The Old Spaghetti Factory

Nice atmosphere. Service is usually pretty good. Unique ambience, it’s a little dim in here.
My reccomendation: the pasta with mizithra cheese. Salad with pesto ranch. Soooo good! Give it a try, it’s not very expensive.

The food was «ok», pretty much what I expected, so no complaints. Service was polite and efficient. My one real complaint is it’s too dark at the tables. Very hard to see what you are eating

I came in for their lunch menu on a weekday.
The décor is quite nice, with a lot of stained glass, finished wood, and a traincar in the middle of the restaurant. The lunch menu is mostly comprised of spaghetti with various dressings. I ordered the Italian Sausage with meat sauce with a salad and ice cream.
The salad wasn’t bad. It was mostly comprised of iceberg lettuce, with a few croutons. They didn’t have ranch so I got the Caesar dressing. I wasn’t overly impressed because there wasn’t a ton of dressing, and they didn’t add any shredded Parmesan or other things traditional for a Caesar salad.
The spaghetti was not impressive either. I discovered the Italian Sausage with meat sauce is spaghetti, with a sausage on one side of the plate, and meat sauce on the other. The sausage and meat sauce were okay, but I could have easily (and have) bought better from the store.
I had the spumoni ice cream for dessert, that was good. It’s one of their signatures and only a dollar when you order an entrée which was nice.
Overall it wasn’t horrible, but definitely a little overpriced based on the mediocre quality.

Love their spaghetti! I am now gluten free and this place does offer gluten free noodles… the problem is it is not gluten free spaghetti, it is gluten free noodles. I do not like noodles with spaghetti sauce, I like spaghetti! With a name like The Old Spaghetti Factory, I thought they would have gluten free spaghetti… I was wrong and quite disappointed. Please start making gluten free spaghetti noodles for your customers.

The Old Spaghetti Factory is quaint inside with lots to look at. They have really paid attention to detail in the interior decorations, and I like that, thus the 3 stars.
The last time I was here, was for a work gathering. We had quite a large party, 20+ of us. We were shown to the caboose, which was cool. Granted, we all could not eat at the same table, and that would have been inconvenient anyway. We filled up the caboose, and it was nice.
Service was excellent. The gentlemen that waited on all of us was very good. He explained how it would work, taking our drinks orders, and going from there. All in all, with 20+ of us, it went smoothly. Our food was served hot, and we didn’t have to wait that long, which was good.
The food is good, but nothing outstanding. My fellow co-​workers enjoyed their lunches, as did I. The restaurant was not crowded, granted it was during lunch, but I expected more patrons.
Like I said, the interior of the restaurant is cute, with lots to look at. It would be a place to take guests from out-​of-​town, especially if they have young children. If there are only adults, I would pass. The food is good, but nothing outstanding.
There are other Italian restaurants that I would go to first. This is my opinion.

I want to give a disclaimer that I’ve never before felt the need to write a Unilocal review. That’s how bad this service was. Also, I work in an Italian restaurant in Boulder, so I know how the restaurant business is /​how it works.
When we arrived, the host wouldn’t show us where our friends were, and told us to look around … it’s a huge establishment. Eventually, she reluctantly looked it up in the computer and pointed us in the general direction.
Our server gave us a bad vibe right off the bat. She had an awful attitude. When we told her we were only drinking water and she rolled her eyes and walked away…
We ordered 2 salads with balsamic and two with the pesto dressing and she brings out 4 with pesto dressing. She was totally unapologetic and didn’t bring us any replacements
At this point we are all laughing and wondering what could possibly happen next
She did not refill our water throughout the meal and we had nothing to wash down our entrees with, even though we asked
She then finally came over, when we had finished our entrees, to fill up the water and she slammed down the drink on the table in a really aggressive manner. Thank goodness their cups are plastic. Not sure what we did to deserve such terrible service from our server.
Took her 20 minutes to run our credit card.
I had a chicken parm. Was basically a rubbery piece of chicken with spaghetti and prego sauce. Could’ve made it better myself.
The experience was so bad that it was humorous. I will never go back.

Very friendly staff and very unique environment. Next time I’m there I need to sit in the trolley car. The three cheese garlic bread appetizer was so good we almost ordered a second one. The lasagna was amazing. Overall a great experience with great food.

While I would recommend this place normally, tonight was an off night for sure. Our server () was just plain awful if I was being truthful and I consider myself very patient but we waited easily 30 – 40 minutes on bread. I had two starving kids and it was almost humorous! I sat with an unrefilled drink for most of the evening. We waited over an hour for food that usually takes 15 minutes. Anyway the hostess/​manager did come to apologize but really gave us no room for our input and offered no solutions to the issues of the night. I would’ve recommended this place to anyone with kids but not so much anymore, and it’ll be a while til I come back.
Update: they took off one of our kids meals. So that’s something.

