We first visited on opening night (by chance). The bread was excellent, service okay and the rest of the meal "okay" but we are very fair - opening night is not the night to make a lasting judgment. We have since been back for weekend lunch and for dinner a couple of times, dinner most recently this past weekend. We continue to be disappointed with the food - except for their bread and breadsticks - which are both excellent. Out last visit provided, thick, tough veal (which is consistent with our previous experiences), a steak that was tough and full of gristle and sole that was okay - except for the fact that it had lots of bones and the waiter tore it apart when he deboned it tableside (which took far too long). The salads had excessive dressing and the desserts were unimpressive. The espresso and cappucino were served barely warm. We have given this place many chances - and would love for it to be good because we are locals, but they just really miss the mark. I would note that there was a pasta dish we had on one visit that was "good" - something in a tomato vodka sauce. The service was overall very slow this last visit, and we constantly had to ask for our water to be refilled. Surprising that this is a chain.

I have been here several times. I live in Reston and am always looking for a new eatery to add to the list. I also believe unless truly horrific, I should give a place a few tries before rating it.

I went before it opened for a special event. It was really fantastic - food, service, etc. There were some dishes I didn't prefer -but my SO liked them just fine so I figured, just a matter of taste. I'm a garlic/salt/spice girl - he is a pesto anything kind of guy.

I have also been to Italy several times (North to South) and had just returned from a trip when Il Fnornaio opened so I was excited to get real Italian cuisine.

I think my first time was my best time. Lasagna was perfect, the wait staff was very nice, I liked the linen cloths & outfits (only because it reminded me of Rome and Sicily). The buffalo mozzarella, tomatos and EVOO was definitely underwhelming. I was sad, but thought = opening night - not everything can be perfect. They tried to tell me tomatoes are frequently green or brown. But it was still pretty good.

My second time - I start bringing more people to try it. I was still okay with the meal, but my guests were underwhelmed - they thought it was too expensive. I will say I did not think this, I thought Reston Town Center, kind of upper scale trendy, so reasonable. Some food was good, some was okay, only one item appeared to be really not good. Some dishes weren't available.

My third time - I couldn't breathe because of the smoke so have no idea if my food even tasted like food or cigarettes. As a former smoker I would think I could adapt, but even at the far end of the non-smoking section - it changed nothing. I complained - to no avail. The food was not good this evening, it was late, came out wrong, etc. So - I figure - bad night, they can't all be good all the time. Some dishes weren't available.

My fourth time - after waiting, oh, I don't know, an hour for our reserved table (not including the half hour early that we showed up), I was getting miffed. Plus, it was still packed with smoke. I don't care if there is smoking in restaurants, really. I just think ventilation should be required. And I felt like I was dining at Marlboro and not Italy. I tried ordering a drink for me and my SO and mine came after about 30 minutes, but his never did. (I guess coca-cola is harder to pour than an absolute & cranberry). She did give us a bill for both which was nice. Anyway, again, in non-smoking, was filled with smoke again. Couldn't breath. My SO actually started to have an asthma attack. Can you believe it? The food was definitely less than good.

So - my rating - just okay. I wish I could say it was great. But with dishes unavailable (at an early hour of seating - 7pm, 8pm), the smoke, messed up reservations, etc. I'm not ready to keep it on the frequent flier card. In fact, I threw out my Il Fornaio passport since I knew I wouldn't be back that frequently. Too bad - love to eat and love italian food.

Great Italian!

Instead of waiting 45 min. for a table last Sat. night, my husband and I decided to eat at the bar. Our waiter was enjoyable, and the bar is very nicely decorated. The olives and the bread sticks they provided were very good. However, I have to report that our food was disappointing especially given the price paid. My husband ordered the roasted chicken. The presentation was very nice. However, the chicken tasted just so so and the potatoes were definitely instant! That seems unacceptable. My shrimp risotto had good flavor, but the shrimp were very small (salad size) and were scarce. Don't be fooled by the chic-New York-styled restaurant....the food needs to seriously be improved upon !!