At Il Fornaio, our mission is to provide our guests with the most authentic Italian experience outside of Italy.
520 Cowper St (at University) Palo Alto , CA 94301 United States
Credit Cards | Yes (incl. Discover & Visa) |
Wi-Fi | Free |
Outdoor Seating | Yes |
Menus | Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, Dessert, Happy Hour |
Drinks | Wine, Cocktails |
I just can't resist coming here every time I am in Silicon Valley. Great atmosphere, excellent food and the occasional chance to see your favorite tech CEOs eating pasta
Good Italian, but by great. Excellent atmosphere, an the power breakfast spot in downtown PA. Try the crespelle at breakfast . (3 of 4 petals via Fondu) Read more
The food was good but if you park your car on the street near the place - don’t leave anything valuable in it - was a victim of a smash and grab - got my laptop and my iPad ????
Best happy hour in Palo Alto. Pizzas are a great at $6. Brunch is also fabulous. Get the French toast
You can almost have a full meal with just the incredible olive bread that come before the main dish.
Look for the little Italian cookies in glass jars near the bar . Dolce.
Cappellacci di Zucca, ravioli filled with butternut squash and walnuts -- splendid! Highly recommended!
Pasta and wine were delicious, but the service was terrible. I sat at the bar and to ask for everything: to order, for a fork, napkin, bead, water, and to pay. Did not feel taken care of at all.
The cafe is a good place to work . Couple plugs, WiFi , good coffee .
Great service! Really felt at home. Made it a great night with the family.
Great location for a business luncheon and rent the patio out for an outstanding dinner party - they have two private event spaces ! Read more
It's just not that good. Coming from nyc I can be a snob with italian food in California. It's never as good.
Otherwise, normally awesome service and food. One of our favorite Italian places downtown.
Great atmosphere
Great Pizza - wood oven !
Share a pizza at the bar seats . It's a lot of fun to watch the cooks prepare meals.
Good place to go for happy hour . 4-6:30PM. $5 for food and drinks. $3 beers .
If you want to take advantage of the happy hour , show up early. It gets packed. $5 pizza and $5 wine will do that.
Excellent bar . Excellent food.
Try the Shrimp Risotto - Outstanding with parmesan , fresh pepper and a twist of lemon
The Leonardo (strawberry Bellini ) is deelish! The spinach salad is really good and for dessert try the Zabaglione!! Mmmmm!!!
Watch out for dueling specials. We went for the campania special and even called first to check. Turns out they only had the brunch special at 2 pm.
They have delicious pizza .
Great Italian in town !
They have a crazy newish happy hour . Five dollar wine , five dollar pizza . Can't beat it.
We've been waiting for pancakes for 45 minutes. Think before you order them in case you're in a hurry
Closing dinner ❤️
Classic Palo Alto Italian restaurant
Superb breakfast vegetables and poached egg
French toast at breakfast is fantastic.
Delicious pizzas
Expensive for lunch , unless you just cashed in on your IPO.
Great pizza
Stay away from the lobster bisque . It's not a bisque at all, and it has shrimp . The minestrone is quite good though.
Food and service were horrendous
Lots of VCs come here for breakfast .
Thanks for the tip to introduce myself to strangers Brett. They were amused.
Say hi to Alexey - the master behind the bar . He is awesome.
Best place to meet the power players!
Come for breakfast - delicious fresh-baked toast + smoked bacon
Ooh, avoid bald waiter if you have kids. Seemed pissed off at serving us even though it was early and kids were well behaved. Otherwise,
The patio is a great setting for a nice lunch .
Good gnocchi
Try the Tiramisu
Great food, service and setting
The service is under average - the server just not trying to remember what people have ordered. The waiting time is too long. Some parts of the food not the same as described in the menu. Bad choice
Stupid to eat Italian food here, go to tamarin in a conner from here.
Muy buena carne y ensalada ????????
Pizza ! Pasta eh
Fantastic Italian restaurant next to Stanford Hospital. Kid friendly considering it’s somewhat upscale. Squid spaghetti with clams was solid and the pizza on point. Full bar with local beers on draft - Gnat Brain
Pizza is amazing, but make sure to save room for the gelato with olive oil and salt. - Derrick Yu
Open glass front, nice staff, though it's a little hectic and seems disorganised at times. - Graham Macphee
Get one of the thick chocolate espressos. It's halfway between an espresso and chocolate mousse. - Omer Zach
Nice cafe with more low key vibes compared to Philz. Best outside seating in Palo Alto for cafes. - Davita Strong