Il Fornaio | Mountain View — Restaurant in Mountain View

Il Fornaio's New Store Opening in Mountain View left us in awe of its remarkable dining experience. As long-time fans of the brand, my girlfriend and I reserved a table for the friends and family soft opening on July 28th at 7:30 pm.

The staff, despite being in training and only on their second night of service, handled everything like seasoned professionals. Their attentiveness ensured our evening was flawless - from keeping our dinnerware spotless to refilling our wine glasses promptly. They even changed our silverware between courses to enhance our enjoyment of the new menu.

We started with Aperol Spritzes and freshly baked bread dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The caprese salad with heirloom tomatoes and the FIORI DI ZUCCA, fried zucchini blossoms stuffed with mozzarella and parmigiano reggiano, were a delightful treat.

Following the server's recommendation, we savored the RIGATONI ALLA VODKA with bacon and vodka-cream-tomato sauce, a comforting dish with perfectly cooked pasta.

For the main course, we chose the manager's favorite, BRANZINO AL LIMONE. The mediterranean seabass fillet was cooked to perfection, and the white wine lemon caper butter sauce elevated the dish. It was accompanied by sautéed haricots verts and roasted Yukon gold potatoes, making it a standout dish.

To conclude our unforgettable meal, we enjoyed the TIRAMISÙ, a heavenly treviso-style tiramisù with ladyfingers soaked in rum and espresso, layered with mascarpone and dusted with cocoa powder. Not a single crumb remained.

As a pleasant surprise, we tried the Screwball Whiskey and Chocolate dessert cocktail, created in-house for the new store opening. Its blend of whiskey and chocolate flavors was a true delight.

Overall, Il Fornaio's new location in Mountain View has truly surpassed our expectations. We can't wait to return and share this culinary gem with friends and family. Thank you, Il Fornaio, for another outstanding...

Outstanding Experience at ll Farnaio - A True Gem!

I recently had the pleasure of dining at ll Farnaio, and I couldn't be more impressed with the exceptional experience. Our server Esteban was very pleasant, he offered drinks and made recommendations from the menu. Shortly after our food and drinks arrived, a manager Raj came over. We had a pleasant conversation with him, he also explained how your dishes were prepared, which added to our experience. We noticed the manager went to other tables also, this shows they care about their guests.

Towards the end of our dinner, Raj approched our table again and asked how was our experience at Il Fornio. My husband told him we were there for my retirement, and his team and him visiting our table made us feel so special. We usually go to the Palo Alto location, but this was by far the most amazing experience. He then went on to tell us about their "in-house" prepared desserts and made a reccomendation of his favorite dessert. We ordered two. He also explained how the Espresso was an authentic Italian brand. So we ordered that too. The manager said, he'll make our Espressos himself - this was a step above and beyond our expectation. At the end of our dinner, Raj checked back and congratulated me on retirement and said my dessert was on the house. They surely raised the bar on Hospitality.

We feel with such a team they can't go wrong. Even if they ever make a mistake, with such an exceptional manager, ll Farnaio will always remain successful. Their focus on genuine hospitality and passion for Italian cuisine truly shine through. If you're looking for a place to indulge in exquisite food and impeccable service, ll Farnaio is it. Make sure you ask to meet their manager Raj, you'll definitely have a very pleasant experience!

A five-star experience in every sense!!!

Warm...

Vegetarian reviewer: Went to this restaurant on Valentine's Day. The restaurant is beautiful and sooo well lit. It looked aesthetic, and it was crowded (actually full).

We ordered: Bruschette Assortite - This was the best dish amongst all our orders. There were 3- pesto cheese, mushroom, and one with tomato. All of them were great! I think $15 for this one still made sense. App Gnocchi Gratinati - Super mediocre. Tasted kind of weird, and was pretty much a waste of $16. Ravioli Zucca - Extremely oily. The gravy was mostly oil with some nuts and a couple of leaves. The nuts and leaves gave a nice flavor, but it couldn't cut it. Salt was less and it didn't justify a price of $28. This was actually our server's top recommendation. Pizza Margherita - this was really underwhelming. $20. Kick in Old Fashioned - My partner liked this drink, I liked it too. $15

The service wasn't great either. It took a long time and it is not the server's fault, but none of the suggestions worked great for us. Given the price point, I wouldn't recommend this place that much. I highly recommend going at a time when they have some happy hour/ offers for the try. I did read some people mentioning about it in reviews.

The server offered me a taste of a cocktail but never came back with it, maybe I was confused. But then I just skipped ordering one altogether.

Overall, it was a good experience--nothing fancy coz food wasn't top notch, but we loved the ambiance. We enjoyed our nice date night and made a memory for the next two weeks we were...