I had no expectations, but the reviews here seemed good, so Abner and I decided to give it a try. I called at 4:30 on a Saturday night to make a reservation, but was told they were booked. Then, I was put on hold and told that they could seat us at the bar. Psyched! So we headed out. It wasn't too busy when we got there and we were seated at the bar. The bartender was very nice. We both started off with Chiantis and the eggplant rollatini. Our meals also came with bread and salads. Wow. Everything was really, really delicious. We both got the specials. Our food took a very long time to arrive. It's a good thing we here in the bar area where we had the television to watch while we waited. The chicken rollatini and Abner got a Rigatoni, Sausage and Spinach dish. Both were very good. We ordered the meatballs, but those were forgotten. We had to remind that we ordered them. They were delicious. By then, it started to get so busy in there. Although the bartender was very good, she is the only one there making drinks for the entire restaurant, as well as taking care of tables in the bar area who are ordering meals. It was much, too much for one person to manage on a busy Saturday night. The prices were reasonable. The restaurants is situated in the midst of a residential area too. We enjoyed it and will go back, but will make a reservations way in advance and sit on the restaurant side next time. Please get some help for the bartender.
(4)
Michelle C.
Deeeeeelicious!!! Like eating at an aunt's house!!I've been several times since moving here from CT a year or so ago. A friend took me on a Groupon deal the first time. I've been back again and again.
(5)
Kelly F.
Why haven't I reviewed this yet!? If your looking for amazing food and want to avoid the hill, here's your place. It's a gem huddled in between a residential area of North providence on Charles street. The food is truly spectacular. The chef is none other than the grandmother. Everything is made from scratch. Enjoy a pitcher of sangria for a mere $25. Prices are very reasonable and come with bread and family style salad. The chicken saltombocca is to die for. Make reservations ahead of time as the wait can be lengthy.
(5)
Jesse B.
This is a great little place. The food is REALLY good. Generous portions. Friendly service. Clean. Reasonable prices. What else could you wAnt in a quaint neighborhood restaurant. I am definitely a fan.
(4)
Robert M.
Saw it on groupon figured the girlfriend & I would try it.....drove up & the place looked sketchy...but it was worth it. I had steak she had pasta....the pasta wasn't too tasty, I was soon sharing my delicious steak! The drinks were heavily poured!!!! Only weird thing was the unisex bathroom.
(4)
Chelsea S.
Nat, my girlfriend, suggested this little gem on our way home from work last night. She lives fairly close, but we have so often passed by this place due to its "dining hall" appeal, and its residential setting. On a whim, and with little motivation to dirty more dishes at home...we decided to spend our Tuesday night at what now will be our go to neighborhood bar. Pulling up we spit a couple scenarios out to each other...parked next to a handful of old Mercedes and Cadillacs, we envisioned half unbuttoned dress shirts and conversations made mostly with hand gestures, you know, classic North Providence style. Being fans of that kind of atmosphere, we excitedly walked in. To my immediate left, a divided bar area with a handful of high top tables and a seemingly full bar. (The best seats in any house, are at the bar, in my opinion.) The bartender urged two lady friends to move down so that we could fit into the hidden nook on the left side... a seat so tucked in it was made for a long term stay, I liked their style. She noticed and appreciated that Nat & I were hungrily searching for those spare 2 seats, I liked her style too. Once settled in, above us hung a framed print of the 1951 "American Girl in Italy" photograph, in front of us a fully stocked & red lit cozy bar, to the left, racks and racks of correctly stored red wine. Romantic, nostalgic, & cozy. Roberta, the bartender, set us up with fresh, plush foccacia bread, a bottle of olive oil and some salt and pepper first. Drinks, next. Me? Disaronno on the rocks, Nat, the Mezzacorona Pinot Grigio. Some light conversation and great recommendations later, we were in business and eating. With a tendency to desire more than I can physically consume, I disregarded Natalie's suggestion to skip the bruschetta appetizer and ordered it with a side of eggplant parm . She ordered chicken parm, complete with a salad (in which Roberta assured us she'd have Mama make one big enough for us to share,) a side of penne marinara & a healthy portion of chicken. The salad was on the basic side, good but I've had better. The bruschetta (true to Nat's suggestion) was too heavy for my liking, but the eggplant was stellar. Overall, I'm in love with the lighting, the heavy pours from Roberta, the fresh bread & the fact that Mama came out of the kitchen at one point, all 5 feet of her, dressed in her apron, talking about Sicily like a romance that she has lost.
(4)
Sam S.
Great Italian classic food. Prices are extremely reasonable for the amount of food that you get. Service was very good. Certainly will go back to this local family Italian restaurant.
(4)
Kevin M.
We decided to give this place a shot because we had a groupon. Everyone has been to millions of traditional Italian joints like this one. However this one was just below average. Nothing my wife and I had was memorable in any way, good or bad. A few bites into our entrees, we looked at each other and were just like..."meh". Everyone was nice enough but we wont bother going back.
(2)
Tish B.
We had called ahead to make a reservation, we arrived at the restaurant only to find ZERO parking. We looked at side streets and neighboring parking lots but found nothing. We sat and waited for about 20 minutes for a space. (Luckily we were early) Il Fornellos parking is a nightmare! We were worried this would be a reflection of how our meal would be, luckily it was not. We were sat immediately upon arriving. Our drinks arrived promptly, my Sangria was delicious! The bread and salad that prefaced the meal was delicious - the bread was flavored with a variety of seasoning and a subtle garlic flavor. Our meals arrived, I ordered a Chicken Florentine with a pink sauce. The sauce seemed to have little flavor and be watered down. Normally pink sauces or vodka sauces have a similar flavor to Alfredo sauce- this had little flavor at all. The mushrooms in the dish seemed to be right out of a can, not a great pairing of items. With little flavor, and a watery sauce. Now there was the special for tonight- they didn't give it a name just described it and it's ingredients. It was a breaded chicken filled with Prosciutto, Mozzarella, Broccoli and placed over garlic mashed potatoes and gravy. This was one of the most impressive chicken dished I have tasted. The chicken was very tender and the filling didn't over power the meal . The mashed potatoes and gravy MADE the dish! The gravy was savory and sweet all at once but the mashed potatoes were fluffy and flavorful paired next to this beautifully displayed meal. Over all our experience with Il Fornello was fantastic, sadly I would not recommend the Chicken Florentine but everything else was great and very reasonably priced! hisandhersreviewspot.tum…
(4)
Justyne W.
Wow..... Hidden gem I have been a few times and never disappointed. Can not miss the sangria or tiramisu. Good prices, great food ...
(5)
Sid S.
Got a groupon and checked out this yummiest place. Ample parking they have. Bring huge appetite here. The bread was good.TBH i felt it was normal nothing special as mentioned in other reviews. With the entree dishes comes house salad which was quiet delicious. We ordered chessy ravioli and eggplant. Boy the entree was huge like really huge. This was the best eggplant i ever had. Really loved my food.
(5)
Lisa F.
The food was delicious however, the staff was very rude. Unfortunately because the staff was so rude I will never go back.
(3)
Jon A.
