The Old Spaghetti Factory

Dined in alone and I loved every piece of the service. As a server myself, Anthony is great at what he does. I ordered the garlic mizithra with angel hair. Anthony forgot to put the modifier and I ended up with regular spaghetti. I was upset Anthony didn’t offer a replacement or whatsoever but I get it, I hate to be that person. Great service and I highly recommend him!

I hate to have to give a poor rating to the spaghetti factory, but the truth is that while the spaghetti was good my girlfriends lasagna was bland and not very warm. The interesting thing was that the plate was pretty hot… I don’t know.
The waiter never came back to check on us or refill water/​coffee. The manager was apologetic and offered something to take with us, so that was nice…
Basically this– get spaghetti. Stick to spaghetti. Just… Spaghetti.

It says more about me, about who goes to these places more than it does about the Old Spaghetti Factory. Perhaps the utility of the name (factory) has this utilitarian connotation that makes carb hogs and families flock there like seagulls to the nearby pier.
Whatever the reason, it doesn’t matter. I imagine the name itself as being said by some old coot on his porch who emphasizes «old» like «olé».
But, again, that says more about me than the Old Spaghetti Factory.
The food is what it is: pasta that is cheap and quick with moderately priced alcohol. The point of the Old Spaghetti Factory is that you don’t have to wait for pasta to boil. You let them do that.
I sat by myself, read my book, tried to ignore all the screaming and crying children whose parents want them to stuff their faces with carbs in order to possibly be quiet for ten minutes or to, oh please God, go to sleep.
For that I say, you do a great job, Old Spaghetti Factory. I won’t complain about sitting in a giant, made-​for-​the-​den, table for two wing back chair. You can put this baby in the corner. I came for the carbs and to read my book.
But I could have totally made it myself. I probably should have. But, I was feeling tired and lazy. So thank you.

I grew up in Seattle going to the Spaghetti Factory as a kid in the 1970’s, through high-​school with friends and even into college to celebrate special events like birthdays and holiday gift exchanges. I read a few months ago that the building had been bought by a company that may want to do something else with the property and decided I wanted to go back again before that happened. I was surprised that at 6 p.m. on a Saturday night there was hardly any line/​wait. What happened to the days when the lobby was so crowded people would wait outside? What happened to all the cool old couches with velvety red upholstery that you couldn’t wait to sit on because no other place had anything like them? The lobby has been updated/​rearranged but I’m not sure it’s an improvement.
Our food was okay, I ordered an Italian cream soda that tasted sour, our shrimp/​spinach/​artichoke dip appetizer was drowning in butter, as was my mizithra/​clam sauce spaghetti. By the time I was done eating I felt gross and I’m sure my cholesterol is elevated. Butter should be used to cook and enhance flavor, not as a primary ingredient. Someone talk to the chef! While the menu selection is extended I think back in the day when they kept it simple the quality was much higher. No more free bread anymore either. Our waiter was great, the best part of the evening, but the overall food experience was disappointing and I won’t be going back.
Too bad in this day and age of health-​conscious eating they couldn’t do a better job of reflecting that in the cooking, as it could be done without compromising taste. While they offered broccoli as a side dish even that was advertised as cooked with butter and mizithra? If they offered a couple of light/​healthy option eating items even that would be nice. The fact that their business has declined over the years indicates I’m not the only one not impressed.

The service is extremely slow, they’re super forgetful about our order. I haven’t seen our server in 15 – 20 min. Trash…

