IL FORNELLO

Great restaurant! Service is not pushy and staff are friendly. Tables are not packed so perfect if you still want some social distancing. The lasagna was delicious and portion was large. Totally recommended. Parking is mediocre but on a weeknight there is enough space.

Went for lunch today with my wife. We've been there a few times before and we are never disappointed. Food is always good, atmosphere very inviting and staff very nice. Portions are quite generous. Please try it.

Fast service, delicious food, friendly staff, really like this place! Will definitely visit again.

Excellent restaurant, wonderful pizza with artichoke, delicious pasta with seafood. Good selection of wines.

Nous avons découvert ce restaurant par pur hasard, puisque nous devions faire le plein dans notre véhicule électrique. Belle surprise, tout y était délicieux. Magnifique restaurant avec une belle ambiance. Service impeccable. Je recommande!

Came here for a late vegan lunch, food was amazing! Such delicious pasta! Service was fast and so polite! Highly recommended this location

Very good experience. Good vibes and great food and services. Would definitely go there more often

The pastas were nothing special, tasted ok. The staff was friendly and they were very accommodating.

The food here is amazing, one of the best pastas I’ve ever had. Service was top notch, we got our food very quickly and the server was also helpful and polite. Will definitely go back again and recommend to everyone.

Solid Italian spot but nothing special. For the price, I think you can get more bang for your buck elsewhere. Food was good.

Excellent atmosphere in this restaurant, it's warm and cozy. The food and service are amazing

Delicious Italian food in Oakville. I have never been disappointed here no matter what I get. Twice now I have had the mussels as an appetizer and they are the best I’ve ever had. Their spicy tomato sauce the put on them is phenomenal. The restaurant itself is warm, quiet and modern. Lastly, our server was very kind and funny! Even the manager was friendly and took time to ask us how our food was. I will be back, hopefully very soon!

Still as good as a place as I remember. Great dishes, great service and good allergy options ($)

The ceasar salad serving size is ridiculously small. As a vegetarian, I rely on salads for my meal. Not impressed.

Have been wanting to try il fornello for the longest time. Finally went yesterday and it will for sure be the last. We ordered 3 dishes
1) mushroom pizza which the crust was way too thin to hold the ingredients.
2) pasta dish with grilled chicken. The sauce was good but the chicken in the dish was simply inedible
3) chicken dish that was supposed to be with Asiago cheese but there was a weird goaty cheese taste and a huge layer of fat on the chicken, again making it terrible.
Was a terrible experience! Our waiter was the sweetest so no complaints on the service, just the chefs!

We visited here for dinner a couple of nights ago. Our server was amazing, sadly I missed her name, however, did share the positive feedback on our way out. She took the time to provide us with thoughtful recommendations and she also noticed I was on their Instagram looking through the food pics. She recommended I check the reviews instead. I'm more of a visual person at times and want to know how my meal will look and that helped a ton! I ended up going with her recommendation and ordered the Penne Capri. My meal was delicious. It was full of flavor and it was cooked perfectly. My husband ordered the rigatoni bolognese and he enjoyed it as well. It was very traditional in terms of taste. For dessert we ordered tiramisu which was nice to end off our meals. Also would like to mention our food came out super super fast which was great because we were starving.

We will definitely come back and try the pizza next time! Also shared with a bunch of my friends who are pasta lovers to try this restaurant out!

We frequent St. Catharines IL FORNELLO often and love everything about. We were heading to Toronto for a show and decided to go to the one in Oakville on the way. Never again. First thing we were told is you have 90 minutes. And were then told about everything that wasn’t available. It’s 5: 30 and there’s only 2 bowls of soup left so not sure who gets it. Probably easier to just to explain what we could have. We each (4 of us) ordered a drink 3 came. The server came back to take our order and was reminded of the missing drink. It came. We ordered app’s and our dinner. Our dinner came out with the appetizer followed after? We all said we would like to eat the app’s before our dinner so meals were taken away. Clearly to be put under a heating lamp. So disappointed. I guess it’s a lesson learned. All IL FORNELLO are not created equal.

Ordered a gnocchi pomodoro for take out and the food portion is only enough for a toddler. It’s overpriced! Definitely not returning to this restaurant.

Celebration for a birthday on a Friday night. Was busy but we had reservations. Had a beautiful charcuterie board with very good Italian cheeses, figs, olives and salami. Pizza was amazing and was our server Kayla. She didn't miss a beat. Excellent server.

Gluten free? Come on in! Invited for dinner to Il Fornello and trying to be gluten-free presented a dilemma. Was it to be a dinner without food at a place that served pizza and pasta. I had not been to an Italian restaurant since I was put on a gluten free diet. But surprise! The superhelpful masked (still the pandemic, remember?) waitress, when asked a stupid question "Is there anything here that is gluten-free? " did not bat her long eyelashes. Not only could any pizza be made on a gluten free crust but many of the pasta dishes could be made with a gluten-free dough. The pasta with gorgonzola cream sauce with chicken was delicious and proved to me that a gluten-proof life was, once again, worth living.