Don't let the out of the way location or the dated decor fool you, the food is delicious and reasonably priced. We ordered calamari, fruti de Mare, and chicken parm and all were great and decent portions, except the pasta served with the chicken parm which was surprising small.
(4)
Thomas W.
This is my kinda place. I love sitting in the bar. The bartender is AWESOME---(I forgot her name) when the bread comes you think you died and went to heaven. Man mamma knows how to make bread!!! Might be the best bread I've ever had. Then the salad that comes with your dinner is so fresh and tasty. I had a variety of entrees and everything was perfect. And I'm fussy. The red sauce ( gravy) is arguably the best around. Every time my partner and I eat there we walk away saying "wow that was so so good". The prices are very reasonable and the portions are big. I always take good home. And oh I could I forget the cocktails!!!! They free pour what more can I say. A big tasty drink for a good price. I love love the place!!!
(5)
Russell B.
My Family and I come here from time to time. It's a great Italian restaurant that's upper scale but not snooty. Wait staff is friendly and attentive. Never disappointed when I leave IL Fornelo. I had Steak with peppercorn dressing cooked medium with vegetables and I devoured it and loved every second of it.
Ok gerr we are in ri cekebrating ny daughters birthday. Six of us in our 40's (except my wife and I oldero). The steaks were huge, and excekkenr. I like kind of thin steaks, and big. Chicken and onions, olives, with red sauce good. 3 of us got the excellent steaks, rare, abd they were. Meat balls really good. Antipasto small, and excellent. Brocli rab excellent taste. Ricotta pie excellent. Saturday night service excellent. We cane because of groupon. $205 fir six. With groupon $125
(5)
Tony M.
My girlfriend and I have been here a few times and really like the place. The food can be a little hit and miss sometimes, usually the specials are the best items. One thing you have to try is the Rice Balls appetizer, we get it everytime we go. Service is always good but if you plan on going on a normally busy night like water fire call ahead or you most likely won't be able to get in.
(4)
Scott S.
wednesday at 730, place half empty but after waiting for hostess, he tells a hungry party of 5 will be 30 minute wait because while tons of empty tables, "sorry, but we cant put tables together." No further explanation. Really?! Crazy bad rude. Too many great Italian restaurants around, including right up the street from this place. NEVER again.
(1)
Jeff T.
OK, back again with another groupon, this time went for one of the specials; rigs, sweet sausage, in white wine sauce with rabe over the top, excellent! Around the table was; chicken princess, chicken franchese, pork morano, all very good. Service good, dirty martinis nice size. Love this place, worth the trip fom "down state".....nice to have sausage on the menu, not often there.....next time, gonna try Mom's meatballs with penne ala vodka......
(4)
Suvi T.
Checked into this place because of Groupon and it was my first time. Manager was really polite and understanding with pushing back my reservation for Valentine's Day. We had a great seat and staff was unbelievably kind, helpful, and caring. They didn't know it was our first time either, so they took very great care of us regardless. My server was Michael, and he was totally awesome. I didn't find what I wanted on the menu, so I told him what I was looking and craving for. He suggested the evening's special with some lobster. It came out great. Slices of bread and a salad bowl to start us off with our calamari. The timing was great when checking up on us, offering the water, switching plates and all the other little things. I highly recommend this place.
(5)
Rob M.
Took my wife here on our anniversary. Love this place. The food was amazing and the service was too. It was quiet and relaxing. We had reservations so we did not wait. Definitely coming back here
(5)
Lenny D.
Our first visit here as a family, thanks to a Groupon. Our waittress, Sue, has got to be one of the best servers we have ever had any where. She kept our water glasses full without us ever asking. She brought extra napkins, again, without us having to ask. Their olive oil is the best I've ever had - FRESH olive oil, from The Olive Tap. Focaccia bread was great. I had the scrod arranciatta - it was perfect. My one son got the chicken parmesan and the other got the chicken balsamic - both delicious. The only thing lacking is probably the dessert menu - they need to get some cannolli there. Overall, great value.
(5)
Marisa M.
This is a small little place. My boyfriend and I went because we had a Groupon. We ended up having to get get dessert in order to use the entire Groupon. I had the Penne with Vodka sauce and added chicken. My boyfriend had the eggplant parmesean. Our dinner came with bread and salad. I couldn't believe the amount and quality of food for the price! We had a great experience. Our server was super friendly and the food didn't take that long. We were only there for about an hour. We had a really good experience and will go back again. I heard them saying they were going to have another Groupon soon. I will definitely be buying one!
(4)
Mike W.
Four for dinner please. We had 7 pm reservations and were promptly seated in a poorly lit dining room. Two of us faced a wall while the other couple could enjoy some people watching. The bread was quite salty, dinner for us, a $25 bottle of red, one Awesome Lemon Cake to split cost roughly $150.00 with the tip. The meals were quite tasty with large portions and I would eat here again when in town.
(3)
Nicole A.
The hubby and I got take out last night and it was out of this world. I had linguine with a pink vodka sauce and added grilled chicken while my husband thoroughly enjoyed gnocchi antonio. Sometimes when you get take out the food isn't as good as when you dine in, however not only was the food packaged perfectly, they added a container of their delicious foccacia bread and 2 salads. Can't wait to go back.
(5)
Liz M.
I first came to Il Fornello after buying a Groupon and I'm glad I found this place. I am usually against going to italian restaurants as I don't eat meat and it seems ridiculous to pay money to have someone make me pasta (usually the only vegetarian option). Once in a while I'll eat fish and so after hearing many positive things about the calamari from Il Fornello I decided to give it a go. It was ah-mazing! Just the right about of spiciness, wonderful sauce - not chewy at all. At this point, I've been back a few times and each time had a good experience. Friendly wait staff and generous bartender. Delicious food, I highly recommend the ravioli (I could eat it every day)! More than reasonable prices. My food always tastes great and fresh, like someone's nice, old italian mother is back there in the kitchen making the delicious sauce just a few moments before I get my meal. I usually call ahead and make a reservation or just sit at the bar. If you come on a weekend night without a reservation be prepared to wait. I don't view this as a negative thing, it's nice to be in a restaurant and not be rushed by the wait staff because people who couldn't be bothered to call ahead are upset about waiting. The decor is a bit plain and there are not a lot of vegetarian options (almost every pasta dish has meat in the sauce or mixed in some other way).
(4)
Don S.
OK. I'm giving this place 4 stars because I miss the RI Italian restaurants of yesteryear. If you're looking for good basic Italian cooking at a reasonable price then this place is for you. Our table had the stuffed peppers, baked stuffed shrimp, chicken parm, and calamari. All of it was good. The only item that could have been better, IMO, was the calamari which was deep-fried instead of sauteed, but that's just a matter of preference really. Decent decor, plenty of parking, good wait staff, and a pretty strong vodka soda.
(4)
Colleen M.
