Fornelletto

The best restaurant in all of Atlantic City! The prices are a little high but the food is certainly delicious. I would personally recommend the chicken parm, meatballs or the gnocchi. The doughnut are certainly out of this world. Rate: 9.2÷10

Came here with some friends while staying at the Borgata. We were seated right away and no complaints with the service.
Ordered the Fried Calamari, Seafood Spaghetti, Spinach, Octopus, Spaghetti & meatballs, Chicken Milanese, Grilled scallops and for desser the crème-​brulee, tiramisu and vanilla gelato. We also ordered this anchovy salad thingy… it wasn’t a salad. I’m not sure what it was.
I’m a huge fan of scallops so that was my favorite, along with the Chicken Milanese. The desserts were decent. Overall a nice experience. Presentation could have been a little bit better but really no complaints overall. Had good company.
4.3 rounds to a 4.

I came here with my boyfriend and two of my friends last weekend for my birthday and enjoyed it. It’s right in the Borgata and the elevator to get to Fornelletto was right by our room, so it was definitely convenient. We were seated right away and given bread which was delicious!
I got the Parma Pizza which was recommended by our server and it was very good! The pizzas are pretty big and I was only able to eat about half of it. Overall, this is a nice place to have a good glass of wine and dinner while staying at the Borgata.

I truly loved dining here. The first time was a few years ago and I still remember how amazing the burrata was.
This time I got the paccheri eggplant pasta. I thought it would have come with more of a sauce but as you can see from the photo there was enough eggplant, tomatoes and mozzarella to go with the pasta, it didn’t need sauce, so it was great. One friend got the margherita pizza which was very good. Another had the fusilli pasta which she said was excellent.
Then for dessert we had the doughnuts which were so light and fluffy and not greasy. The berry preserves were the perfect accompaniment. I am not a fan of mousse but my friends said that the chocolate hazelnut mousse was very good. The staff were all very friendly and helpful.

The worst meal I have ever had in my life. Grabbed dinner at the bar because we were going to the comedy club. I ordered pork short ribs and I can only describe it as them having a leather coat surrounding them. Dry hard tasteless. This use to be a good place. Steadily going down. Service was good.

I had a fantastic birthday dinner here! It can get a bit noisy, but the room is beautiful, warm and inviting, and we had a great table tucked in the corner. The bread was deliciously fresh. We started with the burrata, which was to die for. Perfectly firm on the outside and creamy on the inside. Heavenly. We also had a salad of local watermelon and tomatoes. It was a great combo of sweet and savory. Really nice and refreshing. We then had a margarita pizza and ravioli. The pizza was thin and crisp. The sauce was sweet and light. The ravioli were delicate packets of cheese with a lemony sauce and dusted with poppy seeds. It was a unique combo that did not disappoint! Service was good and they let us have a leisurely meal with no pressure to get us out. I am really looking forward to returning.

This place is so lovely and romantic
if you do not mind eating down in a wine cellar.(basement)
Loved every second of this place
I have sat at a table and the bar tops and they are so great
I had the gnocchi with the cream sauce and the grapes, best thing I have ever had at a restaurant.
great place to have a glass of wine and apps too
this is AC you know Borgata is the only place to be

Food was excellent and cooked just right. Wife got a monk fish that was seasoned right and texture was soft. Got the Brooklyn pizza that was very simple and not preserved at all. Probably wanted the crust to be a little thinner but still a great pie of pizza. Cheese appetizer was very fresh. I saw the cheese ooze out with milk. Very good place. Although I am a dive kind of person I didn’t feel uncomfortable. Service was attentive and excellent.

