle Stefano fared much better, and he seemed to enjoy it.

Despite these disappointments, the service provided by the staff was commendable. Our orders were taken promptly, and the food was brought to our table within a reasonable time frame. I must also acknowledge the waitress's swift response when we expressed our dissatisfaction with the calamari. She quickly addressed the issue and comped the dish, which was a thoughtful gesture.

In conclusion, I cannot wholeheartedly recommend Il Fornello in Ajax. The subpar atmosphere, lack of cleanliness, and hit-or-miss food quality detract significantly from the overall dining experience. While the excellent service was a positive aspect, it was not enough to outweigh the negatives. I hope that the restaurant management takes these issues into serious consideration to improve their offerings and create a more enjoyable dining experience for...

We heard really positive things about the restaurant which was why we decided to have dinner here, but honestly apart from the food our experience was horrible! When we first got there, we were seated with nothing, not even a menu. Finally our waitress came and brought back menus, we ordered our app & drinks, but needed more time for the entree which we ordered shortly after. She took our order and in the time she left we noticed the newly seated tables around us were given a bread basket and we never were. Our app comes and no plate, utensils or bread was provided us up until this point. Mind you, I’m almost 9 months pregnant and starving so we started picking at the app, we were halfway through our app before anyone came in to check on us and we finally were able to get cutlery and ask about bread. When my boyfriend ordered a 2nd corona come to find out from the manager they were out and had to get more which was fine, what was not fine was when the manager came back 20 minutes later to ask if he’d gotten his drink yet and he hadn’t and the waitress was sent to get it right away. So needless to say the service was horrible. The atmosphere was also terrible there was a finally with 4 small children, and the children were running around the patio touching and licking people and their items! During these times this is especially concerning! No one did nothing to stop this, or speak to the parents the waitress serving them kept saying ‘it’s fine’ but it’s not! People are trying to enjoy their meals peacefully without having to babysit someone else’s child. Overall our experience was a...