I really wanted to like this place. I sprang for a Groupon based on the reviews here. We visited at 6:00 p.m. on this past Saturday. They were quite busy and was glad I made a reservation. The service got off to a slow start but it soon picked up. We started with the eggplant rolatini appetizer which was good, I especially liked the balsamic dressing. The salad and bread that came with the entrees was nice. Our sons loved their meals - chicken tenders with fries and cheese ravioli. The fries were better than most. My husband got the pasta with arrabiata and a stuffed pepper. I didn't try it but apparently it was quite good. The reason for the two star review was my meal. My Chicken Princess was awful. I ordered it with potato and vegetable. The veggies had that drab color they get when they've been boiled too long. The chicken was practically tasteless. With ingredients like artichokes, roasted red peppers and olives I was expecting more. What bothered me most were the canned olives and artichokes and peppers that obviously came out of a jar. And not a good one. I just wish the ingredients were fresher. How hard is it to roast a pepper? Ugh! I was really looking forward to a family style Italian meal a step (or several) above the Olive Garden but I was disappointed. My family enjoyed theirs quite a bit more than I did but I can't get past the canned black olives that tasted like a tin can.
(2)
Tony S.
I went to this place on a Friday night without a reservation. Despite several empty tables, I had to wait over 20 minutes to be seated. There wasn't enough space at the bar, so the only option was to stand until called. Once at the table, it was another 10-15 minutes for the waiter to appear. This pretty much set the pace for the night, snails racing on glue strips. The food was all right, it just took an extremely long time for appetizers to arrive. Then another eternity was endured before entrees. Portions were smaller than I expected, based upon other reviews here (and my subconscious comparison to Marchetti's). There was something wrong with the beverage dispenser as the carbonation was nonexistent in the soda. It took forever for our waiter to replace a drink, and he didn't do it until reminded. He was otherwise professional and courteous, if unhurried. I didn't see any other servers, so maybe the place was short-staffed for the night. This place reminded me of all the Italian places I used to go to as a kid, same menu, same schtick. Nothing stood out, either good or bad. It was like driving by a familiar landmark that never changes, for better or worse.
(3)
Kevin R.
Good Italian food. Good prices. Good service. Highly reccomend! Only bad thing is the horrible chairs, hard, not comfortable at all, like sitting on cinder blocks, my back is out from these chairs.... Everything else was excellent.
(4)
Laura L.
Been here MANY times as my family are life-long customers- At first I really enjoyed it. We always had a great time with pretty good food! When my son came up to visit, we took him out to eat-he truly enjoyed his meal-Scrod Arrabiata, also my husband's favorite! They each got it. What a difference between the size of the entrees! My son got a HEAPING plateful, while my husband's paled in comparison! He didn't say anything that time, but asked the waitress when we went back alone again & she said "All the portions are weighed, so I don't know!". We went in for dinner yesterday, on Easter. Given the immediate packed house they had, our service was amazing- the Spring Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette was just as good & crisp as ever...the bread was great, however, when it came to the drinks...well. A member of our ordered a specific, old 80's drink mixed with juices & alcohol. As a former bartender, I know what this drink is supposed to look like. It's supposed to be vibrant & colorful, not pale & watery! The orange juice looked canned, and it was the color of pale punch! It didn't look very good either as the person sipped their drink! Yuck! Appetizers were the usual-the beans plate was overflowing & everyone got a taste! The calamari was it's usual, except the peppers last evening weren't too hot or spicy! It's so good to bite down on a spicy pepper with a bite of calamari! New item we'd never heard of on the menu was stuffed artichoke hearts! I don't know how much this was, but i can tell you it was NOT worth it! Several people were interested in tasting them, but when they arrived, we found only 4 hearts..stuffed with bread crumbs & black olive pesto. They were alright, just not enough to pass around to our large table. As for our dinners...Easter gave us some new specials we've never heard of, namely Grey Sole over Risotto, Chicken Rollatini over mashed potatoes, and the Easter Staple, Ham Dinner. A person at the table ordered the Ham dinner, which had very thick-cut slices of ham! I had it last year & I had very thin pieces...this years Easter Dinner looked far superior to last years! My husband & I had the Grey Sole. First off, I was surprised that the fish was just a wispy piece of nothingness. I know sole is thin, but this fillet looked like it was a fillet OF a fillet...the risotto was mush & very bland-not at all like a good Italian Risotto SHOULD be, busy or not! This was definitely overcooked & seemed like it had been sitting in a warmer! YUCK! We both left it on our plates! The sole was too buttery, which made it overly greasy taste, which made us both sick in the all night! NOT to mention COLD. The next problem with this was again, portion size! My plate was double the size of my husbands, LOTS of extra risotto piled high on my plate while his just had a small portion! We switched plates, but were still unsatisfied. Two other members chose the Chicken Rollatini, which sounded great, looked even better! Fillets of chicken, rolled with Kale, breaded, fried, sliced, over a bed of house-made mashed potatoes! The ONLY issue with this dinner, and it was voiced loudly at the table was again, the portion size! One person received a heaping plate of food, with 7 slices of rollatini, while the other at the same table, received a measly sized portion on their plate-maybe 5-6 slices--no switching done here...one person left very unhappy with their dinner as well. If this restaurant cannot control portion-size, we may never be back again! Not only did it happen on "off-nights" to the same table, but at a busy table of many people, the portion size was very obvious to all! Something is definitely wrong in the kitchen there... Of course I have to be discreet here because my family has been going there for years upon years and they are too kind to say anything...I just wanted to make the owner/chef aware of this situation & to warn others about it & encourage them, if they have/had the same issues to voice your opinions here as well! Please!
(3)
Alan C.
I went there again tonight and boy everything was great.I took my wife and her Aunt & Uncle with us and they were very satisfied.
(5)
Michael F.
This a fairly small and cozy place for some fantastic Italian food!!!! Try the Arincini appetizer or any for that matter...Daily specials are also a good bet...they also have excellent drinks and very friendly and helpful staff...our waitress Sue was out of this world!!!!!!!
(4)
Jessy T.
Definitely a hidden gem. You need reservations on a weekend night, and this is not the place to go for a quick dinner... But yummy homemade Italian food that is reasonably priced is so worth it.
I have been to dinner at Il Fornello twice, with my girlfriend. We love it. There seems to always be a groupon available for this place (seriously, for the past 3+ months it has been available in the "best of" deals), which has come to mean that it is very busy, and you should definitely have a reservation. If you don't have a reservation, you can eat dinner in the bar area, but that would mean getting there a bit early, like 6pm. As other reviewers have mentioned, there is almost no space to wait for your table, except for in the bar area, which is not very large, so this tends to grow busy as well. We come here because it is reasonably priced, and with the groupon, it is an excellent deal! The food we've ordered has been delicious - though I ate the same thing both times. I love the focaccia bread they serve, and the salad was fine. Both times I've been I had the fried calamari, and for my meal, linguine with arribiata sauce. I loved both, and I'd go back and order these same two things again. My grilfriend got ravioli, which were delicious. We don't eat meat, and haven't ordered fish (other than the calamari) there either, so I can't comment on that area, but I find the pasta to be delicious. Thus, I would recommend this as a good place for vegetarians to have delicious pasta. I have never had a problem with speed of service, but the first time we went the groupon deal hadn't been going on for too long (maybe?), and the second time we went, we ate at the bar, and everything was quite timely. Now, I would say that this place is definitely better than Olive Garden, however, I am not Italian, so if you are, you might have a different opinion of the food than I did. This place is good, and I would go back, and I would recommend it to others...but I don't think you'll be blown away, which is why I rated it 4 stars, and not 5.
