Al Forno sits on its own in this short alley. Its rustic appearance, made out of wood and bricks on a pale yellow front, is just a quick reminiscence of an old, secluded villa in Tuscany or near Rome. A little plastic veranda on the ground floor ruins the atmosphere while still giving you a chance to eat outdoors in the warmer months. The interior, on the other hand, puts more strain on the level of Italian authenticity Al Forno tries to achieve. Decor is slightly cluttered, messy, full of Chianti bottles, paintings, photos, vases, and anything that may fill walls and shelves wherever space is available. Yet, it looks old-fashioned and rustic enough to make you forget the cheesy Italian stereotypes. The red brick walls even add a touch of warmth and coziness.
On our arrival, the first thing we noticed was the noise. The buzz of waiters and clients is quite overwhelming (and it was just Thursday!) but it helps build a good atmosphere which is definitely recommended for dinner with friends or large parties. Al Forno gets busy quite easily so booking is strongly advised. We managed to get our table for six without waiting and checked the menu. The staff is slightly over the place and looks disorganised most of the time Waiters may forget you after sitting you down so do not hesitate to chase and ask for something; once over that obstacle you will be impressed how many times the staff jokes and interacts with you one way or the other.
A key characterstic of Al Forno are its pizzas, served in either small, medium or large sizes. A large is around 1 metre long, which means you can share it with 1 or 2 people and have multiple toppings as a good compromise. The costs are of course good value for money. It was easy for the group to opt in for pizza feast to celebrate our 10th meal, but we still ordered different flavours and managed to taste either a starter or a dessert along the way:
- Starters had mixed reviews. The fried calamari were tasty and very popular. On the other hand, the "parmigiana" and the "funghi and spinaci gratinati" were drowned in a liquid tomato sauce and what was meant to be bechamel was just melted cheese.
- The pizzas had a soft, fragrant dough. All ingredients were well balanced with either not too much cheese or too much cheese or too much oil. You can ask for more of your favourite topping if you want to, and for those who like it spicy, please do not hesitate to ask for the chili oil!
- Desserts were pretty standard, from a traditional "tiramisu" to a majority of special ice cream cups, such as the "coppa caffé" or the "limoncello flute". Sweet and refreshing after a pizza but not exciting or innovative.
Al Forno's ace up the sleeve is definitely the pizza making and the 1-metre ones are probably a unique selling point in the whole Wimbledon. They should definitely hold on to it to ensure the restaurant definitely stays as one of the recommended place to go with a group of friends and be merry!
Our verdict is as follows:
Quality of Food 4.50Hygiene 3.83
Value for Money 4.83
Speed of Service 4.83
Quality of Service 4.33
Ambience & décor 4.50
Al Forno gets an overall rating of 88.9%
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