IL FORNELLO, Ajax

Great place for Italian food and any celebration. Excellent pasta, pizza, lots of delicious warm bread served with butter before food.

Food was very underwhelming. Our waitress was no where to be seen at first and once the food was brought to the table she kept hovering over us. I recommend the pizza but the apps were not my favourite.

The food is chef's kiss quality! So flavourful and warm! The garlic bread with cheese appetizer is the way to go when you first get there! And on a traditional Margherita pizza (fresh mozzarella and basil) with an amazing soft and fresh crust and then top off the entire meal with your choice of pasta, because all of their pastas rule! The ambiance and alcoholic beverages definitely helped the vibe of having a truly tasty experience!

I have an extreme sensitivity to gluten and dairy so I am gluten and dairy free. The food and servers were very good. I have been to this location a few times and it never fails to impress me. The food is absolutely amazing, the staff are so friendly and caring and the atmosphere is nice. Absolutely would recommend this Il Fornelos to anyone and everyone! Thank you Ajax Il Fornello team!

I cant say enough about this place. There is nothing I dont love. The food is amazing, the wait staff is wonderful. The place is beautiful. If you haven't been here, you need to go

This was my third time here and the food was great! We ordered the fried calamari as an appetizer and it was nice, the Calamari was light and crispy, it had a great bite to it. The star of the appetizer was definitely their tartar sauce and their marinara as they both had great flavor to it. For our main meals we ordered the "PAPPARDELLE STEFANO, " "GNOCCHI ASIAGO, " & "SPAGHETTI CARBONAR. " For drinks we ordered the "Crisp Pear Martini, "Maple Old Fashioned, " & "Sangria Mocktail. " I thoroughly enjoyed the braised beef ribs in the Stefano. It was tender, juicy and had great flavour to it. There was also plenty of meat in my pasta and were fall off the bone. This pasta was on the sweeter end, I asked for it to be spicy and unfortunately I don't think they did anything to make it spicier but overall the meat made up for this. The Gnocchi was nice and creamy, and definitely one of the better Gnocchi dishes I have tried but as expected it was on the heavier end. The Carbonara was a Fall featured dish and was also great and creamy, slightly on the saltier end. The chef did not shy on the bacon at all! Drinks wise, the Maple Old Fashioned and the Crisp Pear Martini were also part of the Fall feature menu and were great! The Maple Old Fashioned tasted like a regular Old Fashioned, I didn't get a hint of Maple at all but the flavours of an Old Fashioned were there. The martini was pleasantly good, I have never tried a pear drink before and to my surprise we need more pear drinks! The martini was definitely strong but the sweet pear puree balanced it well.

First time there. The food and the service were amazing. It won't be my last time there.

One of the best Italian restaurants around. A personal favourite of mine. The portions are smaller than many other places but the quality is up there with the best. The fresh pasta is great. Pizzas are amazing and they have a really nice Gas oven you can see when you walk in. Staff was friendly and the Parmesan scoops to add to the food was very generous

Pizza was really good! Great casual spot for relaxed dinner. We had great service! I was really impressed with their extensive plant based menu options in all sections of the menu!

Il Fornello is the perfect local restaurant for delicious food and great service! It’s also very kid friendly! Highly recommend!

This was a delicious Italian experience! I didn't pay the bill so I can't comment on cost - but the food was fresh and delicious! I wish I had thought to take a picture of the meal! It looked as good as it tasted - and the wine wasn't bad either! Would love to go back to enjoy again!

Always a great meal at Il Fornello. The service was friendly and they let you enjoy a conversation. The butternut squash ravioli was lovely as were the pizzas.

Very professional restaurant with an elegant ambiance. The food was amazing and the service was even better. Highly recommend!

Good quality food. Excellent service. It was busy on a Wednesday night. A little on the pricey side.

Had dinner on the patio.service is quick and food was really good.
Patio is covered and heated. A bit on the pricy side but quality is good so worth it.

Really liked it! I've been wanting to eat here since we moved to the area last year but prefered to wait until now that measure are more relaxed.
We finally gave it a try and I can say, the wait was worth it.

Nice ambience and great service. Had a pizza (diavola?), which was nice but could be a little more flavorful and slightly less salty. Tasty dessert/chocolate mousse to finish the meal!

It's a lovely Italian chain restaurant that serves very good food.
Decoration of the restaurant and it makes this place enjoyable.
Service is good and prompt, not too pushy.
I really enjoyed the pasta, always well cooked and quickly served.
I do recommend.