I’ve been here once before and was far from impressed so I never returned… until now.
I just read another review that said to make reservations if you want privacy… sadly, there isn’t much privacy with regular tables, either. You are practically sitting on top of each other and could share each other’s dishes if you wanted to. You can definitely hear everyone’s conversations on either side of you. And you are so far away from the person that you are actually sitting with that if you want to have a conversation, you need to be loud. Hence, hearing everyone around you.
The ambiance is very nice. The server was attentive, definitely knew what he was doing and tried to be funny and friendly the whole time.
The bread was served warm. We thought it was delicious. It has sea salt on top of it and has a little bit of oil on the bottom. There is also an oil pourer on the table so you can dip.
We got the barrata with two accompaniments. It comes with one. You can add another for $ 3.50. We chose the heirloom tomatoes which were excellent even though it’s winter… and the eggplant caponata. Our family makes caponata and this didn’t even compare to our family recipe. It wasn’t bad. It was just different. It was a tad sweet. Our family recipe is savory.
We also had a winter salad. I didn’t care for it. The olives were a bit bitter. We didn’t finish the whole thing.
We ordered a «margherita» pizza which is traditionally buffalo mozzarella, plum tomatoes and fresh basil. This, I can tell you was not a margherita pizza. I was expecting a delicious wood oven margherita. What we got was a greasy cheese pizza that had one basil leaf on each slice. It was sub par at best. I definitely expect better from a fancy Italian restaurant with headlining chefs.
If I were to come back here it would be strictly for bread, salad and appetizers. The pizza isn’t good and the pasta dishes we had our first time here weren’t good, either. I expect better for the price and from the chef.

Whenever we come to AC, we always stay at Borgata. We wanted to try out a new place for dinner this time, so Fornelletto it was. I’ve heard of very very positive things about this place, but unfortunately our dinner did not deliver to those levels.
We shared the mussels and a salad to start. The sauce the mussels came in was probably the best part of my meal, along with the bread for the table (which we had to ask for). Some of the mussels themselves were a little grainy/​sandy which skeeved me out slightly. I had the short rib for my meal, which was just OK. The cut of meat itself was weirdly fatty — the meat had random pieces of layers of fat which needed to be carved out (inedible). Otherwise, the preparation of the dish was good. I requested mashed potatoes instead of the white bean cassolette (sp?) it comes with. The potatoes were okay, but I could tell as soon as I saw them that they were swimming in butter (like a whole layer of liquid butter on top of the potatoes swimming in butter).
We had the gelato to end the meal, which was a fine dessert. Overall, I think most of the flavors were there for my meal. However, the execution was less than perfect and I most likely won’t be returning my next time down to AC.
Service and our waiter was super sweet and timely.

Absolutely my favorite Italian restaurant. Food quality, service, ambiance are all exceptional. Dined here Valentines weekend (usually a mistake at many restaurants). My GF had the Veal Parm and I had chicken Parm. Both were the finest of each dish we’d ever had. Even the gluten free pasta was amazing. I recommend getting gluten free versions of the veal or chicken Parm since it’s not breaded, and it tastes better w/​o breading. From start to finish this was a five star meal. Expensive but worth every dime. An added bonus is that the underground location of Fornelletto makes it cozy & romantic compared to the usual casino dining experience. Truly one of the best eateries in AC (and NJ).

My boyfriend and I came here for our anniversary, everything about this restaurant was perfect. Excellent ambiance, from the moment you walk down the steps it feels like you’re entering a wine cellar in Europe. The food and service were Superb! I had the Veal parmigiana and it was cooked to perfection, my boyfriend the filet which was cooked as well as a steakhouse. We definitely recommend making a reservation before arrival. It’s worth every penny!

I loved the chicken liver pâté. I was there with a group, and we shared a bunch of appetizers. They were all excellent. The service was fantastic. Would definitely recommend stopping in when you are in the area.

This was my last choice but well made. Place is beautiful. The bread they serve you is nice and hot. Had it some olive oil delicious. I had a Italian sangria, it was ok. It didn’t have any fresh fruits in it like it said on menu and the nut meg made it taste like egg nog a little. For appetizer I had the meatballs… OMG it was delicious. And my entrée was seafood spaghettini very good too. Overall very good food.