I’ve always been a fan of Old Spaghetti Factory since I was young, even though my tastebuds weren’t quite refined yet. The inside of the restaurant gives off a vintage vibe with the wood décor, train in the middle of the restaurant, and the old school scale you can weigh yourself on at the entrance (actually, is that still there?!). This seems like a spot Sherlock Holmes can meet up with someone and grab a bite while holding a conversation, kind of like what you see on TV. There are so many places to sit, I don’t really remember waiting too long no matter what night I go (even though that’s not a lot).
Anyways, all of the meals come with sourdough bread, soup or salad, and — the best part — spumoni ice cream!
I love their Italian cream soda. I always get the strawberry flavor. One of the best things about ordering this — besides how awesome it tastes — is that you get to keep the cup! For me, it’s always been a mix of whether they’ll replace the glass you already used or not… But regardless I take them, especially when I was a poor college student who needed some extra glassware. It was somewhat a blessing in disguise.
For the appetizer, at least with a big enough party, I always get the Silican garlic cheese bread. When I went recently, the bread wasn’t as toasted as I wanted it, if that’s the right word. I don’t know, something was different about the texture. Still very cheesy on top and super yummy with the marinara sauce. So it’s pretty much like pizza without the crust but I still love it!
For the salad, I normally get it with the house pesto but sometimes I get Caesar. Their pesto sauce is so good though, adds a bold yet creamy flavor to the crunchiness of the veggies.
The sourdough bread is pretty good too though, though I remember sometimes they’ll give, I believe, honey oat bread? I don’t remember, but it’s brown and my favorite. Sourdough is always gonna taste sour; The inside is soft but the outside is a bit crunchy. Not my style but I’ve gotten used to it. The brown bread was more soft and sweet.
Fettuccine Alfredo is my go to! I always tell myself to order something else but that is my favorite pasta. Noodles are cooked very well, giving it a soft and chewy texture, and the sauce is super creamy and cheesy. I feel like I can never finish it though from all of the bread and salad I ate earlier, but for some reason pasta tastes better when they’re leftovers… I tried some of my friend’s tortellini before, I might have to order that one time.
But the spumoni ice cream… YES! The mix of chocolate, strawberry and pistachio blends well together for a unique taste. I love the antique steel bowl it comes in also. I always have room for dessert and I’m so glad this is included in our meal!
Though this one isn’t the closest one to me anymore, I grew up loving this one and going to the one in Southcenter more. For the most part, I never had to complain about service because they are always on top of things. Pricing is pretty decent for what you get also. I’ll come to this one if anyone is craving Italian food and is around Seattle. Will definitely come back!

Horrible horrible place. Worst service ever. They were super slow. What ever we ordered they were out of it. They didn’t tell about it when we ordered but after 20 mins when they started making it again. We have never had such a bad experience ever.

I would like to start with the positives. Excellent service, beautiful restaurant, descent food and the layout of the restaurant was obviously well planned. My favorite part of the entire experience was enjoying the layout of the restaurant. Upon walking in the door I saw a bride and a few guests walk in, myself my mother a 2 year old and 7 year old and a group of 3 adults and 7 kids ranging in age from 3 to 13ish. The layout of the restaurant has multiple enclosed dining rooms each with about 5 booths 5 4seater tables and one or two long large family sized tables. This allows the host to seat people according to the experience they desire… family’s with other families, dates with other dates in a more quiet romantic setting, formal events can have their own seating area… I really enjoyed that I could dine out at a beautiful restaurant with my 2 and 7 year old and not have to worry about being judged if my 2 year old let out a scream or got fidgety and wanted to move around… I loved that they could cater to my needs. The food was good but nothing I probably couldn’t pull off at home… prices I felt were fair $ 14 included bread, soup or salad, pasta and ice cream… and the kids get the same deal for 6.95. All in all I enjoyed it and would recommend it and I will return just for the experience, service and a nice break from my kitchen.

The parking here is small in comparison to the large capacity this building can hold. The service though is always good no matter how busy it maybe and they always do the best they can to accommodate large parties as quick as possible.

I can appreciate the efforts of the staff for the Mystery dinner however it is not worth the cost and the pre ready food was cold and gross.

Not the type of place I would go to, but went for a group lunch and the portion sizes seem to have shrunk since my last visit, over a decade ago. The food was only edible.
This place was «cool» to me in highschool. Very «meh» as an adult.

