Il Fornaio

this review is for the il fornaio panetteria located in the atrium of the pine inn. there is no better place to be on a rainy winter sunday morning in carmel than sitting here-​cappuccino in hand-​watching the flames from the huge fireplace or simply watching the crowd come and go. busy on the weekends; a mix of tourists and local flavor.
the five stars is indeed for the ambiance; the coffee and pastries are what one finds at many spots. pick up some olive rolls or a loaf of bread to enjoy later.

A step above Olive Garden; sadly the best I can say. The minestrone was watery and the Caprese tasteless. The risotto was puny and though yellow, had no taste of saffron at all. I doubt there was any in it. The 4 prawns were clearly frozen pre-​cooked and had no taste to speak of either.
Service was about at the level of a neighborhood pub. All in all very disappointing.

The response from the restaurant has been great and so I’m taking this up a star as this shows that they care and desire to make things better.

On Jan. 2^nd. We chose to come here for dinner because it didnt have a wait, and our little one was getting tired, and we still need to drive to San Francisco afterwards. It’s a nice place, the service is good, but the food really isn’t all that impressive. Both the soup and my seafood Risotto were way too salty. The Calamari Fritti was good, and the sausage ravioli was all right, but here is the kick. We left the restaurant at about 10, 2 hours later, I started vomitting, all the Risotto came out, it took three times for my stomach to empty it out, and then I started having chills, that’s when I know I had food poisoning from a 30 dollar dish. I spent 30 dollars to buy suffering, I cannot honestly recommend this restaurant to anyone.

«Regular Christmas dinner spoiled by abysmal service»
2 of 5 stars
Pending review
We live in the area and have been coming here for a family Christmas dinner for years. We enjoy the decorations and the food, allowing everyone to have what they want without anyone spending all day in the kitchen cooking & cleaning.
This year however it went badly.
I will leave the extra star because of past dinners which were fine.
We arrived on time for our 6PM reservation (made in November) for 6 people. After a brief wait we were seated at a table normally for 4 with 2 extra settings quickly added just in front of the front door. The person seating us said there had been a party at our table ‘since 2:30′ and she didn’t want us to wait. There were other empty tables visible, but it was Christmas and we all tried to be cheerful though we were uncomfortably jammed together.
It was a cool evening and every time the door opened the draft was distracting, esp. on the back of our senior diners (80+).
The table next to ours was enjoying their main courses and they looked good. After another moderate wait we ordered. Drinks and appetizers came promptly: the lovely calamari that we always like. People at the next table were enjoying dessert & coffee.
Then we waited. Remember, we are jammed together without room to move our arms and in front of the drafty front door.
The next table paid and left. It was then about 6:45. The waiter came by and asked if we wanted another drink, telling us the main courses would be out shortly. Our party began to droop, but continued to try to be cheerful in the face of adversity… Another group arrived, sat, ordered, and received their meals. It was now about 7:30, and I asked the maitre di whether there had been some problem. There was a brief flurry of activity and she returned to tell us that the chef had personally checked and our meals would be out ‘in 3 minutes’ and offered a free glass of wine. Only one of our party was up for it at this point… The next table finished their meal and left. Another group was seated there.
We waited some more. Finally at about 7:55 the main courses were served. Remember that 6PM reservation & arrival?
The plates for salmon, turkey and beef entrees were scorching hot with the items on them showing every sign of spending significant time in the warming oven. The ravioli dish was well received except it appeared to have had a pepper spill in the middle of it rendering that part inedible. The risotto dishes were nice if scanty…
We ate up and left about 8:15. We are now discussing whether we should try another Christmas restaurant next year. We liked the tradition but this was really a bad restaurant experience — and not inexpensive either… SIGH!
Visited December 2015

Disclosure: we left before getting food or drinks.
We just arrived in Carmel and were staying at the Pine Inn that’s connected to the restaurant. They told us it was happy hour and recommended we go.
We ordered drinks. The Moscow mule took over 10 minutes, wasn’t even ready when we left. They couldn’t find ginger beer and didn’t offer something else. My GF ordered a drink off the happy hour menu. After we ordered drinks, they told us they weren’t doing happy hour — «management decision because it is a holiday.» I told them that it wasn’t fair to put out happy hour menus, have us think we’re ordering off that menu and then double the price after we order. They said we could order something else and took the drink away. We waited another 5 minutes for my drink and then walked out.
I understand not doing happy hour during the holidays because demand is high. But it is ridiculous to put out the menus, have your customers think everything is one price and then double it after ordering. Horrendous business management.