I’ve been here a couple times, always at the bar tables as I always forget to make reservations. No big deal as I’ve only had to wait one time for a few minutes.
As others have said, this restaurant is in the basement — 1 floor down from the main casino floor. Probably could be one huge wine cellar if they wanted, but they carved out a very nice Italian restaurant.
The food here is always fresh and top notch. There are not a lot of very good Italian places, and it’s a gem when you find one. This one is one of them.
Meat/​Cheese plate: Custom choices of meat and cheese, accompanied with dried fruit, honey, crackers. I am a sucker for a good charcuterie plate, and this one is good. Generous portions of meats and cheeses.
Seafood Pasta: One of my favorites. Simple spaghetti in marinara, with lots of mussels, clams, and shrimp. Great flavor, seafood is cooked perfectly — just a great dish that many mess up by overcooking the seafood or the pasta.
A few not so good notes. Nothing major:
Everything is priced higher due to being in a casino. If you balk on paying 25 or so for an Italian entrée, this place isn’t for you. Service can be spotty at times in the bar area. Also, the tables are communal, so if you are a party of 2, you will be sharing the table with others. Be prepared to hear other people’s conversations. If you want privacy, get reservations for a table. The bread is pretty boring.

Cute little Italian place in the borgata, came here with my girlfriends while the boys were gambling and it was a perfect place to chat and drink wine. Their food was way overpriced but I guess that’s to be expected in AC and so was their wine. We ended up splitting a few appetizers since it was past dinner time and everything we had was good– but not worth the very high price tag. We went for one of he reasonably-​priced wines on the menu and it was good. Would have liked to see some more reasonable cheaper wine options. Also didn’t love the layout there were just a bunch of long wood tables and it was first come first serve so you had to be aggressive to get a seat and then you were sitting at the table with another group anyway.

I’m surprised this wasn’t rated higher, as we had a fantastic dining experience at Fornelletto.
We didn’t call ahead for reservations, so ended up having to wait until 9:30 PM to eat, though it worked out because it’s AC so you’re not going to bed at your typically allotted time.
You walk downstairs into what I’m assuming is meant to look like a wine cellar — my feet in heels didn’t necessarily appreciate the stairs, but I can’t be too upset, as there is an available elevator I neglected to use. The hostess was welcoming and we were seated within 5 minutes of arriving, despite the place being packed.
I ordered a vodka seltzer with orange and lime, and BF ordered a Limonata (strawberries, lemonade, vodka that our waiter assured him was not too sweet — which was accurate).
For appetizers, we decided to share a margherita pizza (knowing that as we were headed to mur. mur after dinner, having some post drinking pizza in our room would be ideal), which was lovely. Not the best pizza I’ve ever had, but still tasty and a good way to start the meal. The bread basket was very well received, as we can’t seem to escape our love of all things carb.
For meals, I got the ravioli del plin which is incredibly rich cheese filled ravioli with sweet corn purée and poppyseeds (and a shitload of butter, which my French background says with no disdain whatsoever). It was delicious — a bit rich and could have been shared, but delicious all the same.
BF ordered the Tuscan Fried Chicken, which was literally just a plate of fried chicken — he did say that he wish he knew it was ONLY that, as he would have selected something else; it was a lot of fried chicken to eat as a standalone meal (he ate some of my ravioli, which was great as it allowed me to not eat to complete capacity).
We were way too stuffed for dessert — we left happy with the service, the quality of food — and the amount of it!, and were ready for a night of dancing it all off. Fornelletto isn’t cheap, but NYC prices are to be expected — our meal was delicious and very well worth it, in regards to service and dinner.

