Il Forno

Surprised there are no posts on Il Forno so here we go.

We love this place and dine there often.

There menu is discreet, just a few items in each category, but ingredients are always the best and perfectly prepared.

When they have the little clams called cockles, the Linguini in clam sauce is devine. I also like their scallops in a sherry reduction. Their baby lamb chops and steaks are a favorite too.

I too am surpised there aren't more posts on Il Forno (though that is probably good for us regulars, and judging by the crowd this Saturday night, there are many of us!)

The food is far better than any Italian restaurants around. We just returned from Rome and missed the full, vibrant taste of authentic Italian food. We got our fix tonight at Il Forno. It's small, but the atmosphere is relaxed, the service is attentive and professional and most of all the food is phenomenal.

Had dinner at IL FORNO last Thursday evening. Service was horrible and un-friendly. I brought a bottle of wine and after she opened it, she made no attempt to pour it into our glasses.

Also, I was waiting for her to offer us sparkling water or tap water, but I had to mention it to her later during the dinner.

Another thing was the way she flew by describing the specials. I just said the heck with it and went with whatever was on the menu.

So, I ordered the Braised Lamb shank and my girlfriend ordered the Bucatini pasta. For appetizer we had the Shrimp Fra Diavolo.

When I gave in my order, she looked at us like we had 2 heads. Basically because of the 1 pasta dish (primi).
She was going to have the pasta dish and me the lamb, what was the issue here???

When she brought out our food, she had split up everything, which was nice, but not what I wanted. Like I said, her dish was the PASTA and mine the LAMB.

I think she expected another dish (secondi) to be ordered. But this was plenty of food for us.

We had a choco cake dessert, which we also split and with 2 Espresso's.

Left a generous tip, even though her hospitality and manners were horrible.

As we were getting up to leave, she didnt even say GOOD-BYE to us. The owner/chef actually said GOOD-NITE.

Definetly wont be coming back here.
Definetly better service, better menu, and more friendly people at CORSO 98.

Dan, Im sorry to hear about your bad experience. Maybe it was the staff that night, but on Friday night I dined here with 6 of my friends and we had a great time. I never turn down a BYOB in montclair, and the food was a welcome surprise. I am adding this comment, not so much to declare Forno the best restaurant, but to say CORSO 98 is the most consistant poor service restaurant in a 10 mile radius. They are less attentive than the wait staff at giottos. However, I do recommend that you stay at Corso, because it is becoming more difficult to get a table at forno!

This message is for Dan. Dan has posted comments on a few restaurants, and he is always complaining. I understand that you spend your hard earned money to go out to eat, but you sure are a nit-picker- and why don't you give these places another shot or two. You always have one bad experience, and then say you will not go back- give the place another shot. Sometimes it might just be an off-night. I think IlForno is excellent, and I always have a nice experience.

This message is for Dan. Dan has posted comments on a few restaurants, and he is always complaining. I understand that you spend your hard earned money to go out to eat, but you sure are a nit-picker- and why don't you give these places another shot or two. You always have one bad experience, and then say you will not go back- give the place another shot. Sometimes it might just be an off-night. I think IlForno is excellent, and I always have a nice experience.

Dined at Il Forno. Very poor experience. Service is terrible, place is cramped, food is mediocre at best. Menu is without imagination. Anybody who has watched a cooking show on foodnetwork can probably do a better job. Where did this chef trained? Mom's kitchen? Not enough for me. If it was a cheap place I would be willing to close an eye but for good money I expect decent service and good food.

I dine at Il Forno often, and have yet to be less than completely satisfied. I have the forune of visiting Italy on a regular basis, and can always count on Il Forno for an authentic Italian experience in between my travels. I must say, I'm confused about the negative posts on this establishment. My strong suspicion is that the posters are confused themselves about the difference between Italian and Italian-American. Nonetheless, I would like to offer my strongest recommendation.

