Il Fornaio Restaurant is a prime destination for your classic downtown Sacramento event.  Located at 400 Capitol Mall, you’ll be within walking distance of some of the wonderful places Sacramento has to offer – the State Capitol to the East, Old Sacramento to the West, and the Crocker Art Museum quite nearby. Il Fornaio has a sophisticated “Old World” Italian feel to the architecture… with the vibe of a stylish San Francisco eatery.   The restaurant boasts ornate Italian molding, friezes, very high ceilings,  graceful arches,  tile, stone, and wood details.  Upon entering, you’ll notice the beautiful bar and impressive display of liquor bottles.  The aroma coming from the open kitchen and wood burning pizza oven will tantalize you immediately.

Il Fornaio has a variety of rooms and sections with different space configurations – many are  perfect for  rehearsal dinners, bridal showers, corporate meetings or intimate wedding dinners.  The entire restaurant may be utilized for larger receptions.  We loved the Italian names for the different spaces within Il Fornaio, such as Sala Del Vino, a private dining room with floor to ceiling windows and wine cage along one wall (seats 26).  The Bologna Room, another private dining room with a cherry wood table and plastered walls with coved ceiling (seats 15).  La Strada a semi-private dining area with a stone table (seats 10), or the Loggia with thick white columns and tall arch ways (hosts 50 to 80).   The largest of the individual spaces is La Piazza, a charming enclosed “outdoor patio” covered with ivy vines hanging from wrought iron trellises (hosts 75 to 150).  Finally the entire restaurant can be reserved during the day time hours for up to 200 guests.

During the Christmas holidays (as you’ll notice the décor  from our photo collection), the Vixens enjoyed a fabulous dinner with 10 invited Vixen Vendors… we had a multi-coursed Italian meal pared with wines – and the bread made by the Il Fornaio bakery is to die for!!   Check out the Vixen Vittles blog we’ll be posting in a few days describing the fantastic meal we enjoyed.  Be sure to drop by Il Fornaio for their wonderful happy hour.

Il Fornaio also welcomes the LGBT community to their venue.

Thank you to Allison Stahl, our most talented Vixen Vendor photographer, for capturing all these images!

~ Vixen Laurie