Forno Siciliano

I have eaten here several times, whether sitting down or ordering delivery. I have been disappointed every time whether it’s with the service, which is awful, or the food, which is not that great either. But I’ve come back hoping for a better experience each time. They always fall short. The owners and waitresses all have attitudes and think who they are. The experience that made me post this review was a delivery order. I placed my order with the girl on the phone. Fine no problem. Then the food came and I didn’t have more change to give the driver a better tip. He started complaining that the tip I gave was «no good for me» and that he rushed over to bring my food. He kept saying the tip was no good for him. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing but that’s not the worst part. I called the owner/​manager and at first she seemed really apologetic, even promised me a free dessert. I decided to go there in person to get my tip back since it was «no good». She turned on me like anything. The driver walked in with a smirk on his face claiming that I «misunderstood» him. I know what I heard. He’s just upset that someone made him pay for his mistake. I have never been more insulted in my life not only by the driver but by the owner herself. On top of it all I didn’t even get my free dessert. I will avoid this place like the plague and I suggest you do the same! Not worth the money or the time. One more thing; don’t ask to use your credit card because they will have the nerve to charge you a fee!!!

Very good food. Reliable-​I really like their food. I don’t understand why they’re not the busiest restaurant in Astoria. Maybe because their prices are rather high, like a Manhattan restaurant or perhaps, it’s the reception they give their guests. The male staff is very friendly. The females, not at all. I can’t tell if they want us to come in and eat, or leave so they can close early and go home. They should hire friendly staff.

Pizza is not as good as you would expect for this style and leaves my stomach not feeling great for some reason.

Came here on a random Thursday night with my girlfriend. The service was great and our waitress was on top of everything. Décor is basic, kind of like a take out pizza/​dining area but the murals on the walls are actually quite nice if you look closely.
Anyways, I got penne ala vodka since a few previous reviews commented how great it was. I don’t know if I caught them on a bad night, but the sauce was too runny and lacked that true creamy vodka sauce taste. I give it a ²⁄₅ and would not recommend it.
My girlfriend’s dish was a little better though. She got breaded chicken with prosciutto and cheese (the name is escaping me) which she didn’t think was that great but I thought it was above average.
The bread they give you is good and definitely fresh (and warm — right out of the brick oven), but in no way worth a trip just to have.
I would say it’s a place where everything looks better than it tastes, as the presentation of all the food was solid.
I might be back in the future since there are a ton of items on their menu that sounded intriguing and the service was truly great.

Amazing food. Chicken Paradiso is excellent… Pizza very good as well. Family establishment.worth every dollar

I’ve only been here once and this place is on the verge of a 5 star rating. The pizza is very tasty with a great crispy crust that is the perfect medium of thickness.
Their pasta is very al dente with a solid marinara.
They serve a giant loaf of seasoned fresh garlic bread, which is next level amazing. I would show up just for that bread with a cup of sauce. I look forward to visiting again and trying more of their menu.

I have been coming here since I was a child. It has always been excellent and I’m never disappointed. .They have the absolute best brick oven pizza. My fiancé loves the dishes as well but I usually stick to the brick oven cause I love pizza. staff is all family (mostly) and they are all very pleasant always… I will continue to go until they (hopefully not) no longer exist! I definitely recommend this place, I am italian and I know good pizza for sure so I advise you guys and try it for yourself, you will not be disappointed. .also to add, the décor is so adorable I love love loveee it! Oh, and prices are reasonably priced. Fornos

Great great place!!! Had a party of 12 at Forno today and everyone was very happy with their food. They gave so much also. The service was great. I worked with Antonella? to plan the food selection before hand and she was great! And Maria was there to work with my party today. She was great also. I look forward to going back

I order pick-​up from here a lot and it’s not bad. I enjoy the bread that comes with every order, but the entrees and pasta dishes are hit or miss.

Just wrapped up dinner with my wife and son and enjoyed everything. The pizza and linguine and clams are my favorites. Won’t be disappointed !! Thanks

Food is always amazing when we go here. Starts off with an amazing brick oven focaccia bread! Hell I come here for that alone. I always get their brick oven pizza which is always spot on. Last time got the arugula prosciutto pizza which was very good. My husband usually gets the gnocchi and this time they had a special gnocchi with half reg potato and half sweet potato with melted mozzarella over it. He loved loved this dish. My only complaint and this is why I didn’t give 5 stars is the service. It’s not that the service is unfriendly but it’s really really slow. Even if you are literally the only table left which we were last time! Don’t come if you are in a rush! Lol but you won’t be disappointed by the food!