This is like any other chain Italian restaurant. It has good service, inconsistently good cocktails, and very bland food. I highly recommend trying another more local restaurant if you want a great meal. However, they do have a good drink and food special for happy hour.
Overall, go for happy hour, but not for a full dinner!

It was such a great experience, great food and service. The service was excellent and the food was great! It was my daughter and Mom’s birthday! November 11^th.

Nice place for a drink. Cozy, awesome Vietnamese bartender, good pours. Nicer than other Il Fornaios!

On my recent visit to Carmel we had a party of 7 and 5 were visiting from Michigan. 1 of which (Grandma) you would have thought had never left her state before…
Hilarity ensued.
If you want to tick off a 76 year old Mid-​west woman here’s a few easy tips:
1) Promise lasagna (via photos online) but then find out it’s only seasonal. When she has to read the menu in the dim light, things can only get better from here.
2) When she begins searching the menu only to realize half of it is in EYE-​TALE-​IN and she «can’t read the dang thing.» You might want to step in.
3) Ask your server what is most like lasagna on the menu to try and appease GMA. She’ll go with your suggestion and continue to pronounce it «Tailgate bologna» all night. (Tagliatelle alla Bolognese).
4) Because you’re in California and we’re suffering from a drought, and the restaurant is a bit too loud for her hearing aids, she won’t hear when she’s supposed to chime in for a water. She will become confused when someone else from the table offers her theirs.
5) Order the calamaretti fritti. Find out the marinara is spicy once she takes a bite. Whoops. Don’t worry she will still eat the calamari with legs for your entertainment.
6) Once your meals arrive when you inquire how GMA is liking her Tailgate bologna don’t be surprised when her response is enthusiastically, «Grandpa’s spaghetti is much better!!»
7) You might be able to sneak her a shrimp from your delicious Linguine Mare Chiaro, but when the red pepper flakes hit her lips you’d better apologize for how spicy it is! (I tried the scallops and thought the broth &seasoning were perfectly spicy and the scallop very tender.)
For my entrée I skipped the tailgate bologna and instead had a special from their current rotation. It was whole wheat ravioli filled with Swiss chard, spinach, ricotta and pecorino cheese, topped with field mushrooms and organic cherry tomatoes. I loved every bite. Close to what I’d attempt to make at home with Trader Joe’s raviolis. The others at the table seemed to really enjoy their meals although I think there may have been a bit of sticker shock compared to Michigan (or Olive Garden). All and all it was worth the price — You could taste the quality down to the oil & vinegar placed on the table to go with the fresh bread.
Salvador, our server was excellent. Very attentive and also understanding and helpful with our out of town guests. He also was able to suggest the perfect wine (in our budget) that wasn’t listed on the menu. So delicious we got two bottles!
Although I don’t think GMA would be listing as many stars as I have, I’d have to say that my dinner and the show she put on made for an excellent night.
I will add — I was kind of bummed to find out this is actually a chain. I always feel duped going to nice restaurants I think are small family owned places. The good news is that on GMA’s next visit I can take her to a different location and have fun with it all over again!

We popped in here for a quick breakfast and mimosa before our massage at the recommendation of the concierge from a neighboring hotel where we were staying. The staff we encountered here in both the hotel and restaurant were engaging and helpful. We ordered drinks and a salmon toast breakfast that was beyond delicious. I highly recommend the Bellini made with peach purée as well!
In all honesty, my husband and I agreed that just based off our dining experience, the next time we stay in Carmel. This will be our hotel and restaurant of choice.

The first time around, this was a 4 star experience. We just had a pizza and a couple of cookies from the takeout bar. Service was fast and the food had good flavor.
Second time was a 1 star experience. We just tried to buy 2 waters at the counter and the guy literally ignored us. He was chatting with his coworker and seemed unaware or unconcerned that a line was forming. Eventually, after trying to get him to ring us up, we just left.
Giving it 3 stars in hopes that it was just this one really bad employee.

Our dog rescue organization had a small fundraising event on their patio. Beautiful flowers surrounding the tables of the late afternoon to sunset event created a lovely atmosphere! The hors d’oeuvres served were fresh, hearty and delicious and the staff was attentive to keeping the serving platters filled!
The dog friendly patio is a big plus, and I’m coming back with my husband and pups to try items from their menu, and sip some more wine and watch a glorious sunset again!