(4)
Stephen D.
Went to this restaurant with my parents and wife last night. Never heard or seen it in all the time I have lived in the area. I was pleasantly suprised with the food along with the atmosphere. Since it was a Friday night, we made a reservation and would recommend doing that on a Friday or Saturday evening. The actual food was very enjoyable, I ordered the fettucine fornello and was not disappointed. The house salad was very yummy with a balsamic vinegar type of dressing and was delicious. The main reason for why this is not a five is I have had better Italian at other restaurants and service was just a little slow when we first sat down. I would recommend this restaurant however.
(4)
Veggie T.
Everything here is good and it's consistent. The chef is the owner's mom who is straight from Italy. You get big portions for the price you pay here. It's a great alternative to going out on the hill. You get the same great quality but much more affordable. The rabe and beans appetizer is a must! I've also been here for private parties where they have a buffet style. They do a great job and it's nice to be able to taste a bunch of different stuff.
I've been coming to Il Fornello for several years and I have to say it was quite enjoyable. Its off the beaten path a little. On a side street in a residential area, but surprisingly good! The drawbacks are the parking is tight because the lot is a little small for the amount of spaces they have. There's almost no where to stand if you are waiting for a table and be prepared to wait on a weekend night! The food is very good, and decent sized portions, all cooked to order and authentic Italian food. Good family style salad and dressing, pastas, tomato sauce and meat dishes. I did not like the garlic oil served with the Italian bread, because I just didn't like the taste of it. The prices are decent priced, no outrageous Lobster dishes for 36.00, and the service was good. Its a little dark inside at times and what I found to be rather interesting is a unisex restroom in the bar area. I was startled when getting ready to go into the restroom and find a woman coming out, but its a one person bathroom anyway! I would recommend it if you like small family Italian places that have an old world feel.
(3)
amy f.
really liked this place. nice staff, good food, super affordable. I would never have found this place if it wasn't for yelp. I like all kinds of restaurants. This fits the bill for straight forward Italian...oh and get the fried mozzarella!!! love!
(4)
Rebecca C.
Food was mediocre. Nothing to come back for. We had a dish with the spicy tomato sauce, calamari and chicken Marsala. Best part about meal was bread at beginning.
(3)
JOHN P.
Came again for dinner Monday night once again it was great the rice balls are delicious I ordered another order to take home this place is a little gem .
(4)
Jennifer B.
The food was great. We had the mozzerella marinara as our appetizer and it was fried perfectly, nice and crisp on the outside. The penne with arrabiata sauce was full of flavor, I loved it. The free family style salad was a nice touch but it was drowning in salad dressing. The service was good, but really slow.
(3)
Joe B.
This was my second time here and it was better than the first. Had the special - chicken rotini and it was amazing. Not a fan of the olive oil they use for the bread but the bread itself was good. The place could use a bit of a facelift and the service is a bit slow but I was happy with the food. I would return again.
(4)
J R.
Run of the mill italian restaurant, however they have good food. The service... eh, i won't comment on just because it looked like there was only one waiter in the entire place, so i'll give him a break. He was pretty cool though, made us feel very welcome, had some good tips on the menu, just fell behind a little with checking up for drinks and getting the food to us. Prices are awesome, drinks were ok. Food was good. Fried mozzerella wasn't as good as i was expecting, but it was still good. Needed to ask for extra sauce, there was like, a teaspoon of marinara underneath lol. Rabe and Cannellini beans was pretty good too. Had Veal Francaise, done very well. didn't even get to touch the pasta as a side, however i'm sure it was good because i had a bunch of extra marinara with the mozzerella... VERY good... Will definitely go back.. its a nice place to go thats local, cheap, and quaint.
(3)
Vince M.
Good specials. Had swordfish special and it was good
(4)
John V.
Ordered the Grandma's platter and it was a sample of everything and it was terrible. Ordered the wine and it was a cheap house glass, but got charged a good amount.
(1)
J g.
This is a two fold review and it pains me to write it. Since I wrote a glowing review, things have gone down hill, at least from my experience. On a Saturday night about 6 months ago, my friend and I got seated and really looked forward to a great dinner. I have to say, the food was just mediocre. I had the chicken saltimbocca. Although sounded good, I think the restaurant cuts corners, e.g., the mushrooms didn't seem fresh in my dish. My friend's dish, a beef dish, was just okay. We left feeling not very satisfied. Then recently, on a Thursday night, we entered the restaurant wanting to sit at the bar since the dining room was pretty much empty except for a couple of tables and the bar was empty as well. The bar-tender/waitress would not allow us to have the wine special dinner, saying that was only for the dining room. She then proceeded to go to the hostess station and ask us if we wanted a table for two as if we had just walked through the door! It really didn't make any sense. We ended up leaving and with us, at least $60 of our money for which the restaurant never saw. Very reluctant to go back to Il Fornello again. What a shame.
(2)
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Address :16 Josephine St
North Providence, RI, 02904
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
The immense popularity of Italian cuisine globally isn't unknown. You can find an Italian Pizzeria around every corner of almost every city in the United States. Not to forget that in every house, people enjoy mac and cheese as comfort food. But it would be wrong to believe that Italian food starts with pizza and ends with good pasta as this Mediterranean country has much more to offer other than these two dishes. In Italian Cuisine, there is a high use of fresh tomatoes, all kinds of herbs, great quality of cheese, all types of meat, seafood and fresh handmade pasta. Many find it hard to believe that Italians have been making noodles long back.
Italian and Greek cuisines are always mistaken to be same, but they are poles apart. The primary difference between the two cuisines is the use of cheese in most of the Italian dishes. Italians love to cultivate their own cheese and process them as per their food requirement. It is believed that some cheese is so expensive that cheese producers secure them in lockers.
If you are bored eating the same old pasta or pizza, you can try some of the authentic Italian dishes like Risotto, Polenta, Ribollita, Lasagna, Fiorentina Steak, Bottarga, Ossobuco, Carbonara, Focaccia, Arancini and Supplì. Another item which Italians love to relish every morning is a good cup of Italian Coffee. Once you taste a freshly brewed cup of Italian Coffee, you might not visit Starbucks ever again. Authentic Italian food is made with heart and soul, so go find a restaurant where you can relish Italian cuisine in your city.
VC V.
