Located in an enchanting setting on the shores of the Lachine Canal, Il Fornetto is a perfect place to offer oneself a moment of relaxation and change of scenery without having to leave the city. Inside, the rustic-inspired though modern décor is particularly pleasant. Yet it is above all for its superb, double-level terrace looking out directly over the canal that people love this place. Open from early in spring until late in autumn, the terrace welcomes you to come and enjoy beautiful the sunsets.
Il Fornetto’s menu takes on the appearance of an encyclopaedia of Italian cuisine. The selection is impressive and includes all of the staples: pastas available as a full dish or half portion, which is great for an entrée, various antipasti and veal and the most important staple of them all, pizza baked in a real wood-burning oven. Here, it is particularly delicious, crispy and topped with the freshest ingredients. Not surprisingly, this restaurant – open since 1987 – shows no sign of slowing down.
Il Fornetto consistently delivers an excellent dining experience with friendly, attentive service, a warm and inviting atmosphere, and a menu that showcases authentic Italian flavors. The wood-fired pizzas, fresh pastas, and well-balanced dishes receive frequent praise for taste and quality, while the canal-side terrace and cozy interiors provide a memorable setting. Guests often highlight generous portions, good wine selections, and a welcoming vibe that works well for celebrations as well as casual dinners. The staff are noted for being helpful and professional, making reservations and dining smooth even when busy. This combination of dependable food, thoughtful hospitality, and a charming location keeps diners coming back time after time.
Recently enjoyed a lovely birthday dinner at this warm & inviting restaurant in Lachine. The ceasar salad was great & the lasagna was delicious & everyone else in our party enjoyed their meals as well. The service was outstanding. Looking forward to trying it during the summer months.
We had an outstanding family meal at Il Fornetto. We were fortunate to have a table on the second floor in a lovely room with a fabulous view of the canal. The staff was, as has always been our experience, very friendly amd accommodating. Service was prompt & helpful in every way possible (as we were with 2 young boys). Our cocktails were perfect as was every part of our meal, from appetizers to mains. My grandsons loved their spaghetti bolognese & we all loved our calamari, salad, spaghetti puttanesca, linguini alle vongole & my veal piccata al limone were all delicious! We were too full for dessert but we will definitely try to save some room for it when we return. We have never had anything but a fantastic meal at Il Fornetto!
Jul 28, 2025
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Lovely view & excellent service. Had a great time. Pizza & salad were delicious, the bread was cold & hard, I think they could have done better. Overall it was great & I shouldn't be having carbs anyways ☺? We will be back!
J'ai donné 3 étoiles pour la cuisine, car j'ai commandé une salade César au poulet grillé. Bien que la portion ait été généreuse, j'ai trouvé la présentation & le goût plutôt ordinaires. Pas de bacon, pas de câpres… juste une salade assez banale avec une poitrine de poulet déposée sans soin dans l'assiette. En revanche, la crème brûlée était délicieuse, tout comme le cappuccino. Le verre de vin était bouchonné, mais la serveuse a fait preuve de patience & de gentillesse.
We had a lovely dinner last night at Il Forneto. The food, the service & the atmosphere were all excellent. Will definitely be back :) I had the grilled salmon with pasta with a small caesar salad.
Il Fornetto is a great spot for Italian food with a beautiful view of the Lachine Canal. The pizza was very delicious, with a perfect crispy crust & fresh toppings. The service was friendly & professional, but the rocket salad was overpriced for what it was, not much flavor for the cost. Still, it's a solid choice for a date night or a casual meal with friends.
I finally got to eat at this restaurant after years of people telling me how great the food was. The place filled up quickly for lunch. A small, cozy restaurant with a nice ambiance. I ordered a penne pasta dish with a tomato, cream & mushroom sauce off the table d'hôte menu. The pasta & sauce were a generous portion. It was good, but nothing to rave about. Choice of soup or mixed green salad. I had the salad that came with frisée leaves only & one small underripe tomato wedge. The vinaigrette was decent, but I've had better. We asked for bread rolls. They were large & tasty, but would have been better if served warm rather than stone cold. For the cost of $27 before taxes or tip, I was underwhelmed especially for an Italian restaurant. If I go again, I'll probably try the veal to see if it's worth returning. I think a few small improvements would have made this meal more memorable.