Nostalgic… so looking forward to Big Birthday Dinner with family (8) of us.
SO DISAPPOINTED
Arrived on time… reservations were not recorded. To their credit, they did
get us seated in about 10 minutes.
Servers need coordination !! Brought us garlic bread that looked yummy,
but we had not ordered that. They took it away.
Salads,…about 3 minutes later the entrees arrived, and almost no space
on the table, because we’d only gotten started on the salads.
Had to ask for the bread… looked yummy, but even the serrated bladed knives
couldn’t get thru the crust until you CRUSHED the bread.
At least 2 of the entrees were so DRY, almost inedible. Should have sent them
BACK to the kitchen, our mistake!
I took ¾ of my mizithra & brown butter pasta home, added water & finished
COOKING it at home & added some sauce to make it palatable.
Sorry, it will be a long time before we come back,
But it was certainly a Memorable experience !! Wish it had been a positive one

Still good ambiance, and that smell of cheese. food portion is getting smaller but still a good price.

I was there last weekend with a friend and neither of us had been there before. It’s nice inside with tall ceilings, a mix of booths and tables and different levels. It looks semi-​formal but as people in the Pacific Northwest know, we take that as a very mild hint and definitely not a requirement (much to my dismay at times!).
She had a mixed dish of creamy clam sauce and a cheese and browned butter sauce on top of spaghetti (I forget the name, but it starts with a M). I had the same cheese dish paired with chicken Marsala and mushroom sauce. I have had better Marsala dishes, however it was not bad and I’ve had worse. The bread was great!!! We got a small loaf to split. We started with the creamy pesto salad and it was good. The gelato was good too! Each dish included the salad and gelato so that was a nice touch.
The server was very attentive and filled our drinks and water and promptly cleared our dishes. He cheerfully got me a side of the Marsala sauce for my noodles which was bigger than I figured he would bring! We didn’t feel rushed and he quickly assisted is with paying the bill. I would come here again. It looks like a nice place to take a big family too and was not unreasonably priced.

We were an extended family of 12 last night. We had young children and teenagers. We arrived at 7:00, had a couple of appetizers and waited and waited and waited for the entrée. When if finally came, we finished and waited and waited for the dessert. The dishes were not cleared when dessert arrived. My point being that service was terrible. I do not fault the server entirely although she certainly needed to ask for help if she could not get the dishes cleared and on the table in a timely fashion. The management is responsible for training and supporting their wait staff. We did not leave until 9:30. The food was just OK but the service really ruined the evening. Much too long and shoddy for children to be kept waiting so long.

The bathroom trash cans are overflowing and both paper towel dispensers are empty. And there was a seed in my lemon slice.

Worst bar service ever. Was standing at the front of the bar with 5 friends for 20 minutes and the bartender didn’t even acknowledge us. He finally looked back and smiled at us as we gave up and walked away. DO NOT COME HERE FOR DRINKS.

Just fine for a group visiting from out of town.
The interior is whimsical and fun. The service is just fine. The food is all tasty stuff that your doctor would be mad at you for ordering. I ordered a side of broccoli, which I thought would be a nice contrast to all the cheese and carbs. Unfortunately, it came to the table covered in cheese also; there was so much cheese on it we weren’t even sure what it was until we lifted up a bit of goo to see the veggies underneath.
I definitely won’t come here until I have a special reason to, like family coming to visit.

I eat here cuz I live close by and am sometimes too lazy to go elsewhere. And too broke for delivery. Not a huge fan. I mean, its edible but beyond that it’s iffy. Lots of cheese and sometimes they forget your extra side orders. And even if you wait the entire time they quote you for pick up, sometimes it’s an extra 20 minutes cuz the host/​hostess just refuses to make eye contact or acknowledge your existence.
I get heartburn every time I eat here…

I think you come here knowing what to expect but really this is a staple. Anytime I’m looking for some cheap eats and nostalgia, this place is it. The chairs and the ambiance remind me of family dinners. They also are very flexible for huge groups which is nice. The garlic mizithra and clam sauce are my favorites. But like I said, it’s decent food for the price. You also can’t go wrong with garlic cheese bread.