I had no expectations, but the reviews here seemed good, so Abner and I decided to give it a try. I called at 4:30 on a Saturday night to make a reservation, but was told they were booked. Then, I was put on hold and told that they could seat us at the bar. Psyched! So we headed out. It wasn't too busy when we got there and we were seated at the bar. The bartender was very nice. We both started off with Chiantis and the eggplant rollatini. Our meals also came with bread and salads. Wow. Everything was really, really delicious. We both got the specials. Our food took a very long time to arrive. It's a good thing we here in the bar area where we had the television to watch while we waited. The chicken rollatini and Abner got a Rigatoni, Sausage and Spinach dish. Both were very good. We ordered the meatballs, but those were forgotten. We had to remind that we ordered them. They were delicious. By then, it started to get so busy in there. Although the bartender was very good, she is the only one there making drinks for the entire restaurant, as well as taking care of tables in the bar area who are ordering meals. It was much, too much for one person to manage on a busy Saturday night. The prices were reasonable. The restaurants is situated in the midst of a residential area too. We enjoyed it and will go back, but will make a reservations way in advance and sit on the restaurant side next time. Please get some help for the bartender.
(4)Michelle C.
Deeeeeelicious!!! Like eating at an aunt's house!!I've been several times since moving here from CT a year or so ago. A friend took me on a Groupon deal the first time. I've been back again and again.
(5)Kelly F.
Why haven't I reviewed this yet!? If your looking for amazing food and want to avoid the hill, here's your place. It's a gem huddled in between a residential area of North providence on Charles street. The food is truly spectacular. The chef is none other than the grandmother. Everything is made from scratch. Enjoy a pitcher of sangria for a mere $25. Prices are very reasonable and come with bread and family style salad. The chicken saltombocca is to die for. Make reservations ahead of time as the wait can be lengthy.
(5)Jesse B.
This is a great little place. The food is REALLY good. Generous portions. Friendly service. Clean. Reasonable prices. What else could you wAnt in a quaint neighborhood restaurant. I am definitely a fan.
(4)Robert M.
Saw it on groupon figured the girlfriend & I would try it.....drove up & the place looked sketchy...but it was worth it. I had steak she had pasta....the pasta wasn't too tasty, I was soon sharing my delicious steak! The drinks were heavily poured!!!! Only weird thing was the unisex bathroom.
(4)Chelsea S.
Nat, my girlfriend, suggested this little gem on our way home from work last night. She lives fairly close, but we have so often passed by this place due to its "dining hall" appeal, and its residential setting. On a whim, and with little motivation to dirty more dishes at home...we decided to spend our Tuesday night at what now will be our go to neighborhood bar. Pulling up we spit a couple scenarios out to each other...parked next to a handful of old Mercedes and Cadillacs, we envisioned half unbuttoned dress shirts and conversations made mostly with hand gestures, you know, classic North Providence style. Being fans of that kind of atmosphere, we excitedly walked in. To my immediate left, a divided bar area with a handful of high top tables and a seemingly full bar. (The best seats in any house, are at the bar, in my opinion.) The bartender urged two lady friends to move down so that we could fit into the hidden nook on the left side... a seat so tucked in it was made for a long term stay, I liked their style. She noticed and appreciated that Nat & I were hungrily searching for those spare 2 seats, I liked her style too. Once settled in, above us hung a framed print of the 1951 "American Girl in Italy" photograph, in front of us a fully stocked & red lit cozy bar, to the left, racks and racks of correctly stored red wine. Romantic, nostalgic, & cozy. Roberta, the bartender, set us up with fresh, plush foccacia bread, a bottle of olive oil and some salt and pepper first. Drinks, next. Me? Disaronno on the rocks, Nat, the Mezzacorona Pinot Grigio. Some light conversation and great recommendations later, we were in business and eating. With a tendency to desire more than I can physically consume, I disregarded Natalie's suggestion to skip the bruschetta appetizer and ordered it with a side of eggplant parm . She ordered chicken parm, complete with a salad (in which Roberta assured us she'd have Mama make one big enough for us to share,) a side of penne marinara & a healthy portion of chicken. The salad was on the basic side, good but I've had better. The bruschetta (true to Nat's suggestion) was too heavy for my liking, but the eggplant was stellar. Overall, I'm in love with the lighting, the heavy pours from Roberta, the fresh bread & the fact that Mama came out of the kitchen at one point, all 5 feet of her, dressed in her apron, talking about Sicily like a romance that she has lost.
(4)Sam S.
Great Italian classic food. Prices are extremely reasonable for the amount of food that you get. Service was very good. Certainly will go back to this local family Italian restaurant.
(4)Kevin M.
We decided to give this place a shot because we had a groupon. Everyone has been to millions of traditional Italian joints like this one. However this one was just below average. Nothing my wife and I had was memorable in any way, good or bad. A few bites into our entrees, we looked at each other and were just like..."meh". Everyone was nice enough but we wont bother going back.
(2)Tish B.
We had called ahead to make a reservation, we arrived at the restaurant only to find ZERO parking. We looked at side streets and neighboring parking lots but found nothing. We sat and waited for about 20 minutes for a space. (Luckily we were early) Il Fornellos parking is a nightmare! We were worried this would be a reflection of how our meal would be, luckily it was not. We were sat immediately upon arriving. Our drinks arrived promptly, my Sangria was delicious! The bread and salad that prefaced the meal was delicious - the bread was flavored with a variety of seasoning and a subtle garlic flavor. Our meals arrived, I ordered a Chicken Florentine with a pink sauce. The sauce seemed to have little flavor and be watered down. Normally pink sauces or vodka sauces have a similar flavor to Alfredo sauce- this had little flavor at all. The mushrooms in the dish seemed to be right out of a can, not a great pairing of items. With little flavor, and a watery sauce. Now there was the special for tonight- they didn't give it a name just described it and it's ingredients. It was a breaded chicken filled with Prosciutto, Mozzarella, Broccoli and placed over garlic mashed potatoes and gravy. This was one of the most impressive chicken dished I have tasted. The chicken was very tender and the filling didn't over power the meal . The mashed potatoes and gravy MADE the dish! The gravy was savory and sweet all at once but the mashed potatoes were fluffy and flavorful paired next to this beautifully displayed meal. Over all our experience with Il Fornello was fantastic, sadly I would not recommend the Chicken Florentine but everything else was great and very reasonably priced! hisandhersreviewspot.tum…
(4)Justyne W.
Wow..... Hidden gem I have been a few times and never disappointed. Can not miss the sangria or tiramisu. Good prices, great food ...
(5)Sid S.
Got a groupon and checked out this yummiest place. Ample parking they have. Bring huge appetite here. The bread was good.TBH i felt it was normal nothing special as mentioned in other reviews. With the entree dishes comes house salad which was quiet delicious. We ordered chessy ravioli and eggplant. Boy the entree was huge like really huge. This was the best eggplant i ever had. Really loved my food.
(5)Lisa F.
The food was delicious however, the staff was very rude. Unfortunately because the staff was so rude I will never go back.
(3)Jon A.
Don't let the out of the way location or the dated decor fool you, the food is delicious and reasonably priced. We ordered calamari, fruti de Mare, and chicken parm and all were great and decent portions, except the pasta served with the chicken parm which was surprising small.
(4)Thomas W.
