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Nestled along the storybook charm of Monte Verde Street, Il Fornaio in Carmel by the Sea manages to strike that rare and satisfying balance between refined elegance and warm inviting hospitality. From the moment you're greeted, the customer service exudes grace and professionalism. anchored by a waitress whose attentiveness rivals that of high-end dining rooms in Milan or Rome. The cuisine is a love letter to Italy not just in taste but in artistry. Each dish delivers an orchestrated blend of flavors so carefully constructed that your palate doesn’t just enjoy it celebrates. It's the kind of culinary alchemy that leaves your taste buds lingering in hopeful anticipation of the next course. The layout is thoughtful and inclusive with seating that accommodates guests with mobility challenges without compromising ambiance. Whether you're sipping a cappuccino in the breezy outdoor courtyard or savoring pasta in the naturally lit sunroom, each section offers its own unique charm. The atmosphere? Think laughter, soft Italian music, and a hum of happy diners a space that feels alive but never overwhelming. Highly recommended for a sunroom first date, family dinners inside, or a casual catch-up with friends over wine in the courtyard. Two thumbs up. A must visit for anyone who appreciates food with heart, flair, and finesse.

Divya Krishnan

We had dinner here and it was absolutely delicious! As vegetarians, our options were very limited and chose to have the pesto pizza and the squash ravioli- both tasted amazing and the pizza literally melted in our mouths! Loved the ambience of the place and service was great. Also, the tiramisu tasted great too! It’s one of the best Italian dinners I have had. Note- the portion sizes are small.

RES RES

We had a very relaxed and enjoyable lunch here. So many places were bustling and had a wait, but this is slightly off the main busy streets so was very quiet. The service was friendly and attentive, and the food was fantastic. Charging for a bread basket is so silly at a restaurant like this, especially when you’ve ordered expensive pastas. The first should be complimentary and the server should be clear when asking if you’d like it that it’s not free. Family friendly. Did not see the outside seating open during any of our days walking past.

+11

Joel Falcon

I had previously dined at the Sacramento location and was pleasantly surprised to discover there was one in Carmel. To say that my experience at the Carmel location exceeded my expectations would be an understatement. From the moment we arrived, the host welcomed us with a warm and friendly demeanor, promptly checking us in. Despite it being a busy night at the restaurant, our waiter managed to accommodate us swiftly and with a cheerful attitude. The food, without a doubt, was a highlight. Everything we ordered was fantastic, but the tiramisu and setteveli deserve a special mention – they are both incredibly delicious and shouldn't be missed! This has quickly become my favorite Italian restaurant in the area. I'm looking forward to returning more frequently. The exceptional service, delicious food, and welcoming atmosphere make it a top-notch choice.

Chelsea Comfort

They don’t always seat outdoors but when they do, it’s beautiful. A deck surrounded by bright colored flowers. They have an excellent vegan minestrone soup (better than other Il Fornaio locations which I have seen omit beans) and another vegan avocado salad/grain item on the menu also! Grateful to have this in Carmel.

+3

Jonathan Wong

Food was delicious, it was a little slow but that's not surprising they seemed understaffed for a weekend. Our waitress was super patient and explained the menu items well! We ordered the Burrata Con Prosciutto, the Ossobuco Di Maiale (pork shank), and the Cannelloni pasta, all were delicious! They have a 3% surcharge on current prices as well.

Laurel Cocilo

Beautiful restaurant with lovely ambiance and great service .Dogs are welcome on the rooftop and there is a handicap accessible entrance. We sat on the rooftop which was gorgeous. Flowers all around and plenty of heaters if you get cold. Our server Ramon was fantastic and very attentive. He definitely added to our good experience by suggesting meals and wines to compliment. I love all the seating options for if you want a more casual dinner or something fancier. The brussel sprouts starter was delicious. I had the gnocchi and would order it again for sure. I don't think I'd take my kids here because it felt more like a date night atmosphere but I'll definitely go back and recommend to visitors.