The Old Spaghetti Factory was everything I remember as a kid! I loved the atmosphere and the memories of coming to the restaurant with my parents and sitting in the cable cars. I would say this place is touristy, but they have a fair price for their three course meal; you will get bread, soup or salad, entrée and ice cream for dessert. I had the ½ and ½, which was half spinach/​cheese ravioli and spaghetti with meat sauce, it was pretty good, not outstanding, but again the ambiance makes everything better. The bread and minestrone soup were outstanding, soup had wonderful flavor!
We will be back, I want to take my parents and see what memories the old restaurant brings back for them!

The visit here was on a whim. We wanted to try it out as we had heard very nice things about it. The outside is gorgeous and the interior did not disappoint. It’s very elegant inside and would be very cute for a date night.
My 10yo accompanied us so we asked to be seated in the caboose. He ordered a chocolate shake and was given a chocolate milk. The server even set it down and said «one shake». It’s was a Monday night at 6pm and it was not busy.
I would give this a higher rating but the meals we ordered we flat and bland. If I were to return here I would order the Alfredo and the Sicilian cheese bread. I didn’t care for the taste of the other sauces. The lasagna was meaty but again no flavor.
The rating is based on the pleasant hostess, beautiful interior, unique seating and fast service.

sitting here going on 2 hours waiting for our food with two small children. considering a dine and dash because there’s no possible way we could be held accountable if we got caught. we’d plead guilty by insanity due to hunger.
get your shit together, old spaghetti factory! there is no reason you should be so understaffed!!!
nor should you have fucking franzia as your house wine!!!
Update: After 2.5 hours and nothing but olive tapenade we walked out. Do not go here. I repeat: do. Not. Go. Here!!!

Nicole the Manager here at The Old Spaghetti Factory is hands down the best Manager I have ever ran into in my life .We had some problems with our meal and she literally took care of everything for us. I will not go into detail to spare the Spaghetti Factory’s reputation .This is my hometown.

Seems like authentic Italian food. So near to my office. Classic ambience, awesome food

This place has a unique atmosphere, great for a first date. It’s an interesting place with lots of things to talk about. We got to sit in a trolley car they have inside the restaurant. It’s was neat.
The food wasn’t anything special. We had the spinach tortellini with pomodoro sauce and a meat sauce pasta. The spinach tortellini was dry and tasted like flour. It lacked flavor and did not taste like the chicken-​meat stuffing it was supposed to have. The first thing that came to mind after my first bite was «this pasta tastes like I imagine the color green tastes like». The meat sauce pasta was a little better. The meat sauce tasted like it was supposed to, but it wasn’t anything I’d recommend to a friend. In my opinion it was a little too salty.
We were seated right away and were able to sit in the trolley car. After being shown to our table we didn’t see a server for about 20 minutes. Service was slow all night. It was about 45 minutes besides we even got bread on the table.

Old Spaghetti Factory aims to be easy, cheap, Italian food for families, and it achieves this goal, which may disappoint those of us seeking an upscale Italian dining experience.
Ever been to an Olive Garden? Ever purchased frozen Bertolli ravioli and a jar of Prego sauce for dinner? Add an open, dark atmosphere and a fully restored vintage trolley car and you’ve got Old Spaghetti Factory.
What I’ve read in the other reviews rings true in my experience: the meals are filling and cheap, the pasta dishes tend to be bland, and the high-​praised item here is the free ice cream (called spumoni, meaning it’s that tri-​flavor Neapolitan ice cream).
There were two birthdays there that evening, so there was a lot of singing, plus there is a staff member going around making balloon animals upon request. Both of these circumstances make me think it would be an awkward spot for a first date or a business meeting, but a really fun spot if your young nephew is visiting for the weekend!
Speaking of kids, their meals seem very kid-​friendly and family-​friendly. Each meal is actually a 3-​course meal, including a soup/​salad, bread, a pasta dish of your choice, and a small dish of that previously mentioned spumoni. It’s easy and crowd-​pleasing, so I can definitely see why they’ve stayed in business.
Like I mentioned above, their ravioli resembles defrosted Bertolli ravioli covered in a jar of Prego, which was a bit of a disappoint for a ravioli-​seeking girl. I would let this slide if the menu didn’t boast «made from scratch, on-​site,» which I disagree with.
My favorite by far was the cheesy garlic bread. That was seriously delicious. If you are already there, please order this.
I don’t think I’m the target audience for The Old Spaghetti Factory, at least not today. For that garlic bread I would be willing to come back, especially if I got to have a poodle balloon-animal!I

It’s funny how our perceptions change as we get older. I remember thinking that this place was amazing as a kid, but that’s definitely not what was going through my mind this time around. My fiancé and I took some of my little cousins out for dinner just to have some family time. They loved the old-​style feel and the trolley in the middle of the restaurant, and if you concentrate on that, maybe you can ignore how boring the food is. I got the Mizithra Cheese and Brown Butter pasta, which was good, but a whole plate of just that? Way too much for me. It needs variety, and my small salad prior to it did not suffice. I would’ve appreciated a spoonful of veggies added to the plate.
Apparently the kid’s menu items are pretty good (not that I can personally attest).
The Italian sodas are the best part of the meal, and if you pay a little extra, you get to keep the glass, which makes a nice little souvenir.