This is my kinda place. I love sitting in the bar. The bartender is AWESOME---(I forgot her name) when the bread comes you think you died and went to heaven. Man mamma knows how to make bread!!! Might be the best bread I've ever had. Then the salad that comes with your dinner is so fresh and tasty. I had a variety of entrees and everything was perfect. And I'm fussy. The red sauce ( gravy) is arguably the best around. Every time my partner and I eat there we walk away saying "wow that was so so good". The prices are very reasonable and the portions are big. I always take good home. And oh I could I forget the cocktails!!!! They free pour what more can I say. A big tasty drink for a good price. I love love the place!!!
(5)Russell B.
My Family and I come here from time to time. It's a great Italian restaurant that's upper scale but not snooty. Wait staff is friendly and attentive. Never disappointed when I leave IL Fornelo. I had Steak with peppercorn dressing cooked medium with vegetables and I devoured it and loved every second of it.
(5)Jakob M.
My fiancé and I have been here twice and love it. Definitely make a reservation if you are planning on going on a Friday or Saturday night. If you don't, you'll certainly be waiting for a table (and the bar area where you wait isn't too big, so it seems to get very cramped). There has been a few groupons lately as well, so it's been very busy! The focaccia bread they bring out as an appetizer is to die for. Both times we went it was very fresh and flavorful. We had the calamari the first time and it was good as well (only $9); salad was decent. I've had the veal parmesan twice, and loved it. Great portion and nice and crispy on the outside ($16). My fiancé had one of the specials (chicken rollatini) the second night we went. She loved it and had a lot of leftovers as well. Overall, pricing seems to be very reasonable for the quality of food and large portions I've seen so far. Service was a little on the slow side seeing how busy it was, but both servers we had were very friendly and helpful when needed. I'd definitely recommend this play to anyone looking for a great meal, laid back ambiance, and who loves focaccia bread!
(4)Dick K.
Ok gerr we are in ri cekebrating ny daughters birthday. Six of us in our 40's (except my wife and I oldero). The steaks were huge, and excekkenr. I like kind of thin steaks, and big. Chicken and onions, olives, with red sauce good. 3 of us got the excellent steaks, rare, abd they were. Meat balls really good. Antipasto small, and excellent. Brocli rab excellent taste. Ricotta pie excellent. Saturday night service excellent. We cane because of groupon. $205 fir six. With groupon $125
(5)Tony M.
My girlfriend and I have been here a few times and really like the place. The food can be a little hit and miss sometimes, usually the specials are the best items. One thing you have to try is the Rice Balls appetizer, we get it everytime we go. Service is always good but if you plan on going on a normally busy night like water fire call ahead or you most likely won't be able to get in.
(4)Scott S.
wednesday at 730, place half empty but after waiting for hostess, he tells a hungry party of 5 will be 30 minute wait because while tons of empty tables, "sorry, but we cant put tables together." No further explanation. Really?! Crazy bad rude. Too many great Italian restaurants around, including right up the street from this place. NEVER again.
(1)Jeff T.
OK, back again with another groupon, this time went for one of the specials; rigs, sweet sausage, in white wine sauce with rabe over the top, excellent! Around the table was; chicken princess, chicken franchese, pork morano, all very good. Service good, dirty martinis nice size. Love this place, worth the trip fom "down state".....nice to have sausage on the menu, not often there.....next time, gonna try Mom's meatballs with penne ala vodka......
(4)Suvi T.
Checked into this place because of Groupon and it was my first time. Manager was really polite and understanding with pushing back my reservation for Valentine's Day. We had a great seat and staff was unbelievably kind, helpful, and caring. They didn't know it was our first time either, so they took very great care of us regardless. My server was Michael, and he was totally awesome. I didn't find what I wanted on the menu, so I told him what I was looking and craving for. He suggested the evening's special with some lobster. It came out great. Slices of bread and a salad bowl to start us off with our calamari. The timing was great when checking up on us, offering the water, switching plates and all the other little things. I highly recommend this place.
(5)Rob M.
Took my wife here on our anniversary. Love this place. The food was amazing and the service was too. It was quiet and relaxing. We had reservations so we did not wait. Definitely coming back here
(5)Lenny D.
Our first visit here as a family, thanks to a Groupon. Our waittress, Sue, has got to be one of the best servers we have ever had any where. She kept our water glasses full without us ever asking. She brought extra napkins, again, without us having to ask. Their olive oil is the best I've ever had - FRESH olive oil, from The Olive Tap. Focaccia bread was great. I had the scrod arranciatta - it was perfect. My one son got the chicken parmesan and the other got the chicken balsamic - both delicious. The only thing lacking is probably the dessert menu - they need to get some cannolli there. Overall, great value.
(5)Marisa M.
This is a small little place. My boyfriend and I went because we had a Groupon. We ended up having to get get dessert in order to use the entire Groupon. I had the Penne with Vodka sauce and added chicken. My boyfriend had the eggplant parmesean. Our dinner came with bread and salad. I couldn't believe the amount and quality of food for the price! We had a great experience. Our server was super friendly and the food didn't take that long. We were only there for about an hour. We had a really good experience and will go back again. I heard them saying they were going to have another Groupon soon. I will definitely be buying one!
(4)Mike W.
Four for dinner please. We had 7 pm reservations and were promptly seated in a poorly lit dining room. Two of us faced a wall while the other couple could enjoy some people watching. The bread was quite salty, dinner for us, a $25 bottle of red, one Awesome Lemon Cake to split cost roughly $150.00 with the tip. The meals were quite tasty with large portions and I would eat here again when in town.
(3)Nicole A.
The hubby and I got take out last night and it was out of this world. I had linguine with a pink vodka sauce and added grilled chicken while my husband thoroughly enjoyed gnocchi antonio. Sometimes when you get take out the food isn't as good as when you dine in, however not only was the food packaged perfectly, they added a container of their delicious foccacia bread and 2 salads. Can't wait to go back.
(5)Liz M.
I first came to Il Fornello after buying a Groupon and I'm glad I found this place. I am usually against going to italian restaurants as I don't eat meat and it seems ridiculous to pay money to have someone make me pasta (usually the only vegetarian option). Once in a while I'll eat fish and so after hearing many positive things about the calamari from Il Fornello I decided to give it a go. It was ah-mazing! Just the right about of spiciness, wonderful sauce - not chewy at all. At this point, I've been back a few times and each time had a good experience. Friendly wait staff and generous bartender. Delicious food, I highly recommend the ravioli (I could eat it every day)! More than reasonable prices. My food always tastes great and fresh, like someone's nice, old italian mother is back there in the kitchen making the delicious sauce just a few moments before I get my meal. I usually call ahead and make a reservation or just sit at the bar. If you come on a weekend night without a reservation be prepared to wait. I don't view this as a negative thing, it's nice to be in a restaurant and not be rushed by the wait staff because people who couldn't be bothered to call ahead are upset about waiting. The decor is a bit plain and there are not a lot of vegetarian options (almost every pasta dish has meat in the sauce or mixed in some other way).
(4)Don S.
OK. I'm giving this place 4 stars because I miss the RI Italian restaurants of yesteryear. If you're looking for good basic Italian cooking at a reasonable price then this place is for you. Our table had the stuffed peppers, baked stuffed shrimp, chicken parm, and calamari. All of it was good. The only item that could have been better, IMO, was the calamari which was deep-fried instead of sauteed, but that's just a matter of preference really. Decent decor, plenty of parking, good wait staff, and a pretty strong vodka soda.