I haven’t been to Forno’s in a while, but I still crave the lobster ravioli special I had on Valentines day!
The place itself is very warm and inviting. Each and every employee were beyond kind and accommodating. The lobster ravioli I had a while back was so memorable, I find myself craving it! It was served with a creamy sauce that complimented the pasta and fresh lobster so well. I cant wait to come back and try out some more things, but I am afraid I will be craving them a year later! Forno is located directly across the street from the mini mall that porta bello is in — but I truly love them both. Forno’s to me, has more of a «home made with love cooking» feeling VS. Porta Bello.

I really enjoyed this spot. The hostess/​owner is a sweetheart. And the service was great.
The bread that comes out is delicious, it is similar to a flat bread pizza.
I had some delicious meatball soup and a salad. My fellow diners had the salmon and some pasta dishes. Everything was great. Considering how good the bread was I definitely want to try their pizzas. Will be back!

When this place opened it was small and quaint. Food delish and some of the best brick oven pizza around. Pizza still awesome the food is just good for the most part.
I can make it better at home.
From this point on I’m writing as I go.
15 min for someone to come and take a drink order
9 min for that to get to the table.
So we just have our whole order. Wifey orderd shrimp scampi. 5 u45 shrimp in butter on a large plate. Our comes with carrots and potato. Really. and not even good. just boiled and limp.
So she wanted something like escarole. $ 2 more.
5 min for apps to arive good.
Clams oreganatta super salty. Mozz and tomato ok. They didn’t make that here that’s for sure.
20 min no food.
My second soda Heya to me.
As I was saying. No salt and pepper on the table. No oil and balsamic vin for the focaccia.
30 min no food.
So foods is what you do. Expand on all the faults that can be looked over if service were good.
35 min food arrives. Yeah!
And if your not a regular you are basically ignored if it’s busy. They try to be nice but you can see it’s all phony bullshit.
I’d go across the street to shopping area and go to the pizzeria Porto bello. there. They cook every dish like they care and pretty quick. Even when it’s busy.
I’t took me a long time to post this, and i wasn’t, but wtf.
To all the regulars. you know and I know this place is not what it used to be before they renovated. The owner I’m sure is a nice guy but you can see the passion is gone in the kitchen. To much competition in the area who needs this.
Over and out.

I really liked this place a lot. It’s East of Steinway on Ditmars so it’s on the residential side of Ditmars, but it is a must visit. I was really happy with both items my friend and I ordered. The place is more upscale than I expected it to be, it’s kind of a power lunch/​date spot. There is a brick oven right when you walk in on the left, then there is the dining area in the other room.
The food:
Rigatoni Alla Corte D’Assise– prosciutto and mushroom in a bolognese cream sauce. I really liked this dish, it kinda seemed like a Rigatoni vodka sauce with meat. The pasta had a nice chew but the sauce was really the star of the show. This is a must get.
Pizza Alla Modena– light tomato sauce, arugula, homemade mozzarella, prosciutto and shaved Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. The pie was a nice pie, I wish the bottom was a little crustier but that’s probably my only complaint. The toppings were great, the sauce was nice, I think the arugula and prosciutto pair really well. The Parmigiano adds a great nutty, salty note.
Table side Bread– I don’t write about free stuff or drinks, but the bread is worth the mention. It’s kinda like a garlic flatbread, enough said… lol

I have been coming here since it was still under its previous name. The food is still good, the service is still great. For our appetizer, we decided to go with something we had not had before. I forget the exact name but it was some sort of seafood platter. The octopus I grabbed from the plate were delicious and perfectly tender. The calamari was also very good and tender, as well. For my entrée I had the penne ala vodka, which was yummy. As always, they give huge portions so you might end up taking some home.

I’m still thinking about the two loaves of pizza bread we consumed. I mentioned how good it was to our server and she gave us one to take home. You gotta love that! First time here and everything was hot and delish — from our seafood appetizer to our pasta and shrimp entrees. I bet the pizza is yummy too. Small restaurant which gets very noisy on Sat. night; will try again on a weeknight or Sunday.