Terrible service, servers would look right at you then quickly move away. Food good but the serves made the whole experience a major fail.

So while I have a little time I am throwing a review together for the Spaghetti Factory. Nothing like going to this place on a Saturday night that also happens to be a holiday weekend AND the marathon is tomorrow AND their was apart of 24 in front of us AND we couldn’t leave because we already had people inbound to meet up with the group. So I was stuck with an 1 hour wait. Yep this is not starting well.
So once we did get seated let’s talk about the atmosphere. I mean this is the definition of a family place. I mean there didn’t seem to be any tables without kids. And every group was eating with 6 or more people. So it was noisy and the servers looked exahausted, just complete chaos. So from time we ordered to the time our food got there was another hour. They said the kitchen was backed up. Good thing the bar wasnt. Also they did serve bread, and I must say I am a fan of the bread. Next came the dinner salad which was as bare bones as it gets. Salad and dressing and that was it. Good way to be allergy friendly I guess. So a couple of cocktails later the main course arrived.. I had the chicken parmesean which was a little cold by time I got it. It certainly wasn’t anything special but this is a family restaurant so I’m not expecting it to be high end dining. The meal was finished with some free ice cream which was a nice touch (I wasn’t about to wait another 30 minutes for a dessert that required any type of preparation.
The meal ended with the presentation of the check. I had friends visiting so I was picking up the check for 4 people. The check came out to be $ 63.47. For four people. That is honestly a happy hour and snacks at most places. Those are the types of checks j like to pick up. And now my friends can treat me next time I visit them and I’m sure my meal alone will be as much as I just spent on a four person bill. Can’t argue with cheap and that may just be enough to save this restaurant for me. If your are eating out with a large family and kids then stop in. But if you have a date night planned with someone you like stay as far away as possible.

Significant Family Nostalgia At This Old Spaghetti Factory!
SITREP
I first came to this Old Spaghetti Factory (OSF) back in 1984, and so it still remains an iconic stop in Seattle for me and actually is one of my mom’s favorite’s Birthday stops (the other being Cheesecake Factory).
THE SETUP
What can one say about the menu that hasn’t already been written about and experienced from the dozens of OSFs all over the West Coast, from here to Sacramento to Hollywood. ;)
LA MENU
I never get tired of the endless supply of sourdough bread and garlic butter. And our servers here are ALWAYS pleasant and understanding (and give me a knowing *wink*) when I ask for a side of Bleu Cheese to dip the bread in, because it is so dam good that way!
I always prefer the side salad rather than the minestrone soup that mi mammasita also seems to settle upon.
This stop, I got the Vesuvius, because I love to spice it up, and the Vesuvius delivers (with it’s tobacco-​kick!). It doesn’t hurt to ask for some extra mizithra cheese either to put on this flaming delight of pasta!
THE LOWDOWN
Like Starbucks, Star Trek, Star Wars, Death & Taxes, I think OSF will remain an iconic pillar throughout the remainder of my life. ;)

Recommending OSF for Italian food is like recommending Panda Express for Chinese food but I give this 4 stars simply because of one dish that I will always rave about. Since I was young, I have loved the mizithra + browned butter pasta and it has consistently remained delicious. The garlic version has bacon and mushrooms — also a delicious option. I’ve tried to recreate it at home many times (you can buy the mizithra already grated from Costco sometimes and it’s licensed by OSF I think) but it’s just not quite the same. Probably because at home you’re less likely to drench the pasta in as much browned butter — but that’s what makes it good. For $ 12.50, you get a heaping plate of this with a salad or soup and ice cream for dessert. So affordable and you will definitely get full from your meal and quite possibly have leftovers. I’m a huge fan of the sourdough bread that they serve as well that’s always piping hot and impossible to cut without crushing one end of the loaf. If you’re smart, ask for more loaves and try to take some home with you.
This location has a parking lot so you won’t have to search for parking and the décor inside is pretty fun. Dimly lit but lots of seating variety so whether you have a huge birthday party or you have little kids who want to sit inside the train, there’s something for you. The servers I’ve had are all great and go above and beyond. So despite this not being an over the top fancy restaurant, there is one dish that you HAVE to try. Even if goat cheese scares you, this stuff is magical.