(4)Colleen M.
I really wanted to like this place. I sprang for a Groupon based on the reviews here. We visited at 6:00 p.m. on this past Saturday. They were quite busy and was glad I made a reservation. The service got off to a slow start but it soon picked up. We started with the eggplant rolatini appetizer which was good, I especially liked the balsamic dressing. The salad and bread that came with the entrees was nice. Our sons loved their meals - chicken tenders with fries and cheese ravioli. The fries were better than most. My husband got the pasta with arrabiata and a stuffed pepper. I didn't try it but apparently it was quite good. The reason for the two star review was my meal. My Chicken Princess was awful. I ordered it with potato and vegetable. The veggies had that drab color they get when they've been boiled too long. The chicken was practically tasteless. With ingredients like artichokes, roasted red peppers and olives I was expecting more. What bothered me most were the canned olives and artichokes and peppers that obviously came out of a jar. And not a good one. I just wish the ingredients were fresher. How hard is it to roast a pepper? Ugh! I was really looking forward to a family style Italian meal a step (or several) above the Olive Garden but I was disappointed. My family enjoyed theirs quite a bit more than I did but I can't get past the canned black olives that tasted like a tin can.
(2)Tony S.
I went to this place on a Friday night without a reservation. Despite several empty tables, I had to wait over 20 minutes to be seated. There wasn't enough space at the bar, so the only option was to stand until called. Once at the table, it was another 10-15 minutes for the waiter to appear. This pretty much set the pace for the night, snails racing on glue strips. The food was all right, it just took an extremely long time for appetizers to arrive. Then another eternity was endured before entrees. Portions were smaller than I expected, based upon other reviews here (and my subconscious comparison to Marchetti's). There was something wrong with the beverage dispenser as the carbonation was nonexistent in the soda. It took forever for our waiter to replace a drink, and he didn't do it until reminded. He was otherwise professional and courteous, if unhurried. I didn't see any other servers, so maybe the place was short-staffed for the night. This place reminded me of all the Italian places I used to go to as a kid, same menu, same schtick. Nothing stood out, either good or bad. It was like driving by a familiar landmark that never changes, for better or worse.
(3)Kevin R.
Good Italian food. Good prices. Good service. Highly reccomend! Only bad thing is the horrible chairs, hard, not comfortable at all, like sitting on cinder blocks, my back is out from these chairs.... Everything else was excellent.
(4)Laura L.
Been here MANY times as my family are life-long customers- At first I really enjoyed it. We always had a great time with pretty good food! When my son came up to visit, we took him out to eat-he truly enjoyed his meal-Scrod Arrabiata, also my husband's favorite! They each got it. What a difference between the size of the entrees! My son got a HEAPING plateful, while my husband's paled in comparison! He didn't say anything that time, but asked the waitress when we went back alone again & she said "All the portions are weighed, so I don't know!". We went in for dinner yesterday, on Easter. Given the immediate packed house they had, our service was amazing- the Spring Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette was just as good & crisp as ever...the bread was great, however, when it came to the drinks...well. A member of our ordered a specific, old 80's drink mixed with juices & alcohol. As a former bartender, I know what this drink is supposed to look like. It's supposed to be vibrant & colorful, not pale & watery! The orange juice looked canned, and it was the color of pale punch! It didn't look very good either as the person sipped their drink! Yuck! Appetizers were the usual-the beans plate was overflowing & everyone got a taste! The calamari was it's usual, except the peppers last evening weren't too hot or spicy! It's so good to bite down on a spicy pepper with a bite of calamari! New item we'd never heard of on the menu was stuffed artichoke hearts! I don't know how much this was, but i can tell you it was NOT worth it! Several people were interested in tasting them, but when they arrived, we found only 4 hearts..stuffed with bread crumbs & black olive pesto. They were alright, just not enough to pass around to our large table. As for our dinners...Easter gave us some new specials we've never heard of, namely Grey Sole over Risotto, Chicken Rollatini over mashed potatoes, and the Easter Staple, Ham Dinner. A person at the table ordered the Ham dinner, which had very thick-cut slices of ham! I had it last year & I had very thin pieces...this years Easter Dinner looked far superior to last years! My husband & I had the Grey Sole. First off, I was surprised that the fish was just a wispy piece of nothingness. I know sole is thin, but this fillet looked like it was a fillet OF a fillet...the risotto was mush & very bland-not at all like a good Italian Risotto SHOULD be, busy or not! This was definitely overcooked & seemed like it had been sitting in a warmer! YUCK! We both left it on our plates! The sole was too buttery, which made it overly greasy taste, which made us both sick in the all night! NOT to mention COLD. The next problem with this was again, portion size! My plate was double the size of my husbands, LOTS of extra risotto piled high on my plate while his just had a small portion! We switched plates, but were still unsatisfied. Two other members chose the Chicken Rollatini, which sounded great, looked even better! Fillets of chicken, rolled with Kale, breaded, fried, sliced, over a bed of house-made mashed potatoes! The ONLY issue with this dinner, and it was voiced loudly at the table was again, the portion size! One person received a heaping plate of food, with 7 slices of rollatini, while the other at the same table, received a measly sized portion on their plate-maybe 5-6 slices--no switching done here...one person left very unhappy with their dinner as well. If this restaurant cannot control portion-size, we may never be back again! Not only did it happen on "off-nights" to the same table, but at a busy table of many people, the portion size was very obvious to all! Something is definitely wrong in the kitchen there... Of course I have to be discreet here because my family has been going there for years upon years and they are too kind to say anything...I just wanted to make the owner/chef aware of this situation & to warn others about it & encourage them, if they have/had the same issues to voice your opinions here as well! Please!
(3)Alan C.
I went there again tonight and boy everything was great.I took my wife and her Aunt & Uncle with us and they were very satisfied.
(5)Michael F.
This a fairly small and cozy place for some fantastic Italian food!!!! Try the Arincini appetizer or any for that matter...Daily specials are also a good bet...they also have excellent drinks and very friendly and helpful staff...our waitress Sue was out of this world!!!!!!!
(4)Jessy T.
Definitely a hidden gem. You need reservations on a weekend night, and this is not the place to go for a quick dinner... But yummy homemade Italian food that is reasonably priced is so worth it.
(4)Holly L.
My boyfriend and I came to this restaurant ( for the first time) everything was very tasty. For appetizers we tried the fried calamari which was good but didn't have anything making it unique, and the bruschetta caprese which was excellent a must try! As an entrée I had the special stuffed chicken (stuffed with prosciutto, mozzarella and rabe) on a mound of mashed potato with a marsala sauce it was to die for! The second entrée was the steak Alla Pappa style. It wasn't spicy as it states but it was very delicious none the less. As for the service our waitress was very prompt and left us alone to have our alone time.We've come back a few times and intend on coming back many more. This is a great little restaurant I'd recommend to many.
(5)Ellen G.