I have been coming to this place ever since I was a child in elementary school for field trips. I think if you have kids or are on a budget this a great place to visit.
The food is sub par but that’s truly not the reason to come here. This is a great Denver staple where you can come to relax and enjoy the unique restaurant and sit in the trolley. Definitely worth a try if you’ve never been here but don’t be shocked by the below average food.

OK, first off, let me say it took 2 hours to get our meal! The meal was … Fine.
Fettuccini Alfredo was under seasoned and almost cold.
Breast of Chicken Fettuccini was actually REALLY GOOD!
Spaghetti with Meatballs and Sausage was good but the meatballs were a bit dry.
The spaghetti with crème sauce was great!
The crab ravioli was a bit dry and bland.
The best part of the meal was the Olive Tapenade which was very yummy!
The kids LOVED the Italian cream sodas!
The place was probably ¹⁄₃ full and a 2 hour wait was just unacceptable.

This is a family restaurant, let’s be clear, folks. If you don’t kid yourself, you’ll have a fine time. You shouldn’t expect fine dining, and you shouldn’t be surprised by that if you pay the least bit of attention when you walk in the door. You’ll notice some staff not in uniform, no tablecloths, and placemats made out of cheap paper with advertisements on them.
But what about the ornate interior, you ask? Again, see it for what it is: this is an over-​the-​top glitzy place meant to entertain the wandering eyes of children. And it ain’t bad for adults, either, if you have a sense of humor. Can you really take a place seriously that has a train car within the walls of the restaurant?
Answer: no.
But you can look at it and realize how gimmicky and cool it is with its chandeliers and stained glass windows. In fact, Denver’s finest (DPD) were having a luncheon aboard that silly express, and they seemed to have found lighthearted enjoyment there, the weight of the city’s crime lifted off their shoulders for an hour.
On to the food and service. The pasta is not fresh; that is, it can’t possibly have been made in house, despite the misleading title of «Spaghetti Factory,» and it is for this reason alone that OSF will never rank above 3-​stars. Still, our dishes came out al dente, and were quickly devoured. The bread receives low marks, though, as it’s not artisan, but also not surpassing the quality of your local supermarket’s cheap white dinner buns. Servicewise, we were warmly greeted and quickly seated by a pretty hostess, and our waiter was ever-​attentive. Can’t ask for much more than that.
In the end, if you’re expecting a slightly upscale version of a Friendly’s-style family restaurant, then you will get what you pay for here. OSF did in a pinch when we were cold and hungry. Their soup, especially, hit the spot and could have passed for being made in-​house. WHo knows?! Who cares.
If you want a quick plate of cheap homestyle noodles, OSF is the place.

I used to think everything at the OSF was good except for the pasta, how ironic, right? Well, this last experience completely changed my mind. I must have only ordered spaghettis before, since it’s the SPAGHETTI factory, lol. This time, I went with what sounded good on the menu.
The Garlic Shrimp Fettuccine, which was new on the dinner menu, won my dad’s heart. I had a taste and thought it was a little bit too boozy, but hey, it’s still a good thing, right? When I saw that the Baked Chicken was only available during dinner, I persuaded my BF to get it even though it was served with spaghetti. Turned out to be a pretty good choice. The chicken was flaming hot right off the griller/​oven.
I got the Manger’s Favorite which is pasta with two sauces. I don’t know why I picked Mizithra Cheese & Browned Butter and Marinara, because that’s exactly the kind my BF’s Baked Chicken dish came with. Next time I’ll get the mushroom sauce instead of the marinara. I’m sure if would pair better with the Mizithra Cheese & Browned Butter sauce which was exquisite! (Or, just have that alone, duh!)
Mom wanted the lasagna so she got it. The same marinara sauce that we’re not too keen to flooded the perfectly fine lasagna (the sauce was simply too much, and overly sour/​tomato-​ey for us).
All the sides were thoroughly enjoyable:
— Bread (freshly baked sourdough, it’s good, but I would prefer non-​sourdough…)
— Salad (wonderfully crisp and cold; dressing is thick and yummy, get the Pesto Ranch!)
— Milk (is milk)
— Coffee (is something else! We liked the coffee so so much that I inquired about it, was told they use Boyds coffee, I wish I know the exact formula because that was one strong yet balanced cup of joe)
— Italian soda (we ordered the vanilla flavor, as good as ever!)
— Ice cream (the spumoni was unique; I asked for my scoop to be vanilla so I could dunk it in my coffee, heaven!)
Our server was very nice and polite, took good care of us. We really liked sitting in the trolley!
Thank you OSF for providing such a family friendly atmosphere for us to enjoy a family meal together.