I have such fond memories here as a kid, and I think I should let those memories stay in the past. We celebrated many birthdays here and this was one of my favorite places, however, I’m now a grown adult and know that better food can be found elsewhere. Only reason I came here was because my dear mother wanted to come here for her birthday.
We were a party of 8 so it took a while to be seated, but not too bad. The place wasn’t overly crowded and several rooms were empty as it was a weeknight. However, the service was terribly slow. We had to wait a while for water and bread. I had to ask several times for water refills. There is absolutely nothing healthy on the menu (I checked nutrition info before coming) and everything is packed with sodium. I ordered the Angel Hair Pomodoro which was one of the lowest calorie items (the chicken caesar salad had double the calories) and I also asked for a side of grilled chicken breast. I told the server I wanted just a grilled breast. Simple, right? No. It came out breaded and pan fried! I ate it anyway, but seriously, would it kill them to be able to somewhat accommodate a healthy eater? Even the broccoli is high in sodium and fat due to the cheese they smother it with. They also have a poor, overpriced wine list.
This is the epitome of a chain restaurant. There are SO many better options for good Italian food in Seattle, so I suggest you look elsewhere.

Four and a Half stars.
Food was delicious.
The service was not more nor less than expected at a nice dining establishment. This is great.
Their brown butter sauce for their spaghetti is the bomb! The lasagna was light, not smothered in cheese like some baked versions other restaurants offer. We added sides, I got two meat balls. They were tasty, but a bit small for the price. All of the food was very prompt. Love the warm bread and butter. The salad is just basic romaine mix with your choice of dressing. The could stand to improve this in my opinion.
We will come back next time for sure.

Impressive service today! My family loves OSF because there is something for everyone, on an all inclusive menu, at an affordable price. I’m not above a franchise, and since I’m from Portland and remember the very first OSF, any location can be nostalgic for me.
Today I ordered Chicken Marsala. The waiter took the order to the kitchen. Moments later the manager promptly returned and explained that, due to high order volume, the Chicken would take 15 – 20 minutes and he would sub any other entrée for free if I wished. Now that’s customer service!!!
I will be back. New visitors, be mindful of Seattle parking!

Let’s get straight to the point — this place is terrible.
Why? Well…
1. After waiting 75 (!!!) minutes for a table for 10, I asked approximately how much longer it’d be. The gal rudely told me we were next, then proceeded to call three tables before us. And more than half the restaurant was empty.
2. Meals come with a choice of minestrone soup or salad. But they ran out of soup, so not much of a choice there.
3. They also ran out of whole wheat spaghetti. Woah there, this is the SPAGHETTI factory.
4. Once dessert time rolled about, our server told us that one of the freezers was broken so there was no vanilla ice cream. We ordered spumoni, which arrived as a puddle of soup.
5. Our server didn’t checked on us once. Nope, nada, zip!
It’s places like this that give a bad rep to chain restaurants. I will not be returning in the future and will definitely not be recommending this «restaurant» to friends or family.

Tried out this restaurant on a Monday evening. They offer a free parking lot for customers, which is really nice. We were seated right away, and the waitress was very attentive. Ordered a carafe of the house red, which turned out to be a pretty decent Chianti. I ate the pasta with meat sauce. It wasn’t bad. The sauce wasn’t mind blowingly amazing, but it was definitely a pretty decent what-you’d-expect-from-a-chain kind of good. As far as I could tell from the menu, every meal comes with a salad and some ice cream for dessert. Super affordable. While I’d probably venture out to a different Italian restaurant next time for dinner, I think this will become a great new lunch spot for me!