I have been to dinner at Il Fornello twice, with my girlfriend. We love it. There seems to always be a groupon available for this place (seriously, for the past 3+ months it has been available in the "best of" deals), which has come to mean that it is very busy, and you should definitely have a reservation. If you don't have a reservation, you can eat dinner in the bar area, but that would mean getting there a bit early, like 6pm. As other reviewers have mentioned, there is almost no space to wait for your table, except for in the bar area, which is not very large, so this tends to grow busy as well. We come here because it is reasonably priced, and with the groupon, it is an excellent deal! The food we've ordered has been delicious - though I ate the same thing both times. I love the focaccia bread they serve, and the salad was fine. Both times I've been I had the fried calamari, and for my meal, linguine with arribiata sauce. I loved both, and I'd go back and order these same two things again. My grilfriend got ravioli, which were delicious. We don't eat meat, and haven't ordered fish (other than the calamari) there either, so I can't comment on that area, but I find the pasta to be delicious. Thus, I would recommend this as a good place for vegetarians to have delicious pasta. I have never had a problem with speed of service, but the first time we went the groupon deal hadn't been going on for too long (maybe?), and the second time we went, we ate at the bar, and everything was quite timely. Now, I would say that this place is definitely better than Olive Garden, however, I am not Italian, so if you are, you might have a different opinion of the food than I did. This place is good, and I would go back, and I would recommend it to others...but I don't think you'll be blown away, which is why I rated it 4 stars, and not 5.
(4)Stephen D.
Went to this restaurant with my parents and wife last night. Never heard or seen it in all the time I have lived in the area. I was pleasantly suprised with the food along with the atmosphere. Since it was a Friday night, we made a reservation and would recommend doing that on a Friday or Saturday evening. The actual food was very enjoyable, I ordered the fettucine fornello and was not disappointed. The house salad was very yummy with a balsamic vinegar type of dressing and was delicious. The main reason for why this is not a five is I have had better Italian at other restaurants and service was just a little slow when we first sat down. I would recommend this restaurant however.
(4)Veggie T.
Everything here is good and it's consistent. The chef is the owner's mom who is straight from Italy. You get big portions for the price you pay here. It's a great alternative to going out on the hill. You get the same great quality but much more affordable. The rabe and beans appetizer is a must! I've also been here for private parties where they have a buffet style. They do a great job and it's nice to be able to taste a bunch of different stuff.
(5)Margot N.
Il Fornello is definitely a Hidden Gem worth finding. This was our first time and we chose to eat in their lovely, romantic bar. Sue made us feel welcomed, mixing a perfect Vodka Gimlet straight up (& I'm extremely particular with my Gimlets!) and helping us with the menu - which is extensive - having something for everyone, including my health conscious fiancé who is not a fan of Italian cuisine. The Bolognese was rich in flavor, and we particularly enjoyed the Grilled Chicken Balsamic with lemon and herbs. I was particularly impressed that upon finding the next day that I had lost my costly prescription glasses - even though I called off hours, I believe it was John (the owner) who answered. He couldn't have been more understanding and pleasant, promptly calling Sue, who confirmed that she indeed, had the glasses, and offered to mail them to me the next day. A true indication of an owner & restaurant staff, who value their customers. Positive experience all the way around - we will return!
(5)Alfred A.
I've been coming to Il Fornello for several years and I have to say it was quite enjoyable. Its off the beaten path a little. On a side street in a residential area, but surprisingly good! The drawbacks are the parking is tight because the lot is a little small for the amount of spaces they have. There's almost no where to stand if you are waiting for a table and be prepared to wait on a weekend night! The food is very good, and decent sized portions, all cooked to order and authentic Italian food. Good family style salad and dressing, pastas, tomato sauce and meat dishes. I did not like the garlic oil served with the Italian bread, because I just didn't like the taste of it. The prices are decent priced, no outrageous Lobster dishes for 36.00, and the service was good. Its a little dark inside at times and what I found to be rather interesting is a unisex restroom in the bar area. I was startled when getting ready to go into the restroom and find a woman coming out, but its a one person bathroom anyway! I would recommend it if you like small family Italian places that have an old world feel.
(3)amy f.
really liked this place. nice staff, good food, super affordable. I would never have found this place if it wasn't for yelp. I like all kinds of restaurants. This fits the bill for straight forward Italian...oh and get the fried mozzarella!!! love!
(4)Rebecca C.
Food was mediocre. Nothing to come back for. We had a dish with the spicy tomato sauce, calamari and chicken Marsala. Best part about meal was bread at beginning.
(3)JOHN P.
Came again for dinner Monday night once again it was great the rice balls are delicious I ordered another order to take home this place is a little gem .
(4)Jennifer B.
The food was great. We had the mozzerella marinara as our appetizer and it was fried perfectly, nice and crisp on the outside. The penne with arrabiata sauce was full of flavor, I loved it. The free family style salad was a nice touch but it was drowning in salad dressing. The service was good, but really slow.
(3)Joe B.
This was my second time here and it was better than the first. Had the special - chicken rotini and it was amazing. Not a fan of the olive oil they use for the bread but the bread itself was good. The place could use a bit of a facelift and the service is a bit slow but I was happy with the food. I would return again.
(4)J R.
Run of the mill italian restaurant, however they have good food. The service... eh, i won't comment on just because it looked like there was only one waiter in the entire place, so i'll give him a break. He was pretty cool though, made us feel very welcome, had some good tips on the menu, just fell behind a little with checking up for drinks and getting the food to us. Prices are awesome, drinks were ok. Food was good. Fried mozzerella wasn't as good as i was expecting, but it was still good. Needed to ask for extra sauce, there was like, a teaspoon of marinara underneath lol. Rabe and Cannellini beans was pretty good too. Had Veal Francaise, done very well. didn't even get to touch the pasta as a side, however i'm sure it was good because i had a bunch of extra marinara with the mozzerella... VERY good... Will definitely go back.. its a nice place to go thats local, cheap, and quaint.
(3)Vince M.
Good specials. Had swordfish special and it was good
(4)John V.
Ordered the Grandma's platter and it was a sample of everything and it was terrible. Ordered the wine and it was a cheap house glass, but got charged a good amount.
(1)J g.
This is a two fold review and it pains me to write it. Since I wrote a glowing review, things have gone down hill, at least from my experience. On a Saturday night about 6 months ago, my friend and I got seated and really looked forward to a great dinner. I have to say, the food was just mediocre. I had the chicken saltimbocca. Although sounded good, I think the restaurant cuts corners, e.g., the mushrooms didn't seem fresh in my dish. My friend's dish, a beef dish, was just okay. We left feeling not very satisfied. Then recently, on a Thursday night, we entered the restaurant wanting to sit at the bar since the dining room was pretty much empty except for a couple of tables and the bar was empty as well. The bar-tender/waitress would not allow us to have the wine special dinner, saying that was only for the dining room. She then proceeded to go to the hostess station and ask us if we wanted a table for two as if we had just walked through the door! It really didn't make any sense. We ended up leaving and with us, at least $60 of our money for which the restaurant never saw. Very reluctant to go back to Il Fornello again. What a shame.
(2)