It's a good restaurant and the ambience is very nice. The service is also very good. The food was good, especially the lamb shank. But the gnocchi was ok. If you like Italian, worth a try.

Menu with great selection of Italian dishes. Attentive service! We were pleased with our entrees.

Mussels in garlic white wine were delicious,
Had the lamb shank as the main course, falling off the bone tender, will definitely go back.

Decent Italian, but not worth the prices. To start, we had bruschetta, and honestly, probably one of the worst. Ingredients were not fresh at all. As you can see in my pictures, the tomatoes are not fresh or ripe at all. Better to not serve something where you cannot ensure fresh ingredients. Quite a disappointing appetizer. Next, the bolognese, quite terrible. It’s basically a pasta with canned tomato with a sprinkle of meat. Definitely not a bolognese haha. The only reason why this place doesn’t get a one star is because the penna alla vodka tasted great. My wife enjoyed it and I enjoyed it much better than my pasta. Overall, prices and quality not worth it at all.

I had the lamb shank for dinner it was excellent! Meat falling off the bone, it was perfect. Something new, try the Beef Carpathio.this is so delicious. Short Ribs falling off the bone smothered in a decadent savory thick tomato sauce, served over Papperdelle Noodles.
End the meal with an in-house dessert, Chocolate Soufflé accompanying with a cup of soothing Blueberry Tea. Beautifully paired together.
They Also have a good Vegetarian menu.
The service is excellent, they aim to please!
Cleanliness is noted.
Covered Private Patio.
You come here, you won't be disappointed?

We always love going here. The food and staff are wonderful. We also appreciate the tenting over the patio. It means we can enjoy the restaurant rain or shine, and still have the health benefit of eating outdoors
Hopefully the tenting stays up during the fall and spring. That way we enjoy going here through most of the year.

Consistently tasty hot food. Been many times, never disappointed. Pizza is fresh made and nice thin crust. I wouldn't hesitate going here

They plenty of meatless food options. Being a vegan I highly recommend this place. We had two vegan penne Alla Norma and vegan spaghetti and both of them were absolutely delicious. Honestly I didn't expect them to be this good. The people are super nice and friendly and the prices are reasonable. A great place!

IL FORNELLO AJAX, ON.
Average service which is not a bad thing, I usually go for the pizza menu, pizza making has gone down the hill since the restaurant has opened. 13 inch plate but the pizza is much smaller, the dough does not have enough weight to begin with, pizza is too small, too thin and too hard on edges. Since they have a proper pizza owen one would think that they would make a simple good pizza.

Another visit September 05/21.
Service was great and friendly. I was there strictly for pizza again.and much like my review from a year or so ago it remains EXACTLY THE SAME with the exception that this time around the cheese was still hard and not melted. Looking forward to another visit to see pizza improvements because they have what it takes.

IL FORNELLO is an excellent italian restaurant. The food taste amazingand they have a lot of different options for people who have vegan, vegeterian or other types of diets. The portion sizes are just right. I would definetly recommend this restaurant.

Probably the best Italian restaurant in Ajax i've been to. Prices I could say $$. Friendly service and nice patios.

The food is delicious and the price is about standard for this type of place. Nice atmosphere there too. Dining inside or out is an option, and both are ok choices since it's not super crowded.

My son and his friend made patio reservations for his step dad for Father's Day. A drink to start, delicious pizza, pasta and gnocchi. Cheese cake and carrot cake for dessert. Everything was delicious. Service was amazing. Hoping to return soon.

Went here for the first time. I was really looking forward to it. Unfortunately very disappointed in the food. I ordered Fettuccine Alfredo. The portions size, bland taste and powdered parmasan cheese on top was not expected for an Italian restaurant. At $20 a plate for pasta, I was expecting more. And this is why eating out is so disappointing. I could have made this at home. Eating out is supose to have elevated quality of food. I want to support the restaurant industry but servivng sub par food makes it extremely difficult. Service was really good so i guess i will just stick to drinks and dessert when going out

Good food and the waitress was very attentive! The food came out super quick and was tasty but not blown away! A great place to have lunch or dinner.there were a lot fruit flies which killed the mood but I can’t really hold that against them it’s summer time

I had the pleasure in speaking with the manager Kimberly. Highly recommended with amazing customer service! I put in an order in and called back as I had special requests, she was very attentive, positive and so happy to help. Customer service like this is great. I will absolutely be a repeat customer and definitely recommend Il Fornello Ajax to my family & friends. There food tastes amazing! Thank you Kimberly for your professionalism!