Jan 24, 2025
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Very hot inside no air conditioning. Cesar salad is really bad ... service slow & waiters sweaty...it was one of the worse experiences in a restaurant! I was really anxious to get out !
Another great meal at Il Fornetto. Been coming here for years, not only for the food but the ambiance inside & out, with a great view of the Lachine canal. The staff are super friendly & always welcoming. Shared a large Caesar salad which was perfect for 2 people as a starter. Then enjoyed the Lasagna which is always consistent & tasty, & had the Rucola pizza which was absolutely delicious. All their pizzas are fantastic, you can't go wrong with any of them, & so many to choose from! In addition also had a Table d'hôte of Braised Short Rib with some spaghetti. The meat was so tender & succulent. This included a mista salad or minestrone soup. Sadly no room for dessert on this visit, but their tiramisu & crème brûlée are worth the extra indulgence.
Service très rapide même trop. Cuisine boff. Salade César huileuse & non crémeuse, veau bouilli dans un sauce huile ou citron. Pâte petite portion. Pain sec & froid il faut demander pour le chauffer malgré que cela devrait être fait dès le départ.
I thought the food should have been more tasty, & a request for "no dressing on the salad" was meet with "I'm sorry, we can't do that", but it was a large private party, so things might be different. It was easy to find parking, as long as you don't mind feeding the meter, but finding free parking is difficult at best. The view is pleasant, overlooking the canal. It's a nice place for a walk before or after eating.
Service impeccable, vraiment! Ça fait longtemps que nous n'avons pas eu un serveur aussi attentionné! Ça fait du bien :-) Nous avons bien mangé, la salade Cesar était délicieuse, la recommandation du vin parfaite!
Sep 20, 2023
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Quality of food, service etc is always excellent. Last nigh we had caesar salad with pizza combo. Pizza was excellent. The salad unfortunately was not. It was bland lacking salt & anchovies? Not much taste to it. I would not order that again. We will be back. This is the first plate that we had that was not up to your standards. Cheers
Un repas avec ma fille.
On partage une petite salade césar au coût de 15.$ elle était sans saveur, sans bacon, sans citron. Plutôt banal comme entrée.
Ma fille prend une pizza saumon fumé & fait savoir après en avoir consommé la moitié qu’elle ne peut en manger davantage car elle trop cuite & impossible à couper avec un couteau à steak en plus.
Je prend une lasagne, & après un délai plus long, je reçois un morceau de lasagne style Costco nappée d’une sauce au goût de chef Boyardee. Belle expérience n’est ce pas. Tirer vos conclusions.
Attention a la qualité de la nourriture. C'a fait qqes années que je viens chez vous & hier soir était très moyen.
1) attention qualité du fromage & de la coupe des tomates pour la salade caprese
2) attention à la trop petite portion du carpacio & trop d'huile sur la salade
3) la pizza a une croute to dure ou les couteaux ne sont pas bons. A revoir car l'expérience n'est vraimnet pas agréable. La présentation de la pizza n'est pas belle. Allez voir ce qui est fait ailleurs.
Au total, nous avons dépnsé 160$ chez vous hier soir & pour ce prix, je m'attends à un autre niveau.
J'espère que mes observations serviront à vous remettre en question & vous améliorer.
François
First & last time eating at Il Fornetto!! I was really looking forward to experiencing this restaurant & having veal limone with pasta but the restaurant was unwilling to change the tomato sauce on the pasta for garlic & olive oil which is fairly easy to make & already on their menu. I was even willing to pay a surcharge for a substitution. The waiter did however suggest that I order 2 meals! Ridiculous & not focused on customer satisfaction. Instead, I enjoyed cold pizza with uncooked mushrooms & the worst cesear salad I've ever had.
I can pretty much guarantee better Italian restaurants in the city. I would strongly recommend going somewhere else or bringing your own food & having a picnic in the park across the street.