My dinner at Il Fornaio was very good but there is a lot of competition in Carmel. So I would say solid meal but won’t necessarily come back.
What did stand out was the staff. The restaurant manager who greeted me and my waiter were very welcoming. The waiter recommended the pasta special which was a large rigatoni noodle with tomato sauce, a rustic crumbled sausage and eggplant. It was good but felt like something I can easily make at home. And the tomato sauce did not feel like it was much better than jarred sauce. It lacked that roasted, slow cook feel I look for in an Italian restaurant. (The $ 10 spaghetti and meatballs I get at my local pizza place does this better.). And the flavor of the eggplant was hard to pick up.
So again, pleasant atmosphere, decent food, correct pricing but nothing that wowed me.

Excellent happy hour food menu. 6 items for $ 6. It is small but great selections.
Tried calamari and it is super good and the tomato/​marinara sauce is very fresh.
I love the margherita pizza.
Service is great and «Line Cook» SAUL always delivers tasty high quality food.

Went here as our fancy dinner on a trip to SoCal and it went better than expected! It started out a little iffy with the main entrance being unclear and the front seat attendance not being very attentive, but it only got better from there. As our waiter seated us, he told us that we were chosen to receive some complementary bottled water and appetizers. Though the water may not sound like much, it was actually really crisp and refreshing. For our appetizers, we received a sampler platter of Bruschetta, Salami, and Caprese and a plate of the Butternut Squash Ravioli. It was all incredible!!! I definitely recommend the ravioli to share. (We also enjoyed a lovely glass of Pinot Grigio with our meal).
My boyfriend ordered the three course taster off of the monthly menu. For his appetizer he got the Salmon Bruschetta, which was good but a tad oily. For his first main dish, he chose the Linguine. The noodles were cooked al dente which he really liked. And for his final course he got the swordfish. It was cooked really well, but we weren’t in love with the sauce.
I only ordered the Linguine Mare Chiaro, a seafood pasta. It wasn’t my favorite dish, the shrimp was slightly over cooked and the sauce left something to be desired. However, the scallops were nice and the mussels were okay.
At the end of our meal, we were surprised with a complementary dessert, some sort of banana custard over peach sorbet? And it was delicious and left us with a really pleasant taste.

3.5 stars
The interior is quite nice; it doesn’t feel like a chain. We walked in and were seated in a comfortable side room with a nice view of bright, beautiful flowers on the patio (it was too cold to eat outside that day).
I ordered a pasta dish — Cannelloni al Forno. It consisted of pasta tubes stuffed with chicken, mozzarella, sun dried tomatoes and mushrooms. I enjoyed it but it was nothing special. I also had a scoop of guava passionfruit sorbet after dinner which was superb. It was light and refreshing while having a strong flavor.
Service was average; a bit slow but he made up for it by being very personable.

Il Fornaio was recommended to us by the Inn we were staying at, as a pet friendly Resturant. We wouldn’t usually take our large dog on our anniversary dinner, but since he was diagnosed with cancer, we didn’t want to leave him.
When we called to make a reservation we let them know about our dog and they said it would be no problem to sit us on the patio with heaters. Yet, when we showed up they said the heaters were broken (the hostess had a big attitude). We decided to leave when he manager came out to talk to us. She was incredibly helpful and sat us inside next to a window where our dog sat. The manager gave us a complimentary appetizer and dessert and checked on us often.
In conclusion, the food was amazing and the manager made up for the poor front house communication.

Dinner for 5 on New Year Day (6:30PM seating). Have written a few reviews and this is the first ‘upswing’ in rating in 2.5 years! This is the Il Fornaio we like to go with family and friends (not the 1 – 2 star one of recent times.)
Seated immediately at a table next to front door (when you make reservations ask for a table away from the door– on cold nights it is both cold and noisy near the front door). Daily menu was limited in offerings, but all of the dishes ordered had good flavor (pasta was a bit dry on two dishes). They need to work on presentation — food was ‘gooped’ onto the plates without much care. Bread was delicious and warm as always.
Service was a bit slow but waiter was friendly and tried to be helpful (it would be better if they introduced themselves and knew the menu better). Limited white wine selection given all of the fish and pasta dishes — need a few more Sauv Blancs (less Chards), a Pinot Grigio and some white bordeaux. Wine prices are good.

It was just ok breakfast. I loved the potatoes the most everything else was mediocre, but the little coffee shop on the way out was great.
Well I am giving an additional star for the reason that manager of the restaurant replied on my review offering to give it another try. Being a business owner myself I appreciate when any feedback taken in consideration.
Whenever I’ll visit Carmel-​by-​the-​Sea I’ll come by to give it another try :-)

Atendimento simpático e atencioso. Excelente carpaccio. Boa comida. Um restaurante italiano de boa qualidade.