Al Forno Restaurant

“Very friendly atmosphere. Staff was very nice and knowledgeable. Food was excellent!! I had the Prime Rib and my wife had the Chicken Parm.”

“Read a lot of great reviews about this place in Providence and decided to go there for a late lunch on Saturday. The place is cosy but a bit small. My friend and I shared a Margherita flat bread and five cheese pasta. Both were delicious and highly recommended. For dessert, we had the pear tart. It was good but not worth it for the price. The service was a bit slow. We were first served the flat bread then the pasta after around 20 minutes which is a bit weird. If we weren’t sharing these dishes, one person would have had to eat before the other. We were also asked to order the dessert while ordering the main dishes because the waiter said that it takes some time to prepare and that’s what we did but we still ended up waiting some time. I would still give this place 5 starts because the food is worth the wait.”

“Genuinely the best food spot in Rhode Island and a top 3 Italian place in New England. Choose this over almost anywhere else if you can secure a reservation, although walk ins are very possible. The Black Sea Bass tonight is the best food I’ve had in a LONG time. Shoutout to Donny who provided us absolutely amazing service!”

“Still the best restaurant in Providence hands down. Given the quality of the food the prices are more than fair. All our meals were outstanding. In particular the fall corn pizza w scallions was sublime.”

“We had been eyeing a reservation at Al Forno for a while, and when the night finally arrived, it started well — seated promptly, even a few minutes early, at a table on the second floor with a pleasant distant view of the Providence River. The ambiance sets the right tone, though the floor plan is noticeably tight, and servers have to navigate some awkward squeezes between parties. Tables for two in particular leave little room once appetizers or mains land — couples, take note. Our server was attentive from the start, stopping by early to walk us through the day's specials. The menu is deliberately focused and limited — not a complaint, just worth knowing going in. One quirk worth knowing: appetizers can be ordered separately, but desserts must be placed alongside your main course — you can't order them later. Since desserts are likely made to order, it makes sense, but it also means you're committing before you know how hungry you'll still be. For appetizers, we shared the Spicy Pizza and Clams Al Forno. Both were well-executed — thin crust on the pizza, clams cooked just right — but neither delivered on the "spicy" promise. We also noticed the absence of bread, a standard at most Italian restaurants. I asked, and what arrived was cold and tasted like it hadn't come from the kitchen. Worth skipping. Mains were a high point. The Baked Pasta with Five Cheeses was rich and deeply satisfying, though slightly saucier than we'd have liked. The Chicken Parm — technically off-menu but available if you ask — was excellent, served over shell pasta rather than spaghetti. Neither dish was compact; both were generous and shareable. One note: the server didn't offer fresh pepper or parmesan at the table, which felt like a small gap for an Italian restaurant at this level. Desserts, both off-menu specials, were the unambiguous highlight — a clementine ice cream and a pecan tart that made us wish we'd saved more room. Mama mia — easily the best part of the meal, and reason enough to come back. We would have gladly ordered more, though the ordering system may not have allowed it. Service was warm and capable, but lacked the polish you would expect from a restaurant of this caliber — small gaps that added up. Al Forno is genuinely decent, and we don't regret the wait. But the overall experience fell a notch short of what the reputation and price point suggest it could be.”