We decided to break the Covid lockdown here and so glad we did. Chef Silva and his crew did an outstanding job and we could not be more satisfied. I highly recommend the lamb shank but everything else was fantastic as well.
See you guys real soon.

The lamb meal was excellent. The carrot cake wasn't good at all, bland and dry.
Great service! Very clean patio tables and chairs.

During these Covid days it was nice to have a covered patio outside in case it rains. As not very many restaurants offer the covered patio. Although, unfortunately it did rain on our night out and tourential downpour it was. The covered patio was just not enough due to the way the wind was blowing. They tried their hardest to make it all run smooth. Food was great. Different menu tastes. But tasty from all parties perspective from our table. Not as expensive as I thought.

Excellent food and service as usual. The restaurant followed COVID protocols so we felt safe here, will definitely be returning.

Ordered on line yesterday and we had the Bolognese Lasagna and Mushroom Pizza.
The pizza had lots of mushrooms but absolutely no taste and the Lasagna that was supposed to be baked was some strips of pasta swimming in tomato soup like liquid.
The staff was very welcoming and friendly, but we will not be repeated customers.

Horrible customer service made reservations and it vanished into thin air? Hire more competent staff

The food was amazing! So fresh and so hot (not just warm). Our server was very nice, gave us time to look at the menu and gave enough time between appetizers and mains. Also refilled my drink without me asking! Very nice atmosphere, didn’t feel like it was only 10 people in this huge restaurant, even though it was. It felt really nice and SAFE! The plexi glass, mask policy, and cleaning measures made it so much more comfortable to enjoy date night! Cant recommend enough!

When this location first opened it was horrible. My sister tried it about 2 yrs ago and said it was amazing. So my wife and thought we would give them a second chance, and we were very pleased. Definitely the best pasta in the Durham area. The Alfredo sauce is homemade not out of a jar. The chicken parmigiana is huge, trust me you won’t be disappointed. We definitely recommend this restaurant.

Very clean the server was pleasant and looked after my family very well. FOOD was good but not seasoned with much taste. Sauces could have been thicker not as watery as they were.

Changed my rating from 2 stars to 5. I was disappointed with the portion sized I recieved as it was significantly smaller than any other time I ordered this item. I contacted the restaurant and they apologized and sent me a gift card for the amount for my meal. I'm not sure if it was an error or if they have changed their portion size due due to the pandemic but I am very happy with how they handled it but I will probably avoid the vegan lasagna from now on and order something that might be more filling, although I honestly really do love that lasagna.

Tried cheese pizza for the kids. It was just the right temperature good kids and yummy. I had Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken, while my wife had Spicy Penne. Every thing we very tasty and just perfect! Will stop here again in future.

Great service. Delicious bread, pasta and pizza. I’ve been here a few times. But have learned to stick to those items only.

I had the pleasure of eating here for the first time on Saturday evening (August 24th). I was a part of a party of 4 and we were celebrating my friend's birthday. From the moment we were seated until the moment we left (about 3.5 hours later!), our experience was nothing less than exceptional.
Firstly, we were served by Shawn, who is such a genuinely friendly and helpful person. He was anticipating our requests before we even made them! And he was assisted by another young server named Matthew. They seemed to enjoy working with each other as they were joking with each other and with us as they served; it helped the already pleasant atmosphere feel that much more comfortable. We never felt rushed the entire time we were there.
And then, the food. Oh my goodness, somebody actually cares about how food should look AND taste!
We could immediately tell that someone put some real thought into the menu, and that the kitchen was executing on a well-thought-out traditional menu AND vegan menu. That's right, Folks - in addition to traditional fare, they also have a beautifully prepared and awesome tasting Vegan/Plant-based Menu and the food on it is EXCELLENT! The birthday girl was so pleased that she had so many options to choose from and that the food tasted so darned good!
In fact, everything was so good that we: sent compliments back to the Kitchen, via Shawn, and then we asked to speak to the restaurant Manager, Eric, who was so humbled at our compliments that he couldn't accept all of the "praise" for himself - he had to pass it on to all the staff. Finally, the person who conceptualized the Vegan menu, Stacey, came out to meet us and took the time to share her passion regarding the food choices and flavour profiles on the menus as well as solicit our feedback on what worked really well and what our preferences were for dining overall. And then, as if she read my friend's mind, she presented the Birthday girl with a card for a Free Vegan pizza on her next visit. Little did Stacey know that about 5 minutes before she visited our table, my friend told us that the next time she comes, she really wants to try the Vegan pizza!
And did I mention that before we got to order our desserts that Shawn slid up to our table, Ninja-style, and presented our friend with a beautiful Chocolate Soufflé replete with its own birthday candle? TOP NOTCH CUSTOMER SERVICE!
We will most certainly be back for more. Thank you to the Staff at Il Fornello Ajax - you just gained several more patrons!