+13

The location was GREAT. Right off the strip, walking distance from the beach, and the view from the west side of the restaurant was nice. Our server was very kind. I'm glad we showed up early cause it took AWHILE for our food to come out. I had the shrimp and lobster (7/10) and my boyfriend had the pasta with white truffle and chicken (9/10), and a tuscan lemonade (7/10). We had some cannoli for desert (8/10). The bill wasn't bad either, I excpected it to be WAY pricier. We'll definitely come back.

J R

It was ok, went during rush hour and was seated after 20 mins. Pizza and gnocchi were ok. We liked Bruschetta more than the pizza.

David Mortaz

We stopped by here for lunch today and ordered Lasagna, Cornish Hen and a seafood pasta dish. The sea food in the pasta lacked flavor and it felts like they are using frozen packages which were added to the sauce later. My Lasagna sauce was also bland and lacked flavor. It was not as bad as hospital meal I had in August but the lack of flavor was not good. It also pained me that they don’t serve bread and you have to order it for what I was told was $2 dollars. On the positive side, they served us quickly during a busy day. Restaurant has outdoor seating too which ads to the experience.

+10

My girlfriend and i stopped in town for a lunch break during our roadtrip through California. At first glance it was charming and very inviting as our host Tony greeted us with a warm smile and a genuine conversation. The food was mediocre, but not enough to warrant a negative review. What changed the tone of our experience was our server (i believe his name was Francisco) forgetting about our check, causing us to go inside to pay, which also wouldn't have been a big issue for us. It was the fact that when i gave him a tip based on the service provided, he insulted me asking me what country i was from ( i'm Italian) , and insisting that in America they tip 20%. I've been to the US multiple times and i've never left a single bad review in my entire life. It felt degrading.

Diana Perova

It was terrible. We were at breakfast. We ordered a frittata. But it didn't look like a frittata, but like individual ingredients. Eggs, spinach and 3 cherry tomatoes on top. The dish was not salty and even when I added salt, it didn't get any better. The taste was terrible, the egg whites were like powder. I was told that the bread would be ciabatta, but it was regular white bread, not ciabatta as I was initially told. This dish was served with fruit and I got a moldy berry, I asked to change it, and the next time they brought me moldy grapes. The breakfast was simply disgusting!!!!! I will never go there again!!!!!! When I paid the bill, I asked for a discount because they brought me moldy fruit twice, which I never ate, but they refused. I give this restaurant 0 out of 100 points. This is the first time I've encountered such disgusting service. Please, restaurant manager, pay attention to the food you serve, its quality, and the service.

Stephanie DeCavit

Do not go here if you aren’t a regular. Such a disappointing experience at a “highly rated” restaurant. The atmosphere is nice, but the service was honestly not up to standard. Our table got ignored except by the nice man who would fill our waters. The tables around us got served promptly to sitting down, but we had to wait an unreasonable time to get served. An older couple that was sat after us got appetizers before we even got water glasses. It took fifteen minutes after asking for the check the first time for our waitress to return and another five to get the check. The linguine ($32) tasted good, but half of the clams were empty and the ravioli ($31) only came with four ravioli. The bread basket ($2) came with five thin pieces that supposedly “serves 4” according to the menu. When exiting, a different male waiter rushed in front of me and almost made me trip. This was not the experience I was hoping for at a restaurant like this and it completely ruined my birthday dinner.

Lydia Chew

We had an afternoon reservation when it was not busy - we were initially the only group in the entire restaurant. From the hostess who seated us to the waiter who took our order, the servers were extremely rude. They didn't refill our waters or check in on us once the entire meal. I would not recommend this spot for that reason alone. As for the food, we ordered the lasagna ferrarese ($27), mezzalune di zucca ($25), and cristina pizza ($22). You can see the portions in the pictures below. The pizza was okay in terms of size, but there were only 6 pieces of ravioli! The price was definitely not worth it. The quality of the food was okay, but poor service ruined the experience. They also have a 3% restaurant adversity surcharge.