Old Spaghetti Factory is a good place for families and large parties, because there is plenty of indoor seating, and who doesn’t like pasta?
In terms of the food, the quantity is more than enough — the portion sizes are filling, so you probably won’t leave hungry. The quality is hit or miss. I personally like their Garlic Mizithra, mainly because it comes with bacon.
The salad is nothing worth trying, but it comes with the 3-​course meal, and so does the Spumoni, which isn’t bad (as long as you get some green spumoni, which is pistachio flavored).
The service is nice and quick, and I like the old-​timey feel of the restaurant. It’s also very clean and presentable.

First off, I’m not a chain restaurant guy, so ignore this if you like them. Short version is that they served an appetizer, soup, salad, bread, main course for 2, a glass of wine, a milkshake, and a scoop of ice cream for $ 50. That part is impressive.
The drawback is that all of it is so bland and cookie cutter that I still managed to feel cheated after all of that. I realize this place is a national chain, but they are 3 blocks away from one of the most famous fish markets in the country and the menu absolutely does not reflect that. I didn’t see this clam thing everyone talks about on the menu. Had the special which involved shrimp and they tasted like every other shrimp I’ve ever had.
Take advantage of the city this branch is located in and throw some local flavor in there. Otherwise there are plenty of other non chain Italian restaurants in town.

I have resisted eating in this franchise for years and only relented when we couldn’t find our favorite, but hard to find, local restaurant. We are from Olympia and we were looking for a locally owned eatery. We failed and decided to try a recommended spot, the Old Spaghetti Factory.
For the three of us (two being children and one being me) we enjoyed our meals but for the most part it was so-​so. The other two said it was OK but nothing to come back for.
We arrived after the lunch rush and still had to wait a few minutes to find a table for five. We were seated, the staff was friendly and helpful, and orders were taken. The meals arrived in a timely manner but then they were only noodles with different sauces on them so why not.
For the record, I don’t like franchise spaghetti places. There are better mom and pop places. I have never been to the Olive Garden believing there is better and more realistic places in ANY neighborhoods. This experience only confirmed my belief that boiling noodles and putting some sauce on them does not make one a great place.
This place is great for those looking for a quick and great tasting, yes my meal was tasty, meal of noodles. However, my wife and sister-​in-​law, who don’t subscribe to my beliefs and loves these places were not impressed.
There has to be a better place for an Italian meal of noodles. Remember, they don’t serve pizza which is funny. My oldest wanted a pizza so bad he was in shock they didn’t have any. But he loved his meal anyway and wanted to come back to this establishment on our next return to the area. So it’s a yes vote from a 9 and 7 year old, my youngest loved the shrimp dish.

We are long time diners of The Old Spaghetti Factory in Southern California so as new residents of Seattle we were happy to see there was one here.
Unfortunately it was not the same.
The pasta was soft and not al dente, the salad dressing is amazing but it was on a bed of what seemed like bagged lettuce and my husbands «hearty portion» was not hearty.
The real reason I’m posting a review: Into the women’s restroom I go to wash up before leaving to find cockroaches live on the bathroom wall and several dead on the floor. I asked to see manager on my way out to let him know and his response was a roll of the eyes and an «ok». Unacceptable. And in my opinion, a dead giveaway that he knew there was an issue and was irritated that someone saw and commented.
I know enough about cockroaches to know that if they’re in the bathroom they’re in the kitchen. I will never dine here again.

Sehr gutes Essen zu fairen Preisen! Die Bedienung hat zwar auf sich warten lassen aber ansonsten war alles gut. Die Atmosphäre ist fantastisch. Zu den Spaghetti gibt es noch einen Salat oder eine Suppe, und zum Nachtisch Eis. Man bekommt hier Essen ab 10 $, im Durchschnitt zahlt man pro Person an die 13 – 14 $. Lohnt sich wirklich! Ich werde dieses Restaurant öfter besuchen! :)

Not much I can say about this place. It’s a standard chain with average quality food. Their Italian sodas are really good though and you get to keep the glass afterwards!
However, what I really liked about this location of OSF are the hostess. The wait staff are a little slow themselves, but the hostess were so friendly and cheerful. If made a huge difference in my dining experience. Turned a commonplace dining experience into something enjoyable. Kudos to them.