Fornelletto is one of our favorite restaurants at the Borgata Hotel. Specializing in Southern Italian cuisine, Chef Stephen Kalt has created an intimate dining setting that emanates a wine cellar.
From the entrance, it feels as though you’re truly descending into the catacombs do dine well. In the main dining area, you are surrounded by a myriad of wines, enclosed in walls of glass.
Your meal will start with focaccia, grissini, and olive oil.
Limonata [$ 12]
Vodka, muddled strawberries, fresh lemon juice
The GF went with the limonata cocktail, which was redolent with sweet strawberries and fresh citrus. Easily quaffable.
Sicilian Mojito [$ 12]
Blood orange juice, Bacardi rum, cane sugar, mint
I was in the mood for some sweetness as well and opted for their take on the mojito. I enjoyed the fact that the muted sweetness was subtle and there was great herbal notes from the mint, offset by the tartness of the blood orange.
Arancini [$ 12]
Sicilian rice balls, veal and prosciutto ragu, peas
The arancini were fairly standard, but well-​executed. Al dente risotto was encased by a crisp exterior shell. The ragu was nicely tart to balance the starch in the dish, with the veal and prosciutto imparting a salty savoriness to each bite.
Squash Blossoms [$ 9]
Goat cheese, avocado, mint
The squash blossoms were sublime and one of our favorite bites. Crisply fried and not at all greasy upon mastication, these were explosions of tangy creaminess. The mint was a nice touch to balance out the heft of each bite.
Carbonara [$ 27]
Guanciale, cipollini onions, pecorino, black pepper, spaghetti
The GF’s carbonara was expectedly creamy, with salty hits of pecorino and bite from the black pepper. The rendered bits of guanciale imparted some heft and texture. $ 27 seems a bit high, but delicious nonetheless.
Porchetta [$ 29]
Pork belly, beets, broccoli rabe
Knowing my penchant for all things pork belly though, I’d pay more for this than the delicious steaks at Bobby Flay Steak and certainly more than anything at the disastrous Wolfgang Puck American Grille. The outer skin was delightfully crisp and the pork within was unctuous and pure decadence. It came on top of a bed of bitter broccoli rabe, which was the perfect foil for the pork. Sweet red beets helped to temper the richness of each bite. The porchetta was a special on this particular visit and I couldn’t help but let the server know it had to be a regular on the menu.
Though I’m sure it had nothing to do with my own reco, lo and behold, we went back to Fornelletto six months later and it was on the regular menu! And yes, I ordered it again and was in heaven.

This was a five star dining experience every step of the way. You would never know you are in the middle of a busy hotel/​casino after you walk a few dimly lit but charming flights downstairs into this wine bar and restaurant.
The atmosphere is romantic and the service is impeccable. While the menu may appear simple at first glance, there was nothing simple about the flavors in our dishes — the veal osso bucco ravioli and the beef short rib ragu.
The wine list is extensive but the highlight here is the «50 under 50» section that recommends great wines to compliment your meal that won’t break the bank. We were able to enjoy a bottle of wine for the same price as 2 glasses off of the main menu.
Don’t overlook Fornelletto. It’s a great place to experience fine dining in a non pretentious environment at a very reasonable price point.

What a hidden gem quite literally buried away in Borgata’s casino!
If you don’t look up at the large lettering for this restaurant, you’d walk right by these two little inset hallways right off the casino floor! You take an elevator or the stairs down to this Italian wine bar restaurant. Up front there is a nice sized bar and bar height tables. This area is slightly louder and seemed to have more energy than the back room. My mom and I were seated in the back room. Around part of the room is a large glass enclosed room filled with wines. Lighting was low and the music was great. They really know how to have music that adds to your experience versus music that overwhelms or distracts from it.
We each got a glass of wine and ordered a bottle of sparkling water. The water was kept in an ice bucket and anytime out glasses weren’t full someone would run over to fill them. Packets of grissini were on the table along with sea salt and olive oil. Beautiful focaccia was delivered to the table. It was soft and fluffy with crunchy chunky salt liberally sprinkled on top.
For appetizers my mom ordered the 9^th Street Chopped Salad. She enjoyed it but felt it was overly salted. I had the Autumn Salad. Very interesting combination of shaved brussel sprouts, apples, grapes and water cress. It was good but slightly too acidic (vinegar). We also shared the garlic infused ricotta dip served with grilled country bread. This appetizer was a definite highlight for me. The ricotta was very flavorful, very thick and creamy… simplicity at it’s best. This appetizer with a glass of wine would have made a great meal on it’s own!
For our main course we both got the Gnocchi. The gnocchi were so light and delicate! They melted in your mouth. Not dense or heavy at all! They were bathed in a parmesan cream sauce tossed with diced dried figs. Sweet, salty, creamy… it was so delicious!
For dessert my mom had the chocolate mousse. I got to have a taste and thought it was very well done. Light and a perfect way to end the meal. One complaint is they topped it with a bit of crumbled pretzels and they were a bit stale and soft. I had the Maple Budino. Budino is Italian pudding. The maple pudding was layered under toasted marshmallow and topped with carmel corn. It was tasty and a really fun concept!
Service was great and prices were reasonable for the atmosphere and quality of food. If you’re looking for a great Italian restaurant, give this place a try!