I posted before because I was really surprised at the very poor experience I had at Il Forno since a couple of friends had recommended the place. It really was a very unpleasant experience and trust me, I'm not confused between Italian and Italian American food like Ricardo suggested. I lived in Rome for almost four years and I know very well the Italian cuisine and I can tell you that Il Forno doesn't even compare with the least appealing trattoria in Rome! It just doesn't make the grade. Not for service, not for ambiance and not for the quality of the food. They only get points for having dishes on their menu that are not usually found in the avarage Italian restaurant in the US (but easily found in NYC restaurants). Unfortunately I thought the dishes we had were prepared with very little care. It could be that we caught them on a bad night but I certainly am not going to waste any more money giving them a second chance. In my book a restaurant must be consistent and it seems to me, from all the reviews, that this restaurant is anything but consistent.

I've been to Il Forno quite a few times (maybe 10). The food is very good but the menu is extremely limited. On top of that they have the same specials every single time I go and I suspect the reason is so they don't have to tell you that a bolognese or porchini dish will cost you 18 dollars. It is too pricey. Seriously people mix up the menu. The wait staff seems spoiled by success as they can't be bothered to be more than half enthusiastic. Overall I'd say they seem to have lost their edge. Its a shame, as it used to be such a great place.

I commented about Il Forno above awhile back. And the last post from "Larry" is right on. Considering I had only been to this place once, I would never go back.
Mostly the issue for me was the way I was treated by the wait staff. VERY snobbish and rude.

Not Ms. Whiney Pants, that was rude and uncelled for. And kinda ironic that you WERE whining about Dan's post.

Not Ms. Whiney Pants, that was rude and uncalled for. And kinda ironic that you WERE whining about Dan's post.

My wife, my two very young kids, and I mistakenly showed up at Il Forno recently, thinking it was Il Palazzo (we're new to town, and I must have a pre-Alzheimers condition), which had been recommended to us. The staff welcomed us, without a reservation, and could not have been more accomodating and friendly, especially in light of two little rabble-rousers running through their restaurant. The food was excellent, on a par with our favorite Italian restaurants in NYC where we lived over a decade.

I give it a high rating, and with much appreciation. We will definitely be going back.

To the one that calls herself "Not Ms. Winey Pants" You claim that I have complained about most of the restaurants I have ate at. How UNTRUE.
Read my posts about "Trattoria Rustica" and also "Corso 98"
Whats the point of this if I cant even express my own opinion in this very knowledgable and informative "COMMENTS" section?

What is all the fuss about? We ate at Il Forno and had a lovely meal with attentive service. We had read the wide range of comments above and decided we just had to go. We are so happy we did. The salad was delicious, the vegetables prepared just right and the meat was tender with a terrific sauce. We have eaten at Rustica and Corso 98 and enjoyed them both. We enjoyed Il Forno too.
If you want good food, go there. Enough said.

Oh my God! What a rip off! Went to il Forno a couple of weeks ago with my date who had been there before and seemed enthusiastic about it(I could not get a table at Trattoria Giotto which is my favorite Italian in Montclair). I wished we went to any other one of the nice restaurants in this town, because at il Forno the service was very rude and food was mediocre at best. I did not finish my salad because I thought there was something odd looking in it. I did not say anything because I did not want to spoil my date, but after we left, my companion was the first one to apologize for the poor dining experience we had and for suggesting this restaurant in the first place. Also for the food we had the check was astronomical! From what I can gather from the other reviews posted here, they sure seem to have way too many off nights!!!! Go there at your own risk!

Sorry, in my comment above I meant to say Osteria Giotto is my favorite Italian. However, even at Trattoria Rustica I had a better dining experience than Il Forno!!

What happened to Il Forno?

Left town, and set up shop in Maine. Seem to be doing very well there, I might add.

New restaurant that now occupies the spot Bistro 18 absolutley delicous!

New restaurant that now occupies the spot Bistro 18 absolutley delicous!