Also nice was the owner (?) who came around to see how everything was. Who does that anymore?

Excellent service and food. John greeted me as I walked in and made great small talk between attending to his tables as I waited for my takeout order. The chefs were working well together and had great communication, which I believe is why my food came out wonderfully and without mistakes (especially because there was an allergy-alert note on the order). Overall, the food was fantastic, especially the wood-fired pizza. The taste was fresh, not greasy, and the crust alone was delicious. Highly recommend visiting and trying some dishes!

Went there to celebrate a friend’s birthday…the food was delicious.wood fire pizza and gnocchi was the highlight of our meal. Very calm and soothing ambiance and music! Deserts were a little disappointing…ordered the chocolate cake and a cheesecake…both felt average…definitely going back for the food, but will not be ordering deserts next time!

Excellent experience. Somewhat upscale, bright spacious and clean dinning room. Lots of windows and simple but well appointed. The food was good quality Italian. My partner was extremely impressed with the extensive vegan menu supplementing the regular menu. Service was very good.

This place is a must try. Customer service was on point and the food was amazing. We had the rice balls and calamari for apps and the fungi pasta and sausage pizza for mains. The chocolate cake was kind of disappointing only because of how great the other food was (maybe the cake was too rich for our liking). Dan and our waitress (sorry i forgot your name) were incredible.

Warm and friendly staff made our time at the restaurant enjoyable and relaxing. The food was great.

Best pizza place ever! I love their open kitchen where you see the chefs make your food. This shows how passionate this restaurant is and how fresh their food is! Ps, all the servers were really nice and welcoming!

One word: DELICIOUS!
It's no wonder this place is so highly reviewed. My wife had a delicious fresh baked pizza and I had a seafood linguine that was incredible. I would definitely come back again!

It's always my pleasure to visit this location. Delicious meals and amazing staff and management

Disappointing now. Previously good. Ceasar salad was obviously from a bag. Hate paying premium prices for grocery store food put into a takeout container.

Heard about this place from a friend and we were not disappointed. Amazing staff and our waitress was very attentive to our needs. I ordered their seafood spaghetti dish, very satisfying and great experience. Higley recommend this place if you want authentic Italian cuisine.

IL Fornello is my family's go to Italian restaurant. Great food great service fantastic atmosphere. Plus they meet all our allergy requirements and the flavor never suffers.

Food fantastic as usual. Is great to see they kept their quality. They never disappoint.
I ordered the seafood pasta and it was full of seafood. Very generous. Same with the toppings on the pizza my husband ordered and bolognese pasta my daughter ordered.

Excellent service. Very delicious tasty food. Juliana was awesome and made sure that service was A one. Juliana especially made sure that kids were looked after and happy.
Highly recommended.

Pizza was delicious, I didn't know real pizza tasted so different than pizza commonly sold everywhere.

Antipasto plate was ok …. Pizza was Really good but the desserts were on point …. Great atmosphere on the patio and the waitress were super friendly will definitely be going back

Amazing Italian restaurant lots of amazing Vegan options. I would definitely recommend IL Fornello

I had an exceptional experience from start to finish. My server was attentive, efficient and made wonderful recommendations. My food was fresh, delicious, and presented well. I had the best creme brûlée I’ve ever tried here. Everything was outstanding.

Very bad service. Waitresses and host are rude, they don’t bring what you ask for and in general make the experience very unpleasant for such expensive plates. Really disappointed. Food is ok but definitely not worth it.

Great little Italian restaurant! Food is fresh and authenticly delicious
Fabulous spot for date night or family/friend outings

Decent for in person dinning but a train wreck for take out even 17 months into Covid. Website is poorly designed and difficult. Got a very overpriced small salad that I had to eat with my fingers as they don't provide cutlery or napkins.

Their pizza chef is straight from Sicily and making pizzas just like the hey do back home. Tasty, light and the crust is perfect. Ask for a capricciosa with egg and anchovies. It’s the best.

The food was alright. We had the bruschetta and the gnocchi. The bruschetta was good however it had a little too much raw onion, but I think that is just my personal taste. I did not like the gnocchi I had however, the pesto was weird tasting and not a traditional style of pesto like I had expected. The vegan caesar salad was quite nice though. Our bill for bruschetta, a small caesar salad, and two pastas came to $90 without the tip. Considering we didn't order drinks, we thought this was a bit pricey for the "okay-ish" food.

The thing that was really disappointing however was how rushed we were. The waiter sat us and within 2 minutes was back and asked us if we wanted to order. We hadn't even put our menus down yet and didn't really get a chance to look at them. We ordered appetizers first and he left, and then again, within about 2 minutes he was back to take our entree order. We got our food and by the time we left, we had only been there for 40 minutes and ordered an appetizer, salad, and main course all at different times. When I had booked the person I spoke to made me aware that we would only have the table for 90 minutes, which I was completely fine with. But our experience was so rushed that we didn't even spend half that time there. I understand they are trying to get people in and out with COVID, but I would rather have just not gone then to have my lunch rushed like that. Not to mention that it was lunch time, 2pm, and the restaurant was quite empty.

