Il Forno — Restaurant in San Antonio

Happy to have a GPS unit in the car, we finally found the pale martian green little restaurant building across from a church. Good thing as there is next to no parking provided by the restaurant itself. Initially, we weren't sure if the place was open as the sidewalks were overgrown with grass and weeds. We figured either that the owner was too smart to do yard work in the blistering summer sun or that the gardner must have had the 4th of July week off. Entering the cozy little place we imagined that the proprietor must know Bob Villa with all the nicely hand made benches with their shiny natural-wood lacquered finish. It also appears that they may have borrowed a few pews from the church next door for seating against the wall. I like creative! Like so many older buildings in San Antonio that were built in the pre-central a/c era, this place greeted us with the hum of wall mounted fans buzzing away on high like hives of angry bees and a couple of window a/c units laboring hard to maintain a comfortable temperature. It was a nostalgic moment for me having grown up with big fans and swamp coolers. The comfortability factor seemed a particularly challenging battle in the small dining area given theoutside temp. and the blazing wood-fired oven that was front and center just behind the service counter. The walk-up and order counter sported a chalk board menu with a selection of ingredient orchestrated pies as well as a listing of some rather unique appetizers. As we peered over the selections, we were also made privy to the fact that all of the ingredients used here were from local growers (they listed their suppliers on another big chalk board - this place is big on chalk boards), sustainable sources, organic, fresh, house cured, home made, made with love, seasoned with pride, from the best quality, and no checks accepted! Phew! The three meat pizza with hand made (what else) moz turned out to be good albeit a little spicy on the sausage seasoning for my wife (wimp) and the rest of the salumi just a scochie bit salty. The crust was as thin as a machine pressed tortilla and very tender with a freckle face load of black topped bubbles that had charred from the wood fire. It was a thing of beauty though a little small for two. They recommend you buy a pizza for each person due to its size. Only one size available??? We also tried the green beans with farro as an appetizer. What's that, you say? When I asked if the farro was a cereal grain , the answer was yes, like hulled wheat. So there you have it. Anyway, the green beans were lightly sauteed in OO then topped with steamed farro, and pickled red onion all with a balsamic viniagrette dressing and shaved parm. reg. on top. We were both scooping up every last bit of farro and dredging the remaining pizza crusts in the dressing once the green beans were gone. Where had this surprising combination been all my life?! They have a small wine selection for pairing with the dishes here. I get old school when it comes to Italian and had to have a chianti classico which was a lighter, but still robust fruity red. The wine is served in petite little carafes and the glassware is not stemmed. Rather, it is an odd little half pint vessel with an undulating surface that I remember the like of being used for drinking milk and juice in the grade school cafeteria. How unique! If an artfully prepared artisan pie is what you are longing for, look for a green building in Southtown that is landscaped challenged. While the dishes here are exemplary, If you want more quantity with your quality at a bit lower price level, well, I will use the weasel phrase and say that there are alternative choices available. How's that...

Il Forno - A Hidden Gem Worth Every Bite & Food and Staff Deserve 10-Stars

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

You know you’ve stumbled upon something special when a restaurant can ditch the front-of-house staff and still make you feel like you’ve been hugged by a warm slice of perfection. Il Forno in Southtown is that place. No maître d’. No servers. Just a crew of insanely talented kitchen wizards who somehow manage to toss dough, pull mozzarella, bake pizzas, and deliver professional-level hospitality—all while juggling flaming-hot ovens. Seriously, are these people human, or did Southtown breed a secret superhero squad?

And about those pizzas. Oh. My. Dough. Hands down the best in town. The crust is a miraculous feat of engineering: crisp enough to hold every topping like a champion, yet chewy enough to make your carb-loving soul weep tears of joy. The toppings? Nothing short of artisanal magic. We’re talking house-pulled mozzarella that’s so fresh it probably knows your first name, and local ingredients so good you’ll want to stand up and slow clap for the farmers. Every bite feels like a passport stamp straight to Naples. If Il Forno doesn’t already have a VPN certification, it should—because this is as authentic as it gets without hopping on a plane.

Pro tip: if you’re ordering pickup, go straight to their website. It’s easy, up-to-date, and refreshingly clutter-free—unlike third-party apps, which are best saved for delivery emergencies. Il Forno’s streamlined system keeps the ordering process as smooth as their marinara. Trust me, skip the middleman; your pizza will thank you.

Bottom line? Il Forno is proof that good things don’t need bells and whistles—they just need phenomenal food and people who care. Don’t sleep on this place. Unless you hate pizza (in which case, I don’t think we can...

I was recommended this place to go to for a more unique pizza experience, and ultimately, it did not hold up to those standards. The pizza was just okay, and the value was non-existent. You are getting local grown veggies and house cured meats, but it seems like the place charges you based on this uniqueness alone. The restaurant is a clearly a place for hipsters and those looking for the next "cool" spot to eat based on the location as well as their employees and patrons alike.

We we went on a Friday night, and to our amazement, the place was dead. There were probably about 3 other customers in the restaurant. Parking was not bad (probably because of this), however, I could see that during a busier time (when is busier than a Friday evening for a restaurant? - odd...) that the parking would be limited.

The selections of pizza seemed very limited (I think there is about 8 or so), and while they did have a decent selection of local Texas beer and wines, they did not have much in the way of other drinks. Only Italian flavored sodas and a community water station. The pizza itself is about the size you would get at Urban Bricks Pizza, using the above mentioned ingredients. Unfortunately toppings and cheese are scarce, and the price ranges from about $12-$18 per pizza. For my wife and I, two pizzas and two Italian sodas came out to $38.

We were able to finish both and still be a little hungry later in the evening. Unfortunately, the pizza just is not that satisfying. While we like to try new places, Il Forno did not provide a good value for the money and left us wanting more from the environment, food, and overall experience. It is trying way too hard to be the next "it" place and just did not feel comfortable. Unfortunately, we will not...