This place definitely has some of the best wood fired pizza in the area. They have a great crust and the bottom is never soggy, and their foccacia bread is divine. Their menu is classic Italian, no surprises, but it is all well made and the serving sizes are very generous.
From what I’ve overheard they also do great seafood. We’ve gone a few times and have never been disappointed. I think we will certainly be regulars as it’s just across the street!

They initially charged $ 2 for using credit cards, but they thankfully seem to have abandoned that policy now and accept Visa without penalty.
When they delivered, they included some really, really delicious foccacia, which was very much appreciated.
I think they should also purchase those packets of grated parmigiana cheese like pizza stores used to have and put a few in the delivery bag.
Antipasti — Caldi
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Clams Oreganata: B+
Very tasty. Flavorful bread crumbs and nicely baked.
Rollatini de Melanzane: A–
Sometimes this dish can be bitter at other restaurants, but this was very good. The sauce was nice and strong (I wish they had used it on our spaghetti!) and the eggplant was delicious.
Pasta
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Fettuccine Alfredo: B
Could’ve been more creamy and buttery, but perhaps that’s a good thing from a calorie point of view. It was still very good. There was a very good alfredo to fettuccine ratio… I was impressed. Usually restaurants don’t give you enough alfredo sauce.
Lasagna Alla Bolognese: A
A truly excellent lasagna, and so far, the very best thing on the menu. It hits all the high points a lasagna should hit. Only a stronger, more garlicky, more tomatoey sauce and a nearly burned crust of cheese prevents this lasagna from being an A+ (and I RARELY give out A+). I liked the meat /​sauce ratio. I liked the meat /​ricotta ratio. Neither was overpowered by the other. Overall a well balanced lasagna.
Spaghetti con Filetto di Pomodoro (with meatballs parmigiana): C+
My wife and I agree that there wasn’t enough meatballs. The 3 meatballs were fairly large… perhaps I would’ve been happy with 5 smaller meatballs instead of 3 large meatballs. The meatballs could’ve been softer as well as smaller and more numerous. They tasted delicious, though. The sauce was MUCH too thin… almost watery, and there wasn’t a whole lot of it. I think the dish required at least *double* the amount of (much thicker) sauce than we were given.
Ziti Al Forno: D
The worst baked ziti I’ve ever had. First, the pasta was al dente, which does NOT work for a baked ziti. Second, the impotent sauce consisted of tasteless ricotta cheese which gets completely overpowered by the under-​cooked ziti. Serious… the ricotta was tasteless. Third, the baked ziti had a layer of browned mozzarella, indicating they put it in the oven, but the mozzarella itself was completely devoid of any flavor. I’m not expert enough to know if it’s cheap mozzarella or the wrong type of mozzarella for topping pasta dishes, but it was horrible. I gave this dish a D because this dish was inedible.
Pollo
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Chicken Cacciatore: B
Not stereotypical cacciatore, which is often thick stew-​like with chicken parts… a hearty dish that strongly says «I’m southern Italian». A good dish to soak up with bread. This cacciatore was light and there wasn’t enough stew for me. It kind of hinted northern Italian. Don’t get me wrong… it was delicious (hence the B rating) but it’s not the cacciatore I’m used to.
Vegetables
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Broccoli Di Rabe: B
Very good, but uninspired. Broccoli rabe, garlic, oil. Tasty ingredients, tasty dish. I would’ve liked to have seen more sliced garlic, more garlic, and more olive oi. Maybe capers would’ve made the dish more interesting.

I don’t tend to like Italian food. I never crave it. And randomly tonight, I just really wanted some whole wheat pasta. I doubted that any Astoria restaurant would carry it. Then, I found Forno Siciliano. I called to find out the soup of the day. Enter: second impressive moment. They make their soups from scratch daily, and BOTH options were vegetarian.
I ordered lentil soup and a whole wheat penne with tomatoes and garlic with fresh mozzarella.
Holy deliciousness.
The delivery took less than an hour, and was a freakishly large amount of food. I finished the pasta (judge me, why don’t you!), and was so pleased that they followed the «light oil» instructions I left in the teeny tiny comment box on Seamless. The soup was great, but waaay too much, so that’ll be dinner tomorrow.
Added surprise? They gave fresh, brick oven bread. Enough to feed a small village, though. So, yet another thing to save.
Not cheap, but it’s worth it, because you’re paying for food that is clearly made with love.