Ive never been thanked just for walking in the door. Five feet before grabbing the door handle, you smell authentic italian food. I enjoyed a simple salad and penne pasta. Something that was a happy surprise, i asked for extra spinach and the cost was 1.00. Fantastic service with quiet, calming art and lighting. Always a pleasure! My daughter loves the vegan choices!

Lovely. Great Italian restaurant. Prompt and pleasant staff who really are awesome at working as a team.

Food was fantastic. Once we got it. Our server who was behind the bar had no interest in actually serving us and more interested in talking about a new tattoo design on Insta. I saw multiple servers on their phones around the bar, but one girl really seemed to have it all together and I thanked her personally for a good experience and for getting our food when our server forgot.
Door by the patio leads into a small space beside the bar where employees seemed to like to gather and chat about personal things.

The most relaxed, upscale feeling pizza experience with an easy to understand Italian menu. Also offering vegan options.

Great atmosphere! Hostess was very friendly and helpful, always smiling. Our server was just the same. I was there with a group of 10 and we were a little challenging but she did a great job. Always smiled. I didn't hear anyone complain about the food but one did say the portion was a little small for the price. I had the salmon and was perfect.
This is my third time going and everytime has been great. This was the first time inside dinning. Highly recommended.

It was good overall. Had a good time, service was great, food was delicious and thankful they were able to accommodate us in a big group.

I'm normally not a fan of Italian restaurants but this one is great. Lots of menu items to choose from that aren't just the standard pasta dishes.

I had my eye on this place for a while, when I eventually went there it wasn't what I expected. The food quality didn't wow me, the service was average and the decor/comfort factor was very much like being in a cafeteria. Pricing was not reasonable for the quality of food or the experience. It wasn't a place I wanted to stay in for very long and it certainly didn't resonate with me as GTA's best Italian food as it claims to be. I haven't been back since my first visit and I don't plan to.

They have so many options here, including a full vegan menu! They make dining out easy! The food is delicious, the atmosphere is great, and the place is clean! The staff is very friendly!

Been here many times, it's your typical chain style restaurant.but on this night we received service that I would have never expected. Chad our server was amazing the type of service we have gotten at a little more upscale restaurants. He didn't forget about us, and didn't bother us too much, had the perfect amount of enthusiasm, was social enough and wasn't over the top. Also was nice enough to throw in a little extra truly made our night special.

Went here a few weeks ago, food was good. They give complimentary bread whole you wait, service was a bit slow. The food was good, I had the butternut squash ravioli which was delicious but very sweet. It could have benefited an extra ingredient like mushrooms or something to counter the sweetness of the butternut squash.

Overall was a decent meal.

Pizza was a bit burnt and the crust was thinner than I hoped for. The lasagna was very flavorful and our server Nicky was very friendly. But for a restaurant to dedicate an entire menu to plant based options was thoughtful. Apps, and desserts were delicious.

Great food, great staff, great time had by all. Prices are a little expensive (along the lines of The Keg) but worth it for a nice night out

Great food very friendly people. But to order more bread it will take awhile. Asked 4 times finally got it.

Good Italian restaurant with a focus on pasta and pizza, pretty quick service and all the food was great!

I love Il Fornello so much that I just CAN'T eat here! When I do - I want to go back every day after that haha! All jokes aside, the food is fresh and delicious. There menu is extensive yet well mastered. We went there last night (June 8th) for my birthday dinner and I knew that there would be something for everyone to enjoy - no matter what their nutritional needs were. My ONLY note is that it is very difficult to get ahold of them on the phone to make a large reso (you can't do this online). I emailed AND left a voicemail (both unreturned) and had to call multiple times on multiple days at different hours before reaching anyone. The only thing I can think of is that they were so busy serving up deliciousness.

Awesome food and even better service! The waiters are very friendly and accommodating. I also love that they have a vegan menu available - I was travelling with vegans amd non vegans and both groups loved the food! Definitely recommend