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verbeach

Joined 6 years ago

less than impressed. It was my husband's and my first time in Seattle, and Il Fornaio was the closest restaurant to our hotel. If I had known it was a mall chain Italian restaurant, I might have thought twice. We made a reservation online for 8:00 and when we checked in at 7:55, we were told by a very snippy hostess that it would be "at least 15-20 minutes." The atmosphere was nice, it was romantic even though the tables were very close together. Our server was friendly until I asked for a re-do on my gnocchi, then she was very cold to both of us. It was very doughy, definitely underdone, I couldn't even choke it down. She did get me another plate, which was even more undercooked, if possible! At least I was able to fill up on the bread that they kept refilling for us (low-carb dieters beware!) We ordered tiramisu for dessert, and then waited.... and waited.... it finally showed up 20 minutes later, which is really unacceptable in my opinion. All in all, I would say the decor was nice and the bar selection was great, but I could've had food and service just as good, for a lower price at the Olive Garden.

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banchagisi_nae

Joined 6 years ago

Undercooked.... I had the gnocchi and was disappointed. My first experience was wonderful...having tried it at Buca Di Beppo's however here it was an entirely different experience. It was not chewy like it's suppose to be, but rather slimy on the inside from being undercooked...and yet it took about 20 minutes for our food to arrive. The whole time, I was poking through my food and bracing myself for a cooked, or undercooked piece of gnocchi...lol.

I did however enjoy the ambience and if I ordered a different plate, maybe my rating of the restaurant would have been different. The people around us didn't seem to mind that the tables were soo close to each other, I could probably reach over and take a sip of someone else's wine...but then again if the focus was on the food... We also had to wait about 20 minutes to find a seat and all in all, for a plate that was lackluster and unsatisfying. Good thing they provide bread, otherwise I would have still been hungry afterwards.

Doesn't Recommend

rodeofive

Joined 6 years ago

Perfect if you prefer to be unsatisfied. I had dinner on a whim before seeing a movie and my date I were very disapointed with our meals.

We are generally easy to please when it comes to dining out but we both walked away with post meal depression after our sub par pasta plates. Now I like basil but when the overabundance of it consumes the taste of alfredo, it kinda ruins the plate. Also,the shrimp in that same plate was waaay undercooked and had to be sent back to the kitchen. The cannelloni was bland and I am pretty sure it was filled with canned chicken!(yup). It would have more appropriate to call it cannelloni porridge. The service was fine and the foccaccia before the meal was excellent but I was literally calling friends and family and was inspired enough to write my first and probably last restaurant review after walking away from dinner. The movie I saw was pretty good though!

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winklet

Joined 7 years ago

I love this place!! The salads are the best I ever had.. The atmosphere is romantic and classy. The service is wonderful. The food is out of this world. What more could you ask for? It's a little bit pricey but in my opinion, well worth it. I've been there twice and each time had a different salad, and I have to say, these are the BEST salads I have ever had.

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Big, brassy and hot, this place demonstrates that chain restaurants can do it right.. In Short
With its oversize bar, the sprawling dining room attracts a diverse crowd of locals and tourists. The restaurant has an open kitchen that turns out renditions of regional northern Italian fare, with a dozen or more daily specials. Starters include salads or grilled ciabatta bread swathed with chopped tomatoes, basil and kalamata olives. Entrees such as ravioli filled with Swiss chard and pine nuts or mesquite-grilled chicken are popular.

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royboy122

Joined 7 years ago

Unbelieveable bread!!. I was just passing through Seattle for work and stopped in for a quick bite and could not believe the amazing bread they sell by the loaf! It's dirt cheap too! $3.50 for a huge loaf of good rustic bread. Where else can you find a deal like that? The sandwich I had was great too, but I could not get over the quality of that bread!

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ahrich

Joined 7 years ago

Best Salad in town. While downtown shopping with my two children, I needed a quick bite. Il Fornaio cafe in Pacific Place was the most convenient at the time. I was thrilled to find that they had a "create your own salad" bar. You choose your lettuce, then your choice of toppings, all for less than $6.00. How could you go wrong? All of their ingredients were fresh and tasty. My kids were content with the best chocolate chip cookie I've ever had, and a slice of cheese pizza. Their cafe is the perfect place for quick dining and great food.

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cszekeres

Joined 8 years ago

A bit pricey, but nice. I enjoyed Il Fornaio. I thought the food innovative and tasty. The drinks were a bit strong, but that's bartender-specific so I don't really knock them down for it. All nice restaurants in Seattle are pricey and I didn't think this one was out of whack.

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ryandboe

Joined 8 years ago

Very average & uninspired. After two visits to Il Fornaio we won't be back - there are too many other good restaurants in Seattle. While we were seated promptly both times, the wait for our food was unbearably long. Servers were almost nonexistant during the meal. Food is typical for a mall restaurant. Crab cakes gushed oil and were overcooked. The spinach salad with shrimp was mostly red onion slices, a few spinach leaves, and rubbery, overcooked shrimp. Pizzas were soggy, and other salads had canned beans and vegetables - just about what you would expect from a mall restaurant.

Doesn't Recommend

rathecat

Joined 8 years ago

Overpriced Mall Food. From start to finish, one of the worst meals I have had in a long time. Bland, overpriced seafood pasta ($20), tastless dessert, my drink tasted like kool-aid ...this is not Italian food. I could get a better meal from the frozen food section at QFC.