Il Forno a Legna — Restaurant in McAllen

I truly wish I had better things to say, especially since we've dined at Il Forno multiple times before and had consistently great experiences. It’s a smaller restaurant, but we were always drawn back by the quality of the food. This time, we chose it to celebrate my mother-in-law’s birthday because we thought it would be a memorable spot for a special occasion.

We made a reservation for seven through OpenTable and confirmed it via text the day before. The restaurant also called to confirm the reservation, ask about accommodations, and inform us of their policy regarding outside food. During that call, they asked if we would need a highchair, which we confirmed, and mentioned a $25 cake fee. We were fine with that—most restaurants charge for outside desserts (Palomino’s, Mula Cantina, etc.), so it wasn’t surprising.

When we arrived, we were seated at a table set for only six, despite our reservation being for seven. They did bring out a highchair, but about 20 minutes in—after we had already ordered 8 drinks and begun eating appetizers—someone who wasn’t our server approached and suggested we move tables due to the highchair. We declined, explaining that the current setup was fine, but she insisted it would be too cramped if another party was seated nearby. It felt more like an inconvenience to them than a courtesy to us, especially as my daughter was seated comfortably and not obstructing anything. She then said the host and server made a mistake allowing a highchair at that table, despite our prior confirmation. It made my mother-in-law visibly uncomfortable, and she began shifting around trying to make room. They ended up adjusting the table, and we tried to move on with the evening.

Then came another disappointment: the lasagna, my go-to and one of the reasons we chose Il Forno, was unavailable. So was my second choice. We tried to order another Paloma—turns out they were out of grapefruit juice, too. It felt like the entire night was just full of substitutions and letdowns.

When it came time for the cake, they brought it out still in the takeout box—no plates, no candle, nothing. We awkwardly sang “Happy Birthday” around a boxed cake. While I understand the fee for handling outside desserts, this was the most we’ve paid and the least amount of effort we’ve ever seen. It felt cold and impersonal.

By the time we stood up to leave—less than 80 minutes after being seated—they were already flipping the table. While the food we did have was good, the overall experience was uncomfortable and disappointing. We’ve recommended Il Forno to others in the past, but sadly, I can’t recommend it anymore, especially not for celebrations or groups larger than two. If you have kids, prepare to feel...

Il Forno is on 10th Street about a block south of Nolana. I went to eat there on two different occasions, once with a friend and then again with my family. For starters I really love the bread they serve here, it's focaccia I believe, and some of the best in town. Both salads were super fresh, my Gorgonzola wedge salad was presented nicely, and I loved the extra cubed gorgy that was added, as well as, the crispy pancetta. As for entrees my friend ordered the linguine with shrimp, and ended up with spaghetti instead of linguine.(see photo). If it was linguine it was overcooked and appeared like spaghetti. Also, I was surprised there were only 4 shrimp on the plate for $28. The norm is usually 6 to 8 and the fact that it was priced up there, and served only with spaghetti, my goodness! My other observation is, he ordered it Scampi as one of the options offered. Instead of the basic scampi sauce consisting of white wine, garlic butter, lemon, and parsley. He received more of a sauce used in piccata and one with way too many capers and too much Oregano. He complained about the Oregano on the way to the car, saying he could still taste it even after dessert. I ordered the chicken marsala, but really didn't taste the Marsala. The chicken was super tender, and I liked the shitake mushrooms. The potatoes were great, and the grilled asparagus needed help. Desserts were on point, the cake super airy and the cheesecake was the creamiest I've ever had. When I went the second time with my wife and son the experience was much better. Again, great bread, our appetizers of calamari and fried cheese were totally on point. My wife and I both commented that the tomato sauce that was served with both appetizers was really good, and not herbaceous as most other restaurants.My wife and I split the Caprese Salad which was done perfectly. For entrees, my wife's steak was cooked perfectly and served with those delicious potatoes. I liked the presentation on my Salmon plate and it was seared just right. Kudos to the Chef and the attention to cooking Salmon the way it should be, and with a moist center. My son loved his fettuccine Alfredo with chicken that too was on point. My wife and I shared a tiramisu, I felt the dessert was a bit loose, it could have been a bit more firm, or to say a bit more dense if real Marscopne is used. This is my first double visit review. After the first visit, I felt something was off, and wanted to give it another try. My wife still talks about our dinner there, but on the other hand; I had called my friend the next day after the first visit here, and when I brought up the dinner from the night before, he hung up on me after yelling into the phone he could still taste the...

Made reservations for a party of 16 at 7pm a week in advance, I was notified the day of at 6:50 that they had a party that they were closing out and cleaning the table. I arrived at around 7:10 expecting to be seated but was told they were still prepping the area. It took 50 minutes for us to be seated and once we were it took another 15 or so minutes for our servers to come help us. Our servers Christian and Yohan (probably wrong spelling) were doing their best but seemed to be overwhelmed. They were probably understaffed for a Saturday evening. Things got worse when we placed our order and half the table was told a few minutes later that they had to change their orders because they were completely out of pizza (dough). This doesn’t make any sense considering the ingredients for dough are quite simple, furthermore a place well known for their pizza should always have enough for a weekend shift. The bad experience came later when I realized I was given the wrong bottle of wine that ended up being 3 times the price of the one I had been expecting. I was already 3/4 of the way through the bottle so the damage was done. I was excited to come back here as I had been a couple months ago for the first time and enjoyed it. I understand that serving a larger party is difficult but the things just seemed to add up and at no point were we offered anything for our patience and understanding, not even a sincere apology from the manager. It may be a while before I come back here and I now know better than to try to plan an event or celebration here. The food was good but we were hoping to try the pizza this time around. It is also a bit upsetting when the only other dishes available are double the price, if not more, than the pizzas. All around this was a negative experience but I hope they can turn this around for their busier nights. To anyone planning on going, I’d recommend a weeknight over a...