IL FORNELLO Sherwood Village — Restaurant in Mississauga

Severely disappointed with my experience. Stick with the drinks.

Food: I ordered the calamari, something I always order whenever I see it on a menu because I like to see the way it is prepared. The calamari was generic. The best part of the app was a lemon dripped with balsamic vinegar. For my main I ordered the prosciutto and arugula pizza. I was excited to see the resto had a pizza oven located in the centre of the space. I was sorely disappointed with my main. I understand that the pizza I ordered did not come with tomato sauce, but it made for a terribly dry and flavourless eating experience. The prosciutto was too thickly sliced and flavourless. Only a single, sliced cherry tomato per slice provided some respite from an otherwise underwhelming pizza. The crust was thin but nothing special. I don't know what happened. Having recently eaten at Oretta, Piano Piano and Goodfellas, these are the kind of pizza I was expecting.

Service: I called ahead and left a reservation. I liked that they asked if it was a celebration of some kind and if there were any allergy concerns. We were served by Alison who was pleasant and helpful. We were not checked on after our food arrived. When I realized that my pizza was not enjoyable we had difficulty calling our sever back to our table. When I explained that my pizza was dry I wasn't really offered a solution. I was surprised that the restaurant did not have a balsamic glaze to drizzle over the pizza or a hot chili oil either. Alison did bring a small cup of tomato sauce but by then the pizza was cold. While there seemed to be plenty of staff, there were little mistakes here and there. We ordered our drinks with Alison. Then a different server came to the table to ask if we had ordered drinks, promised us water and bread. Water arrived but was never refilled, and the bread never materialized.

Atmosphere: IL FORNELLO gains a star here for being new and clean. The space is decorated with fake plants that do help break up the lines and make it feel rustic. The music could be much quieter, especially considering my mother has hearing problems and I had to shout for her to hear me. Not to mention that we were seated too close to a couple to our right and a party to our left that lent no privacy to the meal. It was also cold. Not "kept cool" from the heat of the day cold, I mean the table next to us were wearing their jackets at the table. I'm not sure why it was so cold, my guess is the open kitchen gets hot and since there it isn't enclosed the AC has to be on and affects the whole space.

Overall I was let down. The moment we were seated we were told that what set this location apart was that they had an authentic Italian chef and the meals were elevated. Sorry to say, but you've been misled. Clearly your chef needs to see what the competition is bringing to the table. From having a pizza oven and failing to make a decent pizza, to presenting generic appetizers, to being squeezed into a table when there was so much better tables (we even made a reservation) and the chilly environment, this was sad sad experience that promised so much and...

On October 18th, after a long working day for me in real estate I invited my wife and my daughter to Il Fornello on Erin Mills (Sheridan Mall), first my wife and I stepped in and my daughter went to grab something from Shoppers, he lady at the reception was on the phone so we waited on the side, as she asked for minute to finish, after a few minutes another staff working in the bar area who was looking at us strangely all the time, said with a firm voice with a glass and a cloth in her hand, you have to wait till she finishes the call!! I didn't say anything but I nodded and it sounded strange as we were waiting anyways, that was not enough for her !! she came out of the bar with a voice of order, if you don't have reservation then you need to wait here as she has to finish the call and see if she can get you in !! I said don't you see we are waiting already, why are you repeating it again !! The reception lady took forever then she came and said sorry and asked, do you have reservations? I said no, she looked and said I can give you a table but only till 7 pm as I have reservations after that, I said its 5:15 that should be fine, she took us to our table and before she put the menus she told me firmly, you can only be here till 7 !!! AGAIN !!, I told her, what's wrong with you people, the bar lady thinks we've never been to a restaurant and very impolitely giving orders and instructions, you took forever on the while we are waiting we never complained then in less than 2 minutes you repeat that we have to leave by 7 !! she answered, Its my habit to repeat myself. !! My only explanation for their unprofessional behavior, is maybe because my wife and my daughter both wear Hijab !! so they thought we are not the kind of people who understand restaurants rules !! I've been in Canada for 33 years, never treated so badly in any restaurants like what those two ladies did to us, my daughter who's a university graduate was born in Credit Valley Hospital, yet those two ladies believed from how we looked probably , we maybe should not come to that kind of restaurant. I am not expecting to hear from the restaurant's manager, I believe they know the attitude, as I saw that lady inside the bar area talking to her peers and looking at out direction with a very stupid smile. The reason I gave 3 stars because our server was really nice and the young man who served us the bread and oil was a gentleman, and they were the reason we stayed. One of the weird things also, they had a photographer taking pictures without asking guests for permission, that was very unprofessional and it did upset some guests. Food was good , needed a hint of more salt, but that was totally fine, you can always add...

We dined at Il Fornello recently, drawn in by the restaurant’s spacious and beautifully designed interior. The ambiance is lovely, with an indoor fireplace, a private dining room, and a front patio, making it a promising spot for a special meal. However, our experience was unfortunately underwhelming.

We started with the Margherita pizza, but the crust arrived burnt. When we politely sent it back, the waitstaff commented, “Oh, you don’t want it well done?”—a response that felt dismissive. For comparison, the table next to us ordered prosciutto pizzas, and the difference in crust color was striking. We wish we had taken a photo.

My wife ordered the Chicken Wellington, and we were excited to try it. However, the sides were disappointing—burnt squash and peppers, unseasoned artichokes, and an outer layer that was too tough to eat. The Wellington itself showed promise, but the chicken was on the dry side, making it less enjoyable. I had the seasonal turkey roulade. While the flavors were pleasant, the turkey was even drier than the Wellington, with tough connective tissue that made it hard to cut and chew. Sadly, it arrived lukewarm as well.

A peek into the kitchen revealed food sitting too long under the heat lamp at the pass, which may explain some of the temperature issues. We felt for the chef, knowing how difficult it must be to deliver consistency under such conditions.

Our server was kind enough to offer a complimentary dessert to make up for the meal’s shortcomings. My wife chose the Lava S’more, but it was another letdown. The center of the cake didn’t run as expected, giving the impression it may have been microwaved. The liquid inside was watery, likely from a soggy bottom, which took away from the overall experience.

Despite these issues, we appreciate the thoughtful touches in the decor and the friendly service. We’ve stopped by for happy hour drinks in the past and enjoyed those visits. We genuinely want to see Il Fornello thrive in the neighborhood, and we hope that with some adjustments to the kitchen’s execution, this place can live up to its potential. We look forward to giving it another chance...