There was also a table of 5 sitting across from us that was walking around the restaurant without masks taking pictures, and when they got up to leave they were about 1 foot away from our table, again without masks on.

I don't think I'll be returning.

Came here today for the first time for my wife’s birthday and I must say it was a great choice. Our waitress Cayla was very attentive and the food was delicious. The place was clean and cozy very familiar environment. Will definitely be coming back.

Despite this restaurant being in a strip mall, the ambiance was nice, the patio is beautiful, the servers were kind, courteous and efficient. Most importantly, the food was delicious. We had pizza, veal, and pasta, all of which were fantastic. Also, the portions were very generous. Would definitely return.

Great food and great service. We will definitely be going back to this lovely Italian restaurant.

Mostly pizza and pasta. Would be nice if they had a few more entre items but the quality of what they do serve is excellent.

Booked reservations for two and when showed up on time we were told by lady that manager decided to closed the kitchen. Before the restaurant even closes? Umm thats why we made reservations! It was our anniversary and because we didnt make reservations anywhere else we could not do a proper dinner.

P.s. To reply to owners review, i was told reservation is for 8 20 and for 90 minutes i can come at anytime as long as in that time frame. I was told at the door owner called my cell where i never received any call!
Also i was told a different story at door. Lady said we can serve u food but u have to be done by 9 and there was no mention of alcohol (we dont drink!)

I been here before they've should be loyal to their customers or they won't come back, we made reservations for 4 originally for Friday November 20 they won't let us change to 5 people for 7pm i know i the rules because am dishwasher who hasn't worked since March the hostest or waitress was very rude today on the phone it just Tuesday November 17 today. It restaurant they've might have issues with Christmas coming up. People r expecting to eat in because of the cold. 4 people at table isn't ever go worked for Christmas.

Called this place and made a reservation for 2. She asked my husband for our credit card for reservation but we didn't have it handy so she said that's fine. We asked what time they closing, they said 10pm and kitchen closes at 9pm. We drove far to come to here, when we came she said they are close and the manager called us to cancel and left a voicemail. No he did not call us, we even showed our call log to the girl in the front. Then she said we didn't give our credit card, but she didn't tell us mandatory but said it's fine. This place is so unprofessional, it was our anniversary dinner and they ruined it. If they have called us on our way, we would have not drove all the way. We end up going to a better place where we felt welcomed.

My family are regulars here, loooove the Spaghettini e Rapini and the Seafood pasta (forgot the name)

This place was a letdown for me. Nothing seemed to pack any punch. Carbonara needed nutmeg or something. Caesar, the anchovies were bland, like they'd rinsed all the salty flavor off. Waiter was "curt". Nice interior.

Good service great food ambiance is perfect and staff are pleasant and coutious and care if your happy

Celebrated my big bros 40th birthday what can I say not just the food was amazing but the staff and service was as well. Definitely looking to come back on a causal!

It was our first time at Il Fornello and we’ve always wanted to try it. We were not disappointed. Atmosphere is great and the service as well. Very clean and organized. We were always checked on regularly and water always refilled. We had the margherita pizza and Risotto. Both were excellent! We will be back again!

Veggie pizza, salad, and bread for oil dipping.

George was with me. I treated and it was a catch up meal after a looong time. Hearing about Andrew's news.for the first time, second day.

Great customer service from Juliana! Will be back for dessert next time!

My review is personal and for me to remember. Sorry for the strange review but this is my world.

Great restaurant.

Il Fornello was great. Gnocchi and Vegan Pizza. Customers were spread far apart from each other. Seriously Delicious Food.

We have been coming here for a very long time. Food has always been good here, always consistently good. Their pizzas are to die for.
Great atmosphere and excellent service.
We always have the grilled calamari as a starter and cycle through various other dishes.

I have enjoyed Il Fornello's in the past. I was disappointed this time on the food and prep. I require gluten free and vegan. The gluten free pizza shell was undercooked. I can appreciate that gluten free foods don't always cook equally as non gluten free foods. An option to replace my pizza was offered so I accepted it. I don't usually but today I did. The person preparing the pizza was slicing meats and handling meats moments before getting my gluten free pizza shell out and preparing it. I understand that it's not a vegan or gluten free restaurant and there will be cross contamination but I didn't expect that hands wouldn't be wiped or washed or gloves not used when handling one food and then another. Sharing this in case others might need to know this.

This was my first time going to IL Fornello I took my girlfriend for our anniversary. We started with BRUSCHETTA POMODORO andAVOCADO CAESAR it was really delicious and very yummy. And then for the main course I had LINGUINI ALLA CARBONARA loved it e enjoyed it with a nice glass of wine very taste meal. My girlfriend had PENNE CAPRI ahe said it was good. We will be going back. Cant not wait. It's a big pricey but it's well worth it. Service was too notch.